In my last life, my in-laws "died," and my so-called DINK husband, Eric, begged me to raise his sweet little "brother," Luca.

Seven years flew by.

That scrawny kid turned into a total cutie and blew up online—pulling in tens of thousands a month.

Then one night, boom—Eric's parents came back from the dead.

And with them? Tammy. Eric's first love. She clung to Eric with one hand, Luca with the other, all smug as hell.

"I've been traveling for seven years. I'm tired. And wow, what a perfect son—thanks for raising him."

Eric's parents didn't even pretend to care.

"You couldn't give Eric a kid, but at least you were useful this once."

"Sign the divorce papers. Make room for Tammy."

I walked out of that law firm wrecked—and right into the path of a speeding car.

Tammy was behind the wheel, smiling like she won.

Next thing I knew, I woke up on the same day Eric's parents had "died."

"Babe, Luca's still just a kid. I can't leave him alone. Let's bring him here."

Eric Jablon's face was tear-streaked, eyes full of fake grief—and hope.

For a second, I was lost. No blood, no pain, no mangled car. Just me, alive and home.

Time had rewound.

I squeezed out a few tears. "Of course. Your parents vanished so fast. We don't have kids, so we'll treat him like our own."

Same old script—Gregory and Meredith's "late-in-life" miracle. They ditched town when Luca turned three, faked their deaths in a mudslide, and dumped the kid on us.

I adopted Luca under my name, raised him like my own, turned him into a viral sensation. Then bam—Gregory, Meredith, and Tammy Page waltzed back. Tammy, Eric's first love and Luca's actual mom, wanted him back. And me gone.

She made sure of it—ran me over with my own car.

Not this time.

I'd "pay" them all back—with interest.

Eric lit up when I agreed, smile way too bright for a guy who just "lost" his parents. He ran to the door and brought in Luca.

Kid was a mess—tear-streaked cheeks, snot everywhere. Tried wiping it on his sleeve, but Eric stopped him real fast.

In my last life, I bought the whole 'sad little boy' act, failed to notice the signs. Now? Crystal clear—it was all theater.

Eric kept the drama rolling.

"I knew you'd say yes. You've always had such a big heart. It's my fault, really—I was too scared to have kids, and I stole your chance at being a mom. But now with Luca here, maybe this makes up for it."

I smiled—cold, crooked, fake.

After we got married, I begged for a baby. Eric shut it down hard.

Said his mom almost died giving birth to Luca. Swore he'd never risk me like that.

I thought that meant he loved me. Nah. He just already had a kid—with his first love, Tammy.

Luca stayed close to Eric, quiet and awkward. "Daddy..." he whispered.

Last time, I jumped in fast—told him Eric was his brother, I was his sister-in-law. Thought it was important he remembered who brought him into this world.

Eric lost it.

"He's three! What do you want me to do, tell him our parents are dead? He's scared, that's why he called me Dad. Dad's gone—it's on me now. God, women are so dramatic. Arguing with a toddler? Fine. He can call you Aunt."

And that was that. Eric was Dad. I was Aunt Dakota. Out in public, everyone thought I was the stepmom.

It burned, so I brought it up—either both Mom and Dad, or both Aunt and Uncle. Pick a lane.

Eric rolled his eyes. "Already jealous? He's just closer to me. Kids aren't dumb—they know who really cares. Maybe ask yourself if you've actually shown up for him."

I nearly laughed. Me? I paid for everything. His food, clothes, toys. When he wanted to be famous, I went all in. Begged people. Spent a fortune.

When Luca saw us fighting, he broke down.

"Aunt Dakota, I'm not trying to take Daddy from you... I know I don't belong here. Please don't hate me. I'll work hard to be a good investment. I'll earn money so you won't regret raising me."

Eric snapped. Slapped me. Said I was using Luca like he was some paycheck.

Thinking about it now almost made me laugh.

I reached out and brushed Luca's head. "You're living with us now. If he's Dad, then I'm Mom."

Luca blinked, gears turning. "You're not my mom! My mom's name is—"

Eric panicked, slapped a hand over Luca's mouth. "Your mom was Meredith. Your mom NOW is Dakota—HER, got it?"

He leaned in, voice low. "Call her Mom."

Luca mumbled, "Mom."

I didn't press. Eric practically melted into the couch, like lying wore him out.

I yanked him back up. "Your parents are dead. We need to file their death certificates."

"Huh?"

I shot him a look. "Seriously? Move it. Before the office closes."

He threw out excuses the whole ride, but I dragged him to the clerk's office anyway.

I'll give him this—he pulled a coroner's statement from somewhere, and it passed.

