Chapter 2

Hearing my words, Emily suddenly sat up straight. "Please mind your language, Helen.

"I can't let you talk about my parents like that. I know everything that happened between you and my mom, and between you and Mark back in the day. He is my stepdad. I know it all."

I clenched my fingers around the hem of my clothes. "If you know all that, how do you still have the guts to come here?"

Emily shot back, unflinching, "That's between your generation, not us. Ryan and I really love each other. We shouldn't have to pay for your generation's mistakes."

Back in my previous life, when I heard those words, something inside my brain snapped. I rushed over and slapped her across the face. She turned and walked away.

And my son, the one I'd raised for twenty years, dropped to his knees. "Mom, Emily and I are truly in love. If you think I'm unfilial, call me that." Then he got up and hurried after her.

To keep them apart, I kept hurting myself over and over. Ryan kept apologizing, promising again and again he'd never see Emily anymore.

I thought I'd gotten my son back by putting everything on the line. But it was all a lie. He could even watch me die without a flicker of emotion.

Now I looked calmly at Emily, who was so defiant, then glanced at my son, who looked anxious.

I smiled, "Emily, your mother interfered in my marriage to Mark. She knew she was the mistress and still chose to get involved with no sense of decency or shame.

"I'm afraid that kind of bad blood might be passed down, so I'll never approve of you and my son being together."

Ryan suddenly looked up, shock written all over his face.

He probably never expected his mother, always dignified, always patient, and always gracious in front of others, to call the woman he loved tainted by bad blood so directly.

He probably thought I'd be pleasant for his sake. But he had no idea. I'd already died once.

Emily's eyes were burning red with anger, but she didn't flinch. She stared right at me, a cold smirk tugging at her lips. "Helen, in love, the real mistress is the one who isn't loved.

"My parents truly loved each other. Your marriage to my dad was an empty shell ages ago. Don't play the victim and blame them.

"My parents did nothing wrong. The real mistake is made by those who use marriage and kids to tear true love apart. True love is what matters most.

"My dad said you were selfish, and he was right. You're only against me and Ryan because you want revenge on my mom, isn't that it? You're so vindictive, even using your own son as a pawn. There's no way I'm letting you win."

I thought that after dying and hitting rock bottom, nothing could hurt me anymore. But her words still made me tremble with rage.

She said, "The real mistress is the one who isn't loved."

She said, "The real wrong is using marriage and kids to break up true love."

She said, "True love is the greatest thing."

She said, "You are selfish."

She said, "There's no way I'm letting you win."

Olivia, her mother, had thrown those exact words at me twenty years ago.

Back then, Olivia stood in my living room, just as bold and unashamed, waving 'true love' around like a banner and smashing my twenty-year marriage, my whole life, to pieces.

And now, her daughter was right in front of me, with the same attitude and twisted logic, trying to snatch away the last thing I had left.

And my son just stood there, watching her call me out, not flinching.

The victim had somehow become the villain.

I looked at Emily. "Figures. With parents like a cheating jerk and his homewrecker, how could you ever know right from wrong? Pathetic. I thought I could reason with you. You're as shameless as those two. Get lost. You're not welcome in this house."

"Mom, can you stop for a second?" Ryan complained, his face pale.

He grabbed Emily's arm, his voice almost begging. "Emily, my mom just—"

Emily shook off his hand, her tone icy. "Ryan, you have to pick a side today. Whose side are you on?"

Ryan was sweating in anxiety, pleading, "Emily, don't do this. My mom needs a little time to get used to it."

"Time?" Emily snapped, jerking his hand away. "Haven't I given you enough time?

"Your mom destroyed my parents' reputation, made everyone turn their backs on them, and kids at school bullied and mocked me. We were forced to move because of her. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?

"I love you, so I swallowed all that. But no matter how much I love you, I won't sit there and let people insult me. And you didn't even bother to speak up for me."

She pointed right at me. "You say Helen loves you, but she can't accept the one you love. Are you sure that's real love?"

Emily snorted coldly, "She doesn't love you at all. She wants to control you, to use you to get back at my parents."

Her words were like knives, stabbing me over and over right in the heart.