Chapter 2

The moment I said that, tears welled up in my eyes.

When Winona and I first got married, everyone envied us, and I had honestly believed we would go on like that forever.

But everything changed three years ago, when her best friend, Layla Spencer, entrusted Hudson to her before she died.

At the time, Hudson was still in high school, but as he got older, the dynamic between them started to feel increasingly unsettling. Winona bought him gifts, put him to sleep, and even bought him underwear.

I bore witness to it all. It wasn't as if I had never fought with her over it, but every single time I brought it up, she would shut me down with the same excuses.

He was just a kid, and she had promised Layla she would take care of him.

Her endless indulgence only made Hudson bolder, and more than once, he openly provoked me right in front of her.

I had put up with it again and again, but this time, I was done.

Before Winona could react, I walked straight past her.

However, she suddenly grabbed my wrist. There was a flicker of panic in her eyes as she said, "Arthur, do you really have to take it this far? Fine. Let's both take a step back. I can guarantee your mom's safety, and in return, you sign the Letter of Understanding. How does that sound?"

I shook her hand off hard.

"Winona, I'm divorcing you, and I'm moving forward with this case. This isn't a discussion. I want both my mom's safety and Annabelle's innocence!"

After I said that, I turned and headed out without looking back.

A flicker of malice flashed across Winona's eyes. "You think you can just leave? It won't be that easy!"

She immediately thundered, "Lock him in the oven in the back kitchen! He will not come out until he's willing to sign."

It was just as I had expected. It was the same move she had used in my last life, but this time, I wasn't the helpless Arthur who she had right in the palm of her hand.

Two bodyguards shoved me into an oven heated to 200°F. The moment the door slammed shut, the heat wrapped around me in a thick, airless wave that was so stifling it felt hard to breathe.

Through the door, Winona's voice came through with a hint of iciness and satisfaction, "Arthur, stay in there and think it over. Decide whether you want to sign and come out safelye or stay in there until you dry out."

I didn't answer.

Instead, I held my breath, focused my mind, and waited until the footsteps outside had gone far enough away. Then, I dropped into a crouch and reached into the corner of the oven.

There was a steel plate there that looked welded in place, but in fact, I had already tampered with it. The screws on the inside had been removed ahead of time, and the surface had only been left looking intact.

After being reborn, I used what I remembered from my previous life and spent a large amount of money to bribe a maid who had once been mistreated by the Grahams. Working together from the inside and outside, we created this escape route in advance.

I pushed hard, and the steel plate slid inward, revealing a narrow opening. Without any hesitation, I crawled through it and slipped out in silence.

After leaving the Graham residence, I went straight to the hospital. On the way there, I scrolled through my phone and saw that the trending news was full of slanderous accusations against Annabelle.

In the carefully edited videos, the attackers had been censored so their faces couldn't be seen, while Annabelle's face was left clear.

The comments section was vile.

"There's video proof, so I guess this lady is pretty promiscuous."

"I heard this wasn't even the first time. She had it coming."

"What a slut!"

Meanwhile, Hudson and his accomplices had completely vanished from the narrative.

I was shaking so hard with anger that I could barely breathe.

A year ago, Winona got into a car accident and lost a huge amount of blood. At the time, the only two people whose blood matched hers were Annabelle and Hudson.

Hudson claimed he couldn't handle the sight of blood and ran, while Annabelle stepped up without hesitation. Because she lost too much blood saving Winona, she spent a full year in the hospital and was still malnourished on the day she passed away.

Even after all of that, Winona was willing to go this far for Hudson.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails cut into my palms and drew blood.