My sister pushes her daughter at a murderer so she can win the prize in a photography competition. After this, she even uses the incident and my name to extort the victim to pay an astronomical sum as compensation.

The victim stabs me to death in a fit of rage. When my son, who is brought up by me, learns the truth, he doesn't seek justice for me. Instead, he scatters my ashes in the sea and says, "My mother told me that I would've been the happiest child in the world if not for you taking the wrong child home back then."

When I open my eyes again, I'm taken back to when my daughter was five years old. I have a month until her death.

This time, I'm going to protect my child to the best of my abilities. I won't bother about an ingrate anymore.

"Mommy, Uncle Jason says he'd like some Bourbon," said my son, Zachary Moore.

Looking at his innocent face, I suddenly realized I had been reborn. I rushed toward the girl sitting at the corner of the table and hugged her while crying.

"Cassie, I'm so sorry. I can't believe it took me this long to recognize you. My precious child, I'm so sorry..."

"Mommy, what are you saying? I'm your son," Zachary said as he pulled me away,

He was breathing heavily, his chest heaving up and down. Before long, a flush spread across his face, a sign his heart condition was about to flare up.

Yet, I could not bring myself to care about him now. My attention was all on my daughter, Cassie Hepburn. Even though she was five, she looked smaller than a three-year-old child.

She wore loose, faded clothes without a hint of color, clothes that had clearly been worn for years. They probably would not have even let her wear these clothes if it were not for this family dinner at the restaurant.

In my memories, Cassie was always dirty. My sister, Bianca Sawyer, would always do something to her face before letting me see her. Sometimes, it was mud, sometimes ash from the stove, and sometimes, she would even use her eyebrow pencil to draw marks on Cassie's face.

Those strange behaviors I had overlooked in my previous life now made perfect sense. Cassie's features were identical to mine, and I blamed myself for being so blind all these years.

As I used a wet wipe to clean Cassie's face, I noticed some swelling and distinct fingerprints on her cheeks. Before I could examine them closer, Bianca yanked Cassie behind her.

"Daniella, what are you doing? Cassie is my daughter, and Zachary is yours. If you keep this up, Zachary's going to be jealous. You should comfort him!"

"Hmph, I don't want a mommy like her anyway," Zachary spat out.

I looked at him calmly and replied, "That's fine. I don't want you as my son either."

Zachary froze for a moment before snarling, "You'll regret this!" Then, he bolted out of the private dining room.

Bianca panicked and pushed Jason Hepburn's back toward the door. "What are you waiting for? Go after him!"

"Daniella, Zachary's only five years old. It's normal for kids to have temper tantrums," Bianca lectured.

"Why are you fighting with him? He has a heart condition, and if something happens to him out there, you'll never forgive yourself!"

"Oh?" I responded coldly. "Since you're so concerned about him, why don't we swap children? You've always envied me for having a son, and I've grown quite fond of Cassie."

"T-That's impossible," Bianca stammered. "Zachary's sick, and I can't afford his treatment. Besides, you gave birth to him, so he's your responsibility!"

I could not help but laugh. "Funny, because Cassie looks so much more like me, don't you think?"

Bianca's face drained of color as she tried to grab Cassie from my arms, but I dodged her attempt.

"Daniella, stop joking around. We're sisters, so it's normal for our children to look alike," Bianca said nervously. "Cassie, come here right now!"

At Bianca's harsh command, Cassie's tiny body trembled as she tried to slide down from my arms. I did not want to hurt her, and without any proof, I knew Bianca would not let me take her. Reluctantly, I set Cassie down and watched as she ran to Bianca's side.

"You little brat, are you trying to get on my nerves?" Bianca snapped, reaching out to twist Cassie's ear.

Before I could step in, the door to the private dining room burst open. The server exclaimed, "Ms. Sawyer, your son's in trouble!"

Zachary had been born with a genetic heart condition that required surgery. Since his birth, I spent a fortune on his medical bills. In my previous life, I had sacrificed everything to make him healthy and even helped him get into the prestigious Loirue College.

I had even lost my job and became what my husband called a washed-up housewife. I used to think my sacrifices would be worth it once Zachary succeeded and my hardships would end. In a sense, they did, but only because my life ended.

When I arrived at the hospital, Zachary lay pale on the bed, his eyes closed and his body hooked up to various machines.

