Took Me Two Deaths to His Undying Love

I spent ten years running this household, holding it together with bloody knuckles and sleepless nights. And now, on my deathbed, straining to breathe through an oxygen mask, my husband was right beside me—moaning and gasping with another woman.

Not just any woman.

His childhood sweetheart.

“Oh, Glen,” she purred in a voice dripping with false innocence. “If you hadn’t tricked her into nine abortions and slowly poisoned her, we’d never get to enjoy this much wealth so soon.”

That voice—Emily Cox—was unmistakable. And Glen Rivera, my husband of a decade, held her like she was something precious. He spat on the floor, eyes narrowing at me with pure disdain.

“I never thought she’d be this damn hard to kill,” he sneered. “Compared to her parents, this idiot woman is a cockroach. She still doesn’t even know that her mom and dad didn’t die in a plane crash. We kidnapped them, tied them up and dumped them into the lake. Drowned 'em like dogs.”

He chuckled, like it was a fond memory.

Glen smirked. “Good thing I had the foresight to transfer all their assets to your name early on. Once she’s dead, we’ll finally get full control of Snow Enterprises. It’ll be just you and me, baby—living large and free.”

Mom… Dad…

Tears rolled silently from the corners of my eyes. My heart shattered all over again as I lay helpless in that sterile hospital room, suffocating on betrayal. Their laughter—cruel, loud and unashamed—echoed around me like a death knell.

I tried to scream, but the oxygen mask muffled it into a broken, muffled sob.

Then came the beeping. Sharp, highpitched. Alarms blaring.

And that’s when the door burst open.

A man I barely recognized—tall, broad, wildeyed and soaked in blood—burst through the door. Without missing a beat, he raised a machete and lunged at the two devils standing beside me.

In the final moments of my life, he dropped the blade and rushed to my side, hands trembling as he cradled me like I was something sacred.

“Lana,” he whispered, his voice cracking with raw grief. “I came too late…”

But I could no longer answer him.

As the last thread of consciousness slipped from me, I heard a guttural, heartwrenching scream echo in my ears.

And then… I opened my eyes again—only to find myself back on the day I married Glen Rivera.

——

I stood outside the bridal suite, bouquet clutched tight in my trembling hands. Inside, unmistakable sounds made my face flush hot with humiliation. Moans. Gasps. Skin on skin.

“You know you feel so good. Thousand times better than that Lana ever did,” Glen murmured, brushing Emily’s hair behind her ear with a lover’s tenderness. “That woman’s like a corpse. Always playing the pure and innocent card, won’t even let me touch her. And when she finally does, she just lies there like a slab of meat. Brings down my whole mood.”

“If it weren’t for her family’s money, do you really think I’d waste my time sweettalking her every day? Just be patient. Once we’ve dealt with her family, all that money is ours and I’ll marry you. It won’t take long I could taste those money at the tip of my tongue.”

“Sure, I have all the time in the world,” Emily giggled and snuggling closer. “But I don’t think the baby would.”

She rubbed her belly with a sultry smile.

“What?” Glen jolted upright. “Wait, are you saying you’re pregnant? With my baby?”

She nodded, her eyes gleaming.

“Emily! That’s amazing!” he breathed. “You have to keep it. You know what I’m thinking?” His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I say we let you have the baby and after I marry Lana, we give it to her. Make her raise it like some unpaid nanny while you and I have all the fun.”

“This is why I love you, Glen,” she purred. “You always know just what to do. Always coming up with the best ideas. But…” Her voice faltered. “What if… what if she ends up getting pregnant too?”

Glen burst out laughing. “Not gonna happen. I’ve made sure of that,” he said proudly. “Had a doctor whip up something special. Slowacting poison. Tasteless, colorless, completely undetectable. Just a drop in her drink every day and she’s gone. She won’t even know. Neither the police. Saves us whole lot of trouble.”

So that was it…

Everything—the betrayal, the manipulation, the tragedy—it had all started from this moment. Long before I realized the truth, they were already plotting my end.

And even though I knew how the story played out, my heart still twisted painfully in my chest.

