Chapter 1

"Olivia's vicious. She deserves to die!" "Will anyone find out?" "Don't worry. Everyone wants her dead." "Go. I'll take care of the rest." … Scenes flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Olivia Young felt as though her head was splitting apart, and her whole body hurt as if it had been run over by a truck. The pain was unbearable. Instinctively, she screamed. The overwhelming fear jolted her awake, and she bolted upright in bed. Clutching her chest, she gasped for air as cold sweat slid down her temples. All of a sudden, a chill ran down her spine, causing her to shiver. "I'm still alive," she thought to herself, balling her fists until her nails dug into her palms. Olivia looked around and realized she was still in the Price residence. When she thought of Jasper Price, the man she had loved for so many years, her chest tightened. Where had he been when she was dying? There had been no sign of him in her dream. Lost in thought, she didn't notice the door open. Then, a familiar voice sounded. "Mrs. Price, are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" Mary Brown asked, suppressing her irritation. Usually, Olivia would've snapped at Mary the moment she noticed her expression. However, she didn't have the energy that day. Suppressing her discomfort, she responded, "I'm fine. Where are Jasper and Emilia?" "Mr. Price didn't come home last night. Ms. Price is downstairs having breakfast." Jasper didn't come home last night… That was to be expected. Yet, Olivia didn't have the capacity to dwell on it at that moment. The dream had felt so real that she urgently needed something to hold on to. Her daughter, Emilia Price, was downstairs. She was her own flesh and blood. Olivia hastily gathered herself and hurried downstairs. As soon as she descended the stairs, she spotted Emilia at the dining table. Her cheeks were puffed out like a little squirrel as she chewed, and she was completely focused on her food. Olivia's heart melted in an instant. "Emi." Emilia turned her head when she heard that. "Mom," she greeted. Olivia didn't notice the aloofness in her tone. She strode over, pulled the little girl into her arms, and pecked her. Emilia tilted her head away. "Mom, I'm eating." Olivia would've usually stepped back and let her finish. However, she felt like she was drowning at the moment, and Emilia was the only thing keeping her afloat. She inched closer to Emilia and asked, "Who made this? You seem to love it, Emi." Emilia's interest was piqued when Olivia mentioned that. The little girl immediately lifted her head and responded, "Sage made it. Dad, Sage, and I made it together yesterday. We even picked the vegetables ourselves." Olivia's arm around Emilia slowly loosened. She was about to say something when Emilia chirped, "That farm was so pretty. Dad said he'll take us back when the plums are ripe!" Hearing that, Olivia's throat tightened. Emilia had been glued to Sage Myers in her dream, and now, that image overlapped with the little girl in front of her, who couldn't stop talking about Sage. "What about me?" she couldn't help but ask. "Huh?" Emilia's eyes darted around. Then, she hurriedly stuffed the rest of her sandwich into her mouth and said, "I'm going to be late for school, Mom!" Right after saying that, she hopped off her chair and called out, "George!" With a bitter smile, Olivia watched her run off as she stood frozen in place for a long, long time… It was understandable that her daughter wasn't close to her. If she thought about it, she and Emilia hadn't actually spent time together in almost two years. Olivia had been traveling nonstop for work, and whenever she was home, their schedules never aligned. When she returned from abroad, they were abroad. When she went overseas, they had just returned. On the rare occasions the three of them were together, Olivia's mood was always ruined by nightmares. The lingering effects left her with splitting headaches. After looking up and noticing Mary staring at her with a strange look, the corner of Olivia's lips twitched. Mary's eyes widened in fear, as if she had seen a demon. She stuttered, "M-Mr. Price might be too busy, which is why he forgot that today is your anniversary. I've already called him, and he said—" "I don't want to hear it," Olivia cut her off. She hadn't even done anything, yet Mary looked as though she were about to be eaten alive. At that moment, Olivia felt so tired of it all. When she thought about what Emilia had just said, she lifted her phone and called Jasper. After a long while, the call connected. Jasper's voice sounded flat. "What is it?" Before Olivia could respond, another voice came through. "What's wrong, Jasper? Is she kicking up a fuss again?" Realizing that was Sage's voice, Olivia tightened