Chapter 1

My husband Ryder's younger brother died in an accident, and Ryder faked his own death and impersonated him.

Just so he could sleep with his brother's wife.

After I recognized him, he coldly pushed me away.

"I'm not Ryder. I'm Ronan. I know you're sad about my elder brother's death, but you can't mistake me for him!"

He shielded the seemingly delicate Serena, pushed me into the ice-cold river, and warned me not to harbor any foolish delusions.

My five-year-old daughter cried, asking why her daddy didn't want her, and was locked in the old barn to "reflect," starved for three days and three nights.

My daughter and I were driven out of the house and froze to death in the heavy snow.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my husband Ryder impersonated his brother.

This time, I didn't expose him. Instead, I told his commanding officer in the military:

"My husband is dead. Please strip him of his military status!"

"I never expected my older brother to have such a sudden accident..."

Ryder's eyes were red, and he looked at me with a mournful expression.

Watching Ronan's body being carried in, I cried uncontrollably.

He and Ryder looked exactly alike. No one suspected Ryder had swapped identities with him.

After crying for a while, I wiped my tears and said,

"The body can't be kept for long. Let's quickly send it for cremation and hold a grand funeral for my husband."

Ryder immediately nodded in agreement, even more eager than I was to destroy the evidence.

I watched him move the body, noticing a thin, long scar between his thumb and forefinger.

In my previous life, it was this scar that confirmed the one alive was Ryder.

This time, I pretended not to see anything.

Last life, Ryder and Ronan went out for disaster relief. Ronan accidentally injured the back of his head and died on the spot.

Ryder, desperate to marry Serena, didn't hesitate to abandon his position as a Major, impersonating Ronan.

Outsiders couldn't recognize Ryder's deliberate imitation and were easily fooled.

But as his wife, who lived with him day in and day out, I recognized Ryder at a glance.

I frantically questioned him, asking why he was impersonating his brother and abandoning our daughter and me.

Ryder, however, looked indifferent, flatly denied it, and violently pushed me away.

"I know you're sad about my older brother's death, but you can't mistake me for him!"

I was incredulous, kept questioning him, but Ryder pushed me into the ice-cold river in the dead of winter.

He stood on the bank, shielding Serena, and watched me struggle with cold indifference.

"I won't let you hurt my wife!"

Serena hid behind him, calling me a worthless slut who was trying to steal her man right after my husband died.

I had a high fever for three days and three nights, with only my five-year-old daughter by my side.

She cried, asking Ryder why Daddy didn't acknowledge her.

Ryder, however, said she was making things up at my instigation, and immediately locked her in the old barn to "reflect."

It took me three days to crawl out of hell, and my daughter had also been starved for three days and three nights.

Ryder's mother then cursed me, calling me a whore, blaming me for her son's death.

She threw my daughter and me out of the house, not giving us a single penny.

I desperately knocked on the door in the snowy night, begging Ryder to save our daughter.

But only his cold voice came through:

"Layla, you're crazy to mistake me for my older brother. If you can't face reality, stay away from me."

My daughter and I had nowhere to go. Cold and hungry in the depths of winter, we eventually froze to death on the street.

Thinking of these things, a fire burned in my heart. I wished I could drag that whole family down with me.

Watching Ryder eagerly send his brother's body for cremation, I thought coldly.

Since you want to be with Serena forever, I'll grant your wish. Be Ronan for the rest of your life.