h1 ss="article-title"Chapter 1 Reborn/h1ul id="article-main-ul" ss="article-list"li ss="text"It was the end of 2044./lili ss="text"In my 50s, I, Tiffany Mayfield, was nearing the final chapter of my life./lili ss="text"Breast cancer had spread through my body. My husband, Shawn Hartwell, spared no effort in finding the best doctor to save me, but I had already given up./lili ss="text"For three days, I refused to eat or drink./lili ss="text"After 30 years of marriage, I didn’t want to see his face before I left this world./lili ss="text"Lying in the hospice bed, I shut my eyes tightly./lili ss="text"Footsteps approached. I knew it was Shawn and our daughter, Yuna Hartwell./lili ss="text"The doctor’s voice was solemn. “She’s refusing food. There’s not much time left.”/lili ss="text"Silence filled the room. My consciousness began to drift away./lili ss="text"Then, I heard Yuna’s voice, deliberately hushed. “Mom is finally leaving. When are you nning Queena’s wedding?”/lili ss="text"After a moment, Shawn replied, “Let’s wait. At least until after the funeral.”/lili ss="text"Yuna sighed. “Mom spent her whole life enduring. I wonder what kept her going. She should have divorced earlier instead of making herself sick.”/lili ss="text"Upon hearing her words, I felt bitter. I had stayed in this marriage to let Yuna have aplete family. I just wanted to ensure that no one would look down on her when she got married./lili ss="text"But now, my persistence felt like a cruel joke./lili ss="text"It didn’t matter anymore. Soon, I would leave this world that had worn me down. I just wanted to be free./lili ss="text"“She looks calm, but she’s stubborn—hurting herself and others,” Shawn murmured./lili ss="text"Hurting myself and others? That was an urate way to put it./lili ss="text"“Queena has suffered too. She spent half her life with you, without a name or title. But at least she’s finally getting what she deserves,” Yuna said with a sense of relief./lili ss="text"“Yes, I owe her too much. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her,” Shawn admitted, his voice heavy with guilt./lili ss="text"Tears filled my eyes and spilled over. So that was how it was. All the years I spent giving my all meant nothing to them. Instead, the woman who had stepped into my marriage, enduring silently for years, was the one they remembered and sympathized with./lili ss="text"A faint ringing echoed in my ears. My body felt drained, desperate for rest./lili ss="text"Then, a sharp light hit my eyes, and I blinked my eyes open./lili ss="text"A familiar voice, filled with disapproval, reached me. “Tiffany, wake up. Yuna is almost done with ss.”/lili ss="text"I abruptly stood up and turned around, only to see my mother, who had passed away years ago. She was standing by the window, pulling back the curtains to let the sunlight pour in and reveal a lush garden outside./lili ss="text"“Tiffany, still daydreaming? Go pick up Yuna now.” She walked over and lightly patted my arm teasingly. “Were you upte reading romance novels again? I’ve told you so many times not to exhaust yourself. I’m still hoping you and Shawn will have a second child soon.”/lili ss="text"“Mom … ” The dazzling light softened. Seeing my mother again, I instinctively grabbed her hand, felt its warmth, and clung to it like a precious treasure. “Mom, is it truly you? How did you get here?”/lili ss="text"She looked startled by my reaction, then curiously reached out to touch my forehead. “Tiffany, did you forget everything after sleeping? You were bored, so you asked the driver to bring me here from our hometown to stay for a few days.”/lili ss="text"Her words unlocked memories buried deep in my mind. It was 2014, shortly after May. My mother had taken some time off, and I had arranged for the driver to bring her from our hometown to Hanzora so she could stay with me for a while./lili ss="text"Could it be …/lili ss="text"“Alright, stop acting strange. Go pick up Yuna. Shawn will be home for dinner tonight. I need to start preparing the fish,” she said, heading downstairs./lili ss="text"I took a deep breath and looked around. It was the vi Shawn had bought after we got married./lili ss="text"In 2014, Yuna was already six and in kindergarten./lili ss="text"Shawn, a local in Hanzora, managed the family business. As the eldest son, he had led thepany exceptionally well, earning admiration from many. People often praised me for marrying a young, capable, and sessful man./lili ss="text"I stepped onto the balcony, letting the warm sunlight wash over me./lili ss="text"So I was reborn for a second chance?/lili ss="text"Oh, thank God for sending me back to 2014!/lili ss="text"My past life wasplete trash. This time, could I change it?/lili ss="text"Not far away, a group of young people yed tennis on themunity sports field, full of life and energy./lili ss="text"I rested my chin in my hand for a while before suddenlyughing./lili ss="text"Maybe my prayers had been answered after all the times I visited churches and made wishes./lili ss="text"Taking a deep breath, I checked the time—3:40 p.m. It would take about 30 minutes to drive to Yuna’s kindergarten. That had been my daily routine as a housewife./lili ss="text"But today, I wanted a break. Yuna was my daughter, but she wasn’t just my responsibility./lili ss="text"I picked up my phone and called Shawn./lili ss="text"His familiar, youthful voice came through. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you picking up Yuna?”/lili ss="text"I leaned back on the couch and casually lied, “I’m not feeling well. My stomach hurts. Can you go get her?”/lili ss="text"“I have a meeting. Can your mom go instead?”/lili ss="text"“My mom’s busy cooking. You know I can’t handle killing a fish. Just send the driver to pick her up.” As long as I avoided picking up Yuna, Shawn would always find a way./lili ss="text"“Alright, I’ll have someone pick her up.” Without another word, he ended the call./lili ss="text"I rose from the couch and headed to the walk-in closet, stopping in front of the mirror. It reflected a young woman in a loose, casual outfit./lili ss="text"Shawn wasn’t drawn to me because of my good personality. It was purely because of my alluring face and figure./lili ss="text"No one would have thought that someone as aplished as Shawn had his shallow moments, too./lili ss="text"He could be seen as a gentleman. After getting together with me, he was always courteous and never picked a fight. If we had disagreements, he would reason with me or withdraw in silence, but he never acted rough or crudely. He never swore, remainedposed at all times, and handled situations smoothly./lili ss="text"I remembered our wedding night. He had a drink beforeing to bed. When he saw me in a mermaid dress, his eyes revealed both excitement and possessiveness, yet he still asked politely if he could touch me./lili ss="text"I admired him. Though he didn’t take me with overwhelming passion like other men might, my wish was still fulfilled that night—I became his wife in every sense./lili ss="text"I held onto beautiful hopes, picturing a future where we spent every day together, raising children and building a life. He earned money while I took care of everything at home./lili ss="text"But dreams and reality always seemed to be separated by an invisible line that could never be crossed./lili ss="text"Five years into our marriage, he took a mistress. Her name was Queena Tackman—his assistant and closest confidante. He once told me she was his greatest support, someone who could stand beside him in battle and face his enemies. He couldn’t live without her./lili ss="text"Now, they had been together for over a year. In my previous life, I had beenpletely unaware during this time./lili ss="text"But in this life, I had chosen to let go—both of him and myself./lili ss="text"I would embrace my future with this mindset: “Cherish him—he’s the only one who gives me money without asking me to repay with something like my body.”/li/ul