Chapter 1
After my divorce from Charles Rivers, my pregnancy started showing more and more with each passing day.
My parents and my adopted sister, Lily Wynn, were on the verge of boiling over. They kept pushing me to go to the hospital and get rid of it.
In my previous life, their cruel words had driven me straight onto the operating table.
When I lost that baby, I lost my last bargaining chip—everything.
Charles hated me for being so heartless, and he never even considered getting back together.
Not long after, Lily married him in the wedding dress I had picked out myself.
Later, the Wynn family sold the Rainleaf Tea House my grandma left behind, and the Rivers family had tea houses all over Southvale.
Because of my divorce and miscarriage, I became the person both families blamed for everything. My health declined steadily until I turned thirty, dying alone in a drafty rental on Westside.
When I opened my eyes again, my mom was slapping a hospital appointment slip down right in front of me.
"You're already divorced. Who do you think cares about that belly now?" she snapped.
Lily sat beside her, her voice as soft as warm honey.
"Summer, people are already making fun of the Wynn family. If you keep dragging this out, you're just making things harder for Charles," she said.
I caught the urgency in her eyes and picked up my phone to call Charles.
When he answered, I said just one thing.
"The baby's still here. Are you coming?"
This time, I was keeping the baby.
I'd keep the money, too.
*****
The living room fell silent for a few seconds.
My mom reached out to snatch my phone.
"Summer, are you crazy? You and Charles are already divorced. Why are you still using the baby to hold onto him?" she snapped.
I dodged to the side.
Lily steadied my mom, keeping her eyes fixed on the door.
"Mom, Summer's just upset right now. When Charles gets here, I'll talk to him for her," she said.
She said it so smoothly, like she'd rehearsed it a hundred times.
It was the same in my last life. She always jumped in before I could say a word, explaining everything for me. By the end, I was painted as the crazy troublemaker, and she was the perfect, self-sacrificing sister.
When the door swung open, Charles didn't even bother to fold his umbrella.
Rainwater was running down his sleeves as he strode right past Lily without even sparing her a glance, stopping directly in front of me.
"Where's the baby?" Charles asked.
Lily's voice was strained.
"Charles, please don't be upset with Summer. She already went to the hospital earlier today. She was just so afraid you'd be angry that she called and lied to get you to come back," Lily said softly.
Charles's face darkened.
I handed him the test results.
"The baby's heartbeat is fine. If you don't believe me, ask the doctor yourself," I said.
He took the paper, his fingers pressing so hard on the corner that his knuckles turned white.
Lily stood up, her smile barely holding together.
"Good, as long as you're alright. I'm just worried about your health, Summer. I don't want you to go through any more pain," she said.
I looked at her.
"If you're really so worried about me, then why did you already put down the deposit for my abortion?" I shot back.
My mom scolded me.
"Lily meant well," she insisted.
"Really? She even used my ID to make the appointment and signed the consent form with my name," I shot back.
Lily blurted out, "Summer, that's not true! I was just helping you out, that's all."
Charles flipped to the deposit slip beneath the appointment form, his gaze froze on it.
My mom was about to say something else, but he folded the slip, turned, and took hold of my wrist.
"Come with me," he said.
I didn't resist.
As we got to the door, Lily rushed after us.
"Charles, Summer's really not in a good place right now. If you let her go back by herself, what if she has another meltdown?" she said.
Charles didn't even look back.
"That baby in her belly is mine," Charles said, his voice cold and final.
As I got into the car, I noticed a silver hairpin shaped like a camellia poking out from the gap between the passenger seat and the console.
That was Lily's signature hairpin.
Charles followed my gaze, his brows furrowing.
"She rode with me yesterday," he said.
"I didn't ask," I said.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. After a moment, he said, "You've changed."
I rested my hand on my belly.
"Dying once teaches you a thing or two," I said.
Charles just thought I was being dramatic.
Just as we pulled up to the Rivers Residence, his phone rang.
My mom's anxious voice came through the speaker.
"Charles, Lily's missing. She's always been frail, and she's terrified of the rain. Can you help me look for her?"
Back then, just one tear from Lily was enough for everyone to forget about me like I didn't even exist.
This time, I reached over and helped him with his seatbelt.
"Go ahead," I said.
Charles looked at me, like he was bracing for me to make a scene.
I swung the door open and stepped out.
"Charles, all I want right now is to rest," I said.
His face was grim as he hit the gas and sped off into the rain.
The housekeeper at the mansion handed me a pair of slippers.
"Ms. Wynn, the soup is ready," she said.
I looked around the familiar entryway, my eyes landing on the old painting of the tea hills that my mom always thought looked tacky.
It was painted by my grandma, Grace Wyatt.
And in my last life, Lily had ripped it down and banished it to storage.
I walked into the tea room and pulled open the bottom drawer.
It was empty.
The clay seal Grace left me was gone.
I was sleeping at the Rivers Residence when the sound of the door woke me up in the middle of the night.
Charles was standing by my bed, his clothes still damp from the rain, a faint, cool scent clinging to him.
"Summer, why did you provoke Lily today?" he asked.
I sat up.
"Did you find her?" I asked.
"She stood out in the rain by the bridge for two hours. Now she's got a fever," he said.
"So what?" I shot back.
He tossed his phone onto the bed.
Lily had sent a message, and it was right there on the screen.
Lily: Summer must hate me. She's even using the baby to manipulate you. I don't belong between you two.
I let out a laugh.
Charles's face got even darker.
"She's been coddled by the Wynn family her whole life—she's always been so soft. You know she's scared of you, so why did you have to bring up the deposit right in front of her?" he said.
"Lily's the one who paid that deposit," I said.
"She claims your mom made her do it," Charles replied.
"You believe everything she says?" I shot back.
Charles didn't answer right away.
I threw off the covers, got out of bed, and walked into the tea room. I pulled open the empty drawer and showed it to him.
"My clay seal's gone. It was here just yesterday," I said.
He glanced at it.
"It's just an old clay seal. I'll have someone get you a new one tomorrow," he said.
"Charles, that seal was left to me by my grandma," I said.
"Summer, don't drag Lily into everything," he said.
I pushed the drawer shut.
"You didn't even bother to look into it, but you're already so sure she's innocent," I said, my voice sharp.
That struck a nerve. His tone turned tight and defensive.
"You weren't like this before. You used to cause a scene, yell, and back people into a corner. Now you're acting like you don't care. What, is this your way of making me feel guilty?" he said.
I glanced at the damp spot on his sleeve.
"Charles, I used to stir things up because I still wanted you to stand with me," I said.
He didn't say anything.
I picked up the prenatal report from the bedside table.
"Right now, I only want two things. I want this baby to be born safe and sound. And I want every penny that's mine from this marriage, not a single cent less," I said.