Chapter 1

Ten years of being DINK, and my husband's mistress got pregnant.

He didn't ask her to end it. Instead, he told me he wanted to be a father.

I had two choices: take one hundred million and walk away, or stay as Mrs. Shaw and raise this child as my own, free motherhood, no pain.

The Shaw family was sure I'd pick the second option. Everyone knew how much I loved Andrew.

But I chose the first without hesitation.

No complicated reason. I came back from the future. In my previous life, I fought Andrew's mistress for decades, and everything I built still ended up in her son's hands.

This time around, I wanted to coast.

I would take the money, live the rich life, and do what Andrew did: keep a few younger men for fun.

*****

In my previous life, I literally worked myself to death.

When I found out Andrew Shaw was cheating, I was so pissed and full of hate that I couldn't sleep for two days straight. I spent all that time coming up with a meticulous revenge plan.

First, I stripped Andrew of his power, took over most of the Shaw family business, and then went all out. My shares ended up four or five times what they were.

After I totally crushed Emily Lane and her son Jason Shaw, they hid overseas, too terrified to come back or even reach out to Andrew.

Not a single person in the Shaw family dared to challenge me, not even Andrew himself.

I thought I'd won.

But by the time I turned forty-five, no matter what I tried, I couldn't get pregnant again.

I kept getting shots for IVF, working myself to the bone day and night, and in the end, my body gave out. I dropped dead on a business trip.

Before my body was even in the ground, Emily rushed back to the country with her son.

Andrew, Emily, and Jason were all clinging to each other, bawling their eyes out like they were the ones who'd been wronged.

Meanwhile, my ashes and my photo got dumped in the trash without a second thought.

Watching Emily move in like she couldn't wait, and Jason snatch up my company, I finally realized all my hard work was for someone else's gain.

Late at night, Emily was lying in bed with Andrew, tears streaming down her face as she said, "Honey, you've had to endure so much these twenty years.

"You even secretly got a vasectomy for me, and you made Charlotte slave away for our son. Thank you, honey. I love you so much."

Andrew kissed her forehead. "Emily, I love you too. You've been with me since you were twenty. I'd do anything for you."

So, no matter how hard I tried, I could never get pregnant because Andrew had already gotten snipped without telling me.

I couldn't tell if I was filled with regret or burning with anger. All I knew was that my whole life felt like one big joke.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself right back at the moment when Andrew laid everything out for me.

He'd gotten back from a business trip, still wearing the custom suit I'd picked out for him. He sat on the couch, exuding confidence and charisma.

Andrew let out a sigh. "Charlotte, let's break up on good terms. Emily is pregnant. It happened, but she's given me her all. I can't let her down.

"I'm going to marry her and keep the baby. Sorry, you're the one who has to lose out here.

"On top of the 100 million dollars in compensation, I'll buy your shares at market value. The villa we live in and all the cars are yours. I know I haven't treated you right all these years."

Honestly, Andrew's offer was pretty damn good.

If I didn't love him, I'd be making out like a bandit.

But I'd known him since I was eighteen, and we got married when I was twenty.

When Andrew was hustling to build his business, I was right there helping him run the company. Later, when his parents got old and sick, I put my career on hold to look after them at home.

I never thought Andrew would stab me in the back.

He twisted the knife right into my heart.

In my previous life, I hated him with every fiber of my being. I spent my whole life plotting my revenge against him.

I looked at my face in the mirror, barely thirty, but already looking worn from years of being a housewife.

My eyes were tired, worn out from cooking for my in-laws and running myself ragged with housework.

My clothes were old and out of style, because I didn't want to waste Andrew's hard-earned money on myself.

I was practically radiating pure housewife energy.

My heart gave a little jolt, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself.

How did my life end up like this?

Why did I never let myself enjoy life?

Snapped out of my daze, I heard Andrew bring up the divorce again.

Andrew was clearly losing his patience. I said, cold and distant, "Okay."

Andrew was caught off guard. "What?"

I said, "Fine. I agree to the divorce, and you can buy back my shares at market price. Andrew, let's end things cleanly, no drama."

Andrew was probably stunned by how quickly I agreed and stared at me for a while.

He tossed out, "As long as you agree, I'll have my lawyer reach out to you tomorrow," then walked out in a hurry.

I took a deep breath, and when I turned around, I caught sight of my in-laws upstairs.

They already knew about Emily's pregnancy and wanted to see if I'd throw a fit.

Seeing how decisive I was, they were a bit embarrassed.

My mother-in-law gave a stiff smile, nudged my father-in-law, and the two of them quickly turned and walked away.

Left all alone in the living room, I sat there, letting the whole thing sink in.

*****

Andrew's secretary worked fast. Barely a week had passed before Emily had the guts to barge right into our home.

In my previous life, Andrew doted on her because she was so young, shielding her from everything. I hardly ever had to interact with her.

So, suddenly facing this twenty-year-old Emily, I felt an inexplicable wave of resentment.

But I did my best to hide it.

I knew all of this was Andrew's fault. Emily was a clingy little pest who happened to latch onto him.

Everyone in the Shaw family was fussing over her like she was a treasure. My mother-in-law, who'd been icy for ten years, was suddenly all smiles, warm and welcoming, for Emily.

She kept handing Emily fruit and patting her belly, looking like she'd finally gotten the grandchild she'd always dreamed of.

I didn't bother going in to deal with the drama. Instead, I headed back to my car and called Andrew. "Send your secretary outside. I'll sign the papers right here in the car.

"Since the villa's mine now, have your parents move out tomorrow. I don't want any other people hanging around my place.

"Wire the money to my account first. Let's wrap up the share transfer ASAP, and once that's done, we'll make the divorce official."

Andrew stayed silent for a moment, then gave a sarcastic chuckle. He said, "You sure don't waste any time."

He made it sound like I was here for the money.

I didn't bother responding.

Arguing with him was pointless. What mattered was settling everything as fast as possible.

Maybe my attitude got under his skin, or maybe he didn't want Emily to feel slighted.

Either way, a month later, I walked away with nearly 200 million dollars in compensation and a divorce certificate.