After eight years of marriage, I discovered that my husband, Daniel Brooks, and his mistress had another home together—and even a six-year-old illegitimate son.

Devastated, I rode my shabby electric scooter, dragging my seven-year-old daughter Lily Brooks through the pouring rain to confront them, only to be humiliated by my in-laws, who sat comfortably in a luxury car.

Daniel watched coldly, shielding Chloe Miller—the mistress—who sat in the passenger seat with her son, Ethan Brooks. He kept honking the horn to drive us away.

Then, a pickup truck lost control and rear-ended us, sending us sprawling.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital bed—yet Daniel was holding me, crying.

“Son, thank God you’re okay. I was so worried about you. Tell me what you want—whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”

I froze. Looking down, I realized I had transmigrated into the body of Daniel’s illegitimate son. I had become Ethan!

…

“Get away from me!”

I shoved Daniel with all my might, but the childish voice that came out of my throat startled me.

I tested it a few more times, then checked myself head to toe. It was certain: I had become Daniel’s illegitimate son—Ethan Brooks.

Soon, Margaret Brooks, my mother-in-law, came to stop me. Though she scolded me, her hands were gentle as she stroked my hair.

“Ethan, how could you treat your father this way? Don’t you know, when the accident happened, he saved you first—he didn’t even care about his own injuries?”

I looked up. Daniel’s head was wrapped in bandages, his left eye bruised, half a tooth chipped.

Yet those wretched in-laws were still lively and bossy, barking orders in the hospital room and pressing the call bell every few minutes.

I felt suffocated, anger and resentment boiling inside me. Where was my poor daughter?

I threw off the blanket, desperate to run, but my new body was too frail. Daniel easily pulled me back into bed.

“Ethan, where are you going? You’re not healed yet. The doctor said you might have a concussion. You can’t run around.”

“Let go of me!” I roared in fury. But in their eyes, I was just a frightened child throwing a tantrum.

“All right, all right. Don’t be afraid, Ethan. It was just a small accident. Come here, let Grandma hold you.”

Margaret’s touch made my skin crawl. The scent of her perfume filled my nose, making me gag as I recalled the vile words she had hurled at me and Lily during the crash.

“You mother and daughter are nothing but dead weight. Eight years of marriage and no son to show for it, no contribution whatsoever. Don’t hog this spot—my son is excellent, and plenty of women are willing to bear him children. Who do you think you are?”

Clutching my chest, I forced myself to calm down, carefully adjusting my tone.

“How did the crash happen? Is my mom okay? What about Lily and her mom?”

Margaret sneered.

“Oh, my sweet grandson, even after getting hurt in the accident, you’re still thinking about those two? If they hadn’t blocked our car, would the pickup have rear-ended us? It’s all her fault!”

“Lily is fine. But her mom, Emily Carter, shielded her with her own body. She suffered a severe head injury and still hasn’t woken up. The doctors say she might end up in a vegetative state. If she doesn’t wake in three months, they’ll recommend pulling the plug.”

“Which is good, really. In those three months, we’ll file for divorce using this as an excuse. Then you and your mom can officially join the Brooks family. You’ll attend the top downtown elementary school and live in a house in a wealthy school district. Grandma has it all arranged for you. Don’t worry, sweetheart.”

Three months?

I bet they’d rather I didn’t survive even three more days.

They wished I had died outright in that crash—problem solved, leaving Chloe Miller free to enter the family.

But they didn’t know that I had entered Ethan Brooks’s body.

Since fate had handed me this, I had no choice but to play along.

After a week of observation in the hospital, I was discharged. During that time, I secretly visited my real body. It looked like a walking corpse—tubes in the head, a heavy respirator covering the mouth.

When they heard about the crash, my parents rushed to my side. The doctor had already suggested giving up, but they refused, insisting on keeping me alive, believing I would wake someday.

They spent their days crying at the glass window, their grief stabbing at my heart until I cried again and again.

Thankfully, Lily had been well protected. My parents had sent her to stay with relatives. She was safe, but not happy. Daniel, that heartless man, hadn’t visited her once—as if he never even had a daughter.

On the other side, however, was pure celebration.

To welcome Ethan home from the hospital, Margaret bought him a suburban school district house and even prepared $380,000 in cash, stacked from the door to the living room.