At the counter, he stalled, wouldn't sign. After squirming forever, he finally asked, "Wait... if we file this, their pension stops, right?"

Even the clerk blinked. "Uh, yeah. Pensions only go to the living seniors."

I sneered inside.

Gregory and Meredith weren’t dead. Even fakers got to eat, no matter where they were hiding.

Last time, I was too caught up with Luca to think straight. Took me months to even consider filing death certs. Eric said he handled it—I believed him.

Yeah, right.

They just skipped town and kept collecting. Between the two of them, that was nearly $1K a month. Enough to rent a place in some quiet backwater without Eric lifting a finger.

Not this time. I shut it down.

On the way home, I froze the secondary card too.

That one had been for Gregory and Meredith—to make life comfy. Eric dipped into it sometimes, and I let it slide.

Last time, once they "died," the card landed right in Luca's lap.

His $300 sneakers, $500 console, $4K in tutoring? All on me. First-time mom mode—I spoiled him like crazy. If he'd asked for the moon, I would've found a rocket.

And how did he repay me? Spent my cash, painted me like some wicked stepmom.

Now those two bloodsuckers still wanna drain me? Please.

Eric can cover his precious crew on his $2K paycheck.

A month later, I caught him in bed trying to order a limited-edition bag.

Definitely not for me. I already owned it. And in all our years, he never even bought me flowers without whining about the price.

Valentine's Day was coming. Obviously for Tammy.

He punched in the password—card declined. "Honey, why's your card not working?"

I didn't even flinch. "I froze it. Why are you using my card?"

Eric's tone flipped fast. "Babe, what are you saying? We're married—what's mine is yours, what's yours is mine."

I smirked. "That card was for your parents. They're gone, so I shut it down. Problem?"

His eyes darted. "I... I was buying you a Valentine's gift. Picked the wrong card, that's all."

I leaned in, all fake surprise. "Aww, that's so thoughtful! But I already have that bag. I like this new one instead—buy me that."

He had no way out. Watching him wince as he paid? Priceless.

I grabbed his phone and changed the delivery to my office. "One of my coworkers said her husband wouldn't splurge on this. I'm gonna unbox it at work—rub it in a little."

His face? Darker than week-old gym socks.

That one bag nearly wiped him out. I wondered how long Gregory and Meredith could survive now.

Seeing me in a good mood, he tried to play sweet. "Hey, why not reopen the card for Luca? Think of it like he's inheriting my parents' money."

Whose money?

I rolled my eyes, then switched gears. Put on my best sad face. "With your parents' accident, I didn't get a chance to tell you—my mom's sick. Surgery's expensive. Can you lend me $20K?"

Captain Tightwad flinched. "We've got another mouth to feed now. Where am I supposed to find cash for your mom? Even in marriage, money's gotta be clear. She's your mom—you deal with it."

I'd already stopped romanticizing him, but that still hit cold.

So I used the "need to earn more" excuse, started dipping early, coming home late, tuning both him and Luca out.

Didn't take long for Eric's bank account to flatline.

***

One night, I got home and caught Eric whispering to Luca:

"When you see Dakota, smile and call her Mom. Then hit her with the 'I wanna be a child star' bit, got it? And if that flops—turn on the cute. She eats it up."

"I don't wanna suck up to that old witch!"

"Do it! She's your ticket to fame. Your mom and grandparents are counting on you to make life good for them."

Dream on. Eric had no idea what kind of kid he was raising.

As soon as I walked in, Luca bolted toward me, arms wide. "Mom! Mom! I missed you soooo much!"

He latched on. "Mom, I wanna be famous! I want nice clothes! Can you help me?"

Last time, that was the first time he'd ever called me Mom. I was so touched I nearly cried. Thought he finally saw me as family.

I dropped every other kid I was mentoring and poured everything into him.

And created the most spoiled little monster alive.

This time, I stopped him with my bag, gave him a full once-over. My voice hesitated, but my eyes? Pure disgust.

"Luca, being a child star's not easy. I'll think about it."

Eric took the bait. Had Luca glued to me every second after that.

That night, Luca even volunteered to walk with me to grab a package.

And that was when I saw her.

Eric's forever obsession.

Luca's real mom.

Tammy Page.

I pretended not to see her, but my mind was racing—what scam was she running now?

Tammy marched right up, eyes on Luca. "Oh my god! Your son is STUNNING! He looks just like a TV kid! You have to make him a star—he was born for it!"

I almost laughed out loud. Couldn't convince me? So they sent in Tammy as a "random stranger"?

These two clowns were dying to launch their little cash cow.

How could I possibly not... help?