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.

Margaret Brooks had always struggled with sleep and sometimes sleepwalked, so she relied on sedatives at night. Once she swallowed the pill, she was out cold, oblivious to the shameless noises coming from the next room.

I tossed and turned, unable to sleep, until I quietly took Margaret’s phone. While they were distracted, I opened the door, recorded their scandalous scene, and uploaded it to Facebook with a few cutting words:

“This woman is shameless—throwing herself at my son. Now he doesn’t even talk to me at night, all because she has him wrapped around her finger. The bed is about to collapse from their antics. Disgraceful!”

After posting, I finally slept soundly.

At dawn, I was jolted awake by the sound of Margaret and Chloe Miller fighting. Before I could rub my eyes, Chloe yanked me up roughly.

“Mom, you’ve gone too far! How could you post Daniel and me on Facebook like that? You might not care about your face, but we do. What kind of person does that?”

Margaret was stunned. She opened Facebook, saw the post, and stomped her foot in panic.

“I don’t know! I never posted this! I never got up last night.”

I quickly added fuel to the fire. “I saw Grandma up last night. I called her, but she didn’t answer. I was too sleepy and fell back asleep.”

“That’s impossible! I don’t remember anything. I took my sleeping pills and went straight to bed.”

Daniel Brooks ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Mom, it must have been you. Ethan’s just a kid—he wouldn’t lie. If he says he saw you, then maybe your sleepwalking has come back.”

“No! I’ve been taking my medicine, following treatment. The doctor even said I was stable last time.”

Daniel wasn’t convinced. Chloe tugged on his hand, and within a minute, he had a plan.

“Mom, let’s send you to a nursing home or hospital for treatment. Ethan is back home now, and it’s inconvenient for you to cause trouble like this.”

“What?!”

Margaret refused, but Chloe knew how to manipulate Daniel. A little pout, a mention of Ethan’s name, and Daniel always caved.

And so, Margaret was sent away to a nursing home.

With her gone, I began my second plan.

Using Ethan’s innocent, childlike appearance, I gained advantages. I scattered strands of women’s hair around the house, planted a lipstick in the passenger seat, and swiped sample perfumes from counters—all to create the illusion that another woman was around Daniel.

Chloe fell for it quickly. Within a month, she was suspicious and hysterical.

“Daniel, you’d better explain! What have you been doing behind my back? Are you that much of a playboy, chasing after every woman you see? How could you do this to me?!”

Daniel’s veins bulged as he snapped.

“Chloe, I don’t know what you’re talking about! Stop making a scene! Last night you accused my client and attacked her, leaving her bruised. Now she’s suing me. Do you realize how much that deal was worth? Millions of dollars!”

“I hit her because her hair matched the hair I found here—exactly the same as that tramp’s!”