On my wedding day, when my husband Caleb's "soulmate," Daphne, threatened to jump off a cliff, he coldly dared her to do it.

After Daphne plunged to her death, Caleb shattered. He dragged me to his family's cemetery and forced me to my knees, blaming me for her death. When I had a miscarriage, he called it my penance. When I begged to leave, he threatened my family, imprisoning me by his side and insisting our suffering was a debt we owed to Daphne.

But I was reborn.

I woke up in a Vera Wang wedding dress, back on my wedding day. Daphne was once again standing on the edge of the cliff, and Caleb was about to utter the words that would sentence her to death.

This time, I was going to save her.

And he would be the one begging for redemption.

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1

"Tell Daphne I don't give a damn if she lives or dies. I'm not running to her side!" Caleb Hawthorne's ice-cold voice jolted me back to the present.

I looked up and saw my reflection in the mirror, dressed in a pristine white wedding gown.

I was reborn.

I was back at my cliffside wedding on the California coast, an event once hailed as the wedding of the century. Back to what I once thought was the happiest day of my life.

Behind me, Caleb's expression was a thundercloud, his tone laced with impatience. In my past life, I had been pathetically grateful that he had chosen me. Now, all I could see was the frantic worry churning beneath his frustration.

He had fallen for Daphne long ago but had chosen me for the sake of the Hawthorne family's image—a "trophy bride" from a respected family of architects, chosen to lend the Hawthorne name an air of cultural sophistication. After Daphne’s death, a twisted, possessive grief drove him mad. He imprisoned me, a substitute for the soulmate he’d lost.

He prayed for her soul but showed no mercy to our unborn child. The world praised his profound devotion and condemned me as a shameless homewrecker. They all said I deserved it.

No one knew that Caleb had relentlessly pursued me for four years. He had been the one to approach me. In the end, I shouldered all the blame alone.

The injustice of it all still burned inside me. Now that I had a second chance, I refused to make the same mistakes.

I gently tugged on Caleb's sleeve. "Caleb, you should go check on her."

He stared at me in disbelief. In our past, the mere mention of Daphne’s name would send me into a jealous spiral. My sudden magnanimity caught him completely off guard.

Seeing my earnest expression, Caleb frowned. "You want me to leave you for another woman at our own wedding? Clara, are you trying to hand the tabloids a field day?"

The tabloids won’t kill me, I thought wryly. But he just might.

I smoothed my expression into a mask of elegance and composure. "Caleb, if your love for her is true, what does it matter what anyone else says?"

I even added, "We can postpone the wedding. You and Daphne are so close. If something really happened to her, you'd regret it for the rest of your life, and I couldn't bear that for you. A life is on the line."

My words drew a murmur of approval from the guests. Even Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne, who had always looked down on my family’s standing, seemed to soften their gazes.

Caleb pulled me into a fierce embrace and kissed my forehead, his voice hoarse with emotion. "Clara, I knew I chose the right woman. Wait for me. I'll be right back. As soon as I'm sure Daphne is safe, we'll continue the ceremony."

I nodded, gently pushing him away. "Go on. Saving her is what's most important."

He turned without a second thought and sprinted toward the cliff's edge.

I watched his retreating back, clutching my wedding dress, standing alone on the ceremonial platform before the media and our guests. I played the part of the perfect, understanding fiancée, waiting for a full hour.

In my past life, he resented my jealousy. In this life, I would push him toward Daphne with my own two hands.

Eventually, Caleb returned. But he wasn't alone.

Beside him walked Daphne, also clad in a white gown. She clung to Caleb’s arm, her smile triumphant and her eyes glinting with undisguised provocation as she stared at me.

Shocked whispers rippled through the crowd.

Caleb turned to me, his expression a mixture of guilt and resolve. His voice was hesitant. "Clara, Daphne told me… she's been in love with me for years, and she has only one wish—to exchange vows with me. She promised that if I agree, she'll never bother us again, so… could you… just for today, step aside and let Daphne complete the ceremony?"

Caleb's absurd request sent a palpable shockwave through the lavish wedding venue.

I perfected the role of the wronged but dignified woman. With tears welling in my eyes, I simply nodded.

An overwhelming wave of sympathy in my favor immediately flooded social media.

Even Mrs. Hawthorne was stunned by her son's audacity. "This is ridiculous! Caleb, marriage isn't a game!"