I thought of all the miscarriages I had in my past life. Every night I held Glen while sobbing into his shirt, thinking we were broken together—

It was all a lie.

I remembered how he used to hold me after every loss, whispering, “Lana, I’m the last male in my family. I love you, but if you can’t give me a child, the Rivera bloodline ends with me.”

I’d always known Glen was an oldschool, traditional kind of man. So when he said things like that, all I felt was guilt. Heartbreaking, souldeep guilt. And I tried to make it right.

Every day, I worked hard at the office, only to come home and play the role of the perfect wife—cooking for him, cleaning, tending to his needs like some livein nanny—just to make up for the shame I felt in not being able to carry a pregnancy to term.

But what I never imagined… was that every single one of those miscarriages was intentional.

They weren’t tragic accidents or bad luck. They were calculated. Coldblooded.

And the man responsible? The one I trusted with my heart, my body, my future?

He did it.

The man who claimed to love our unborn children had been the one killing them—one by one.

The truth hit me like a freight train, knocking the wind out of me. My knees buckled and I had to brace myself against the wall just to stay upright, one hand pressed to my chest, trying to keep my heart from shattering completely.

And then, Emily’s voice floated out from the suite again.

“Oh, by the way,” she said breezily, “you two are heading off for your honeymoon after the wedding, right? While you’re gone, her parents will be all alone here. I’ve already made arrangements. The minute you leave, my people will take care of it. Once her parents are out of the picture, she’ll have no one left—only you.”

She paused, her voice taking on a note of triumph.

“And once she’s dead, you—her legal husband—inherit everything. The Snow Family empire will be all yours, baby. We’re so close. Our good days are just around the corner!”

Inside the suite, Glen laughed. Not a chuckle. A fullblown, triumphant, villainous laugh.

“I’ve waited so damn long for this. Finally—finally—I’m gonna get everything I deserve. If it weren’t for this stupid wedding today, I’d never leave your side. Your body drives me insane, Em. I swear, I can’t get enough of you.”

Another wet, hungry kiss followed, echoing out like a slap to the face.

I couldn’t breathe.

I could still remember the night I got the call about my parents’ plane crash. I’d collapsed to the ground, hysterical and Glen had swept me into his arms like a hero in some twisted romance.

He held me, kissed away my tears and whispered, “Lana, don’t cry. I’m your family now. You’ll always have me.”

God, I was so naïve.

I never once questioned the accident. Never considered that the wreckage of that plane might not have been an act of fate—but a carefully orchestrated disaster.

Murder.

And it was all for money.

My legs shook, but I forced myself to stand. No matter what it took, I wouldn’t let Glen Rivera get away with this. Not after what he did to my babies. To my parents. To me.

I had been given a second chance at life.

This time, I’d fight back.

The suite door creaked open.

Glen stepped out, adjusting his tux jacket, not even bothering to check if Emily had lipstick on his collar. The moment his eyes met mine, his expression faltered—panic flickering behind those familiar, honeybrown eyes.

“Lana, wwhat are you doing here?” he stammered. “The ceremony is about to start. Is everything okay? You don’t look good. Are you sick?”

That voice—so gentle, so worried. The same voice that used to lull me to sleep at night.

He walked right up to me, wrapped his arms around me like he hadn’t just been screwing another woman five minutes ago.

Emily’s cloying perfume still clung to him, thick and bitter. My stomach twisted.

Still, he whispered in that soft, familiar way, “Lana, baby, don’t scare me like this. Today is the most important day of our lives. I’ve dreamed of this for so long. I love you. I need you. Please, don’t let anything ruin this. If something happened to you, I’d be devastated—for the rest of my life.”

His voice trembled. His eyes even glistened, as if on the verge of tears.

And anyone looking would’ve thought: Wow, this man must love her so deeply.

But the truth is?

All I wanted to do was throw up.

I shoved him away. Sting at him coldly, my gaze swept over to Emily, who had just stepped out of the private room behind him and I said, “Glen, there’s something I want to tell you.” I try so hard not to vomit when my I glare at him. “The wedding’s off.”

“What?!”

Both Glen and Emily shouted in unison.

