Chapter 1 Chapter 1

“Eve, these berries look so tasty!” Just like in my previous life, Mark Thompson ate the wild berries I picked out of curiosity. The beginning of my tragic fate started right after that. In my previous life, Mark and I were hiking together. Along the way, I picked some wild berries. He insisted on eating them. He died of poisoning not long after eating them. It was night at the time. Plus, there was no signal. No one would help me carry his body down. A “kind stranger” stepped forward and offered to watch over him while I went to look for help. So, I left Mark’s body behind and hurried down the mountain alone. However, when I returned with the rescue team, Mark’s body was gone. I only found out then that the “kind stranger” had taken him down. So, I hurried back down the mountain, only to be told that Mark had been cremated by the “kind stranger”. I almost passed out in grief. I brought Mark’s ashes home, but I barely had a moment to rest before a woman named Sarah Miller and her son, Tommy Miller, knocked on my door. They claimed that Mark owed them money. He had promised to give them our house and car as compensation when he was still alive, though there was still a large sum of money he had not paid off. I was skeptical, but Judith Thompson, my mother-in-law, cried and insisted that Mark had always cared deeply about his reputation. She begged me to pay off his debt to preserve his good name. She was right. Mark was always obsessed with his image and reputation. He would argue with anyone who even slightly questioned him. Guilt-ridden over his death and not wanting to tarnish his name, I agreed. I gave them every cent I had saved over the years and left my house to them. However, as Judith was gravely ill and needed expensive treatments, I had no choice but to work three jobs just to cover her medical bills. I gave Judith the best food, things like herbal broths and expensive cuts of meat, to help her recover, while I only ate basic meals like bread and frozen vegetables just to save money. After ten years of this struggle, Judith finally recovered, but I was completely worn out. The doctor told me that my illness was the result of long-term overwork. He said that my condition could be treated, but I would not have much longer to live if I did not get treatment. Judith cried in front of me and said she was exhausted from years of medical expenses. She begged me not to seek treatment. I agreed to give up on treatment as I also thought that there was no point in burdening her any further. As I was lying on my deathbed, Mark, who I thought was dead, walked in with Sarah and their son. He smiled as he affectionately called her “Sarah” and referred to the boy as his “precious son”. That was when I realized the truth. Mark had not died from the berries. He had faked his death. Sarah was his first love. The boy was their affair child. The “kind stranger” from before? That was Sarah’s brother, Jason Miller. The whole scheme was designed to leave me with nothing while I took care of his sick mother. Unfortunately, I could not move. I could only watch as Mark tossed five dollars at me. “Thanks for taking care of my mom all these years.” Seeing the five dollars, Sarah looked irritated. “Why are you wasting five dollars on her? One would’ve been enough. Take it back.” She took the five dollars away, then tossed a single dollar bill onto my face. Just like that, I died with bitterness and resentment, while they moved on and lived in luxury. This time, I would not let the tragedy of my past life repeat itself. Mark wanted to fake his death, but I would make sure he died for real.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

“Honey?” Mark called me and brought me back to the moment. He pleaded. “Honey, why aren’t you saying anything? Come on, let me try those berries. I really want to taste these all-natural fruits.” I glanced at the dusty berries in his hand and gave a gentle smile. “Sure. I’ve picked some other fruits too. I’m sure they’ll be very delicious.” I took a handful of bright red berries from my bag, which looked pretty appetizing. Mark swallowed hard, then took the berries from me. At my encouragement, Mark ate them. His eyes lit up instantly. “These are so good!” I handed him more. “Are they? Well, eat as many as you want.” Mark ate them all. The more he ate, the bigger my smile grew. Soon enough, just like in my previous life, the “poison” began to take effect. Mark was going to “die” soon. “Honey, I think those berries were poisonous. I’m dying.” His face broke out in a cold sweat as he clutched his stomach. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. I asked with concern, “Mark, are you okay? Should I give you first aid?” He waved his hand weakly. “No, there’s something I have to confess before I die. I owe a lot of money to a woman and her son. You have to pay them back after I’m gone, or my reputation will be ruined.” I nodded in agreement. However, I was sneering internally. And with that, Mark “died”. I pinched my thigh hard, and soon the tears started flowing. “Mark, please don’t leave me! What am I supposed to do now?” I wailed loudly and drew the attention of everyone around us. Curious onlookers gathered to see what had happened. Just like in my previous life, the “kind stranger” stepped forward. “Goodness, you killed your husband with poison! Why don’t you go down the mountain to seek help? I’ll watch his body for you.” As Jason said that, he moved to pull Mark’s body aside. I immediately grabbed Mark and pulled him back. Crying even louder, I shouted. “I don’t even know you! My husband just died, and I’m devastated. Now you’re trying to accuse me of killing him? You’ve gone too far, mister!” Jason was stunned. He clearly did not expect this response. He pointed at Mark’s body on the ground. “He died after eating those berries you picked. If you didn’t poison him, who did?” I wiped away my tears. My expression grew even more sorrowful. “Oh my God! The berries I gave him weren’t poisonous. How could he have died from them? But he did drink that strange water you gave him just before he died. Did you poison him?” I pointed at the remaining berries on the ground. The crowd immediately started murmuring. Those who had eaten the berries before knew they were not poisonous. There was no way they could have killed someone. In my previous life, I was too overwhelmed with grief to remember that the berries were not toxic. It was the water from Jason that had weakened Mark’s breathing, something I had not noticed back then. Seeing the suspicious looks from the crowd, Jason realized they were ready to seize him like he was the real culprit. He tried to run away. I shouted, “He’s the murderer! Don’t let him get away!” Two men came forward and pinned him to the ground. I walked over and slapped him hard. “My husband and I haven’t done anything to you. Why did you kill him? Why?” Pretending to be a devastated widow, I clawed at him. Soon, there were red marks all over his skin. He tried to explain. “It wasn’t me, I swear! I didn’t kill him. The water I gave him was…” He could not finish his sentence as he was well aware of what he put in the water. Seeing this, the crowd became even angrier and insisted on taking him to the police. I stood up and said, “Yes, to avenge my husband, we must report this to the police right now.” Someone asked me, “What about your husband’s body?” I looked around, but no one seemed willing to carry it. “It’s okay, just leave him here for now. I’ll bring some help to retrieve him tomorrow. I wouldn’t want to waste your energy.” I packed up all our hiking gear and clothes, then headed down the mountain with the others. Inside, I was overjoyed. Alone in the dark mountain overnight, even if Mark survived, he would be in terrible shape. Moreover, after drinking that strange water, his body was already weak.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

