Chapter 1

In my previous life, my dad cheated on my mom and had a second family on the side.

Mom walked away penniless to keep custody of me.

Those days were brutally hard for the two of us.

At our lowest point, Mom wanted to throw herself in front of a luxury car for the insurance payout.

Opening my eyes, I was back at my parents' divorce, right when my dad asked me to choose whom I'd live with.

This time, I decisively chose my rich dad.

I've had enough of living in poverty in my previous life.

*****

"Sophie, after your mom and I split up, who do you want to live with?" Dad asked. He was trying to sound gentle, but his eyes danced with an ugly excitement.

Was he actually happy about this?

Of course he was. Soon, he would finally wash his hands of my mother and me, his so-called baggage, and finally get to marry the love of his life, the one who got away in his youth.

Back when Dad was young, he was crazy about this girl, but Grandma didn't like her at all. She claimed the girl was too unruly to be a good wife for her son.

Dad cried and pleaded, threatened to starve himself, but Grandma never gave in.

Grandma went to the girl's home and berated her so harshly that her whole family ended up moving away.

And the couple was split up for good.

After that, Dad threw in the towel and married Mom, the one Grandma had chosen for him.

Once they got married, Mom became a full-time housewife, waiting on him hand and foot.

Turns out, Grandma didn't want a daughter-in-law. She wanted someone to mother her son all over again.

Grandma lived a long life, but the longest-lived couldn't escape death.

She kicked the bucket and was gone for good.

But for Mom and me, that was when our suffering began.

No one could hold my dad back from pursuing his great love anymore.

The very next day after Grandma died, Dad couldn't wait to ask Mom for a divorce.

Mom threw a fit, cried, and begged, but Dad was determined. He couldn't wait a minute longer.

He walked out on us without a care for what anyone thought. He shacked up with the other woman and refused to give my mom a single penny to live on.

He didn't love Mom, and as for me, I was barely on his radar.

Mom never backed down, not when Dad cut off all financial support.

She never caved when she had to hustle for any job she could find to keep us going.

But when appendicitis landed me in the hospital, Mom couldn't afford the bills. For the very first time, she was forced to swallow her pride and turn to Dad for help.

I would never forget that scene.

In the dimly lit, chilling hospital corridor, my dad looked down his nose at her. "Sign the divorce papers, and you'll get the money."

My mother collapsed to her knees, her face drenched in tears. Her slumped posture looked like a snapped crescent moon, shattered beyond repair.

She squeezed the words out with agonizing effort. "I... I agree to it."

Once Dad got what he wanted, he couldn't wait to leave.

Mom looked up, dazed, and asked him, or perhaps she was whispering to herself, "Why? Sophie is also your daughter."

Dad's steps faltered for a moment, but he said nothing. Then he walked away faster.

I hid behind the half-open door, leaning against the wall in pain.

He got all the happiness, while Mom and I were left with nothing but pain.

"I'll live with Dad," I answered.

"What?" Dad couldn't believe what he heard.

I looked straight into his eyes and said each word clearly, "I choose to live with you, Dad."

Mom's face went ghostly pale, and she looked like she might collapse any second.

Her voice was barely a whisper. If I hadn't been watching her so closely, I might not have heard her ask, "Why?"

I answered softly, "Mom, you can't afford to raise me."

We tried that in my previous life. Those days were brutally hard.

No matter how much my dad was willing to sacrifice for his true love, it didn't change the fact that I was his only flesh and blood.

After I pressed him, Dad reluctantly took me to the "love nest" he had built with his mistress.

"Sophie, this is Claire Winters. Say hi," he said.

I looked up and flashed a big, toothy grin. "Nice to meet you, Claire."

This was the very first time in both my lives that I ever saw Claire in person.

In my previous life, Dad hid that woman so well before the divorce that I never knew she existed. After the divorce, Mom took me far away, and we never returned to our hometown, not even once, for the rest of our lives.

Claire was in her forties, but she looked like she was in her twenties.

She wasn't some stunning beauty, but she carried an untouchable, otherworldly aura that made her unforgettable.

She was nothing like Mom, who had sacrificed herself for her family and bore the marks of a hard life.

Claire kept her face icy and didn't say a single word.

Dad shot me an awkward smile, trying to smooth things over. "Claire is shy around strangers."

Without sparing us a glance, she turned on her heel and walked inside. Dad immediately chased after her.