The attending doctor approached me with his test results and said, "Ms. Sawyer, Zachary's condition has worsened. We need to perform the surgery sooner than planned. Have you secured the funds?"

Bianca jumped in before I could respond. "Doctor, please proceed immediately! Zachary can't be left untreated!"

Jason chimed in eagerly, "Yes, doctor, he's so young. Use the best of everything, no matter the cost—just save him!"

The doctor nodded professionally. "We'll do our best."

Bianca and Jason followed him to his office to discuss surgical details, acting more concerned than I was. It had been the same in my previous life, showing unconditional love for Zachary and often taking him on outings.

I had assumed they simply favored boys over girls. Nonetheless, now I realized they were actually Zachary's biological parents. Not only that, but they must have also told him the truth about his parentage, which explained why he grew to hate me so much.

"What are you doing here?" Zachary spat through his oxygen mask. "Don't pretend to care about me. I'd rather die than have you help me!"

This was his usual manipulation tactic. At home, he would treat me like a servant, too lazy to even pour himself a glass of water. He demanded to be spoon-fed and would spit food he did not like onto the floor. He was a through-and-through brat.

I stood up to leave, as I had not planned to help anyway. I had only come to collect hair samples from Zachary and his real parents for a DNA test.

Yet, when Zachary saw me leaving, he grew so angry that he hurled his medicine box at me. I did not dodge in time, and the box grazed my temple, making me wince in pain.

Just then, Bianca returned and pretended to scold Zachary before pulling me to sit down. "Daniella, Zachary's sick and in pain. It's normal for him to be irritable," she said, trying to comfort me.

She continued, "Don't take it personally. I just spoke with the doctor, and the surgery is scheduled for Monday. You can go downstairs now and put down the 50 thousand dollar deposit for the pre-op tests."

I yanked my hand away from her. "Didn't he say he doesn't want my help? You handle the surgery arrangements. If you have the money, treat him and take him as your son; if not, let him figure it out himself."

"How can you say that? You can't hold a grudge against a five-year-old child! He doesn't know what he's saying. Besides, you're his mother. How could you abandon your child when he still has hope for treatment?"

Bianca's angry voice drew attention from the neighboring patients, who peered over with pitying looks. However, Zachary's pride could not handle their stares.

In his rage, he ripped off his oxygen mask and shouted, "Fine, don't treat me! You're cold-hearted and not even my real mom. I don't need you!"

Bianca instantly struck Zachary across the face, her eyes darting nervously. "Zachary, if she's not your mom, then who is? Stop talking nonsense!"

Zachary's eyes filled with tears as he muttered, "She's just not."

My hands clenched. I had suspected Zachary knew about his true parentage, but I never imagined he had known from such a young age.

The realization that the son I had poured my heart into raising had deceived me for over a decade made my heart sink. For a second, everything felt bleak.

"Fine. Go find your real mom to pay for your treatment," I said, giving Bianca a hard look before grabbing my purse and walking out of the hospital.

Over the next few days, Bianca and Jason bombarded me with calls. Yet, my answer remained a firm "No."

I had intended to wait for the DNA test results, which would take three days, before confronting Bianca. Of course, life would rarely go as planned—Zachary's condition suddenly deteriorated.

Although he had scattered my ashes into the ocean in my previous life, he was still just a five-year-old child in this life. After wrestling with my thoughts, I returned to the hospital. Bianca could not hide her joy when she saw me, though she looked much more haggard than before.

Zachary was always difficult to handle, even more so as a patient. His tantrums were frequent, and each one would trigger rapid heartbeat and breathing difficulties, requiring constant supervision.

"Daniella, I knew you wouldn't abandon him," Bianca said eagerly. "The surgery's on Monday, and he still needs several major pre-op tests. Quick, give me the money. "

She hesitated before adding, "Actually, you should prepare more, maybe 100 thousand dollars—Wait, no, 300 thousand dollars would be the safest.

"I've already told the doctor to use the best treatment and medications for Zachary."

She tried to pull me toward the elevator, but I coldly yanked my hand away. "Who said I'm paying for his treatment?"

"Daniella, are you out of your mind?" Mom stormed in from the hallway and slapped me hard across the face. "If you don't pay for Zachary's treatment today, you're no longer my daughter!"

Looking at Mom's furious face, I felt like a weight pressing down on my chest, and my heart sank.