“What are you talking about? Why would you call off the wed—” He stopped midsentence and I swear I could see a light bulb flick on above his head. “Did someone threaten you?” he asked, wideeyed, like he couldn’t even fathom the truth staring him in the face.

“Tell me who it was! I won’t let them get away with it. I’ll always have your back. You can always rely on me, remember?”

I almost laughed hearing those words come out of his mouth. Like hell I would.

He was nothing but a smalltown nobody who somehow managed to climb his way up. If it weren’t for me, he’d be completely irrelevant in this city. No name, no money, no future.

But me? I’m the daughter of the Snows—the richest family in the Asterfield. If my parents so much as stomped their feet, the entire city would tremble.

And yet, I, the precious daughter raised in the palm of their hands, was blinded back in college. I fell for that pretty face of his and the fake concern he wrapped me in. I’d gotten drunk on the way he made soup for me when I was sick, how he’d rub my stomach when I had cramps, whispering, “I’ll always be your strongest support, Lana.”

After graduation, I fought tooth and nail with my parents, insisting I would marry him. I even convinced them to give him access to our best resources—connections, contracts, you name it. In no time, I handed him the golden ticket to becoming one of the city's new elites.

Looking back now, it was all cracks and holes.

Every single thing Glen has today came from us, the Snow. Without us, he’s nothing. What does he have to back me up with? His sixpack abs?

I scoffed and threw my bridal bouquet to the ground.

“No one threatened me, Glen. I just change my mind. I don’t want to marry you.”

My gaze shifted to Emily, standing just behind him. “I’m not interested in secondhand trash. You can keep her,” I flicked my head toward that vixen.

The moment those words came out of my mouth, I saw a flash of malice flicker in Glen’s eyes. But he quickly masked it with that fake, affectionate smile, like he was some romantic hero in a soap opera.

Even now, in this mess, he still tried to regain control. He reached out for my hand and said in that same patronizing, condescending tone, “Come on now, baby, don’t be mad. This is just a misunderstanding. Emily was just helping me look for a red rose I wanted to add to your bouquet. That’s all it was. A misunderstanding.”

He tried to pull me in, smiling like we were back in those early days, saying with that halfteasing, halfscolding tone, “Lana, seriously, this temper of yours… you really need to work on that. Who else but me could ever handle you?”

He reached up to brush my bangs aside, but I glared at him, stepping away with clear disgust.

“Don’t touch me! You make me sick, Glen Rivera!”

Finally, the mask slipped.

Glen’s face twisted. His voice dropped, sharp and cold. “It’s not a time for jokes, Lana. There’s a whole room full of guests behind this door—do you really think you can just cancel a wedding on a whim? Don’t forget, you were the one who begged to marry me in the first place!”

He took a breath, trying to rein it back in.

“Okay I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout a t you. I know you’re upset because Emily and I came out of the same room. It’s just a misunderstanding. I’ll explain everything on the way to the venue, okay?”

“That’s right, Lana,” Emily chimed in, pretending to be all sweet and innocent. “It’s just a big misunderstanding. Glen and I were only in the room for, like, two minutes before you showed up. Nothing happened. It’s not what it looks like, really.”

She reached for my arm, trying to act all friendly and close. But there was no real warmth in her eyes—only fear. The fear of losing access to all that money, to everything she thought she’d gotten her claws into.

I shifted away, barely moving to avoid her touch.

And just like that, she gasped, stumbled back dramatically—and crashed to the ground like I’d just shoved her across the room. The sharp scrape of her elbow against the floor echoed louder than it should have. Blood instantly welled up from a long gash on her arm. It looked gruesome.

Before I could even register what had just happened—

SLAP!

Glen’s hand struck my face so hard my ears rang.

“Lana Snow, what the hell is wrong with you?!” he roared. “Who do you think you are, laying your hands on Emily like that? She was trying to help you and you attack her? How could a person be so vicious?”

The sting of the slap spread from my cheek like fire. I stood there, stunned. No one—not in this life or the last—had ever dared to hit me.

I stared in pain and disbelief as he rushed over to cradle Emily in his arms, fussing over her like some fragile flower.

