When I was three months pregnant, my husband, Kolton Ferguson, who held a prominent military position, asked me for a divorce. The reason? Marceline Hart, his widowed sister-in-law, was also expecting a child. Kolton claimed he wanted to look after Marceline and her unborn child by bringing her along with him in his military postings. He assured me that the divorce would only be temporary. Once Marceline had the baby and was able to care for the child, he promised we would remarry.
In my previous life, I firmly rejected Kolton's proposal, clinging desperately to our marriage. Marceline, trying to secure her position by Kolton's side, ended up in the hospital for an abortion that tragically led to complications and her death. Kolton blamed me bitterly for it.
When I was six months pregnant, Kolton orchestrated a setup where I was caught in a compromising situation with a local troublemaker. My reputation was ruined, and I was shunned by everyone. This led to our divorce, and I was sent to a workhouse. Life there was unbearably harsh. At eight months pregnant, I went into premature labor due to exhaustion and died during childbirth.
I hadn't fully processed the despair and pain of that life-ending moment when I suddenly found myself facing Kolton again. He was pleading with sincerity for a divorce. I agreed without a second thought.
"Why wait? Let's finalize the divorce right now!"
I agreed to the divorce with Kolton on one condition: he had to pay me $500 to support our child. Kolton readily agreed, and we went straight to the courthouse. Once we received the divorce papers, Kolton visibly relaxed. It seemed he hadn't expected me to agree so easily, and his relief was palpable, even though he tried to soften his attitude toward me.
"Alaina, don't worry. The divorce is only temporary. Once I make sure Marceline and the baby are settled, I'll come back to you."
His words carried the same poison I remembered from my previous life, where he relentlessly manipulated me for Marceline's sake. I knew I couldn’t trust him. Even though a tiger may not eat its own cubs, Kolton's cruelty toward me and my unborn child had no limits. In this life, my only wish was to stay as far away from him as possible.
Ignoring Kolton, I tightly clutched the divorce certificate as I descended the steps of the courthouse. My indifference prompted Kolton to hurry after me, his tone unusually gentle.
"Alaina, take care of yourself and the baby while I'm gone. Let me know if you need anything."
As Kolton spoke to me so kindly, Marceline, who was waiting outside, was displeased. Her eyes flickered with malice as she clutched her belly and dramatically bent over in pain.
"Oh, my stomach hurts!"
Kolton’s worry for Marceline was apparent as he rushed over to scoop her up and carry her to the waiting car. Over Kolton's shoulder, Marceline shot me a triumphant smile, asserting her position as more important to Kolton than I ever was.
In my last life, I never realized how deep Kolton's feelings for Marceline went. Despite his request to take her along for childbirth, I had refused the divorce with everything I had. Kolton, being in the military, didn't know Marceline as well as I did, having lived with her day in and day out. Marceline was beautiful and loved dressing up, catching the eye of many men even before she married Kolton's brother, Jayceon Ferguson. After marriage, the admirers never really went away.
In my previous life, I saw Marceline bring other men home when Jayceon was away more than once. So when Jayceon died under mysterious circumstances and Kolton wanted to look after Marceline and her unborn child, I warned him. I told him the child couldn't possibly be Jayceon's but likely belonged to some other random man.
Kolton didn't believe me, accusing me of spreading baseless rumors and tarnishing Marceline’s reputation. I felt wronged, unable to understand why he refused to accept the truth. It was only later, after Kolton's betrayal, that I realized he was one of Marceline's secret lovers. Kolton had long been involved with Marceline, and he had assumed the child she carried was his, thus feeling obligated to give her and the child legitimacy.
In that previous life, I was foolish, unable to see the truth and unknowingly led myself to ruin. In this new life, I would step aside and watch as Kolton and Marceline faced the consequences of their actions.
