Chapter 1

In the middle of a scorching 104-degree heatwave, my husband took our daughter for an outing. They both allegedly died of severe heatstroke.

As soon as the funeral was over, the debt collector who had been eyeing me for a long time showed up at my door.

I had no way to pay him back. To protect my husband's family, I had no choice but to become his secret plaything.

Eventually, the debt collector grew tired of me and threw me out onto the streets like trash.

With nothing left to my name, I was wandering the city when I saw my long-dead husband. He was smiling and hugging a beautiful mistress.

I rushed forward, desperate for an explanation. But my drunken husband didn't hesitate―he floored the gas and crushed me under his wheels.

As I lay dying, I heard the mistress's triumphant laughter.

"You poor thing. Your husband is mine now, and your daughter was sold to some backwoods creep. Dying is actually a mercy for you!"

Then, I woke up.

I was back on the day my husband was supposed to take our daughter on that fatal outing.

……

"Rainey, something happened! Caleb and Yara… they passed out from heatstroke. It's bad, real bad…"

The phone rang with a piercing, familiar shrillness.

On the other end was Silas, my husband's best friend. His voice was trembling, exactly like it had in my previous life.

My husband, who usually hated taking care of our child, had suddenly claimed he wanted to be a better father. He insisted on taking Yara to a mountain retreat owned by his friend to pick peaches.

I had begged him not to go. I told him the heatwave was too dangerous for outdoor activities.

But he wouldn't listen to a single word. He pounded his chest and promised me everything would be fine.

I saw how excited Yara was and reluctantly gave in.

Now, before lunch could even be served, I was receiving this nightmare of a phone call.

When I arrived at the retreat, Silas told me Yara had already been rushed to the hospital. But as for my husband―

I could only see a body lying in the distance, covered by a white sheet.

I tried to get closer, but Silas blocked me. He told me the body was too graphic and would haunt my dreams.

Later, they told me the doctors couldn't save Yara. She was gone.

I was so consumed by grief that I fainted on the spot.

When I woke up, my mother-in-law, Martha, told me she had already handled the cremations and the paperwork.

She held me as we sobbed together. She told me I had to be the pillar of the family now and stay strong.

I was deeply moved by her apparent kindness and support.

But the moment the mourning period ended, the debt collectors arrived.

I didn't even know Caleb had borrowed such a staggering amount of money. His bank accounts were completely empty.

When I tried to sell our house and car to cover the debt, the bank told me they had already been used as collateral. They were scheduled for repossession.

The debt collector, Victor, looked at me with hungry eyes.

"You're all alone now, sweetheart. I won't make it hard on you. If you can't pay, you can use your body to settle the account."

"But if you want to play difficult, don't blame me if something happens to that elderly mother-in-law of yours!"

For Martha's sake, I surrendered myself to him in total despair.

Years later, depression took its toll on my looks. Victor grew disgusted with me and kicked me out.

I was a homeless ghost until that one night. I saw my "dead" husband hugging a woman, laughing as they stepped into a luxury car.

I was paralyzed with shock. I ran toward them, screaming for the truth.

Caleb's face turned dark. He called me a pathetic curse that wouldn't stay buried.

While drunk, he drove his car over my body, crushing my bones into the pavement.

Before I took my last breath, the woman beside him laughed.

"You poor thing. Your husband is mine now, and your daughter was sold to some backwoods creep. Dying is actually a mercy for you!"

……