Chapter 1
"Rosalyn, you can't even give my son a child. How dare you lock the door? Hand over some of your family's money for Harry's wedding right now." A sharp, venomous voice rang out, followed by violent kicks against the door.
It was her mother-in-law, Lauren Jenkins. Rosalyn had been married into the Jenkins family for three years.
The warehouse door rattled violently under the blows, ready to give way at any moment. Inside, Rosalyn lay curled on the cold floor, bound tightly with rope, unable to move.
Tape sealed her mouth shut, leaving her only muffled cries.
Flames had already reached her dress, searing her skin with unbearable pain. Thick smoke filled her lungs, each breath tearing through her chest.
Beyond the door, Lauren's cursing was still going on, mixed with a cold voice Rosalyn knew better than anyone.
Charles Jenkins, the man she had loved for five years and been married to for three.
He said, "Mom, stop. She's not getting out of here anyway. Once she's dead, everything from the Sutton family will be ours."
"You're right." Lauren's tone shifted instantly, turning fawning. "You really did a good job fooling her and draining her parents' company dry.
"The Sutton family is bankrupt now, and her parents are gone in that accident. She's useless to us. It's good she's dying. Then you and Vera can finally be together."
Vera Lopez was Rosalyn's best friend, the girl she had grown up with and the one she treated better than anyone in the world.
Rosalyn's eyes turned bloodshot, tears streaming down her face, stung by smoke. Her heart felt like it was being crushed, squeezed so tight that she could barely breathe.
Only then did she finally understand everything.
*****
Rosalyn Sutton was the only daughter of the Sutton family in Larsbond. Her family ran a thriving construction materials business, and she was a true heiress, born into wealth and privilege.
Charles, on the other hand, came from a poor background, a man who had risen from nothing. Back then, she ignored her parents' fierce objections and married him anyway, believing she had found true love.
For three years, she'd poured her family's resources into Charles, helping him go from a nobody to a big shot in the business world.
She was really good to Vera. When Vera lost her job, she pulled strings to get her another one. When Vera was broke, she gave her tens of thousands of dollars for free.
Rosalyn never imagined that those two had been having an affair all along.
Her parents' car crash wasn't an accident at all; it was all orchestrated by Charles and Vera.
Her family's company's bankruptcy wasn't bad management; Charles conspired with outsiders, bleeding the company dry and dumping all the debt onto the Sutton family.
And she, the legitimate wife, had been kept in the dark. Once they had drained every last bit of value from her, they dragged her to an abandoned warehouse, planning to burn her alive to clear the path for Vera.
'Charles, Vera, and Lauren. You'll pay for this!' Rosalyn thought, pure hatred flooding through her. 'This is not over. I will come back for you.'
The flames finally engulfed her. The pain hit instantly, spreading everywhere as her consciousness started to fade.
Rosalyn hated herself for being blind and trusting the wrong people, ending up with nothing left.
If there was another chance, she swore she would make all three of them pay for what they did. She would make them suffer the most painful price imaginable.
Then the searing pain vanished in an instant, replaced by the softness of a bed beneath her and the lingering scent of roses and the sweet aroma of wine.
Rosalyn's eyes flew open.
The room looked like a typical newlywed setup. There was a large bed with clean bedding, some flowers around the room, and their wedding photo framed on the wall.
In the photo, she looked really happy and full of hope. Charles was smiling, too, but it felt fake now, like there was something hidden behind it she had never noticed before.
Rosalyn shot up in bed, looking down at her own hands in disbelief.
They were flawless and slender, not a trace of burns anywhere. She was wearing a brand-new silk nightgown, the very one she'd worn on her wedding night.
She ran to the mirror in a panic, and it reflected a young, delicate face back at her.
She was twenty-three, her skin plump and radiant, her eyes still brimming with youthful innocence. She looked totally different from the haggard, broken woman she'd become three years later.
The digital calendar on the nightstand showed it was October 16, 2023.
It was her wedding night. She'd come back, right on the day she married Charles, before any of the disasters had happened.
Her parents were still alive, the Sutton family's company was still in good shape, and she hadn't started funneling her family's assets to Charles yet.
Charles and Vera's dirty little affair was still hidden, and Lauren hadn't started leeching off her yet.
Rosalyn clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug deep into her palms, the pain keeping her mind sharp and clear.
The memory of being burned alive and losing everything in her previous life was fresh. The hatred inside her kept rising like waves in her chest.
She thought, 'Charles, Lauren, and Vera. You owe the Sutton family and me. This time, I'll make you pay back everything you took with interest.'
At that moment, the door was flung open. Charles walked in, reeking of alcohol.
He shrugged off his suit jacket and tossed it carelessly onto the couch. When he looked at Rosalyn, there was no warmth at all, but a cold, obvious calculation.
The first thing he said was exactly what he'd said on their wedding night in her previous life. "Rosalyn, I need to talk to you about something.
"My younger brother, Harry Jenkins, is getting engaged next month. The girl's family wants a house in Larsbond, paid in full, plus 60 thousand as a wedding gift. Go back to your parents tomorrow and ask them for 300 thousand, okay?"
It was the exact same words as before.
In her previous life, Rosalyn had been swept up in the bliss of her marriage. Although she felt something was wrong, she couldn't resist Charles's sweet talk and manipulation.
She begged her parents until they finally gave in and handed over 300 thousand dollars, so Harry could get his house and pay the wedding gift.
That was the beginning of her nightmare.
From that moment on, Lauren and Charles clung to the Sutton family, constantly demanding money and draining them until they were broke.
This time, as Rosalyn stared at the hypocritical man in front of her, all she felt was contempt and overwhelming scorn.
She looked up at Charles with a sarcastic smile on her face and casually said, "No."