“Come, sweetheart, walk across it! Every step means you’ll rise higher and higher.”

Inside Ethan’s body, I let them drag me forward, stepping on thick stacks of bills. It was like walking on clouds.

I remembered the year I gave birth to Lily—Margaret hadn’t given a single penny, hadn’t even acknowledged her. When friends and family suggested she give something symbolic for good luck, she refused, sitting back like an unbothered queen.

After that, I gave up my career to become a housewife, burying my education while raising our daughter by day and drafting business strategies for Daniel at night. Step by step, I helped him climb, until he built his fortune on my research and patents.

Never did I expect such a day—

“I raised my husband, and in return he gave me a mistress.”

That this could happen to me, and so early in our marriage, while he pretended to love me all those years.

Did he have a conscience?

My fists clenched as I glared at the fruit knife on the coffee table.

This body wasn’t mine. If I killed them all, the blame would fall on Ethan. Wouldn’t that solve everything?

But what if I was stuck in Ethan’s body forever?

As I fantasized about bloodshed, a sweet scent snapped me back to reality.

Chloe Miller’s grin stretched as wide as her neckline. Seeing so much money laid out, she proudly kissed Ethan’s forehead, showering him with praise.

“My sweet boy, thank Grandma. She loves you so much. Don’t let her down—take the money.”

Chloe looked ready to scoop up the cash with her skirt, her sharp nails digging impatiently into Ethan’s arm.

Even though I was the one inside, Ethan’s pain was still mine.

Clearly, he was nothing more than a pawn to her.

At that realization, I suddenly laughed. A new plan was forming in my mind.

I angrily shoved the money back at Margaret, putting on an innocent, wounded act as I scolded Chloe.

“Mom, I know Grandma loves me, but I care about her too. She’s already so old—how could I take so much money from her? I have to return it. I want Grandma to stay healthy and happy.”

Chloe’s face darkened in fury, forced to watch the fortune slip away.

“Oh, my precious grandson is truly thoughtful. So different from that Lily. Every time Lily says she cares about me, I feel like she’s only after my money. But you—you’re not that kind of child.”

Is that so?

Just wait.

Later, Margaret tried a few more times to press the money into my hands. I refused every time, and she left delighted, hugging the cash as she carried it away.

That night after dinner, Chloe dragged me into the bedroom, jabbing my forehead in rage.

“Ethan Brooks, did the car accident scramble your brain? How could you give that money back to that old hag? Don’t you know she’s notoriously stingy? Today was a once-in-a-lifetime chance—she’ll never give you that much again! You’re an idiot!”

“Mom, we’re not short of money. Why would we need so much?”

“Are you joking? Who doesn’t want more money? Who says no to it? Don’t you forget—if I hadn’t taken you in, fed you, clothed you, treated you like a little prince, you’d still be on the streets begging!”

Two sentences—and the truth slipped out.

Ethan wasn’t Chloe and Daniel’s biological son.

But hadn’t Margaret once claimed that Ethan and Daniel had taken a DNA test, proving the boy was his? She had been overjoyed, hiding it like a treasure until I accidentally discovered it.

Now, hearing the truth, joy surged inside me. I realized there was a punishment far crueler than death for them.

After Chloe’s scolding, Daniel came out to smooth things over, shielding me with a smile as he transferred money to her on his phone.

“Come on, darling. I’m proud of our son’s character. Aren’t you? He’s thoughtful and kind. But I also know how hard you’ve worked all these years, so I’ll make it up to you. I just sent $380,000 to your account.”

Ding.

So that’s what money sounds like.

Back when I begged him for cash, he had countless excuses—losses in the stock market, no returns on patents.

But now, $380,000 was nothing—just a click away.

Chloe’s face lit up as the deposit arrived. She practically jumped with joy, clinging to Daniel’s arm.

“Darling, I didn’t mean anything else. I was praising how good Ethan is, just worried he might get arrogant. That’s why I wanted to teach him to manage his rewards better.”

“Yes, yes, you did well. You gave me a wonderful son. Half of his character comes from your teaching. Thank you, sweetheart.”

“So… don’t I deserve a little reward too?”

They exchanged knowing glances and promptly shoved me out to sleep with Margaret.

I obediently pretended to fall asleep, but from the next room, I heard their shameless passion shaking the walls.