Caleb looked at me guiltily. "Clara, this is my fault. I'll make it up to you."

The guests murmured among themselves, some shooting me sympathetic glances, others looks of disdain. I remained composed, my face a mask of quiet strength.

Daphne immediately retorted, "Caleb saved me, not you. If he hadn't agreed to marry me today, I would have jumped."

Her words sent the already guilty Caleb into a rage. "Daphne! If it weren't for the friendship between our families, I wouldn't have even bothered with you!"

He snapped, "Clara has suffered enough because of you. That's enough!"

Daphne's eyes reddened with hurt. She lowered her head and softened her tone. "I'm sorry, Caleb. I just love you so much! Since… since Clara is willing, let's just begin."

As Caleb looked at me hesitantly, I gave him a pained smile and stepped down from the ceremonial platform.

Before I even reached the dressing room, the wedding march began to play. Daphne's passionate vows echoed along the coast.

After I changed into my own clothes, a hotel staff member rushed in, saying there was a commotion in the guest lounge.

When I arrived, I found Caleb manhandling my nephew, Noah. Daphne stood nearby, the antique lace veil on her head torn at the corner, screaming, "Teach that little brat a lesson!"

I rushed forward in a blaze of fury, trying to pull Caleb away. "Caleb, let him go!"

Noah saw me and cried out, his voice thick with tears, "Auntie!"

He was my sister's only child, a sweet, kind boy with a passion for technology. In my previous life, Caleb had used him as a pawn to control me, ruining his future until he ended his own life by leaping from a skyscraper.

Seeing him alive and well, I couldn't stop my own tears from flowing.

Caleb ignored my protests. He flung his arm back, shoving me away with brutal force.

A sharp pain shot through my lower back, and a vicious cramp seized my abdomen as a cold dread washed over me.

I slammed into the stone balustrade at the edge of the terrace.

Then it hit me. At this exact moment in my last life, I was already three weeks pregnant.

"Clara, your nephew tore Daphne's veil with a drone!" Daphne's mother, Mrs. Beaumont, stormed over, her face livid.

Biting my lip against the pain, I told her coldly, "Mrs. Beaumont, half an hour ago, your daughter was threatening to jump off a cliff. I was the one who convinced Caleb to go to her. In a way, I saved her life."

I paused, my gaze sharp as a shard of glass. "And let's not forget that twenty years ago, it was my father's architectural designs that saved your family's business from bankruptcy. When do you plan on repaying that debt?"

The color drained from Mrs. Beaumont's face. She opened her mouth to argue, but the judgmental stares of the surrounding guests silenced her.

I turned to Noah, the pain in my abdomen intensifying with each breath. "Noah, call an ambulance."

Noah immediately pulled out his phone.

Caleb was clearly startled. "What's wrong? I barely touched you."

"She's just putting on a show," Daphne sneered. "Looking for sympathy."

Caleb's frown deepened. "Is that true, Clara? I don't appreciate these games."

Just then, Daphne suddenly clutched her neck, her breathing growing ragged as she let out a pained gasp. "I… I think I'm having an allergic reaction… I can't breathe…"

She collapsed to the ground.

Caleb instantly forgot I existed, rushing to scoop her into his arms and yelling, "A doctor! Get a doctor!"

He carried Daphne through the crowd, his face a mask of frantic worry.

The medical helicopter arrived quickly.

Before I could say a word, Daphne's mother shrieked and ran toward the paramedics. "Doctor, save my daughter!"

Then, someone roughly shoved me aside. I looked up angrily to see Caleb holding Daphne.

"Clara, you fell," he stated, his voice devoid of emotion. "Daphne is in anaphylactic shock. They're not the same thing."

"Let her take the helicopter. I'll have my driver take you to the hospital."

The pain in my abdomen was becoming unbearable. I shook my head. "No! I need a doctor now!"

Daphne's mother rushed up to me and slapped me hard across the face. "You selfish bitch! How dare you fight my daughter for the helicopter!"

Caleb avoided my gaze. "Mrs. Beaumont is just worried, Clara. Be the bigger person."

And with that, he carried Daphne past me and onto the helicopter.

As the roar of the rotor blades faded into the distance, I collapsed to the ground in agony.

The next moment, someone pointed at my legs and screamed in horror, "Oh my God, she's bleeding! Look at all the blood!"