My husband Philip had late-stage liver cancer. Afraid of being a burden to me, he jumped into the river. I couldn't swim, but I jumped in without hesitation to save him. To ignite his will to live, I told him about winning the lottery. He pretended to struggle, but pushed me underwater and drowned me! My body wasn't even cold before he turned around and used my money to emigrate abroad with his first love, Kelly. Turns out he was faking his death to get rid of me! When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my husband jumped into the river. You want to die? Then let me give you a hand! "Oh my God, someone jumped into the river!" "Quick, save him! Call the police!!" The clamor of voices made me feel as if I were in another lifetime. Looking down, the river water had already risen past my knees. Wasn't I already drowned? How did I end up back here?? Rebirth—such a stroke of luck, and it actually happened to me?! I watched the figure drifting toward the center of the river, my gaze heavy. Philip, this time I won't sacrifice myself to save you. And you won't get a single penny of my money! I loosened my grip, and the bamboo pole in my hand drifted away with the current. I pretended to panic and screamed. "Help! Someone help! I can't swim! Someone please save my husband!" Philip was struggling in the water, but he managed to keep his chest above the surface the whole time. Where was the appearance of a drowning person?! On the shore, my in-laws were also shouting for help while urging me to come back to shore. But their expressions were very calm. This scene made me realize how stupid I'd been in my past life! So the whole family knew! Stopping me from saving him wasn't out of concern for my safety—they just didn't want me to ruin Philip's fake death plan. Right up until the moment of my death, I'd been comforted by the thought that I'd risked my life to save Philip. But that bastard turned around and moved abroad with his first love. Philip was quickly rescued by several brave passersby. At the hospital during emergency treatment, the doctor called it a miracle. A suicide jumper who hadn't swallowed a single mouthful of water. My in-laws put on a show of thanking their ancestors for protection, saying Philip's time hadn't come yet. I sneered inwardly and asked the doctor with feigned concern. "My husband has late-stage liver cancer. Could falling in the water affect his condition? Wouldn't a more detailed examination be safer?" My in-laws panicked immediately and rushed to stop me. I saw right through them. Late-stage liver cancer—that was just an excuse for the fake death, wasn't it? And to think in my past life I'd been naive enough to tell Philip about winning the hundred-million-dollar jackpot. Wasn't that just driving myself to a dead end?! As soon as Philip was wheeled into the hospital room, a doctor came—but not the one from emergency. This female doctor wore a mask and went straight to the bed. Her concerned look and anxious way of flipping through the medical chart made me suspicious. She even bent down and grabbed Philip's hand! Those vaguely familiar eyes—I'd seen them when I was a ghost. "Kelly, the ER doctor said Philip is fine." Porter's slip of the tongue confirmed my suspicion. Kelly was Philip's first love. They'd dated for six years before breaking up. "Mom, are you guys that close?" I asked suddenly, and Porter didn't dare meet my eyes. Only then did Kelly notice I was there too. She slid her hand up, pretending to check Philip's pulse. I almost laughed out loud. Wasn't she a Western medicine doctor? Why was she checking his pulse? My father-in-law Anthony forced himself to stay calm. "Kelly is Philip's attending physician. We are quite familiar with each other." Familiar enough not to call her "Dr. Kelly" and just use her first name? Porter took the opportunity to scold me, saying I didn't care enough about Philip. It was because I hadn't taken good care of Philip that he got cancer. I put on an expression of humbly accepting criticism and actively made a statement. "You're right. That's why I've decided to transfer Philip to a major hospital in New York. Worst case, we'll do a liver transplant." The other people in the room all changed color at this. Faking cancer, were you? Then I'll just have your liver removed first and let you suffer slowly!
