Looking at the familiar forgiveness agreement in front of me, I almost laughed.
In my past life, I'd been too panicked to think straight. Now I finally saw it clearly.
Dahlia had just left to deliver food—how could she possibly have returned so fast, just in time to stop me from calling an ambulance or the police?
And this forgiveness agreement appearing out of nowhere? They were treating me like an idiot.
It all pointed to one thing: today's "last meal" wasn't an accident. Marcus and Dahlia had planned this together. Maybe my complaints about her had finally pushed him over the edge, so he let her teach me a little lesson...
That's why Marcus had been so calm in my past life. That's why he accused my parents of trying to scam Dahlia after they died—because he believed her. He thought a tiny bit of raw aconite couldn't actually kill anyone.
When I just stood there holding the agreement without reacting, Dahlia walked up and whispered in my ear.
"What? Finally figured it out? Finally realized this was all planned?"
"That's right. I can't stand you. Marcus and I are perfect for each other—why should you get to take my place just because you met him a few years earlier?"
"Either sign this agreement, take your money-losing daughter, and get out of the Hansen family—or watch your parents die right in front of you."
"And their deaths are just the beginning. Cross me, and your daughter's next. Then you."
I let out a long breath, glanced at my parents lying on the restaurant floor, and nodded.
"I'll sign. But I have conditions."
Marcus looked surprised. "Conditions? You're begging me to save your parents. Keep wasting time and they'll be dead. What conditions could you possibly have?"
I ignored him and continued.
"I want a divorce."
"Here's the agreement I drafted. I want all your assets, fifty percent of the shares, and full custody of Lily."
The moment I pulled out the divorce papers, Dahlia looked like she might cry from joy.
She'd been circling me for years, desperate for me to divorce Marcus so she could finally become the rightful Mrs. Hansen.
But Marcus hesitated. His brow furrowed, and he didn't agree.
Dahlia rushed to convince him. "Mr. Hansen, you can have more children. Why cling to these things? My body is a hundred times better than hers. Want a son? I'll give you a son. Want a daughter? Done!"
No matter what she said, Marcus wouldn't nod. He kept pushing the forgiveness agreement toward me.
"I never planned to divorce you. Sign this, and you'll still be Mrs. Hansen."
"Divorce isn't good for you, for me, or for the child."
Not good for you or the child—what he really meant was it wasn't good for his assets.
I didn't need to say it. Dahlia realized it herself.
Her expression twisted. She glared at me, teeth clenched. "Serena, your parents are lying right there, barely alive, and you're using this to extort money from Mr. Hansen?"
"I only put in a little raw aconite—just enough to teach you a lesson. If your parents ended up like that, either they're faking it, or you knew all along and you're running a scam!"
"Is money really that important to you?"
In my past life, those words would've worked. I'd have gotten angry, taken the pittance they offered, and signed away everything. But I'd already died once. And death teaches you what actually matters.
Hurting myself to make Marcus regret it? That's the stupidest revenge imaginable.
So I didn't take the bait. I stepped around Dahlia and smiled.
"So what you're saying is Marcus can't possibly sign because he can't bear to part with the money?" I tilted my head. "But I remember what you told me. You said you're his most precious treasure—that he can't live without you, that without you his life would be worse than death. Surely he'd give up some material things for you?"
I let that hang in the air.
"Doesn't he want everyone to know you're the real Mrs. Hansen? Or does he just treat you like a cook he can replace anytime?"
The more contempt I poured into my voice, the worse Dahlia's expression got. She latched onto Marcus's arm, pouting, tearing up, doing her whole routine. He weighed his options. Then he signed.
But I knew his reasoning. It wasn't entirely for her. He could see I looked perfectly fine—not poisoned at all. And the bodyguard he'd sent to find Lily still hadn't reported back. Nothing was going according to plan. If he refused to sign and I caused a scene, he'd lose far more than half his assets.
I tucked away the divorce agreement. Then I took the pen Dahlia offered, opened the forgiveness letter—and didn't sign.
Instead, I handed the pen back to Marcus.
"Actually, I've been thinking. My signature on this is worthless. It needs to be yours."
I paused.
"Because those two people lying in there? They're not my parents. They're yours."
