Reborn as the CEO’s Contract Wife

Ava Reed had once believed that if she loved sincerely enough, the world would eventually treat her kindly. She believed that loyalty would be repaid with loyalty, that sacrifice would be met with gratitude, and that as long as she endured, happiness would someday arrive. That belief followed her from childhood into adulthood, shaping every decision she made, every compromise she accepted, and every wound she silently swallowed. It was that same belief that ultimately dragged her into hell.

The courtroom was packed, yet the silence felt suffocating. The air was heavy, pressing down on Ava’s chest until breathing itself became difficult. She stood at the center of the room, wrists trembling, legs weak, eyes fixed on the two people seated opposite her. One was Mark Collins, the man she had loved for five years, the man she had planned to marry. The other was Lily Reed, her step-sister, the girl she had protected and indulged since childhood. They were sitting side by side, shoulders nearly touching, their fingers intertwined as though they had every right to display their intimacy in public.

Ava’s heart pounded violently. She could not understand what she was seeing. Mark was supposed to be sitting beside her. Lily was supposed to be supporting her. Instead, they looked like a perfect couple, united and composed, while she stood alone like a stranger.

“The defendant, Ava Reed, is accused of embezzlement, illegal asset transfer, and financial fraud involving Reed Holdings.”

The judge’s voice echoed through the courtroom, each word striking Ava like a hammer.

“I didn’t do it,” Ava said, her voice hoarse but urgent. “The accounts were manipulated. The records were altered. Please investigate properly. Someone framed me.”

Her gaze instinctively turned toward Mark, searching for help, for even the smallest trace of hesitation in his expression. If Mark spoke, if he explained that she never handled the company’s finances, everything could still be fixed.

But Mark stood up calmly.

“Your Honor,” he said, his voice steady, righteous, and convincing. “I personally discovered the irregularities. Ava had full access to the company’s internal system. She insisted on handling large transactions alone. I wanted to trust her, but I couldn’t ignore the evidence.”

Ava stared at him in disbelief. The words did not register at first. Her mind refused to accept what she had just heard.

“You’re lying,” she whispered.

Mark did not look at her.

Lily suddenly began to sob quietly, covering her mouth with trembling fingers. “Ava-jie… I really didn’t want to believe it either. But I saw her transferring money late at night. I tried to persuade her to stop. She said she needed the money for personal reasons…”

Each word fell like a blade.

Ava turned toward Lily slowly. “You were the one who begged me to let you stay in my house. You were the one who said you admired me. You were the one who cried and called me sister.”

Lily’s shoulders shook harder. Mark immediately pulled her into his arms, glaring at Ava with disgust.

“Stop pretending,” he snapped. “You’ve already hurt enough people. Don’t drag Lily into your mess.”

The scene looked flawless.

A loyal fiancé protecting his fragile lover.

A kind sister heartbroken by betrayal.

And Ava, standing alone, labeled a criminal.

Evidence was presented one after another. Bank records, transaction logs, digital signatures, surveillance screenshots. Every document carried Ava’s name. Every number pointed to her. It was as if an invisible hand had carefully built a perfect trap long before today.

Ava knew none of it was real.

But she also knew something far more terrifying.

The people who could prove her innocence were the very ones accusing her.

The judge did not bother asking her further questions.

“Based on the evidence presented, the court finds the defendant guilty.”

The gavel slammed.

“Sentence: life imprisonment.”

The sound echoed in Ava’s ears endlessly.

Life imprisonment.

The words did not feel real.

She looked toward Mark again.

Still, he did not look back.

Lily buried her face in his chest, but at the corner of her lips, Ava saw it.

A faint smile.

That single smile burned itself into Ava’s soul.

Three months later, Ava sat in a narrow prison cell that smelled of mold and rust. The concrete floor was always cold, no matter the season. The thin blanket did nothing to keep warmth in. Her hair had lost its shine. Her cheeks were hollow. Her once gentle eyes were now dull and lifeless.

Prison taught her many lessons.

That kindness attracted cruelty.

That weakness invited destruction.

That justice was a luxury for the powerful.

Guards ignored her.

Inmates targeted her.

She was shoved, insulted, starved, and beaten, all while carrying the title of a notorious fraudster.

She wrote letters.

To Mark.

To Lily.

To people she thought were friends.

None were answered.

Only later did she learn that Mark had already announced their engagement to Lily.

They had taken her company.

Her inheritance.

Her reputation.

Her future.

Even her name had become something disgusting.

One night, a guard slid a metal tray through the slot.

A bowl of thin porridge.

Ava stared at it for a long time.

Hunger eventually won.

She picked up the spoon and swallowed a mouthful.

The taste was wrong.

Bitter.

Her throat burned.

The spoon slipped from her fingers.

Pain exploded inside her stomach.

She collapsed onto the floor, coughing violently.

Blood spilled from her lips.

In that moment, Ava understood.

They were afraid.

Afraid that one day, the truth might surface.

So they decided to erase her completely.

Her vision blurred.

Her breathing grew weak.

Tears slid silently down her cheeks.

Not from fear.

Not from regret.

From hatred.

Mark.

Lily.

If there is another life…

If I am given another chance…

I will never be kind again.

Darkness consumed her.

“Ava! Ava, wake up!”

A familiar female voice echoed in her ears.

Ava gasped violently, sucking in air as if she had just been pulled from deep water. Her eyes flew open. Bright light flooded her vision. Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Soft fabric brushed against her skin. Something heavy pressed against her body.

She looked down.

White lace.

Pearls.

Delicate embroidery.

A wedding dress.

Her heart nearly stopped.

She turned her head.

A large mirror stood across the room.

Inside it was a young woman with smooth skin, bright eyes, and long black hair styled elegantly.

No bruises.

No prison uniform.

No chains.

It was her face.

But younger.

Healthier.

Alive.

A woman hurried over anxiously. “Miss Reed, you scared us. You fainted from exhaustion. The makeup artist has been waiting.”

Ava’s fingers dug into the mattress.

Her eyes moved slowly toward the calendar on the wall.

June 18.

Her wedding day.

Three days before marrying Mark Collins.

Her breathing grew shallow.

She wasn’t dead.

She wasn’t in prison.

She had returned.

Returned to the beginning of her nightmare.

Ava stared at her reflection.

Memories surged through her mind like a violent storm.

The courtroom.

The gavel.

The smile.

The poison.

For a long moment, she said nothing.

Then, her lips curved upward.

Not softly.

Not warmly.

But coldly.

“So… I’m back.”

Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress.

“In this life, I will take back everything.”

“And those who betrayed me…”

“They will pay.”