Chapter 2

Regardless, since fate had granted me a second chance at life, I wouldn't let the same tragedy repeat itself. Back in the bedroom, I went online and began ordering miniature surveillance cameras for the house. In my previous life, I had suggested installing cameras when Celeste first started working as our housekeeper. However, Howard had objected—he thought it was disrespectful. Now, I finally realized it was that misplaced kindness that let us walk straight into Celeste's trap. However, once everything was set in motion, that one question that haunted me to the day I died crept back into my mind. How had Celeste gotten pregnant with my husband's child? After we got married, we tried for many years to have a baby. Alas, it was to no avail. Eventually, we went to the hospital for tests. That was when we found out Howard had azoospermia—a complete absence of sperm. The doctor bluntly told us that there was no chance of natural conception. Even IVF was out of the question. Howard was devastated. He felt he had failed me and even suggested a divorce. But our relationship had always been strong. In all our years together, we had never even had a serious argument. I refused the divorce. I told him that life was long, and it was your partner who stayed with you through it all, not a child. So, when Celeste first accused him online, I didn't take her threat seriously, and neither did he. He thought she was just trying to extort us and even tried to calm me down. We both believed she was bluffing until she swore the child was his and presented a DNA test. When the results came back, we were stunned. The report confirmed that Howard was the biological father! The evidence was irrefutable. The police came straight to our house and arrested him on the spot, in full view of our neighbors. Just like that, Celeste filed a lawsuit and took Howard to court. On the day of the trial, Celeste brought dozens of journalists, influencers, and bloggers with her. The judge found Howard guilty of rape and sentenced him to seven years in prison. Outside the courtroom, Celeste sobbed before the cameras. "I always believed justice would be served. Thank you all for your support. I'll try my best to live on." And she didn't stop there. She spun an even darker tale for the press. She claimed Howard and I were a depraved couple who used her as a breeding machine, that we beat her constantly and kept her under house arrest. Howard couldn't defend himself from her accusations while in prison. At the same time, I was branded the "monster's wife" and became a victim of cyberbullying. People threw waste at our front door, and death threats arrived in the mail every day. The university stripped Howard of his title. He went from a respected professor to a symbol of depravity overnight. Even his students shunned him. I was fired on the day of the verdict. To make matters worse, we lost our home of ten years in the lawsuit. It was awarded to Celeste as "compensation". In the end, I died alone out on the streets with no one to help me. Even now, just remembering the searing pain and despair before I died sent shivers down my spine. Sometimes, I even wondered if Celeste had stolen one of Howard's used condoms and used it for IVF. But… that shouldn't be possible. Even the doctors had said there was no hope for conception due to the absence of sperm. We had tried every possible method over the years, and none of them worked. … That night, during dinner, Celeste busied herself in the kitchen. I studied her closely. She was a middle-aged woman who was slightly overweight, probably around 140 pounds. Even if she were pregnant, it wouldn't be obvious at a glance. Howard wasn't home that night. He was away at an academic conference. Taking advantage of his absence, I searched online and hired a well-known private investigator to dig up Celeste's background. Faced with the terrible battle ahead, I had to gather every piece of evidence I could to aid my cause.