Chapter 2

I'd never forget how unmanageable and unruly Talia was in my past life.

At the age of three, she was shoving her kindergarten classmates off slides on purpose and tormenting the neighbor's pet dogs. She was always lying, framing others, and refusing to take responsibility…

I'd tried scolding her and punishing her, but she simply wouldn't change.

When she was six, she intentionally pushed a neighbor's boy into a swimming pool, and he nearly drowned.

That was the day I realized something had to change. She would grow into a real menace to society if I decided not to take drastic measures and intervene.

So, I took her back to the countryside and spent a full year strictly and thoroughly correcting her behavior.

At first, she refused to listen and kept running away. I'd arranged for the local troublemakers to block her at every turn. Whenever they caught her, they taught her a rough lesson.

It might sound harsh, but sometimes lessons from society were far more effective for a brat than gentle parenting.

After a few bruises and scrapes, Talia finally started listening, and her temperament improved significantly.

I poured all my heart out into her, finally turning her from a little demon into a top-tier student.

But as she grew older, she became increasingly ungrateful. She would tell her teachers and peers exaggerated stories to paint me as an unstable, abusive father.

Every time I saw her post things on social media like "A toxic childhood is a lifelong wound", my heart broke. But when I saw her university acceptance letter, I told myself that my years of sacrifice were all worth it.

It didn't matter whether she hated me. As long as she succeeded, I believed that she'd one day understand everything I'd done was for her sake.

Before I got to see that day, Serena stormed into the celebration party and stabbed me to death.

Since Serena insisted that my genes were the problem in both lives, I looked forward to seeing what she turned the naturally rebellious Talia into without my intervention.

"Dad, did Mom divorce you because she doesn't like me?"

On the way home, Lucas, who'd been silent the whole time, finally voiced the question deep in his heart.

"If she doesn't like me, I can live in an orphanage, so you and Mom can get back together. Is that okay?"

"Silly child."

When I looked at him, I could feel my heart ache. I couldn't fathom how such a thoughtful, kind boy had turned into a rebellious delinquent in my past life.

"Don't overthink. This is between your mother and I. It has nothing to do with you."

He nodded half-understandingly, but the way he was hesitant to speak made me feel like a needle was stabbing my chest.

I knew that I needed a stable income if I was to raise him well. As I remembered how I received a job in my past life thanks to a referral from an old colleague, I took out my phone.

Just as I was about to text him, a mutual friend sent me a screenshot of Serena's social media post.

Maybe it was because she'd secured custody, but this time, she remarried even earlier than before.

In the photo, she held a freshly registered marriage licence in one hand and hugged her new husband, Julian Blackwell, with the other. There was a wide, radiant smile on her face.

I'd seen the photo in my past life, but this time, there was something different. A boy about Lucas' age stood beside Julian.

He was staring at Talia with a look of pure, unconcealed hatred in his eyes. My gut told me that in my past life, Lucas must have suffered when they stayed under the same roof.

Before I could dwell on it, I received a call from Serena.

When I puzzledly answered it, her smug voice came from the other end of the line. "Double celebration for me today! Don't be too jealous!"

I was about to hang up when I heard the sharp cry of an infant through the receiver. It was followed by a boy's shrill screaming.

"Shut up! All you do is cry!

"You're so annoying! Keep it up, and I'll strangle you to death!"

My heart skipped a beat, and all my worst suspicions seemed to be immediately validated.

"Serena, is someone hurting Talia?"

She sounded annoyed. "Stop being so sensitive! The kids are just playing rough! Arlo's just a kid, and he's playing with her. Talia has my elite genes, and she's going to be loved by everyone. Arlo will probably grow very fond of her. Why would he hurt her?"

She hung up before I could say another word.

Whatever. I'd failed Lucas in my past life, so in this life, all I had to do was focus on taking care of the two of us.