Chapter 2

By some miracle, God gave me that second chance.

Maybe because I had starved to death in my previous life, my stomach was currently throbbing with a dull ache, screaming for food.

As for how Chloe was going to scam Ethan, I didn't want to think about it for now. Filling my stomach was my top priority.

By the time I calmed down, my Uber had arrived.

I got in and told the driver to head straight to a late-night diner. The moment the hot soup touched my tongue, tears rolled down my face. I swallowed my tears along with the food, feeling a deep, aching sorrow.

It hadn't actually been that long, but to me, it felt like a lifetime. I had almost forgotten what real food tasted like.

After I finished eating, my phone lit up. The caller ID showed "Husband."

I pressed decline without hesitation and immediately blocked Ethan’s number.

There was no point in trying to save a fool destined for hell. This time, I wasn't going to ruin my own life for him. Didn't he blame me?

Fine. I would let him see the true face of his beloved family.

With a full stomach, I took an Uber back to our suburban villa.

Ethan and I had started a mid-sized tech company together years ago, and we were quite wealthy.

Because of work, we had delayed having children. I was finally ready to start a family this year, but the baby I had hoped for was lost in that horrific car accident.

Back then, I screamed at Ethan for being heartless, asking how he could not care about his own child.

But he had just wrapped his arm around Hailey’s waist, stroked her belly, and told me he didn't care about any child of mine. He said he had been looking for a way to get rid of me anyway.

Thinking of this, I gently touched my lower abdomen, my expression turning cold.

I unlocked the front door of our house, only to be startled by a sharp, aggressive bark. Staring at the familiar dog, the shadow of my past life instantly suffocated me.

My eyes turned red with instinctual fear. Seeing me freeze, the housekeeper, Hailey, quickly grabbed the dog’s muzzle and looked at me apologetically. "Mrs. Miller, I'm so sorry! Lucky didn't mean to..."

Once her hand gripped its muzzle, the dog instantly became docile, wagging its tail to please Hailey.

This dog lived in my house, ate the food I bought, yet always bared its teeth at me. People say you can tame any dog, but in my experience, some beasts are just born rotten.

"Get that dog out of here. It is never allowed inside my house again. And you—you're fired. Pack your things and leave tomorrow morning. I’ll contact the agency for a replacement."

I composed myself and fired Hailey on the spot.

"Mrs. Miller! Please!" she cried, realizing I wasn't joking. Tears pooled in her eyes, but underneath, I could see her burning resentment. "My grandmother is still in the hospital, and your family is the only one willing to pay me this much. If I did something wrong, just tell me! Please don't fire me!"

"Oh, I know," I said, offering her a sweet, gentle smile. Just as she was about to sigh in relief, I added, "But what does that have to do with me?"

"You're a housekeeper, but you act like you're the mistress of this house. You're lazy and useless. I don't need someone like you here." In my past life, because I knew her family was struggling, I turned a blind eye to her laziness. Whenever she upset me, Ethan would defend her, telling me to be more understanding.

And how did she repay my kindness? She seduced my husband and tortured me when I was paralyzed.

Now that I was back, there was no way in hell I would keep this snake in my house. I was done being nice.

This time, I, Maya, would only live for myself. Being soft-hearted to others is just being cruel to yourself.