To save Liam Walker, who fell from a high place while working on a power line, I disregarded my own safety and used my body as a cushion to break his fall. He ended up with just a few scratches, but the impact left me with serious internal injuries and a shattered right arm. Later, pressured by the town's gossip about how he owed me his life, he was forced to marry me. But Liam never loved me. Once, when he was drunk, I heard his true thoughts. "If I knew I'd be shackled to Grace Harper for the rest of my life, I would have been better off falling to my death!" I felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath. Only then did I realize that for all those years, Liam never forgot his "one true love." He even told our children about their epic romance behind my back. Even my own kids thought I was the villain who ruined their father's true love, using a debt of gratitude to trap him. They dumped me in an empty nursing home to die of depression. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Liam climbed the utility pole to start work. This time, I didn't save him. instead, I stood far, far away. In this life, I'll let him get exactly what he wished for. Chapter 1 "Liam, this job is dangerous. Make sure your safety gear is secure!" "Yeah, Liam, that pole is over thirty feet high. Falling off would be no joke." "Better slow than sorry!" Liam Walker was fully geared up, safety belt on his waist, climbing spikes on his boots, slowly making his way up. I was jolted awake by the shouting around me. It was like a fog clearing from my brain. Villagers stood all around. Unknowingly, I had walked to the base of the utility pole, staring at Liam who was already halfway up. My palms were sweating with nervousness. Seeing this incredibly familiar scene and hearing the familiar chatter... I quickly realized: I was reborn! I was back forty years in the past, back to the day I risked my life to be Liam's human cushion! In my past life, to save Liam when he suddenly fell, I willingly used my body to catch him. With me as a cushion, Liam only suffered minor scrapes. But I had internal bleeding and a fractured right arm. Thanks to a timely rush to the hospital, I survived. Because of this life-saving act, a huge stir went through our small town. The neighbors knew Liam and I were childhood sweethearts. We grew up together, close as can be—a match made in heaven. Everyone gossiped, joking that "saving a life can only be repaid with marriage." Under the pressure of public opinion, Liam chose to marry me. Only after marriage did I learn that he never loved me. On our wedding day, he hid in the power plant and called Sophia Vance on the landline, crying his heart out. "I'm sorry, Sophia. I can't marry you in this life. If there is a next life, I will never let you down again." I buried this secret deep in my heart and told no one. Although I knew he was forced to marry me, I believed that love could grow over time. I didn't believe that decades of living together wouldn't touch his heart. For forty years, I took care of Liam's life with all my might. To let him work without worry, I took on all household matters, big and small. But it wasn't until that drunken confession that I woke up from my dream. You can't warm a stone. He had mentioned his love story with Sophia countless times to our children behind my back, never mentioning my sacrifices. This led the children to grow up blaming me for using a debt of gratitude to ruin their father's true love. Thinking about it now, it's ridiculous and pathetic. My thoughts were interrupted by a shout. "Hey everyone, look! Why is Liam coming down?" Chapter 2 Just then, Liam, who should have been climbing higher, suddenly turned back. In moments, he climbed down the pole. Seeing me standing below, he frowned slightly, looked at me with disgust, and instinctively distanced himself. "Supervisor, this gear is old. It was about to snap. Luckily I noticed in time, so I came down!" Before I could think, the crowd erupted in noise. Liam pulled with both hands, and the safety rope snapped. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, shaken. "Good thing I found it in time, or I would have really fallen!" He glanced at me, seemingly unintentional but full of sarcasm. "And then someone would have gotten a bargain again!" My heart skipped a beat. I knew exactly who "someone" was. It was laughable. In my past life, I nearly died saving him. And in Liam's eyes, I "got a bargain"! It seemed I wasn't the only one reborn. I sneered. "Then you better pray nothing else goes wrong!" I turned to go home, wanting to leave this troublesome place. Unexpectedly, Liam called out to me, ordering me to stay and watch him. Clearly, he was spooked by my comment. He stared at me with an ugly expression. "Grace Harper, where are you going? The work isn't done. You stay under the pole. If something happens, it's convenient for you to save me." I turned around abruptly, staring at Liam's self-righteous command, and laughed coldly. Having lived with him for forty years, I knew his psychology. In our past life, after that accident, Liam developed a phobia of heights. He was quickly transferred to a desk job at the plant and never climbed a pole again. Now, he was afraid something else would go wrong. If he