Chapter 1

There was an old tradition in our town. When a new family home was built, the names of the couple were carved into its cornerstone as a symbol of its owners.

However, my husband, David Stone, asked the mason to carve the name of his first love, Helen Quinn, instead.

The mason reminded him, "Laura is the one paying for the house."

David was wiping red paint off Helen's hands and said casually, "Helen has been widowed for years. She needs a home of her own.

"Laura has been my wife for more than twenty years. She already has her place in this family. What's one name going to matter?"

In my previous life, I let it go.

Later, when the town was redeveloped and our house was taken down, Helen used the name carved into the cornerstone to claim three apartments.

My husband and son both testified for her, insisting that she was the true lady of the house.

They drove me out of my own home, and I eventually died of illness in a rented room.

When I woke up again, the mason was about to start carving.

Helen smiled and asked me to hold the ladder for her.

I grabbed my bank card and said, "I'm not building this house anymore. Since the two of you are family, you can pay for your own roof."

When I took the bank card away, David froze for a second.

Then he nodded at the mason. "Keep carving."

Then he looked at me, speaking to me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. "We've been married for over twenty years. Everyone knows you're my wife. Leaving your name off the cornerstone doesn't change that.

"When the new house is done, I'll have the mason carve your name on our bedroom door, so you'll always be by my side. How about that?"

The cornerstone belonged to Helen, and the bedroom door was supposed to make up for it.

That was how David had deceived me for an entire lifetime in my previous life.

Back then, I had been running a high fever while kneading dough at the breakfast shop. He had held me in his arms, his face full of concern. "We're tight on money. Hang in there, okay?"

However, when Helen got a tiny cut on her finger, he dropped everything and rushed her to the hospital on his bike.

He wasn't incapable of caring. He simply believed that because I loved him enough to put him first, I would always be willing to give way.

Right then, Helen walked over with tears in her eyes. "David, maybe we should forget it. I'm an outsider. I don't want you and Laura to fight because of me."

I clenched my fists, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Since you know you're an outsider, then go scrape your name off."

She froze.

But David put his hand on my shoulder, giving me a resigned smile. "See? You're jealous.

"Helen only wants this one thing. You have Alex and me. How could she possibly compete with you?"

In my previous life, those words would probably have softened my heart again.

This house would soon be part of a redevelopment project. By then, Helen would end up with three apartments in her name, all because she was seen as the lady of the house.

David would hand me the key to a garage with a leaking roof and said, "Helen has no family. She has no one to rely on for the rest of her life. You have me. What are you afraid of?"

Later, David grew tired of my aging face, and our son, Alex Stone, grew tired of having me around. Together, they drove me out of the house.

Right before I died, Alex called me up, demanding 20 thousand dollars. "Mrs. Quinn got her driver's license. She's buying a car. Send the money over now."

Remembering all of this, I called the supplier right there in front of everyone. "Stop all future deliveries. Concretes, lumber, roofing materials, everything. And haul away anything that hasn't been used."

David frowned, clearly annoyed. "The foundation is already done. You've made your point, and that's enough. Don't take this out on the whole family."

Right then, Alex rode up on his motorcycle. When he heard I'd stopped the deliveries, his face darkened. "Mom, you've got Dad and me. Mrs. Quinn is only asking for her name on the cornerstone. Why are you so mad?"

I looked at the son I had carried and given birth to, and my heart slowly went cold. "So, are you fine with putting her name on it?"

Alex held the ladder steady and nodded without hesitation. "Mrs. Quinn has done so much for this family. She's always been more understanding than you."

The construction crew had already started loading the lumber onto the truck.

David stopped them and squeezed my hand gently. "You simply want to know that you're the most important one, don't you? Once the house is built, I'll be coming home to you every night."

I pulled my hand away and went back to the old house to get my financial records.

Behind me, David was talking to Alex, sounding absolutely sure. "Laura has been with me for this long. You know she's never been able to let go of either of us.

"She may have them haul everything away today, but by tomorrow, she'll bring it all back herself."

It would be a lie to say I wasn't hurt. After all, in my previous life, I had given almost everything I had to my husband and son.

However, the way they repaid me was enough to make sure I would never walk that road again.

When I found the jewelry box my mother had left me and opened it, I found it empty.

My heart dropped, and I hurried back outside.

Helen was standing beside the cornerstone, wearing my mother's emerald bracelet on her wrist.

Alex noticed me staring, but he didn't look the least bit guilty. "Mrs. Quinn is supposed to wear it at the ceremony. What do you expect people to think if she shows up in plain dress?"

I stared at Alex and asked slowly, making sure he heard every word. "Did you take your grandmother's keepsake and give it to her so she could look the part of the lady of the house?"

Alex frowned. "Mom, don't make it sound like I stole it. After you die, all this stuff will be mine anyway."

His words sent a chill from head to toe.

I closed my eyes for a moment, then stopped being polite and reached out to take the bracelet back myself.

However, David stepped between Helen and me, running out of patience. "She's only borrowing it for one day for the ceremony. Do you have to embarrass her over it?"

I raised my voice, my words dripping with bitter sarcasm. "This belonged to my mother."

"I know." He put his hands on my shoulders and spoke to me in that same coaxing tone. "It still does. Helen has been doing all the work for the ceremony. Let her dress up a little. It doesn't do you any harm."

More and more neighbors gathered around, watching the drama unfold.

"Helen has been helping their family with everything lately. Let her wear it for another couple of days. It's not like she's claiming it."

"No wonder Laura never gets anywhere in life. She's too stingy."

My chest hurt with anger. It was easy for them to dismiss my pain when they weren't the ones being hurt.

I took a picture of the bracelet with my phone and said coldly, "If you don't give it back before dark, I'm calling the police."

Alex got angry. "We're family. Are you going to have me arrested over a bracelet? What kind of mother does that?"

Helen put on a wounded expression and, with tears in her eyes, reached for the bracelet.

But David stopped her, holding her hand, and turned to me. "Laura, Alex is about to get engaged. What will his fiancée's family think if this ends up at the police station?

"Enough. I know you want to get our attention by making a scene."

He rubbed his forehead, looking exasperated. "Don't be so dramatic. I hope you know what you're doing."

The three of them walked away.

I stood there, frozen, my nails digging into my palms.

It was the same old story. Whenever I objected to anything involving Helen, they called it jealousy. Whenever I refused to give in, they said I was the one causing trouble.

However, I wasn't about to let myself get dragged down by their nonsense.

To get the money for the house back, I headed to the breakfast shop in town first thing the next morning.

As soon as I walked in, I froze.

The payment account for the shop had been changed, and Helen was standing behind the counter while several customers called her the owner of the shop.

When Helen saw me, her smile froze for a second.

David frowned for a moment, then quickly put on a smile and started ushering me out the door. "Helen doesn't have any income, so I let her handle the cash register for you for now.

"I was only trying to make things easier for you. You work too hard every day."