My sister, Winona Clarke, was stabbed to death by a thug in order to save me.

My mom, Amber Green, does not want my nephew, Sonny Cohen, to suffer. So, she suggests that I marry my brother-in-law, Kenneth Cohen, and take care of the father and son.

For Sonny's safety, I end up on the verge of death due to Kenneth's relentless and merciless torture.

Just then, Winona, who should have been dead, returns!

Her arm linked with a millionaire's, she boasts to me, "Thank you for putting up with that maniac and sticking around until he died. Not only did you help me raise Sonny, who has Super Male Syndrome, but you even made it possible for me to inherit all of Kenneth's assets through Sonny."

Sonny joins Winona in belittling me and even spreads rumors that I killed Kenneth.

Because of her lies, I become notorious online and eventually die while being the subject of everyone's criticism and ridicule.

The heavens must have taken mercy on me, for I am granted a second chance at life. Now, I am back to the day Mom wants me to marry Kenneth.

"Your sister is gone! What is going to happen to Sonny? He's only seven. He may not survive at the hands of a wicked stepmother if his father remarries!"

The burning pain in my stomach lingered faintly as I stared blankly at the scene before me.

All I saw was black and white. Everyone who came to mourn hung their heads and sobbed quietly.

My mother, Amber Green, was kneeling on the ground and clutching the hem of my pants. She was crying her heart out.

Her noisy sobs dragged my consciousness back to the present moment.

I had somehow gone back in time!

Seeing that all I did was stare back at her with a blank expression, Mom slapped me hard across the face. She stood up and glared at me with eyes full of hatred.

She screeched, "Stella, you heartless woman! Winona died saving you, but you won't even shed a tear for her now! How can you be so cold-hearted?"

Feeling the sharp sting on my cheek from the slap, I countered flatly, "She didn't die saving me. Those men were after her from the start."

In my previous life, my sister, Winona Clarke, owed some loan sharks a massive debt. However, she paid it off overnight.

Before I could ask where she got the money, she was stabbed to death by those thugs while trying to save me.

As I was overcome with grief by Winona's unexpected death, I never stopped to think about the suspicious circumstances of her death.

It was at that time that Mom suggested I stand in for Winona and become the wife of my brother-in-law, Kenneth Cohen. Firstly, it was to repay all the kindness he had shown our family over the years. Secondly, it was because I could protect my nephew, Sonny Cohen, from being mistreated.

Kenneth had threatened that if I didn't marry him, he would take back all the money he had given us.

Mom had stammered and said pitifully that she couldn't pay him back. My dad, Brad Clarke, had died early, so Mom had worked several jobs for years just to raise Winona and me.

I didn't want Mom to suffer, so I married Kenneth.

To my horror, I found out he was a sadist only after I got married to him. I endured his torment day and night just to protect Sonny from his cruelty.

While I was being tortured, Sonny listened to my screams at the door and burst into laughter. Even so, I struggled to hold on for years just to raise him. Finally, Kenneth died one day.

Only then did I learn it had all been a scam.

This time, Winona could deal with her astronomical debt herself.

Mom flew into a rage when she heard that I was shirking responsibility, as if everything had nothing to do with me.

She shrieked, "You must be the cause of Winona's death! Otherwise, why would those thugs spare you? You fooled around out there and got involved with those unsavory men! My poor Winona was killed by her own sister! Now, she can't even rest in peace!"

Everyone around who heard Mom's words began whispering among themselves, condemning me for being ungrateful.

I had never understood why Mom blatantly favored Winona in everything since we were little. After all, we were twins. She had been willing to pay for Winona to attend a private college, but she wouldn't let me attend Northvale College, the top university across the country.

Right before I died, I had discovered that Winona and I didn't even share the same father. Winona was the product of Mom's affair with her first love. So, Mom had no qualms about ruining my life to pave a path for Winona.

"Since your sister died for you, you should marry Kenneth in her place!" Mom exclaimed.

Everyone froze when they heard Mom's words. But since this was Winona's funeral, no one spoke up for me.

However, I sneered. "Mom, Winona has just died. Yet, you want me to marry her husband right away. What kind of logic is that?"

Mom instantly dropped her act of grief and said with a smile, "Don't we always say, 'a life for a life?' If you marry Kenneth in your sister's place, won't that be the best of both worlds?"

"The best of both worlds? For who? For Winona and Kenneth, I suppose," I mocked inwardly.

I was just about to refute Mom's self-righteous claims, but a man's voice cut me off.

"Amber sees the big picture. Now that Winona is dead, it's perfect for Stella to marry me. She is Sonny's aunt, so she'll take care of him better than anyone else."