She lay limp in his embrace, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Lana,” she whimpered between sobs, “I just wanted to clear things up. I swear I just wanted to explain. But how could you? Just because you’re the daughter of the richest man in the city, doesn’t mean you can treat people like dirt. I know I’m not from some big, fancy family like you, but that doesn’t give you right to treat me like rat.”

She wept harder, as if the heartbreak was too much to bear.

By now, guests had started to gather, searching for the bride and groom after the wedding was delayed. As they saw the scene unfold, murmurs began to rise among them.

“I heard the Snows’ heiress is spoiled and arrogant,” someone murmured. “Typical richgirl behavior—entitled and heartless.”

“Yeah, she’s a walking disaster. Can you imagine marrying someone like that? Poor Glen. He’s way too good for her.”

“She’s cursed, I swear. Women like her only bring misfortune.”

“She’s probably been cheating on him since day one. Just look at her—you can tell. Poor guy probably got dragged into this marriage and now he’s stuck cleaning up her mess.”

“Exactly. She’s got the attitude, the money, probably the affairs too. Glen must’ve been forced into this whole thing. Poor man…”

Seeing the crowd grow, Glen switched gears. He dropped the anger, replacing it with a look of wounded devotion as he turned to me.

“Lana, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Hit me, yell at me, whatever you want. Hell, stab me if it makes you feel better. Because I love you. I’ll always loved you.”

“But don’t you hurt Emily. She’s just innocent, harmless, delicate woman. How could you raise your hand against her? And to make it worst, you had to do it today. This was supposed to be our wedding day… and you chose this moment to lash out at her? You really went too far. Don’t you ever worry that this is going to come back around one day?”

“He’s right!” a few people from the crowd echoed. “She’s just a poor girl, Lana. While you've got everything—why did you pick on her?!”

The judgment rolled over me in waves—accusations from people who didn’t know a damn thing about the truth. They saw a wounded bride, a sobbing other woman and a man standing tall, claiming to love too much.

They didn’t see what I saw: A stage. A script. And Glen Rivera, center spotlight, playing the role of heartbroken hero.

Something inside me cracked.

I gritted my teeth, my hands clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

“That’s rich, coming from you, Glen,” I snapped, my voice low and venomous. “You and Emily were literally screwing each other minutes ago in that room—and now you’re standing here playing the heartbroken groom while painting me as the villain?”

But Glen didn’t even flinch. Instead, he let out a theatrical sigh, feigning heartbreak like he was playing to a stage.

“I really didn’t want to do this,” he said, voice breaking with fake sorrow. “I told myself I’d take the secret to my grave. But now… now you’ve forced my hand, Lana.”

He looked me straight in the eye with a sadness so fabricated it could win an Oscar.

“I can’t keep covering for you anymore,” he said, his voice full of fake sorrow. “You think I didn’t notice the massive pair of horns you put on my head? I swallowed all of it without a word. Emily and I are completely innocent, yet you choose to slander me like this, stomping all over the heart that’s loved you unconditionally.”

He clutched his chest and moaned like he was on the verge of tears. “I’m a man too, Lana. I have a heart. And what you’ve done? It hurts.”

Even though I’d already braced myself for the worst, seeing Glen drop the act in front of everyone—just to defend his mistress—still left a bitter sting in my chest.

And when I thought about how I’d spent my previous life breaking my back for a man like him, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. God, how blind and stupid had I been?

Glen’s theatrics stirred up the crowd like sharks smelling blood. A wave of gasps and whispers spread through the guests as fingers started pointing in my direction.

“Wow, who would've thought the heiress of the Snow was such a shameless woman? She’s not just a flirt—she’s a fullblown heartbreaker. Honestly, girls like her shouldn’t be allowed within ten feet of a decent man.”

“Is it just me, or does anyone else actually feel bad for Glen? The guy's a total gentleman. He bent over backward to protect her reputation. If Lana Snow hadn’t pulled rank and thrown her weight around, I doubt he would've ever gone public with this.”

“She’s unbelievable. Most women would kill to have a man like him and she goes and plays games? I’ve always said it—those rich families are all smoke and mirrors. The only thing spotless in their mansion is probably the marble floor in the foyer.”