her grip on her phone. "It's nothing." Jasper hung up on Olivia before she could even utter a word. "He can't even be bothered to hear me out," Olivia brooded. After all these years of marriage, Jasper had always been cold and impatient with her. Olivia was used to it. Had she not schemed against him, he wouldn't have spared her a second glance, let alone married her. At times, she thought it wasn't so bad to stay together as a resentful couple. So long as she didn't let go of him, she would always be Jasper's wife. Sage, on the other hand, would only ever be a mistress, nailed to the pillar of shame. Usually, she would've made a scene. Yet, last night's dream kept replaying in her head. Olivia had died a brutal death with no one by her side—not her parents, not her daughter, and not even her husband. In the end, the case was hastily closed. She was betrayed and abandoned by every single one of them. Olivia closed her eyes. Then, she couldn't help but touch her waist. The pain of the truck slamming into her, causing her bones to shatter, felt so real that it seemed to break through the dream world and strike her body again, causing her to shudder. Since fate had given her another chance, she would never let that dream come true. Olivia racked her brain and tried to recall the voices from the end of her dream, yet they remained muffled. The only person who hated her enough to wish her dead was Sage, but she didn't have that kind of power. Unless… The blood drained from Olivia's face as Jasper's name was on the tip of her tongue. Instinctively, she picked up her phone and called him again. The call rang until it disconnected on its own. He never answered. After a long while, he sent her a message. "What is it?" As usual, his tone was cold and businesslike. Olivia smiled wryly when she read that. Strangely, she felt calm. All these years, she had revolved her life around Jasper, believing that one day, she would have a place in his heart. Yet, what had she gotten? Olivia's chest tightened, yet she couldn't help but reply. "It's our wedding anniversary today. Don't forget what we've agreed on." The three of them were supposed to have dinner together as a family on their anniversary every year. For the past two years, work had seen to it that they never did. Jasper: "Got it." Yet another flat, indifferent response. Olivia smiled bitterly. She had already died once in her dream, yet she still felt hurt. It made sense, though, since she had loved him for so many years. … Jasper didn't say a single thing until Emilia returned home. Olivia wanted to rekindle her relationship with Emilia and was about to go downstairs to greet her when she heard Emilia talking with Mary. "Why are you pouting, Ms. Price? Aren't you happy you get to have dinner with your parents later?" Emilia's brows knitted together. "I was supposed to go to the amusement park with Dad and Sage. Now, we can't go anymore. Plus, since Mom's back, Sage can't come over anymore. Didn't you tell me Mom wouldn't finish her work so soon?" The complaints poured out of her one after another. "Shhh. Don't say that, Ms. Price! Mrs. Price will be mad if she hears that." "I know. Sage wouldn't, though. She's so gentle. I like Sage more." Olivia's heart slowly went cold. All of a sudden, everything made sense. No wonder Jasper had agreed to let her join his company. Olivia had foolishly thought that if she worked hard enough, he would notice her. But it turned out that he only wanted her out of the way so that Sage could stay by his side without any obstacles. Olivia went back upstairs wordlessly and was about to message Jasper to cancel dinner. Before she could do that, a message from Jasper arrived. "I have something to attend to tonight, so I can't make it." Olivia let out a derisive chuckle. She hadn't expected Jasper to beat her to it. Anything involving Sage always took priority. Everything else had to make way for Sage, including her. If she hadn't pushed for this marriage, they would never have gotten married. Just then, she heard Emilia's cheerful footsteps approaching. They slowed when she reached her door. The very next second, she poked her head in. "I'm going out tonight, Mom. It's Gigi's birthday!" Olivia stared at her for a moment. Emilia grew uneasy and avoided her gaze. Knowing she didn't want to spend the evening with her, Olivia remained silent for a beat before smiling and nodding. "Go ahead. Remember to have George pick you up when it's over." "I know, Mom." Olivia's heart sank as she watched Emilia leave with a pep in her step. If Olivia was destined to end up alone, she would rather be the one to walk away first. She absolutely didn't want to experience the heartwrenching pain she felt in that dream of hers. "Help me check where Emi is going."