Kenneth was dressed in flamboyant, flashy colors. He rushed in from who-knew-where and shoved Sonny toward me.

Even though Sonny was still young, I could already see a vicious look in his eyes. It wasn't a look a seven-year-old child should have. In fact, he had been malicious since he was little. Winona brushed it off, saying he wasn't like other kids and would become a powerful person someday.

But once he entered kindergarten, he bullied his classmates all the time. At first, he ripped the girls' dresses. Later, he even stabbed one of his classmates' eye with a pencil.

As he grew up, I became more and more unsettled. But Mom claimed he simply lacked motherly love since Winona died when he was so young.

When Kenneth tried to beat Sonny, I stood in front of him valiantly. Because of that, Kenneth had dragged me into a room and beaten me up instead.

To keep Sonny in school, I did my best to put up with Kenneth and worked to pay for his education. However, he took what I did for granted, claiming that I owed it to him because I caused Winona's death. He did as Kenneth did, beating and cursing me however he pleased, like I was his slave.

Because of my guilt toward Winona, I had endured it all in silence.

The day Winona returned, Sonny abandoned me instantly without hesitation and clung to Winona's arm affectionately. Sometime later, he spread rumors online that I had killed Kenneth to steal his assets.

Winona had long known about Sonny's violent tendencies. She had faked her death to escape the abusive Kenneth and Sonny, leaving me behind to suffer in her place.

Hearing Mom and Kenneth speak so matter-of-factly, I couldn't help but laugh aloud.

Everyone was startled by this unexpected reaction from me.

Mom looked delighted as she asked, "Does this mean you agree to marry Kenneth?"

"No. I'm just happy for Winona," I replied.

Confusion spread across the room.

I went on, "Winona has barely just passed away. If she knew you couldn't wait to shove her husband and son to someone else, she might come back to life and burst out of her coffin in rage."

Mom jolted in fright upon hearing my words. "What nonsense are you spouting? Winona is as dead as a doornail!"

I ignored her and grabbed the coffin lid to yank it open. Then, I looked inside and gasped dramatically. "Where's Winona? Did she really climb out of her coffin?"

The people attending Winona's funeral crowded forward upon hearing my words. Seeing that the coffin was empty, all of them were shocked. Could Winona really have come back to life?

Mom spoiled and doted on Winona excessively. So, of course, she couldn't bear to let Winona suffer by stuffing her inside a coffin for hours.

In my previous life, Mom rushed to hold Winona's funeral the day after she died.

I had always been suspicious about her sudden death. Those thugs didn't want money, nor did they want her body. What were they after?

But Mom claimed she wanted Winona to be laid to rest as soon as possible. So, she stopped me from investigating further.

After Kenneth and I held our wedding, she wouldn't let us register our marriage, saying it was to honor Winona's memory. She didn't want me to take the official title after I had already taken her husband physically in real life.

I had been suspicious. But Sonny's incessant crying wore me down, and I slowly let down my guard on this issue. In the end, it was all just a ploy to let Winona inherit Kenneth's assets.

Seeing that her lies were about to unravel, Mom panicked. Then, she suddenly teared up and wailed, "I didn't want the crying and sobbing sounds to disturb Winona, so I put an empty coffin here."

The expressions of the relatives and friends present soured considerably. They had come to attend Winona's funeral out of sympathy for her unexpected death. Yet now, Mom was complaining that they were too noisy.

On the other hand, Kenneth wasn't buying any of it. He grabbed Mom by the collar and roared, "Is Winona dead or not, you old hag? Don't tell me you teamed up with that bitch to put on a show. I spent so much money on you two all these years, and all I got was a brat who's all screwed up in the head!

"Even if that bitch is dead, your younger one has to pay me back by giving me a son with a proper head on his shoulders!"

Mom trembled at his words and quickly promised she would give him a satisfactory explanation in a few days. Kenneth was unhappy with her answer, but he nodded reluctantly anyway.

Before he left, he ran his lewd gaze up and down my body. He then warned Mom to hand me over to him intact and not pull any tricks.

Once he walked off, Mom lifted her hand to slap me. But upon remembering Kenneth's words, she froze mid-swing and glared at me viciously.

I clasped my hands around hers and asked tearfully, "Mom, could what Kenneth said be true? Winona isn't dead, right?"

Mom laughed scornfully and sneered. "So, you still remember that I'm your mother, huh? Is this how you repay me?"

Her glare toward me grew even more hostile.

I smiled back and wondered what scene they planned to stage next.