By the time I arrived at the police station with the others, it was already daytime. Jason could not defend himself but also did not dare to reveal the truth. I was a little surprised that he did not rat out his sister. Still, it did not change the fact that I was determined to get my revenge on him. He played a part in my tragic fate in my past life. Regardless, he could not escape this and had no way to explain himself. He became the prime suspect. When I brought the police back to the spot where Mark “died”, his body was already gone. Without any surprise, I received a call from Judith. She told me she had taken Mark’s body down the mountain and had it cremated. In fact, they were arranging a funeral at the moment. It seemed my plan to expose Mark’s fake death immediately had failed, but now they were the ones panicking, not me. Though the body was cremated, the bottle was still there. The police took the plastic bottle for testing and assured me the results would be ready in a few days. I thanked the police profusely and told them to find out the real culprit. The police reassured me that they would. Only then did I leave the station and head to Mark’s funeral. At the funeral, as soon as Judith saw me, she pulled me aside and told me to drop the charges at the police station. “You need to tell the police that Mark was already suicidal, and that’s why he died.” I sneered internally. Looking around at all the relatives, I deliberately raised my voice and asked Judith why she wanted me to drop the charges. The family members started glancing in our direction. “Don’t you want the person who killed Mark to be brought to justice, Judith?” Judith noticed all the eyes on us and quickly told me to lower my voice. Instead of lowering my voice, I raised it even more and demanded to know why Judith wanted me to drop the charges. My tone was full of disappointment toward her. Judith stammered in response. “That’s not it. Mark really had suicidal thoughts. He told me before you went hiking.” As she spoke, tears began to stream down her face, She looked at me as if accusing me of not realizing it sooner. The people around us started giving me strange looks. I noticed a small smirk forming on Judith’s lips. I retorted. “Mark’s death didn’t look like a suicide at all. He died after drinking that man’s water.”“Besides, the police just told me they’ve found some crucial evidence. We’ll know very soon if he’s the murderer or not.” I was bluffing, of course. The police had not found anything yet. However, Judith bought it. She panicked. “Just do as I said and tell them Mark killed himself! Why are you making this so complicated?” I continued to refuse and accuse her of being cruel and not caring about the truth behind her own son’s death. The people around us began giving Judith suspicious looks. Seeing this, Judith grew even more frustrated. Judith’s eyes suddenly lit up. “See the woman behind me? That’s the sister of the man who was arrested. Mark owes her a lot of money. She said if we don’t declare that Mark committed suicide, we’ll have to repay the debt immediately.” I glanced behind her. There she was, Mark’s first love, Sarah. The moment I saw her, I was transfixed. She was the one who took over my house and car with her son. Not only did she kick me out, she also humiliated me by trading a dollar for five as I was dying. Seeing that I was not responding, Sarah walked toward me. “Ms. Evans, your husband owed me six million dollars. I have the proof right here, so I suggest you drop the charges at the police station immediately. Otherwise, you’ll have to repay the debt right now.” She held out a slip of paper. There was a smug look on her face. Just as Judith thought I would obediently give in, I suddenly spoke up. “To avenge Mark, I’m willing to lose everything, even if it means going bankrupt right now.”