“Dad, Mom, you go ahead to the port and meet up with Alphonse. I’m not going to Gangcheng. I’ve made up my mind—I’ll marry Oliver and follow the army.”

“Oliver Collins isn’t even dead. While Claire’s still in the dark, we’ve got to move fast. Send her away, and move out everything—money, valuables, and the treasure.”

“I’ll find Oliver and tell him Claire and her kids are gone. Don’t worry—once she and her daughter are relocated, it won’t be long before they both die of illness.”

Claire had just come to when she overheard Audrey whispering all this to her parents. She immediately shut her eyes again, pretending to still be unconscious.

In her past life, this exact day was when Richard and Amanda drugged her and the kids. While she was out cold, they ransacked her home.

Alphonse was the first to take off with the loot to the port. Because he couldn’t have children, he kidnapped Claire’s son, Jack, to raise as his own.

Meanwhile, Richard and Amanda took the keys and map, went to the back hills, and dug up everything the ancestors had hidden.

By the time Claire and little Emma woke up, it was too late. They’d purposely left behind old books that got Claire and her daughter arrested.

Everything her parents left her got taken, and she got the blame.

Only Claire and Emma knew how brutal life was after they were sent away. With Jack gone, Emma was all she had left to keep her going.

But then Emma got pneumonia and died.

That crushed Claire. She soon collapsed too. And before a gang of local thugs could assault her, she jumped into a reservoir and ended it all.

Now, she had woken up to the very beginning again.

Audrey was still going on: “I know Oliver. He feels guilty toward our family. He’ll marry me, you’ll see. Mom, trust me this once.”

“The way Claire’s dragging everything down, we can’t hide out in Gangcheng forever. Oliver didn’t die—he just went missing on the front lines for four years. Turns out he’s a hero now, bound for the top.”

“When I become a commander’s wife, your status will be totally different once you come back.”

Richard and Amanda were stunned—they had no idea where Oliver was. How did Audrey know?

But things were pressing, and Audrey made her case with such confidence, like she meant every word.

After much hesitation, Richard and Amanda finally gave in. They figured they still had a backup—Alphonse was already safe at the port.

Audrey knew they’d make that choice. They always put her brother first.

Though the family made it to Gangcheng, life wasn’t as smooth as they’d hoped.

Later, for the sake of status, Richard forced Audrey into marriage with a wealthy man thirty years older.

That was when her nightmare began.

She endured it all for her family. They lived comfortably—at her expense.

She had to put up with that old man's endless mistresses, and worse, every night he’d abuse her with whips and candles like some kind of sick fetish.

Through all the torment, her only comfort was believing Claire was suffering even worse in the countryside.

Knowing that gave her some twisted sense of justice.

But then, word reached her—Oliver was alive. Not just alive, but a rising star in the military.

She snuck back once, hoping to catch Claire at her worst, but what she saw hit her like a slap.

Oliver, soaking wet in uniform, was carrying Claire in his arms, running desperately to the clinic.Audrey could tell right away that Claire was gone, but she just couldn’t make herself accept it. She dropped to her knees at the side of the hospital bed.

People said the commander had been going mad looking for his wife. Now that he finally found her, she was already dead. That kind of shock hit Audrey like a truck. After all, she had fallen for Oliver Collins long before he ever noticed Claire.

In her guts, Audrey always felt Claire never deserved Oliver’s love.

She thought bitterly, “If Claire had just died early like in the last life, that’d be perfect. Then I could take Oliver’s deep feelings for myself—because I’m the only one worthy of them!”

Amanda sobbed as she finally caved in and said, “Alright, fine—just this once, I’ll let you go. Once we get to Gangcheng, head to the base and find Oliver Collins. Make sure to send word back that you're safe.”

Ever since hearing Audrey casually mention her daughter dying out in the countryside, Claire had been sure of one thing—Audrey had been reborn too.

But what caught her off guard was the news that Oliver hadn’t died—he was just missing.

Since realizing she’d been given a second chance, Claire had thought of countless ways to protect her kids and survive. But none of them made more sense than taking her children to find their father.

No hesitation—she was going to get rid of these people, take back her son and that key to the treasure.

Audrey had always planned to look for Oliver at the base, so she’d packed light. Everything she needed was already upstairs—just grab it and go.

She knew deep down their situation wasn’t as bad as Claire made it sound. Worst case, a few harsh words.

Her parents hated how Grandpa had favored Claire and were laser-focused on his stash. Now that it was getting confiscated and the house might be handed over to the state, they weren’t about to sit by and watch all that fortune vanish into thin air. So they took the risk—grab the loot and run.

Richard and Amanda were in the living room with their luggage, ready to leave. The suitcases were crammed with gold bars. That truck Alphonse loaded earlier? Full of big items.

Suddenly, the couple looked a bit worried.

Richard leaned in and whispered, “What if there’s way more treasure up in the mountains than we expected? We can’t carry it all.”

“And God knows how long before we can come back,” Amanda added anxiously. “What if someone else gets there first? That’d be a huge loss.”

Before she could finish her sentence, a voice sounded behind them.

“Keep dreaming. You’re not walking out of here with a single coin.”

They whipped around, blood draining from their faces. Claire stood behind them, smiling sweetly, holding a massive iron ladle.

Veins popped on Richard’s forehead. They were screwed.

“Claire? What’re you doing here? Were you listening to all that? We were just about to call you! Come on, it’s time to go!”

“Oh, sweetheart, you must’ve been exhausted—you just dozed off on the floor, huh... Ahh!!”

“Looking for me, huh? Aren’t you all thoughtful. But turns out you left behind your iron ladle and shovel. So here, I brought them for you.”

As she finished speaking, Claire swung the ladle hard, smashing it into Richard’s face.

The whack cracked loudly. Richard staggered back, nearly seeing stars.

Amanda rushed to help but caught a blow to the head from the iron shovel Claire whipped around.

Claire didn’t hold back, pounding them over and over. If she weren’t trying to stay sane, she might’ve ended it right there with one final smack.

They flopped around like dough on a chopping board, completely overwhelmed by Claire’s iron attacks.

“Ahhh!! Claire, are you insane?! What’re you doing?!”

Audrey stood frozen at the top of the stairs, the suitcase dropping from her hands.

Then she saw Claire, calm and beautiful in her fitted dress, gracefully walking toward her—shovel in hand.

“Hey Audrey, I’m just giving your mom and dad a nice massage. You want a turn too?”