fell again, having me there meant having a cushion! "There are so many people here, what is a grown man like you afraid of?" "If something really happens, there are plenty of people to save you. Do you really expect a small girl like me to catch you?" The crowd laughed, urging him to hurry up and restore the power. "Liam, we're watching. You'll be fine. Hurry up and fix the line, everyone's waiting to start work!" Liam's face turned extremely ugly. In the forty years of our past life, I never refused a single request of his. Now, reborn, the first time he opened his mouth, I mocked him mercilessly. As the town's famous electrician, Liam had been respected his whole life. He had never been ridiculed like this. Frowning, he gritted his teeth and stared at me. "Fine, Grace. If you leave, don't ever think of begging me to talk to you again in this life." I acted like I didn't hear him and walked away without looking back. He probably couldn't imagine that right now, I wished for nothing more than to stay far away from him. Seeing me disappear into the crowd, Liam could only fume impotently. Finally, under the pressure of the crowd, he climbed the pole cautiously. After leaving, I rushed to the town post office. In my past life, I had successfully passed the college entrance exam. But because I saved Liam, I was in a coma for seven days and then recovering in the hospital. By the time I remembered, I rushed to the post office to get my admission letter, only to be told I had missed the enrollment deadline and was considered to have forfeited. And the spot had already been filled by someone else; it couldn't be restored. In the end, I could only work as a temp at the power plant, mocked by Liam daily. Meanwhile, Sophia, who returned from college, quickly gained a foothold in the plant and was seen everywhere with Liam. I even knew many people secretly lamented that this golden couple was ruined by a useless weed like me. I argued and fought in my past life. In the end, Liam told me contemptuously: "If it weren't for my connections, could you even be a temp at the plant?" "You want to compare yourself to Sophia? Are you worthy?" From that day on, I knew Liam never let go of Sophia. Even though I poured my heart out for him, it wasn't enough. This time, I will fulfill his "true love" and let him have what he wants! Chapter 3 Arriving at the post office to claim my admission letter. The postmaster praised me to the skies. "You're the only college student from our town this time. You've really done us proud!" He practically escorted me out on a pedestal. But I had a doubt in my heart. In my past life, wasn't Sophia a college student too? How come I was the only one? But I didn't dwell on it. When I got home and told my parents the good news, my dad was so excited he lit incense to thank the ancestors. Mom immediately prepared a feast and invited the neighbors in our alley. Liam's house was in the same alley, less than twenty yards away. When he came back, he was still wearing his work clothes. His hand had a large gash, still bleeding. Mom saw it and told me to go home and get some styptic herbs and a towel. I really didn't want to go. But I couldn't resist Mom's stern look. She was a doctor and ran a small clinic. She treated all the minor injuries and illnesses in the neighborhood. Reluctantly, I mashed some herbs in a mortar and applied them to Liam's hand, wrapping it with a towel. Liam looked at me with a complicated expression. "I heard you got into college and got your admission letter?" I didn't speak, just nodded. A look of nervousness and unease seemed to flash in Liam's eyes. I thought he had found a conscience and recognized my excellence, but he immediately shouted: "You can't go! Grace, I order you to give up this opportunity." I stared at Liam like he was an idiot for a long time. He must still think we are living in the past life, in those forty years where I obeyed him blindly. I looked at him sarcastically, smiling coldly. "Why can't I go? I worked hard to get into college, why should I give it up?" "Because Sophia has been waiting for this chance for a long time. As long as you give it up, I can push Sophia into the spot during the supplementary admission!" In that instant, I froze, trembling with rage. I have to say, once again, Liam's words cut me to the core. So it was him. In my past life, he was the one who made me lose my chance at college. And I foolishly thought it was an accident and took care of him for a lifetime. All the emotions in my heart churned. I was such a fool. I should have guessed. In the past life, his salary was sixty dollars a month. He brought home less than half for living expenses, which wasn't enough. Later, to lighten his burden, I worked as a temp. Only then did I learn that more than half of Liam's money was sent away every month. Now it seems, most likely it was sent to Sophia, who was in college at the time. My voice squeezed out through clenched teeth. "Liam Walker, in the past life you caused me to miss college. This time you want me to give it up again? Keep dreaming! I won't give this chance to anyone!" He kept a cold face, threatening me. "I am ordering you, not discussing with you. Grace, if you obey, I don't mind marrying you again in this life." "But if you insist on going against me, don't blame me for disregarding our past life's bond!" I bit the inside of my cheek until it was raw. The taste of blood filled my mouth. Forty years of marriage meant absolutely nothing. In his eyes, there was only Sophia! "Don't worry. In this life, even if I never marry, I won't marry you!" With that, I turned and left. Behind me, Liam kicked a chair in fury. "Fine! Grace, if you have the guts, don't come crawling back to me!" I returned home with red eyes. Mom knew immediately I had fought with Liam. "Grace, don't cry. Did you fight with Liam? I'm telling you, if you want to marry Liam later, you have to tolerate his temper now." "No! I will never marry Liam in this life. Once I go to college, there will be plenty of men better than him!" In my past life, I was trapped by Liam. In this life, I won't make the same mistake. Chapter 4 For a while after that day, I didn't run into Liam. Sometimes if I saw him on the street, I would subconsciously dodge. I thought Liam would give up the stupid idea of making me drop out. But unexpectedly, he couldn't persuade or threaten me, so he started playing dirty tricks behind my back. If I hadn't gone to the post office to mail herbs for my mom, I wouldn't have discovered Liam and Sophia's scheme. They had just come out of the post office after mailing a letter. Sophia clung to Liam's arm, blinking her big eyes, looking touched. "Liam, thank you so much. Otherwise, I would have really missed out on college this time." Hearing this, my face went pale. I didn't understand Sophia's meaning at first. Wasn't the admission spot mine? But listening to her, it sounded like Liam did something to give it to her? Liam smiled, speaking lovingly to Sophia. "Sophia, don't worry. With me here, you will definitely go to college." "But aren't you afraid Grace will make a scene?" A sneer curled on his lips. "Why would she make a scene? A little kindness keeps her happy for days." "Besides, worst case, I'll just marry her. But Sophia, rest assured, the person I love most is definitely you!" "Even if I marry Grace, I'll find a chance to divorce her when you finish college and come back!" Sophia was moved beyond words. They started kissing right there, oblivious to others. Hiding in the corner, I closed my eyes weakly. The grievances of the past life merged with the tears of this one. The bitter taste spread on my tongue. It turned out that forty years of devotion meant nothing to him. I could be dismissed with "a little kindness." To let Sophia fulfill her college dream, he was willing to "sacrifice" himself to marry me! I watched them embrace and leave the post office. After a long while, I walked out of the alley carefully and went straight into the post office for answers. Luckily, many staff members recognized me from picking up my admission letter. As soon as I walked in, they spoke with regret. "Miss Harper, this is such a great opportunity. Why give up enrollment?" I froze for a second, then quickly replied. "I didn't. I've been preparing for college." "But someone just came with your household registry (Social Security/ID documents), claiming family reasons to forfeit your admission on your behalf. They mailed back the waiver and the recommendation for the supplementary spot." At this moment, I finally knew what Liam was up to. As my husband in the past life, Liam knew my ID number. With his ability, forging documents was easy. Thinking of how he helped me drop out in the past life, he was undoubtedly familiar with the process in this one. As long as I "voluntarily" withdrew, he could use connections to recommend Sophia for my spot, smoothly taking my admission quota. The realization hit me like a club. Panicked, I grabbed the staff member's hand. "That mail cannot go out! I want to go to college!" "And I have no relationship with him. He can't make decisions for me. My documents are at home; his are forged!" Hearing that it involved forging government documents, the staff were terrified. They immediately intercepted the mail and called the police. Fortunately, the mail was stopped in time. When the police arrived, they asked me about the situation. Soon, sitting in the station lobby, I saw Liam and Sophia being brought in by officers. Sophia's face had lost all color. Seeing me, Liam rushed over, practically pointing at my nose and scolding. "Grace, have you no shame? What did Sophia do to offend you that you accuse her of breaking the law?" I finally saw through this man. He really went to great lengths for Sophia. I snorted. "Whether laws were broken or not, the police will give us an answer. Saying more now won't cover your guilt!" "Liam, don't treat me like a fool!" His face changed instantly, eyes darting, fingers trembling. Seeing Sophia being taken in for questioning, he started playing the emotional card. "Grace, we can discuss things privately. No need to blow this up!" It was laughable. Accusing me one second, asking for private discussion the next. "Did you discuss privately with me when you forged my documents and forfeited my admission?" "Now you say no need to blow it up? On what grounds?" Almost simultaneously. The police called Liam's name. "Liam Walker, please cooperate with the investigation."
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