My husband brought home his distant cousin's wife, who had just lost her husband. He said she was all alone and helpless, so she would spend the New Year with us in our home. During dinner, my husband asked me to find her a job. Thinking she was just a distant relative, I used all my connections and resources to help her out. Who knew they would be so greedy and scheming that they would eventually kill me. Just before I died, I found out that the cousin's wife I had been helping all along was actually my husband's first love. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my husband brought his cousin's wife home for the New Year. This time, I would get there first: "Honey, this is my cousin!" ### The moment I opened my eyes and saw the overly familiar bedroom, my mind went completely blank. A sharp, urgent voice from the phone abruptly cut through my chaotic thoughts. "Babe? Are you there? Why aren’t you saying anything?" Hearing Tyler’s voice made my entire body freeze. The agonizing pain from my death in my past life seemed to still linger, screaming through every single nerve in my body. In my past life, Tyler introduced me to a supposedly naive country woman. He said she was his distant cousin, Amber. He claimed she lost her parents young, had just lost her husband, and had no one else to turn to in Seattle. Because I loved my husband and thought he was just a good, caring man, I stupidly did everything I could to help her. But I never expected that while I was busy planning a career for his "cousin," they were secretly plotting to murder me and steal my family's fortune. It was only right before I died that I found out the truth. The woman I had poured my resources into helping wasn't his cousin at all. She was Amber Brooks—his first love. They planned a house fire. I was trapped in the roaring flames. Even after a fallen wooden beam crushed my leg, I dragged myself toward the exit, desperately trying to survive. But Amber, covered in a wet blanket, ran back inside. She picked up a kitchen knife and plunged it straight into my chest. Seeing that I was still breathing, she called Tyler over. The two of them stabbed me over a dozen times before they finally stopped, satisfied. Even after my heart stopped, my soul didn't leave immediately. I watched, as a ghost, as Tyler pulled Amber into a passionate kiss right next to my burning corpse. "Baby, the bitch is finally dead. If it weren't for her money, I would never have married her. You've suffered so much lately. You're my only love." I laughed bitterly at my own stupidity. My entire marriage had been a carefully calculated trap. I watched them fake the crime scene to look like an accidental fire, completely escaping justice. After my funeral, they squandered my wealth, living a life of sickening luxury. Meanwhile, my parents fell into deep depression over my sudden death and passed away shortly after. The voice from the phone dragged me back to the brutal reality. "Babe, I'll be home around noon. I have someone I want you to meet." I curled my lips into a cold smile. My heart was practically dripping with venom. "Sure. Coincidentally, I have someone I want to introduce to you, too." The moment I hung up, I called my secretary. "Mia, find me a handsome guy right now. His job is to play my family member. The pay is fifty thousand dollars." ###
"Chloe, let me introduce you. This is my distant cousin, Amber." There was an odd, eager edge in Tyler's voice. "Amber, this is my wife." I looked Amber up and down. She wore no makeup, but she couldn't hide her naturally sly, fox-like look. She gave me a reluctant, challenging glare. "Nice to meet you, Chloe." She stepped forward, pretending to want a hug. I stood there, looking at her coldly. Nausea surged in my chest. I didn't move an inch. Her arms hung awkwardly in mid-air. Tyler saw this and frowned, nudging my shoulder. "Chloe, don't be rude. She's my cousin." Seeing Tyler again made my blood boil. It took every ounce of my willpower not to grab a knife and stab them both to death right then and there. But for the sake of my plan, I had to play along. I wanted these two to pay in blood. I forced a warm smile and wrapped my arms around Amber. "Great to meet you, Amber. We’re family now." Before Tyler could say another word, I turned toward the kitchen and called out. "Devin! Come out here. I want you to meet my husband." The next second, a handsome man wearing an apron and a chef’s hat walked out of