Porter took my hand and said earnestly. "Lester, I'm gratified that you can recognize your mistake. But since the doctor has already said Philip is in late stage, let's just let him go with dignity!" Anthony snorted coldly and said sarcastically. "Do you know better or does the doctor? Stop making a fuss!" I forced out two tears. "Philip is still so young. I'm just afraid he'll die before his time. I've already contacted specialists in New York." "There happens to be a suitable liver donor available. As soon as we transfer there, we can arrange the liver transplant surgery immediately." This was all made up to scare them. Sure enough, Kelly was shocked and blurted out. "No!" My in-laws also strongly objected. I looked coldly at Kelly. "I've never seen a doctor prevent a patient from getting treatment. Or is there a problem with your diagnosis?" Kelly's eyes flickered, but she stubbornly insisted she couldn't have misdiagnosed. Porter flew into a rage and scolded me, saying I was deliberately trying to kill her son. Getting to New York required flying. What if something happened to Philip during such an arduous journey? Anthony even stood in the doorway, absolutely refusing to let me take Philip to New York. I took out my phone and threatened coldly. "Fine, we don't have to go to New York. Then I'll just ask the specialists to come here for a consultation. I refuse to believe Philip can't be saved!" When Kelly heard the word "consultation," she panicked even more. Porter coughed lightly and gave her a look. Pretending to compromise: "Since Lester has already contacted the specialists, let's do that!" "Lester, you go home and rest. Your dad and I will leave after the caregiver arrives." They clearly wanted to send me away. I nodded and pretended to leave the hospital room with a worried expression. Once out of the hospital, I immediately disguised myself and went to claim the prize. I wouldn't let anyone know about this hundred-million-dollar jackpot this time. I hid the money well, didn't immediately buy anything, and even sold my car. When I got home, I discovered that the joint account Philip and I had agreed not to touch had a zero balance! After we got married, we'd each transfer part of our salary into it every month. It served as the family's emergency fund and our future child's education fund. This bastard had secretly withdrawn the money behind my back?! I had a bad feeling. I immediately made several phone calls, asking friends to help me investigate some things. I lay in bed, tossing and turning. Since Philip had originally planned to fake his death and run away with Kelly, he must have made thorough preparations long ago. Fortunately, the house and car were in my name. It would be difficult for him to sell them for cash without me. But that uneasy feeling in my heart wouldn't go away. Just as I dozed off, my phone kept vibrating. At 3 a.m., Kelly's sorrowful voice came through the phone. "Ms. Lester, your husband Mr. Philip's condition suddenly deteriorated. After doing everything we could to save him, he still passed away. Please accept my condolences!" I put on a shocked expression and said with a sob in my voice. "What? How could this happen? I'll be right there!" After hanging up, I couldn't suppress the corners of my mouth. "Died" pretty quickly, didn't you? I won't let you go so comfortably. I took something from the drawer and hurried to the hospital. In the hospital room, Philip was already covered with a white sheet. I lifted the sheet and glanced at him. His face was peaceful. This was probably the best complexion I'd ever seen on a liver cancer patient, right? Weren't others usually sallow and terribly thin? Let me see you keep pretending! "Slap! Slap!" Without warning, I delivered two slaps. Philip didn't move a muscle. Looks like they gave him quite a dose! Porter was about to come pull me away, but I threw myself onto Philip first. "Philip, you heartless man, how could you just leave me like this??" I wailed while taking the opportunity to assess the situation. His body was warm, he still had a heartbeat—this confirmed my suspicion.
Porter pulled me up with fake sympathy. "Lester, the dead can't come back to life. We still have to look forward." Anthony also handed me a document. "This is Philip's will. You're his sole heir." I wiped my eyes and straightened up. They were playing dead, fine, but they'd even prepared a will? Something fishy was going on! I took the will and skimmed through it. [The debts incurred during my lifetime shall also be repaid by Ms. Lester.] I sneered and pointed at this line. "What does this mean?" Anthony snorted coldly and muttered disdainfully. He said since I was enjoying everything Philip left behind, naturally I should also bear Philip's debts. So this is what they were waiting for! The family emergency fund had been emptied. That bastard Philip must have been hiding other things from me. I suppressed my anger for the moment and took out the card I'd brought. "Philip applied for organ donation. I've already notified the donation center staff to come." My in-laws and Kelly turned pale with fright. Porter was so angry she wanted to hit me, but I cleverly dodged. Anthony cursed me out, saying I wouldn't even leave his son's body intact and was vicious. Kelly stammered for a long time, using the excuse that Philip's cancer cells had spread and metastasized, so his other organs probably weren't in good condition either. I sighed. "I already asked, and they said there's no problem, they can be used. Let's just respect Philip's wishes!" "Aren't I Philip's sole heir? What's wrong with me making decisions on such small matters?" These people's expressions were truly priceless. Kelly suddenly turned to pour water for us. I noticed that two cups were placed very close together. She handed those to my in-laws. A single cup placed separately was given to me. Just as I was about to take a sip, I noticed fine powder on the rim of the cup. At that moment, people from the donation center arrived. My in-laws made a scene and threatened suicide, while Kelly also urged against it. Because direct family members strongly objected, even though the deceased had applied during his lifetime, the donation center wouldn't force it. After driving them away, Anthony glared at me. "Porter, hurry and call Paul. Why isn't the car here yet? We need to take Philip back to our hometown!" Nice plan—trying to run away? I feigned surprise. "You're going to bury Philip?" "Driving back to the hometown takes 7-8 hours. We'd need to order a refrigerated coffin and use the funeral home's professional cold chain vehicle, right?" My in-laws exchanged guilty glances and didn't dare respond. I pretended to be compliant. "We also need to notify all the relatives back home, have everyone come pay their respects to Philip and see him off one last time. Don't the hometown customs require a three-day wake?" Under everyone's watchful eyes, I'd like to see how you maintain Philip's anesthesia. If I could personally witness him being buried alive, that would be truly satisfying! Anthony was sweating profusely with anxiety, speaking incoherently. "We feel we don't need to follow the old ways... we just want Philip to return to his roots and rest in peace." I almost laughed out loud. You're talking to me about burial? Kelly pulled Porter's hand and hinted with her eyes. "Auntie, these days everyone advocates for simple funerals. How about cremation instead! Taking the ashes back for burial is the same. I'll contact the funeral home right away." Hearing her say this, Porter knew there were other remedial measures and calmed down. What scheme was this mistress plotting now? When they weren't paying attention, I tampered with the water in several cups. "Dad, Mom, have some water first!" My in-laws didn't suspect anything and drank the cup of water Kelly had specially prepared for me. I didn't know what was in it, but they both soon became dizzy, their eyes glazed.
Kelly came back to see this scene and was dumbstruck. I didn't give her any time to hesitate. "Dr. Kelly, I don't know what's wrong with my parents. Please take them for an examination. I'll take Philip to the funeral home." I had just taken Philip's death certificate from Porter. With this, how could I not have him cremated?? Kelly's face turned deathly pale, and she stammered. "I'm more familiar with the funeral home procedures, so maybe I should..." Before she could finish, I said sternly. "Dr. Kelly, funeral home procedures must be handled by immediate family members. What relation are you to Philip? Did you issue the death certificate?" Kelly was left speechless by my questioning. Under my stare, her expression was extremely guilty. A mistress—what standing did she have to sign papers and handle procedures? Disgusting!! I didn't delay for a moment and got in the vehicle with the funeral home staff. When the car went over a speed bump, I noticed Philip's brow furrowed slightly. Oh no, was this guy about to wake up?? At that moment, my in-laws began calling me in turns. I didn't answer. Porter's text messages followed immediately. [Lester! If you dare cremate my son, I'll never forgive you!!] [Lester! We're on our way to the funeral home. Wait until we get there to discuss everything!] The screen full of exclamation marks—they must be going crazy with anxiety, right? After waiting so long for this opportunity, how could I let them ruin it?! I quickly tapped on the window and pleaded with the staff member sitting in front. "Our elderly family members couldn't handle the shock and were sent for emergency treatment. I need to get back to the hospital right after finishing the paperwork at your facility." The staff member was understanding and immediately told me to sit tight, flooring the gas pedal. I looked at Philip's face, my heart filled with mixed emotions. In my past life, I gave you my whole heart, and in return, you betrayed me. Not only did you wrong my feelings, you also murdered me for money! This time I won't be merciful to you anymore. I'll personally see you off. What should have been a half-hour journey, the driver managed to complete in just 20 minutes. As luck would have it, there weren't many people at the funeral home. I quickly completed the procedures and sent Philip to the cremation chamber. My phone was vibrating like crazy. After Anthony called, Porter called, and there was also an unknown number calling continuously. I expressionlessly turned off my phone so they could no longer reach me. I don't know if it was my imagination, but I seemed to see Philip's fingertip move. I was so anxious sweat appeared on the tip of my nose. Just when revenge was about to succeed, nothing could go wrong at this critical moment! "Our elderly family member consulted an auspicious time. They're anxious to take the ashes back home for burial. Could you please make an exception?" At my sincere request, the staff member readily agreed. Faced with this human consideration, the other families also expressed understanding and let Philip cut in line. I silently prayed in my heart. Faster, a little faster! The staff member pushed Philip to the cremation furnace and suddenly said puzzled. "Huh, still pretty soft. Never seen this before." Oh no, did they discover something? I glimpsed several people running frantically in the distance—weren't those my in-laws and Kelly? They got here so fast! Afraid of failure at the last moment, I quickly said. "Everyone's different! The hospital issued a death certificate, and the cremation paperwork is all in order. There's no mistake. You can rest assured!" The staff member nodded and pushed Philip in. A flurry of footsteps grew closer and closer. The moment I pressed the cremation button, Porter's heart-wrenching shout came— "Wait!!"
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