Chapter 3

A cold smirk played across my mind.

Even if I did know the secret to rebirth, I wouldn't tell him.

If Stephan knew, he would surely try to prevent me from being reborn again.

I needed to divert his attention. "I also know the secrets about you and Lily."

Stephen’s grip loosened in panic, demanding, "Tell me! What else do you know?"

I voiced my suspicion, "I know that both you and Lily have been reborn!"

There was a moment of chaos in Stephen's demeanor before he regained his composure and replied sharply, "So what? Haven’t you also been reborn?"

He had admitted it, and now he turned to threaten me. "If you dare spread this secret and jeopardize our futures, I’ll make sure you die a worse death than in your previous life!"

I braced myself against the discomfort, refusing to show weakness. "That depends on whether you behave! I’ve told you, I can always start over if I die!"

Doubt filled Stephen's eyes.

He tentatively tightened his grip on my throat. "Do you think I'll let you manipulate me? We’ll see if you can come back to life if I kill you again!"

"Go ahead then, try!" I closed my eyes, ready to take the gamble.

I was betting he would hesitate because of his love for Lily.

Killing me in a hospital would be insane. He would have a hard time getting away with it.

"Stephen, what are you doing with her?"

Suddenly, a voice tinged with jealousy approached slowly.

Stephen quickly let go of me, turning anxiously to face Lily coming up behind him. "Lily, I was just teaching her a lesson. I got too angry!"

He certainly wouldn't dare admit in front of Lily that he wanted to kill me.

If Lily discovered he was a psychotic murderer, who could guess what she would think?

"How do you discipline her? By forcing a kiss? Or a hug?" Lily's voice, crazed with jealousy, made it sound like she was the rightful wife and I was merely the mistress.

I found it ironic and revolting.

Until today, I thought Stephen loved me, so I risked everything to love him back.

After today, he was nothing but trash in my eyes.

So, I no longer cared about competing for Stephen or making him jealous; I just wanted to stir trouble.

"He's my husband—we can do whatever we want! But you? You're nothing but a shameless mistress who doesn't know her place!"

Lily looked embarrassed upon hearing this. "I'm sorry, I thought you two were divorced already. I didn’t realize you’re still married. I just got back from abroad and wasn’t aware of the situation."

After saying this, she instructed Frank, who was pushing her wheelchair.

"Frank, let's go! It seems Dr. Stephen is busy. You can attend to me instead."

Frank gave me a cold look. "It seems you still have the energy to cause trouble! I knew you were faking your illness. In our eyes, you're the mistress! Stephen and Lily have been in love for so long, yet you swooped in and married him first! Stealing someone's lover is despicable!"

After saying that, he turned, pushing Lily away.

These two, along with Stephen, were classmates and saw me as a thorn in their side.

Stephen, still not satisfied, suddenly slapped me across the face. "What's with the smug look in front of Lily? I never had any feelings for you! Do you think I would have married you if you hadn't threatened me with pregnancy back then? We're getting divorced tomorrow! Stop trying to drive a wedge between me and Lily!"

After his outburst, he turned and snatched Lily’s wheelchair from Frank, asserting his dominance. "Frank, I'll take care of Lily’s medical needs; I'm her primary doctor. You go give that despicable woman a check-up, just to go through the motions. Dr. Thomas instructed us not to refuse treatment."

At the mention of Ronald, I couldn't focus on the pain from the slap; I cried out in desperation, "Where is Dr. Thomas? Why hasn’t he come yet?"

I knew only Ronald could save my life!

Stephen glanced back at me with a harsh stare. "Dr. Thomas doesn’t have time to deal with you; he's been summoned by city officials."

Overwhelmed with despair, I cried out in disbelief, "Impossible! He promised he was coming to see me! Life is at stake here! Dr. Thomas wouldn't break his word! This has to be your doing..."

Before I could finish, blood spurted from my mouth, followed by an uncontrollable gush. Was I about to die again?