the kitchen. He wiped his hands on his apron and smiled warmly at us. "Hey there! You must be Tyler. Man, you're handsome! Chloe talks about you all the time. Sorry, I'm a bit of a country bumpkin, just got to the city. Don't mind me." He reached out to grab Tyler’s hand. I had to admit, fifty grand could buy some incredible acting skills. Tyler looked at Devin’s slightly greasy hand and took a step back, disgust written all over his face. "Who the hell are you? Get out of my face!" I looked at Tyler with a mocking smile. "Babe, we really are soulmates, aren't we?" Tyler’s face turned pale. He grabbed my sleeve and pulled me aside, his eyes practically spitting fire. "What is this, Chloe? Where did this dirty guy come from? You didn't tell me you were inviting a stranger into our house!" I brushed his hand off my sleeve and gave him a half-smile. "I thought we had an unspoken agreement. You brought your cousin from the countryside without telling me, didn't you?" Tyler froze. He clearly didn't expect me—the usually sweet, submissive wife—to bite back. "Babe, don't get me wrong. I just wanted to introduce my family to you, too." I tilted my head. "Why? Is my cousin not good enough to be seen compared to yours?" I glanced at Amber, who had remained quiet. "Amber, I’m a direct person, so don't take this the wrong way. You’re young and pretty. Why aren't you looking for a job? Were you planning to just live off Tyler here?" Amber's face flushed red, then turned pale. She was holding back her anger. I chuckled secretly. While Tyler was still in shock, I turned to our maid. "Maria, get the guest room on the first floor ready. My cousin Devin will be staying there. Also, he’s here to enjoy the city, so no one is allowed to make him do chores or cook. Got it?" I stared directly at Tyler as I said those last words. He shivered under my gaze. Even though he was furious, he had to nod. "But where is Amber going to sleep? You can't be biased, Chloe," Tyler protested. I replied carelessly, "Why do I care? Maybe she can share a room with Devin?" ###
Tyler’s face went completely black. "That... absolutely not!" Of course. He wasn't about to cuckold himself. In the end, just like in my past life, Tyler arranged for Amber to stay in the guest room right next to our master bedroom on the second floor. He claimed it was because that room was already clean and she didn't want to cause any trouble. What a beautiful excuse. How pathetic that in my past life, I actually believed his lies. I thought she was just an innocent girl from a small town. But reality had slapped me hard. I had been completely blind. That night, Tyler handed me a glass of warm milk. I stared at it. "Honey, I don't usually drink warm milk before bed." I remembered that in my past life, right after Amber arrived, Tyler started giving me warm milk every night, claiming it helped with sleep. Back then, I thought he was being sweet. Now, I knew there was poison or a sedative in it. Tyler looked extremely guilty under my stare. His eyes darted around, refusing to look me in the eye. I didn't let it go. "Why the sudden interest in my sleep?" He awkwardly shoved the glass into my hand and quickly pulled out his phone, pretending to be busy with work emails. "I just read an article saying it’s good for your health, babe. I’m just looking out for you." His acting was so pathetic I didn't even want to call him out. I smiled, thanked him, and poured the milk down the bathroom drain the second his back was turned. In the middle of the night, I stayed awake. Just when I thought maybe I was being paranoid, Tyler whispered my name. "Chloe? Chloe..." When I didn't move, he quietly slipped out of bed and crept out of the room. A moment later, I heard the guest room door next door open. After some rustling sounds, the hallway fell into a dead silence. I pulled out my phone and opened the camera app linked to the hidden camera I had installed in the guest room earlier that day. Sure enough, the moment Tyler walked in, he threw himself onto Amber. They were kissing passionately while tearing each other's clothes off. What a disgusting couple. I saved the video with a smirk, then sent a quick text to Devin. Soon, there was a noise in the hallway. I perked up my ears to listen. Tyler was trying to sneak back into our bedroom. But before his hand could touch the doorknob, Devin's loud voice echoed from the stairs. "Whoa! Tyler! I just got up to use the bathroom and thought I saw