Glen looked incredibly pleased with himself. And when he walked past me, he leaned in close enough that only I could hear him, his voice low and smug.

“See that, Lana? The world’s full of people who hate you. I’m the only one who ever truly loved you. But since you caught me and Emily today, I guess there’s no point pretending anymore. Here’s the deal—if you kneel and apologize to us and promise to serve Emily obediently after we marry, I’ll be generous and still take you as my wife. In return, I’ll keep your dirty secret private.”

“You wish,” I snapped coldly, glaring daggers at him.

His expression darkened. His fake gentleness cracked, replaced by a nasty smirk like he had something big enough on me to ruin my life. He sneered, “Fine. Then wait and see. Unless you’re on your knees and begging for forgiveness, I swear you’ll never be ‘Mrs. Rivera’. You’ll be lucky if you’re not groveling at my feet one day, begging for scraps.”

Then he strutted away, chin up, completely ignoring the storm he’d stirred.

People were dying to know what bomb Glen was planning to drop next, so they rushed after him like he was the main act in some scandalous drama.

As I stepped into the grand hall, my eyes welled up instantly at the sight of two familiar faces—Mom and Dad.

“Mom! Dad!” I rushed into their arms, wrapping myself around them and sobbing like a child waking up from a nightmare.

They held me tight, panic flashing in their eyes. “What happened, sweetheart? Did Glen do something to you? If that bastard laid a hand on you, we will—”

Their words cut off the moment Glen paraded past us, proudly holding Emily’s hand like she was the bride he was about to marry.

My parents had seen their share of deception in this world. One glance at him was all they needed to understand what kind of game he was playing.

They were furious—Dad was ready to shout at him right then and there—but I grabbed his arm and stopped him.

Because right now, more than anything, I wanted to cherish this miracle of being reborn into a moment where my family was still whole.

Glen stepped up on stage, putting on the performance of a lifetime as he addressed the guests and media with trembling emotion.

“I’ve loved Lana for so long,” he said, voice shaking like he was barely holding back tears. “I’ve forgiven her time and again. All the mistakes, all the scandals—I swallowed every ounce of humiliation for the sake of our relationship. Because I love her. But lately, she’s grown more and more out of control.”

“She’s started abusing her power to bully a defenseless girl who’s far beneath her in status. I can’t just sit back and watch Lana continue to throw her weight around and hurt innocent people. She’s become a danger to society. So today, even though she was supposed to become my wife, I have no choice but to do the right thing and expose who she truly is.”

Then he pressed a button on a remote.

Images flickered onto the massive screen behind him.

Photo after photo appeared—shots of me stumbling out of a bar, drunk and leaning against a tall man whose face was hidden in shadow. He held me gently, leading me out of the building and into a luxury fivestar hotel. In every frame, I was halfcollapsed on him. The last photo showed the man opening a door.

And then the screen went black.

Glen looked triumphant as he took the mic again, his voice full of theatrical heartbreak.

“I couldn’t bring myself to show the rest. A man and woman alone, after midnight, in a hotel. I don’t need to spell it out. You all know what went down. But because I loved Lana so deeply, I kept it to myself. I tried to protect her reputation. Even when it broke my heart. But, she dares to accuse me of cheating. That’s what finally broke me.”

He even wiped away tears.

People in the crowd looked ready to cry with him.

But I just stood there frozen, staring at the screen, heart pounding in my chest.

I recognized that silhouette.

That man… he was the one from my past life—the one who stormed into my hospital room with a blade in hand and avenged me by cutting down the cheaters who destroyed me. He was the one who held me as I bled out, screaming in agony. He was the one who had wrapped his arms around my lifeless body and disappeared with me into the blaze that consumed the hospital.

I never learned his name. Never saw his face. But I remembered that silhouette.

Before I could fully process that memory, Glen jumped at the chance to speak again.

“As you can all see, I wasn’t the one who betrayed this relationship. She did. Lana destroyed us. And until she gets on her knees and publicly apologizes for everything she’s done, I refuse to love her again. So it’s with great sadness that I must announce—today’s wedding is officially canceled.”

“Who said this wedding was canceled?”

A deep, velvety voice sliced through the silence like a blade.