Chapter 1

In my previous life, I caught my mother-in-law sneaking into the cornfield with another man. I didn't dare expose her, so I quietly went home and told my husband.

The result? My husband and father-in-law beat me so brutally I lost an eye and was left with a crippled leg.

After I died, I found myself back on the very day I discovered my mother-in-law's affair.

This time, I stayed silent too… and proceeded to set the entire cornfield ablaze.

*****

I trembled all over, jolted awake as if struck by lightning.

The pain hadn't fully faded yet, but I realized I had returned to the past.

In my arms, my two-year-old daughter, Maya Harper was crying, fussing for a corn cob.

This was the very day I caught my mother-in-law Casey in the cornfield with someone else. Just like in my previous life, the autumn sky was high and clear, the breeze gentle.

Since God had given me another chance, I wasn't about to let Casey remain so quietly shameless.

I sat up in a rush, set Maya down, and coaxed her to wait a bit while I went to pick some corn for her.

On the way, I grabbed cooking oil from the kitchen and stuffed a box of matches into my pocket.

At the edge of the cornfield, the stalks stretched like walls, their leaves broader than a man's palm, towering high overhead. So many things could hide in here—romance and filth, sweetness and rot.

I went to the spot I remembered, crouched at the upwind side, and held my breath to listen.

Crunching sounds came. It was the noise of stalks breaking underfoot. They were already making a "bed."

Then a woman's voice urged, "That's enough. If you crush too many stalks, people will notice from outside."

It was Casey's voice, without a doubt.

I waited quietly. Soon the rustle of clothes came, followed by gasps and giggles.

Without hesitation, I splashed the oil onto the stalks and struck a match.

The flames caught fast, feeding on the oil and carried by the wind.

By the time I walked home with two ears of corn and set them to boil for Maya, cries rang out. "Fire! Fire in the fields!"

Holding Maya, I ran out with the others.

And then I saw Casey, naked with her hair half scorched, wailing as she burst out of the flames.

She collided head-on with the crowd, and struggled to cover herself.

But cover the top, and the bottom was bare; cover the bottom, and the top was exposed. Twisting like a pretzel, she finally crouched down on the ground, trying in vain to hide her shame.

Behind her stumbled a man—completely naked as well, hands fumbling to cover himself.

It was none other than Shawn Harper, the youngest brother of Casey's husband.

The crowd instantly exploded.

The old crazy bachelor who lived at the east end snickered, "Casey, your skin is still so smooth."

"Good lord, why'd you come running out without clothes?" the women cried, covering their faces but peeking through their fingers.

The crowd was laughing, pointing fingers, wolf-whistling and jeering. Of course, there were curses too.

Shawn's wife, Eliza, had arrived, cursing. She was a tough woman who could kill a boar with one swing of her knife.

When she saw Shawn with Casey, she slapped her thigh and shrieked at Casey, "You shameless whore. I'll skin you alive today for daring to seduce my man."

Shaking with fury, she barreled forward, swung her meaty arm and slapped Casey to the ground.

Blood oozed between Casey's fingers as she clutched her face.

Eliza lifted her leg to kick again, but four men blocked her path.

It was Edmund, Casey's husband, Dereck, the second brother, Logan, the third brother, and the naked Shawn himself.

All the men in the family had arrived, collectively protecting the naked Casey.

Dereck's wife, Esther, and Logan's wife, Ruth, immediately flew into a rage when they saw their husbands protect the slut Casey.

Esther tore off her shoe, waving it like a weapon as she lunged at Casey. "You rotten slut, seducing even your husband's brother. I'm going to ruin that pretty face of yours."

Ruth, who had been doing the laundry, raised the washing paddle at Casey.

Among the four Harper sisters-in-law, Casey was the youngest and most beautiful.

She always flirted with the Harper brothers and the others had never liked her.

Now, with such a scandal blazing before them, their suspicions were all but confirmed.

Emotions ran high, and for a moment, no one knew whose side each one was on.

The Harper wives clawed at Casey, while the Harper men pulled them back. Meanwhile, Edmund hurriedly threw a jacket over Casey.

As soon as Casey covered herself, she immediately fought back. The moment she did, the three women attacked even more fiercely.

It was utter chaos. No one knew how to break up the fight.

I turned my head and saw my husband Alvin running towards us. Frightened, I quickly crouched in a corner and cried, trembling. Maya was also in tears.

Later, the town mayor Blake Shaw and town councilman Nathan Porter arrived with reinforcements and finally managed to break up the eight-person brawl.

Amidst jeers and insults, the disgraced Casey and Shawn returned to their individual homes.