Chapter 4

In my previous life, it was around this time that my admission letter should have arrived. And it was also around now that Ned first brought up the idea of needing money to buy a house.

These past few days, Rachel and I had been playing our roles well—obedient, compliant, just like before, acting as if we couldn't live without the Stark brothers.

So when I offered to go out and buy groceries, they didn't suspect a thing.

Before I left, Robbie smiled, his eyes curved in that gentle arc he was so good at faking.

"Mary, thank you for your hard work. Buy some spinach while you're out. I remember it's your favorite."

Spinach? Not anymore.

Because Scarlett hated spinach, our household hadn't seen a single leaf of it in thirty or forty years in the previous life. Even if I had once loved it, I no longer recognized the taste.

I nodded calmly, but instead of heading to the market, I took a turn and made straight for the school.

Admission letters were always delivered there in bulk. I didn't even need to guess—Robbie would definitely take mine before it ever reached me.

So I made up an excuse about picking something up for him and slipped into his office.

His office was almost bare, save for one object that stood out: a delicate porcelain teacup, far finer than anything else in the room.

I remembered that teacup.

In my previous life, Robbie had treasured it like gold. Even after retirement, he used it every day at home. One afternoon, while mopping, I accidentally knocked it to the floor. He flew into a rage and slapped me across the face.

Hurt and humiliated, I confided in my son, only for him to frown and say that the cup was precious.

Precious? Not because of its make. But because it had been a gift from Scarlett.

Expressionless, I tore my gaze away from the teacup and pulled open his drawer.

My fingers brushed past a stack of love letters he had written to Scarlett, reaching straight for the envelope pressed at the very bottom—the one with my name on it. My admission letter.

I ripped it open without hesitation, tucked the contents into my bag, and grabbed a scrap of paper. Scribbling a few words, I stuffed it back into the empty envelope.

My pulse hammered as I shut the drawer. Without daring to linger, I slipped out.

At the school gates, I sat beneath a tree and waited, nerves buzzing, until finally… I spotted Rachel.

"Rachel! You scared me half to death. I thought you wouldn't make it out!"

Rachel came running, breathless, sweat beading her forehead, and rolled her eyes at me.

"All thanks to that bastard, Ned!" she spat through clenched teeth. "I was afraid he'd notice something amiss. He kept pestering me for money to buy a house. I refused no matter what, but he badgered me for what felt like forever.

"Normally, he's silent as a stone, but when it comes to Scarlett, suddenly he's all fire and devotion."

"After I gave him the passbook, he even promised to buy me a silver bracelet. Mary, you know, in our previous life, I waited until my dying day and never saw that bracelet!"

Because the moment Scarlett laid eyes on it, she had demanded it for herself.

I sighed softly and placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"Don't dwell on it. It's all in the past. Do you have the passbook?"

"Of course I do! This time, if they think they can spend my money, they're dreaming."

Rachel looped her arm through mine. Her eyes, once dulled and lifeless in our last life, now glittered faintly, like stars in the sky.

"Mary," she said with sudden, fierce determination, "let's go. Let's carve out a wider world for ourselves."