Chapter 1

I was reborn. The first thing I did was rip that ten-million-dollar prenup into shreds.

I flashed a smile at my so-called fiancé, Lucas Sterling, and his entire family. "What is money compared to our bond? I'm marrying for love," I declared.

In my previous life, my best friend Seraphina Rose pulled this exact stunt. She walked into her marriage with Lucas's younger brother with nothing, and everyone praised her for being a saint.

Meanwhile, I was the one huddled in a hospital with my newborn son. I watched our joint account drained to zero in a single night.

I called Lucas, begging him to save our son who had a congenital heart defect. On the other end of the line, he only sneered. "Is ten million not enough for you? Gwen, stop acting. It's disgusting."

My son and I were kicked out of the hospital and forced into a derelict motel. Because I couldn't afford the treatment, his small body went cold in my arms. He stopped breathing right there.

Then, a group of thugs burst in and shoved me out of the window.

As I fell, I saw Seraphina standing below. She looked up at me, smiling like a champion.

It turned out she had bribed the doctors to faking my son's medical records. She used a forged power of attorney to steal every cent we had.

Since the heavens gave me a second chance…

Seraphina, you can have this wealth and the persona of the "selfless lover." I hope you can handle it.

1

When I opened my eyes, I was back at the Sterling estate. It was the day we were supposed to finalize the prenup.

The scent of expensive oud filled the air. The living room was as lavish as a palace.

My future mother-in-law, Lydia Sterling, was eyeing me from head to toe. She looked like she was appraising a piece of merchandise.

Lucas sat beside me, gently holding my hand. His deep eyes were full of fake comfort.

In my last life, this tenderness was the flame that lured me to my doom.

Lydia pushed a thick stack of papers toward me. Her tone was condescending. "Gwen, this is a gift from the Sterlings. Sign this, and you'll get three properties and ten million in cash."

"It's your security for the future," she added. "We wouldn't want people saying we mistreated you."

Lucas leaned into my ear, his breath warm. "Gwen, don't be upset. It's just a formality. Our love can't be measured by these things, right?"

I suppressed the white-hot rage bubbling in my chest. I looked up and gave them a brilliant smile.

Then, under everyone's shocked gazes, I grabbed the agreement and ripped it in half.

I folded the scraps and tore them again.

"I don't want the money, and I don't want the houses," I said. I tossed the confetti onto the mahogany table. My voice was crystal clear.

"I'm marrying Lucas because I love him. My love is priceless."

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Lucas's brow furrowed into a knot. He grabbed my wrist, his voice low and harsh. "Gwen! What are you doing? Are you trying to embarrass my mother?"

I laughed internally.

In my last life, signing that paper branded me as a gold-digger forever.

Seraphina was sitting across from me, looking fragile and precious. She stood up, her eyes welling with tears.

"Gwen, how could you do this?" she whimpered. "Lydia is trying to welcome you. Lucas loves you so much. You're making him look bad in front of everyone."

With just a few words, she turned the whole room against me.

I wasn't in the mood for her performance. I looked her dead in the eye. "Shut up."

The air froze.

Seraphina's face crumpled. she looked at Lucas, her body swaying as if she might faint at any moment.

Lucas's face darkened. He shoved my hand away and barked, "Gwen, apologize to Sera right now!"

I stared at his face, and all I could see was my son's cold, lifeless body.

I ignored him and turned to Seraphina with a smirk. "Sera, isn't this what you always tell me? That true love shouldn't involve money? I'm just following your lead."

"Why can you be the ethereal angel, but I have to be the greedy brat?" I asked.

Seraphina turned pale.

Surprisingly, Lydia's gaze changed. She didn't look down on me anymore. In fact, she looked almost satisfied.

Lucas was fuming. He dragged me into the hallway and hissed, "You did that on purpose! You wanted to humiliate her! Why are you competing with her?"

I looked at him. "In your heart, is everything I do wrong, while even her breath is sacred?"

He choked on his words, his face turning red. "You're delusional! Sera is the kindest person I know. Why do you always target her?"

Kind?

I felt like laughing. In high school, she ruined my senior art project the day before the submission. I lost my scholarship. She cried on my shoulder, claiming she accidentally spilled water.

My art supplies were waterproof. A glass of water couldn't have shredded that canvas.

In college, the necklace I bought for my mom went missing. I found it in her old clothes. She cried and said her mother was sick, and she just had a momentary lapse in judgment.

I forgave her time and time again, only for her to push me into hell.

Seraphina stumbled toward us, clutching her forehead. "Lucas… I feel dizzy. My chest is so tight…"

Lucas immediately caught her. The look of sheer panic and devotion in his eyes was something I had never received.

He shouted at me, "I'm taking her home! She has a heart condition; she can't handle stress! Fine, we'll do the prenup your way―you get nothing! Truly pathetic!"

He carried her away as if she were a piece of fine porcelain.

A cold, calm voice spoke from behind me.

"Gwen, don't be so hard on yourself."

It was Zane Sterling. He had just returned from abroad, still wearing his black trench coat. He looked sharp and distant.

He handed me a glass of warm water.

I looked at him but didn't say a word. In my last life, he was the only one who cared, but he had arrived too late.

In the end, I settled the marriage by walking in with absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, Seraphina "reluctantly" accepted a villa and five million dollars from the family. Lucas insisted she needed it as "security" for marrying Zane.

I became the laughingstock of high society. She became the beloved, innocent sister-in-law.