Chapter 1
I, Emily Sinclair, was the lady of the house, poised and dignified all my life. I'd never bowed down to any kept women.
But I woke up as the wife in a rich modern family, pushed to depression by a cheating husband, Andrew Grant, and his mistress, Jessica Lane.
I'd only spilled their sordid little secret, and Andrew dragged me to court, claiming I'd violated his privacy.
The judge ordered me to make a public apology, and everyone was waiting to laugh at my downfall.
Andrew was full of himself. "Emily, apologize, or you'll rot in jail."
Jessica flaunted her baby bump to taunt me. "Emily, times have changed. The one who isn't loved is always the other woman."
I calmly touched up my makeup, looked straight into the camera with millions watching, and flashed a flawless smile. "Don't worry. I'll make a public apology."
Did they think they could make me back down? Sorry, giving up was never my choice.
*****
"Emily, you've got three minutes left." Andrew's voice came through the phone, dripping with contempt and glee. "The live stream's all set up for you.
"It's trending number one, and millions are waiting to see Mrs. Grant beg for forgiveness."
I sat upright at the vanity, gazing at the mirror. My face was bloodless, but its beauty was impossible to hide.
I carefully finished the last stroke of my eyebrow pencil.
The woman in the mirror was also Emily.
She was the lady of the Grant family, yet her life was even worse than that of the servants.
She caught her husband, Andrew, and his secretary, Jessica, in the middle of their affair.
Furious, she exposed them online, but suddenly, she was the one being blamed.
Andrew and Jessica brought in a top legal team and sued her for invasion of privacy and defamation.
In court, Jessica put on a tearful show, claiming she was a pitiful pregnant woman.
She said that Emily was depressed, imagining an affair between Andrew and her.
Andrew acted devastated, insisting he loved his wife, but her illness made her lash out at her family.
Everyone took their side.
They called Emily a psycho and a wicked wife.
In the end, the judge ordered Emily to publicly apologize to Andrew and Jessica via a live stream.
Emily couldn't handle the shock. She passed out, and when the woman woke up, it was my soul in charge.
Back in the 19th century, I was the lady who managed the household for thirty years, defeated eight kept women, and outlasted a duke.
"Emily, don't do anything rash," Jessica cooed over the phone, faking sweetness. "Andrew's doing this for your good. Apologize, and everyone will forgive you.
"After that, our little family of three will be sure to treat you well."
Did she mean a family of three?
I chuckled, picked up the bold red lipstick from the vanity, and carefully applied it.
In my world, a woman as shameless as Jessica couldn't even be considered worthy of serving as a mistress.
"Don't worry," I said, my voice flat, giving nothing away. "I'll apologize."
After hanging up, I clicked on the live stream link.
The chat was blowing up.
[One minute left! The biggest joke of the century is about to kick off.]
[The wife is so absurd. She tried to call them out, but got called out herself. Now she's going to embarrass herself in front of everyone.]
[Heard Mr. Grant said if she apologized properly, he wouldn't send her to jail. Guess the rich can be generous sometimes.]
[Generous? Give me a break! The mistress is pregnant. This is her way of kicking the wife out.]
[Stop spreading rumors. Jessica said Emily's sick, and that's her fantasy.]
I glanced at the comments, the curve of my lips growing softer.
Did they call it a fantasy? Alright. I'd show them how real this so-called fantasy could be.
The live stream began.
I fixed my phone in place, making sure the camera was centered on my face.
On screen, I was wearing a lace-trimmed dress. My makeup was flawless, and my posture was calm and dignified.
This was nothing like the hysterical, crazy woman they'd pictured.
The chat froze for a moment.
[Holy crap! Is this really that vicious wife? She looks nothing like the haggard mess in the photos.]
[She's so elegant. I'd believe she's a movie star.]
[She's putting on a show. She's about to cry and beg for mercy. Now she's only trying to save her face.]
I stood up gracefully before the camera and gave a flawless curtsy.
"Greetings to you all," I said.