เรื่องสั้นแนว Feel-Good Story และนิยาย Middle-Aged Revenge

My mate, Kael, got killed by rogues while trying to save me. He left behind a debt of ten million and a child, not yet a year old. Out of guilt and longing for Kael, I refused the advances of many excellent werewolves and never accepted a second chance, mate. I worked endlessly to raise my child and pay off the debt. But during a business meeting at a hotel, I saw my mate—who was supposed to be dead—lying in bed with my stepsister, Lila.

I was reborn. Right back to the day I adopted Peter. The wind cut sharp, baby cries slicing through the cold. That's when it hit me—this was the day Stuart Pete, my oh-so-loving husband, dumped his illegitimate child right in my path after work. He knew me too well. The second I picked the kid up, he'd spin it into an adoption, making the boy ours. Last time, I fell for it. This time? I walked away without a second thought. Later, I heard the kid got pneumonia from being left out in the freezing cold—fever so bad, it wrecked him for life. I laughed until my stomach hurt. What I didn't see coming? Peter was reborn too—about to experience the life he was meant to have.

In my previous life, my three sons told me they wanted to set up a Family Bond Fund for me. Each of them would deposit three thousand dollars every month. I cried with gratitude, truly believing that decades of sacrifice had finally paid off. One of them even said, "Mom, you've given us so much. It's our turn to take care of you now." However, eight years later, I was told I have uremia. That was when I discover that the bank card, which supposedly held the fund, couldn't even cover the dialysis deposit. Soon after, my eldest son video-called me. He said he wanted to buy a better apartment in a good school district. He was short of 150 thousand dollars for the down payment and asked if I could lend it to him first. My second son came to the hospital with his wife and daughter. He didn't ask about my condition at all. Instead, he kept showing off his daughter's piano competition trophy, hinting that he needed 50 thousand dollars to enroll her in a prestigious international piano program. My youngest son was even more straightforward. He said he had his eye on a limited-edition pair of sneakers and wanted me to pay 30 thousand dollars for them as a birthday gift. The moment they realized the bank account didn't have enough money, their faces fell. "We each put in three thousand dollars every month. Over eight years, that's at least eight hundred thousand dollars. Mom, are you hiding the money from us?" To force me to reveal my savings, they took turns pressuring me, switching between sweet talk and threats. They even told relatives that I had dementia and had been scammed out of my money. Unable to take it anymore, I yanked out my IV late one night and walked out of the hospital, only to be hit by a car, dying instantly. When I open my eyes again, I find myself back on the day of my hospital checkup.

My father, Harlan Lowe, suffers from severe face blindness. To him, every woman in the world looks the same. 40 years ago, he was drugged by a business rival and spent one fateful night with the woman who would later become my mother. Unable to recognize her afterward, he mistakenly marries Mildred Roberts, the opportunistic woman who steals her place and claims the credit that is never hers. In time, Harlan and Mildred become one of the city's most celebrated power couples, admired by everyone. Meanwhile, my mother is left to bear the consequences alone. Pregnant and unmarried, she is branded a promiscuous woman, shunned by society, and never marries. Years of humiliation and loneliness eventually drive her into depression and lead her to take her own life. 40 years later, I am now a man who has built a life through brilliance and relentless determination. I end up marrying Bella Harrison, the beloved daughter of the wealthiest dynasty in the country. We share a loving marriage and a happy family. The peace ends the day my daughter, Josie Gardner, brings her boyfriend home. Seated at the head of the family table, I study the young man. Arrogant, confident, and unmistakably spoiled, he carries himself like someone who has never known hardship. I know immediately that he is Simon Lowe, the grandson of Harlan and Mildred. Looking at Simon's face, which bears an uncanny resemblance to Harlan's, I ignore the gift he offers me. "You want to marry my daughter? In your wildest dreams."