Chapter 1

"Natasha, your surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. Make sure you don't eat or drink anything tonight, or it'll have to be postponed."

Why was I in a hospital? Didn't I die?

"Wait. What surgery am I having tomorrow?"

The nurse looked at me strangely but patiently replied, "A minimally invasive cervical procedure. Don't worry. It's just a small surgery. Nothing would go wrong."

Having experienced the surgery, I let out a bitter laugh at her words. This nurse was good at jinxing things. I almost suspected she'd been reborn too.

I closed my eyes and thought, who could've imagined that such a supposedly simple, foolproof surgery would destroy my entire life?

No, it wasn't the surgery that ruined me but the surgeon who performed it—my future sister-in-law, Kate Diller.

I still couldn't figure out how, in a country with such strict regulations for medical interns, she'd managed to become the lead surgeon for my procedure or how she'd managed to botch a minor surgery so badly that I ended up losing my womb.

…

In my previous life, it all started when my boyfriend, Jack Diller, and I were discussing marriage. Kate had suggested I get a premarital health check.

As I had nothing to hide, I'd agreed to get checked at the hospital where she worked without hesitation.

Yet, I hadn't expected that I would be diagnosed with cervical ectropion, especially since I'd never even been in a serious relationship before.

Kate had insisted it was because I slept around.

Jack had been torn, and eventually, he'd told me that surgery was a prerequisite for marriage. Naively, I'd gone along with it and got on the operating table. And just like that, I had lost my womb.

I hadn't even realized it at first. Months passed without a period, and when I finally went for a checkup, I thought I might be pregnant. Instead, I learned the truth.

Jack had turned on me the moment he found out.

"You should be grateful anyone's willing to take you, considering how filthy you are. Now that you don't have a womb, it's perfect. At least you won't be carrying some other man's child."

At that time, I wasn't about to let the culprit get away with it, so I decided to report Kate to the hospital. That was when Jack started plotting his revenge. He'd eventually found an opportunity to kill me.

After my death, I'd lingered as a ghost, unable to move on. I had followed Jack and Kate, watching them live their twisted, off-and-on lives.

In the end, they were happy together.

It wasn't until Kate botched another surgery and an enraged patient stabbed her in the heart that I saw darkness again. And when I opened my eyes, I was back here, the day before that ill-fated surgery.

…

Staring at the sterile white ceiling, I could still feel the ache in my abdomen from the pre-op injections.

Kate Diller and Jack Diller.

Who would've guessed that those two weren't related by blood despite having the same surname?

What a pair of psychos.

If they wanted to indulge in their sick "forbidden love", they were welcome to it. But why did they have to drag innocent people like me into their mess?

Building their love on my ruined life—didn't it taste bitter?

I clenched my fists tightly to stop myself from storming over and beating them senseless right now.

Sure, I could break up with Jack immediately and cut my losses. But I wasn't satisfied with just that. If I left now, the rumors about me sleeping around would stick with me forever.

Why on earth should I allow that to happen?

Kate and Jack were committing unspeakable acts while pretending to be mere siblings. Why should I be the one to take the blame and endure their filth in silence?