Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, the soft glow of the evening sun was spilling across my face through the window.

A familiar room. A familiar scene.

Instinctively, I lifted my arms and moved my legs.

All four limbs responded freely, without a trace of the stiffness or pain of paralysis.

I sat frozen for a long time. When it finally sank in, my fingertips trembled with excitement.

I had really come back.

Before I could shake off the dizzy shock, I heard the familiar chirp of a car locking downstairs.

The sound snapped me out of my thoughts.

I stood by the window and looked down without thinking.

The scene below was exactly as I remembered.

Adam's car was parked at the building entrance.

He stood beside it, a stylishly dressed woman pressed close to his side.

Emily stood between them.

All three wore matching Mickey-ear headbands.

They laughed together, as close as any picture-perfect family.

It all came back to me instantly.

In my previous life, Adam had gone behind my back on this very day and taken our daughter to Disneyland.

Meanwhile, I had been at the hospital picking up the follow-up results for Emily's chronic autoimmune disorder.

Before I left, the doctor stressed repeatedly that the patient must avoid strenuous activity and overexertion.

Her diet had to remain bland, with all greasy and sugary foods strictly off-limits.

If the condition relapsed, it would cause permanent organ damage.

They looked up and saw me at the window.

The smile on Emily's face froze instantly.

In my last life, panic would already have had me shaking.

I would have raced downstairs and confronted them for gambling with Emily's life.

Now, though, I felt unnaturally calm.

I turned and walked downstairs, step by step.

If they themselves didn't care, there was no reason for me to take the blame for nothing.

The moment I reached them, Adam folded his arms and looked me up and down with a sneer.

"So I took the kid to a theme park for half a day. Is that really a crime? Do you have to watch us like we're criminals?"

"She just finished her exams and wants to have a little fun. You have to control even that? You're such a control freak."

His voice was loud enough that passersby slowed their steps.

Before I could speak, Camilla gently took Emily's hand.

She patted the back of it softly, though her eyes kept drifting toward the neighbors who had stopped to watch.

"Sweetie, your mom is just worried about you. She's always been like this, too anxious, too tense. She can't help it."

"Don't be scared. That's just the way she is. Let's be good and listen to your mom, go along with her so she doesn't get upset, okay?"

Emily said nothing.

But the disgust in her eyes grew.

Encouraged, Adam pushed further.

He gave a contemptuous laugh.

"Let's be honest. Your own life is miserable, so you torment the kid just to feel important!"

"You force her to eat that tasteless garbage every day and call it a 'healthy diet.' When I got sick as a kid, my mom loaded me up with bacon and eggs, and I bounced right back! You're just being dramatic and ridiculous!"

"Look at her! You've starved her down to skin and bones."

The neighbors passing by kept glancing over, whispering among themselves.

I looked at Emily.

Her height wasn't the tallest among her peers, but she was above average for her class.

Her build was proportionate. She looked nothing like the gaunt, malnourished child he described.

In my previous life, after he said those words, I had lost my temper and argued with them.

The fight escalated until I lost control and was taken to the police station.

Emily insisted I had started it.

After three days in a holding cell, the whispers and pointed looks from others never stopped.

After I became paralyzed, they even used that record to claim I had always been mentally unstable.

Emily was granted full authority to handle the property transfer on my behalf.

They tricked me into signing the papers, and all three moved into my house as if they owned the place.

This time, I would not make the same mistake.

Snapping back to the present, I pulled the follow-up report from my pocket, my voice calm.

"You don't get to make claims about her health just because it suits you."

"The test results came back today. They clearly show that her condition is stable and all her numbers are improving."

"I've been monitoring her diet and making sure she gets her checkups. She is nothing like the malnourished child you're describing."

I thought that with solid proof in hand, Emily would at least acknowledge my effort.

But she immediately spoke up, right there in front of everyone, rushing to back up her father.

"Mom, I know my own body better than anyone."

"Dad's right. You're just being overdramatic. You control everything I eat and do, and I have zero freedom."

A chill shot through my chest.

So I had been wrong all along.

It wasn't after I became paralyzed that she started resenting me.

Even this far back, she had already written me off as her mother.

The child I had poured my heart and soul into raising had been an ungrateful wretch from the very beginning.

I tucked the report away, my tone flat.

"Fine. I won't meddle anymore. If you want to take her out, just come pick her up. No need to sneak around."

The sneer on Adam's face froze, replaced by shock.

The woman's gentle expression faltered.

Emily stared at me, eyes wide with disbelief.

Then a smug little smile tugged at her lips.

I ignored them all and went straight back upstairs.