In a suburban villa, thick smoke billowed, flames roaring toward the night sky. A massive force shoved Coralie Lawson straight into the sea of fire. She stumbled, crashing heavily to the floor. Behind her, the master bedroom door slammed shut with a deafening bang. "Ryland? What are you doing? Open the door!" Coralie froze for a split second before lunging forward to twist the knob. The scorching metal blistered her palm instantly. As thick smoke clawed at her throat, a violent fit of coughing wracked her body. The fire had broken out without warning. Remembering her husband, Ryland Morgan, was still in the master bedroom, she had rushed upstairs to save him—only for him to lock her inside. "Ryland, what if she dies in there?" A soft female voice drifted through the heavy wood. Coralie's eyes went wide with shock. It was Cara Foster, Ryland's first love. But... hadn't Cara gone abroad for further study the very day she and Ryland got married? "Isn't it better if she does?" Ryland's cold voice cut through the crackle of the flames. "If she doesn't, how am I supposed to get my hands on her inheritance?" The blood in Coralie's veins ran ice-cold. She clawed at the gap in the door until her nails split and dark blood seeped from her fingertips. Numb to the pain, she hammered frantically against the heavy wood. "Ryland, what did you say? Open the door!" Cara laughed, the sound sickeningly sweet. "It sounds heartbreaking, but Ryland is right. This is your fate. That's what you get for insisting on tearing us apart back then." The raging fire devoured the oxygen in the room, yet Coralie felt nothing but a bone-chilling cold spreading through her. "No, this isn't real!" Tears blurred her vision as a suffocating wave of despair pulled her under. Ryland let out a cruel sneer. "You didn't actually think I agreed to marry you because I had feelings for you, did you? It was all because of your father's condition. A spouse could only become a beneficiary of the inheritance after three years of marriage. That's the only reason I swallowed my disgust and played the doting husband for three long years!" Coralie's heart shattered. So that was why Ryland had chosen their third anniversary to burn her alive. As if that weren't enough, the man outside twisted the knife, his voice dripping with the arrogant gloat of a victor. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Your father's car accident... I was right there at the scene." A violent tremor wracked Coralie's body. "He wasn't dead when he was thrown from the wreckage. Covered in blood, he begged me to save him." Ryland paused, letting out a dark chuckle. "What a pity. I just stood there and watched him take his last breath, second by agonizing second." A loud ringing filled Coralie's ears. Eyes bloodshot, she slammed her fists against the door, her voice tearing from her throat. "Ryland, I'm going to kill you! I'll kill you!" But the footsteps outside were already fading away, leaving her screams to be swallowed by the roaring flames. Thick, black smoke had already consumed half the room. Her strength giving out, Coralie collapsed to the burning floor. She lay on her back, the sickening stench of burning flesh filling the air. Yet, she laughed—a hollow, tragic sound of absolute despair. She had been so blind. She had handed her father's life's work to a monster for nothing, and ultimately brought about her own gruesome end. What a pathetic, failed life she had lived. Right at that moment, a tremendous force smashed the door open with a deafening crash. Coralie struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, but her vision was entirely blurred by the smoke. "Coralie!" It was a heart-wrenching, desperate roar. She couldn't make out the contours of his face, but she recognized that voice. It was Connor Mitchell, Ryland's arch-rival, the heir to the Mitchell Group, and a ruthless force in the business world who struck fear into the hearts of everyone. But... he had been in a car accident when he was young. Both of his legs were paralyzed... Why was he here? Coralie parted her lips, but no sound came out. How strange. She had spent her entire life chasing after Ryland, yet in the end, the only person who came to collect her corpse was his worst enemy. If only she could do it all over again. If she were given just one more chance, she would never, ever choose Ryland again.

"Coralie, since your heart is so set on Ryland, I'll go speak with his family today. As for this Cara... I have my ways of dealing with her." As consciousness rushed back, a painfully familiar voice echoed in Coralie's ears. Her eyes snapped open. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her skin still burning as if engulfed in flames. But all around her was the familiar luxury of the Lawson family's living room. There was no fire. And there was no Ryland. What was going on? Hadn't she burned to death? "Coralie? Why are you just staring like that?" Her father, Richard Lawson, frowned at her. The soft overhead lighting highlighted the deep concern etched into his features. She stared at her long-deceased father, who was now standing alive and well right in front of her. Coralie's breath hitched, her eyes instantly welling with tears. "Dad..." The word caught in her throat. Tears spilled over as she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Richard. She sobbed until her entire body shook, weeping out all the bitter regrets and agony of her past life. "Coralie?" Startled by her intense reaction, Richard patted her back uncertainly. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Are you feeling ill? How about we put this matter off for another day..." Coralie shook her head. She wiped her tears and pulled back. Spread out on the table in front of her was a document—a marriage agreement drafted three years ago. The terms were simple: the moment she married, she would officially inherit control of the company. And only after three years of marriage would her husband be entitled to joint control. Then it dawned on her. She had returned to three years ago, the exact day she was supposed to choose her fiancé. In her previous life, she had flipped through a stack of profiles of young men from prominent families and chosen Ryland without a second thought. Her reasoning had been simple: when she had nearly frozen to death in the snow as a child, Ryland had been the one to save her. Her father had warned her. He'd told her that the Morgan family's influence was waning, that Ryland was a cold and ruthless man, and that his heart already belonged to someone else. But she hadn't listened to a single word, stubbornly declaring that she would marry no one but him. Unable to deny his precious daughter, her father had gone to the Morgan family that very day. Given the Lawson family's immense power and wealth at the time, the Morgans had agreed to the alliance without hesitation, even going so far as to send Cara abroad. Ryland had initially refused the arrangement. But later, when her father died abruptly in a car accident, Ryland had uncharacteristically stepped up. He had comforted her with unexpected gentleness and even fended off her greedy uncles who tried to seize the company's assets. She had foolishly believed Ryland genuinely cared for her, and joyfully married the man she had loved since childhood, only to end up paying for that mistake with her life. As the memories of her past life flooded her mind, a dark, venomous hatred surged in Coralie's eyes. "Dad." Coralie clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I'm not choosing Ryland." For a moment, Richard just stared, wondering if he had misheard. His daughter had been chasing after Ryland since she was twelve years old. Just a few days ago, she had gotten into a screaming match with him over the man, claiming she would rather die than marry anyone else. Why the sudden change of heart? "What did you say?" "I said, I'm not choosing him anymore." Coralie reached past the top profiles and pulled out a photo buried at the very bottom of the stack. Her tone was absolute. "I choose Connor Mitchell." If Richard had been confused a moment ago, he was now in a state of absolute shock. "That cripple, Connor?" Richard paused, swallowing the harsh words he was about to add. "Coralie, didn't you use to hate him more than anyone?" In truth, Coralie had never actually hated Connor in her past life. She had only disliked him because Ryland despised him. But in the end, when she was left to die, Connor had been the only one who rushed into the roaring flames to save her. She opened her mouth to explain, but a sudden commotion erupted outside the living room doors. "Get out of my way! I'm going to make things crystal clear to her face today!" At the sound of that voice, Coralie's jaw tightened, a cold fury washing over her. It was Ryland. In her previous life, the moment Ryland found out she had asked her father to propose a marriage alliance, he had brought Cara straight to the Lawson Estate to make a scene. Right in front of a room full of servants, he had thoroughly and ruthlessly humiliated her. Richard's face instantly darkened. "Coralie, go upstairs. I will handle this." "No need, Dad." Coralie let out a cold, hollow laugh. "I'll handle him myself." She pulled the doors open and found Ryland standing in the foyer, dressed in a sharp suit. Tall and undeniably handsome, he had one arm wrapped tightly around his sweetheart, shielding her with an air of absolute protectiveness. As Coralie stared at the very man who had left her to burn in her past life, a murderous hatred flared in her eyes. The moment he saw Coralie, Ryland tipped his chin up and sneered. "Coralie, I'm making this clear in front of everyone today. The only woman I love is Cara." Coralie suppressed the urge to tear him apart. Instead, she simply raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were nothing more than a pathetic clown. Ryland, however, mistook her silence for fear. He scoffed. "I have absolutely zero interest in you. If you have any dignity left, you'll drop this ridiculous marriage idea and—" "Who said I was going to marry you?" Coralie cut him off, her voice slicing through the air like ice. Under Ryland's astonished gaze, she slowly walked forward, tilting her head with a mocking smile. "Did you really think you were my only choice?"

Ryland froze for a second before a knowing sneer crossed his face. "Coralie, there's no need to try and save face. You've chased me for eight years, and everyone knows the great Miss Lawson won't marry anyone but me. Don't you think this little act is ridiculous?" Beside him, Cara took a timid step forward, biting her lower lip as if consumed by guilt. "Miss Lawson, I know you're upset. You don't have to put on a brave face for us." She cast a fragile look at Ryland and gripped his hand. "But Ryland and I truly love each other... Miss Lawson, we never meant to hurt you. Please, just let us be together." Coralie's stomach churned with disgust. In her past life, before Cara was sent away, she had constantly stirred up drama. She played the weak, harmless victim flawlessly, using her feigned innocence to make Coralie look like an unreasonable, bitter shrew. The ridiculous part was that in her past life, Coralie had actually believed she was the one who drove the girl away, carrying a massive burden of guilt. Because of that, even after Cara was sent abroad, Coralie had continuously wired money into her account. Later, when Cara cycled through multiple boyfriends overseas, got pregnant, and had a miscarriage, Coralie never breathed a word of it to Ryland. Yet this was the woman Ryland treated like a fragile treasure, pampering and protecting her at all costs. Coralie let out a cold laugh. "Cut the act, Cara. If you don't find yourself disgusting, I certainly do." Cara's face drained of color. Ryland immediately yanked her behind him. "Coralie, if you're pissed off, take it out on me. Leave Cara out of this!" "Why would I take it out on her?" Coralie blinked in mock innocence. "I couldn't be happier that you two are together. After all, one's trash and the other's a dumpster. It's a match made in heaven." A few of the Lawson family servants standing nearby couldn't stifle their laughter. Ryland's face burned with humiliation. He had known Coralie for eight years, and she had always been meek and submissive around him. Since when did she have a mouth like that? Was she playing hard to get? It was the only explanation that made sense. After all, how could a woman who was so desperately in love with him just let go? He glared coldly at Coralie, his tone dripping with absolute certainty. "You talk a big game. If you're really so over me, then give back the necklace I gave you." Coralie's hand instinctively went to her collarbone. Ryland had personally fastened that necklace around her neck on her twentieth birthday. It was the only gift he had ever given her. Over the years, even when the metal gave her an allergic reaction, she hadn't taken it off for a single day. But now... Coralie unclasped the necklace in one clean, decisive motion. Ryland hadn't expected her to actually take it off. The smug smile on his lips froze. He reached out to take it, but Coralie suddenly opened her hand. The necklace dropped straight to the floor with a sharp clatter. "You want it?" Coralie looked at Ryland, who was caught awkwardly leaning forward, and her lips curled into a smirk. "Pick it up yourself." With that, she turned on her heel and walked back into the living room. When had Ryland ever been treated with such blatant disrespect? He gritted his teeth, fury flaring in his chest. "Coralie, stop right there!" Just as he lunged forward to chase her, two burly bodyguards stepped into his path. Richard stood at the entrance, his expression dark. "Mr. Morgan, you are no longer welcome at the Lawson Estate," Richard said coldly. "Throw him out." Without a word, the bodyguards seized Ryland by the arms and dragged him toward the exit. Cara was snatched up by another guard, and moments later, both of them were unceremoniously tossed out the front gates of the estate. Even as he stumbled onto the pavement, Ryland felt like he was hallucinating. He had actually just been humiliated by Coralie. How dare that woman! Cara was absolutely seething, but she swallowed her rage, clinging to Ryland's arm with wide, tearful eyes. "Ryland... do you think Miss Lawson deliberately said all those awful things because she's just too upset?" she murmured. "Maybe she just wanted to get your attention. I bet she's inside crying her heart out right now." Those words were a balm to his bruised ego, instantly making Ryland feel better. She was right. Coralie had chased him like a lapdog for eight years. How could she just give up like that? He sneered, pulling Cara into his arms with a condescending huff. "So what if she is? You're the one I love. But... if she comes crawling back to beg for my forgiveness, I might still be willing to keep her around as a friend." Cara snuggled shyly into his embrace, but a dark, calculating glint flashed in her eyes.