He Stole My Life for His Mistress,So I Took Everything BackChapter 1

My daughter was a butterfly baby—her skin as fragile as a butterfly's wings, shattering at the slightest touch.

In my previous life, my husband found some dark practitioner who offered me a deal: trade ten years of my lifespan for three million dollars to pay for my daughter's surgery.

But he took that money and secretly used it to extend the life of his mistress's terminally ill son by ten years.

Without the surgery in time, my daughter's skin broke down completely. Infection spread through her tiny body, and she slipped away from me forever.

My husband consoled me afterward. Even if she'd had the surgery, he said, she would've been sickly her whole life. It's better she moved on to her next life sooner.

When he realized I'd discovered the truth, his tone shifted to irritated justification:

"Anita's a single mother. If Hayden Acevedo dies, she won't survive it either."

"We're different. If our daughter's gone, we can always have another one."

My heart turned to ice.

I crushed sleeping pills into his drink. I filled the bathtub with scalding water. And while he slept, I let him cook until he was medium-well.

Then I took my daughter in my arms and walked into the river.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I traded ten years of my life for three million dollars.

——

The ritual had reached its final step when I suddenly stood, interrupting the incantation.

Gideon Crowe stopped mid-chant, his brow furrowing as he looked at me.

My husband Elijah Dickerson was even more impatient: "Cassie, what's wrong? The master's at the crucial moment! Don't move!"

I ignored him. One kick sent the brazier flying, scattering ash and talisman paper across the floor.

Gideon yelped and leaped back. Elijah's face went rigid with fury.

"Cassandra Salazar! What the hell are you doing?!"

I brushed the dust from my clothes and turned to leave.

"I'm not doing this. Trading ten years of my life for three million? I've decided it's a bad deal."

Elijah caught up and grabbed my wrist, fingers digging in hard.

"Cassie, what kind of tantrum is this? Nora Abbott needs that surgery money! This is the only way!"

I wrenched free of his grip, my smile cold enough to frost glass.

"The only way? Tell me, Elijah—is Nora only my daughter? Why don't you trade your life instead?"