a ghost. What are you doing sneaking out of Amber's room at this hour?" Devin’s sharp voice shattered the silence of the night. I buried my face in the blanket to muffle my laughter. His acting was top-tier. I was definitely going to recommend him to some acting agencies after this. Furious at being caught, Tyler hissed, "I was just checking if Amber was comfortable! Why the hell are you on the second floor? Go back downstairs, you idiot! If you wake up Chloe, you're dead!" Devin shrugged, raise his voice on purpose. "Wow, Chloe, your husband is so caring toward his cousin. I wonder why nobody came to check if I was comfortable in my bed tonight?" Tyler's face turned white. He opened our bedroom door and saw me sitting up. "Chl-Chloe... you're awake?" ###
My face was completely dark, and my voice was icy. "Tyler, do you want to explain what's going on?" Amber walked out of her room, her face still flushed. I almost laughed out loud. "It’s a misunderstanding!" Amber stammered. "I wasn't used to the bed, so I texted Tyler to ask if he could help me find another blanket." I let out a cold laugh. "Is that so? I'm so sorry our hospitality isn't up to your standards, Amber. Maybe we should book you a five-star hotel tomorrow. You'll be much more comfortable there." Hearing this, Tyler panicked. "No need, babe! We’ve already sorted it out. She won't need any more help." I didn't argue. I just waved my hand. "Fine. Everyone go back to sleep." Back in bed, Tyler kept trying to explain himself. I patted his chest reassuringly, though I felt disgusted to my stomach. "Don't worry, honey. I trust you." The next morning, Tyler didn't offer me any milk. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my waist in a fawning way. In my past life, every time he wanted me to do a favor for Amber, he would be extra affectionate in bed. Sure enough, he began to whisper. "Babe, Amber has had a hard life. Since she's in Seattle now, we should help her out. Can we?" I kept my back to him, smiling coldly. "Really? How do you want to help her?" Seeing that I was open to it, Tyler sat up excitedly. "She might be from a small town, but she’s really good with math. Why don't you let her manage one of your smaller subsidiary companies? It would take some pressure off you, and we’d have more time to try for a baby." His eyes gleamed with greed. It was sickening. I rubbed my temples and didn't give him a direct answer. "Come on, babe. Do it for me. Once she gets on her feet, she can move out, and we can have our privacy back. Don't you want that?" He made it sound like if I said no, I was the one ruining our marriage. I turned around and looked into his eyes. "Our current companies don't have any suitable openings. But if she wants to prove herself..." I got out of bed, walked over to the sofa, and poured myself a glass of red wine. "She needs to start from the bottom, Tyler. I don't know her. You wouldn't want me to risk the business I built from scratch, would you? Or is your cousin more important than me?" Tyler’s face tightened. He quickly forced a laugh. "Of course not, babe. You know you're my priority." I took a sip of wine. He looked at me anxiously. "So... what do you have in mind for her?" I said casually, "She can start by cleaning the office bathrooms." "No way!" Tyler blurted out. Without warning, I threw my wine glass right at his feet. The glass shattered. A small shard cut his leg, and a red line of blood appeared. Tyler jumped back in terror. "Chloe! What is wrong with you?!" He looked at me, completely terrified. At that moment, the door burst open. Devin rushed in, shouting, "What’s going on?! Are you guys fighting? Oh my god, there's blood! Is someone trying to commit murder?!" Amber, who had been eavesdropping in the hallway, couldn't control herself when she heard Devin's screams. She rushed in. Seeing Tyler bleeding on the floor in nothing but his boxers, she threw herself onto him, completely forgetting her role as a distant cousin. "Tyler! Oh my god, Tyler, are you okay?!" I watched them with a cold stare. Amber glared up at me, her eyes red. "How could you do this to your own husband?!" I sneered. "Husband? Tyler, I called your hometown registry office in Oregon today. They told me you don't have any cousin named Amber Brooks." "So, is she your mistress?"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "NovelMaster" app ? search for "469219", and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster