Before leaving, Melanie made up an excuse to send the house security away just so I could sneak out and get surgery.

Since she was so sure I'd do that, of course, I'd go along with it.

Late at night, clutching my stomach, I knocked on Mom and Dad's door. "Mom, my stomach hurts so bad. Am I going to die?"

I curled up by the door, trembling like a wounded animal.

Mom and Dad already felt guilty about the decades of lost family moments. Seeing me come to them, they were both worried and surprised.

Dad saw my pale face and quickly scooped me up in his arms, rushing toward the door. "Don't be scared, Yvonne. We're taking you to the hospital. You'll be fine!"

The car sped through the night as I nestled against Mom's chest.

Feeling their concern and love, I felt a warmth I hadn't known in years.

Maybe if Melanie hadn't been in the picture last time, I might've had a happy life.

But the live comments kept flooding in at this moment.

"Yvonne's so dumb. Taking her parents to the hospital will only confirm she's pregnant and speed up her getting kicked out!"

"Science can't explain Melanie's system, and no equipment can prove otherwise."

"Make an excuse to leave while you still can. If you wait for the results, you're dead meat before Melanie even lifts a finger."

Mom noticed how stiff I was and asked worriedly, "What's wrong, Yvonne? Are you feeling any better?"

The comments kept urging me to turn back, but I just pressed my lips and shook my head. "It still hurts. Can you ask Dad to drive faster?"

At the hospital, after a series of tests, the doctor said it was appendicitis causing the pain.

In that instant, the flood of comments vanished without a trace.

I knew I'd made the right call.

Melanie's so-called "transfer system" didn't exist. Their only goal was to trick me into surgery.

Mom and Dad finally relaxed.

But I stared with wide eyes and fell to my knees before them in utter despair. "W-What's appendicitis? Is it some kind of dirty disease? I'm sorry, Mom, Dad. I've brought shame on you."

Dad was shocked. "Yvonne, why would you think appendicitis is a dirty disease?"

Mom wiped tears away and helped me up with guilt written all over her face. "It's our fault for losing Yvonne back then. Growing up in the slums, she never learned common knowledge like this. We failed as parents."

I looked up uncertainly, still confused. "It's not a dirty disease? But Melanie said…"

I stopped mid-sentence like I suddenly realized something and lowered my head diffidently.

Mom and Dad grew more suspicious.

Dad suddenly remembered something and looked around. "With everything going on tonight, why isn't Melanie here? How thoughtless of her!"

Mom grabbed my hand. "Yvonne, what does Melanie have to do with this? Tell us. Don't be afraid. Did she hurt you?"

At that moment, tears broke free, and I sobbed uncontrollably.

"Melanie said she's always fooling around with men and wanted to take me to a club to meet them. I thought I must have caught some dirty disease, and that's why my stomach hurts. That's how it's always shown on TV!"

Dad looked incredulous. "Melanie's always been well-behaved. That can't be true…"

Mom nudged him and pulled me close. "Yvonne just came back, and she hasn't fought with Melanie. Are you saying Yvonne's lying?"

Silence filled the room as their expressions turned serious.

Soon, the assistant sent to investigate returned. His voice shook as he said, "Ms. Melanie did go to the Royal Club tonight. She booked a private room upstairs with a man. He's a—"

"That's enough!" Dad slammed his hand on the table, his chest rising and falling with anger.

As he stood up to leave, I stumbled off the bed and grabbed his sleeve, pleading. "Dad, don't blame Melanie. She must've been misled. Let's talk it out when she gets back tomorrow. She's young and proud. Confronting her now would only break her."

My words slowly calmed Dad down.

Mom looked at me with relief and murmured, "Such a thoughtful child."

The very last shred of doubt in her eyes vanished completely.

If I had pushed them to investigate outright, it might've backfired and driven a wedge between us. Only through this kind of "unintentional" approach could I truly maximize the impact.

The real show was about to begin.

Mom and Dad stayed with me at the hospital all night. By morning, they had to rush to the office for work.

I took the family car home, only to find Melanie waiting at the gate.

A man stood beside her.

With the help of my previous life's memories, I recognized him immediately. He was Charlie Davies, the Stewart family's chosen match.

The instant he saw me, his face twisted with disgust. "You were gone all night, probably messing around with some guy. I will never marry a loose woman like you!"

Melanie's eyes reddened as she grabbed my hand. "Yvonne, I know you've had a hard life before. But just because Mom and Dad have your back now doesn't mean you can live without limits. Where does that leave our family's reputation?"

I clutched the spot on my stomach where Melanie had slammed into me, my face tightening as I hissed in pain. "Melanie, what are you talking about? What did I even do?"

Seeing my reaction, Melanie grew even more confident. She sharply demanded, "Where were you last night, then?"

At the mention of last night, my expression shifted. "I just went to the hospital for a minor checkup."

Charlie let out a scoff. "A checkup? More like getting rid of the bastard in your belly. Melanie already told me everything. Once you were taken back into the Stewart family, your true colors showed.

"You used your family's power to sleep around, got pregnant who knows how many times, and even had your uterus removed just so you could keep fooling around!"

Their loud voices quickly drew the attention of the neighbors.

In a neighborhood like this, the neighbors were either the Stewarts' business partners or close family friends.

Upon hearing the argument, they gathered around.

"It just goes to show that upbringing is everything. Melanie might not be a real Stewart, but she has class. But Yvonne? She's a total train wreck. I can't believe she'd sink this low!"

Just like in my previous life, ugly comments poured into my ears.

My body trembled slightly. But this time, it wasn't from fear or shock.

Seeing me shake, Melanie looked even more certain. She suddenly lifted my shirt and asked, "Yvonne, isn't this scar from the surgery? You're Charlie's fiancee. How dare you do this? You owe him an apology."

On my abdomen was a scar, about half an inch long. "No! This isn't what you think it is!"

I scrambled to cover myself, my face burning with humiliation.

Charlie spat on the ground. "You disgust me! The evidence is right there, and you're still lying? I wouldn't want a promiscuous woman like you even if you threw yourself at me for free!"

Melanie pressed down on my neck, trying to force me to kneel in front of Charlie. "I've already messaged Mom and Dad. If you did something wrong, you must be punished."

When Mom and Dad arrived, they saw me clutching my bleeding abdomen with a look of indignation, surrounded and bullied by people from all sides.

Melanie's eyes lit up at the sight of them.

She rushed over and clung to them before speaking in a voice thick with grievance, "Mom, Dad, you have to stand up for me. Yvonne's been fooling around with men outside. To avoid getting pregnant, she even had her uterus removed. I asked her to apologize to Charlie, but she refused!"

Tears streamed down my face as I looked up. "Melanie, why are you slandering me?"

Melanie clapped her hands, and someone in a white coat stepped forward, holding a pink embryo.

"This was the embryo found inside your uterus during your surgery last night. We even had a DNA test done. It proves this was your baby."

Melanie looked smug as she waited for Mom and Dad to punish me. She completely missed the change in their expressions.

"Melanie, are you absolutely sure Yvonne had an abortion and her uterus removed last night?"

Melanie nodded without hesitation. "I'm sure. Isn't the DNA test proof enough? I know all this because Yvonne often went to the Royal Club to fool around with men. I kept an eye on her.

"This is a disgrace to our family. So many people saw this. Mom, Dad, you have to give everyone an explanation."

After saying that, she shot me a provocative look. In her mind, she had already won.

The next second, Dad raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face.