I was six months pregnant when my husband's childhood sweetheart showed up on Christmas Eve, pregnant too, demanding her place in his life.

Smiling, I welcomed her in. "Come on in. Make yourself at home."

In my previous life, I had forced my husband to kick Shirley out. She collapsed from low blood sugar and froze to death that very Christmas Eve.

Matthew did not hold it against me. On the contrary, he softened, stayed by my side and took care of me while I waited to give birth.

However, when the baby came, despite being an obstetrician himself, Matthew sent our healthy newborn son straight to the morgue. I begged him desperately, but his face was twisted with hatred.

"If you hadn't been so petty and dramatic, Shirley wouldn't have died along with her baby!"

"You're heartbroken over your son? Then go freeze to death too. Pay for Shirley’s life with your own life."

Just like that, I opened my eyes again, back to the moment Shirley arrived on Christmas Eve.

When I opened the door, a blast of cold air hit me like a wave.

It reminded me of that scary time after a really tough delivery, when I was shivering and truly thought that I might not make it.

Matthew Smith's voice came from behind me, sounding totally surprised.

"Shirley? It's freezing out there. Come on in!"

He did not even seem to care that I was sporting a six-month old baby bump. He pushed me aside roughly, but he was super gentle with the person he was bringing inside.

As he led the person to the living room, Matthew gave me a stern look.

"It's Christmas Eve, so be good, okay? We don't want any trouble."

I took a deep breath and put on a smile.

"Why would I cause trouble? Shirley's like family to you, and we're so happy to have her here!"

I beat him to the punch this time, saying the words he had once said to me in my previous life.

Matthew stopped in his tracks, staring at me in shock.

Finally, he just snorted and said, "I’m glad you understand."

At dinner, everyone was super friendly to Shirley.

Matthew was extra nice, getting her a bowl of soup.

However, then Shirley turned white as a ghost and gagged.

Matthew was right there, rubbing her back, asking what was wrong.

Shirley smiled, kind of embarrassed, "I'm pregnant. About two months along."

The room went quiet for a few seconds.

Matthew looked shocked, but then he was grinning from ear to ear.

Shirley looked at me, tears streaming down her face.

"Cindy, I'm so sorry about that day... we were both drunk, I could... I could get rid of it."

My mother-in-law shot me a fierce look.

"Get rid of it? No way! That's my grandchild!"

Matthew put his arm around Shirley, but when he looked at me, his face was like ice.

"Cindy, I have to do right by Shirley! Don't even think about making a fuss..."

Before he could finish, I simply said "Congratulations," and then calmly took a slice of meat with my fork.

Matthew was so shocked that he nearly choked. "I said that this baby is mine. Didn't you hear me?"

I gave him a smile and assured him I heard.

"Then why aren't you..."

Matthew looked puzzled, probably wondering why I was not upset anymore. The truth was, I had always known Shirley was the one he truly adored.

Even my in-laws, who were always so tough on me, treated her like their own daughter.

I used to think that with love and patience, I could gradually change Matthew's heart, and that especially after we had our own child, he might come back to me.

However, then I found out that Shirley was pregnant too.

In my previous life, that was when I had lost it completely.

I, who had always been kind and forgiving, suddenly broke down and screamed in front of everyone, smashing pots and throwing dishes.

I even threatened Matthew that if he did not send Shirley away right then, I would jump off a building.

My craziness frightened everyone.

They did not want a tragedy on Christmas Eve, so they convinced Matthew to have Shirley leave for a while.

However, nobody expected that Shirley would faint from low blood sugar while walking in the neighborhood.

With no one around to find her, she froze to death on that Christmas Eve night.

It was a heartbreaking loss.

After hearing the news, I was filled with remorse.

However, Matthew, he changed for the better. He did not blame me and turned into the perfect husband.

He was the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department, always busy at work.

Every day, he made me special soups to help me stay healthy for the baby. He told me my health was great and that I would have an easy time giving birth. I trusted him, but when the time came, I had a really hard birth and bled a lot. I cried out in pain for two long days and nights.

When my baby finally came, Matthew did not even try to save him. He just looked at him like he was nothing and said that he was gone.

I begged him to help our son, but he just pushed his assistant away and came at me with a scary look in his eyes, full of hate. He yelled, "Worried about your son? Then go to the morgue with him! Shirley died because of you, and now you're going to feel the pain she felt, twice as much!"

In this life, I just wanted to get away from those monsters.

However, when I tried to be nice, it did not make anyone feel sorry or say they were sorry. Instead, things got worse.

"Cindy, you're such a good actress, but don't think I can't tell!" Matthew did not believe I did not care. He said with a mean laugh, "Just don't start a big fuss at home after they leave."

When my mother-in-law heard that, she slammed down her fork and said I made her feel sick. "Son, as soon as the holiday's over and the County Clerk's office is back open, go and get a divorce," she told him.

She said that Shirley was going to have a baby, and that the Smith family should welcome her. She even took Shirley's hand and scolded her gently. "You should never have gone to study in another country! Because of that, you let this clingy woman sneak into our lives. What bad luck."

Everyone at the table whispered and looked at me like I was nothing. I just gave a sad little laugh.

I met Matthew on a college trip when I was a freshman. I got hurt by accident and there was a large gash on my leg.

Matthew, a med student, was the first to dash over and help me with my injury.

He even gave me a piggyback ride all the way down the hill.

His cool and good looks made me fall head over heels for him.

I really went out of my way to pursue him.

Even though Matthew always seemed kind of distant, I figured that was just how he was, and it did not bother me.

However, then, two years ago, when Shirley came back home, I saw what Matthew was like when he was really in love.

He never helped out in the kitchen with me.

"Are you kidding? I'm a surgeon, I can't be expected to chop veggies and cook," he would say.

However, for Shirley, he made her favorite fruit cake with his own two hands.

He would pull crazy hours at the hospital for a whole week, just to make time to take her shopping and to the movies — stuff he used to call a total waste of time.

In all the six years I was with him, all I ever got was a chilly, "I'm stuck at work."

I got lost in those thoughts, sitting quiet as a mouse.

Shirley always looked down on me, like she felt sorry for me.

Even though she was the one who came between us, she always acted so high and mighty.

"Godmother, Cindy's got it rough. She’s got no job, and will now be divorced. How's she gonna take care of her kid?"

Matthew just snorted. "The kid will stay with me, of course. She can leave if she wants, but the kid stays."

I looked up sharply, glaring at Matthew.

All I wanted was to get away and just focus on my child.

Why did they have to make everything so hard?

Shirley's brow wrinkled with worry.

"The kids are close in age. What if they start fighting? I'm not sure I can handle it."

My mother-in-law just chuckled at her.

"Cindy's kid can't hold a candle to yours. There’s no way her child would dare cross my precious grandson!"

Matthew agreed with a nod and added, "Your child must be just like you, smart and well-behaved, pretty and sweet. If there's ever a problem, it's sure to be someone else's fault, and I'll make sure they learn their lesson!"

I shivered, suddenly remembering the way he looked at his son in the hospital with such callousness and distaste.

If they took my son away, I was sure my son would be in so much trouble!

No way! I just could not let my child go through that.

Perhaps due to the memory of past pain, my stomach started to hurt really badly.

I turned white and quickly pulled on Matthew's sleeve.

"Matthew, my stomach really hurts. Can you check on me?"

Matthew, annoyed, pushed me away with his elbow.

"Quit your acting! You've been cleaning and cooking all day. You look fine to me."

The relatives started teasing me, "This isn't a TV show, no one's interested in your drama."

Laughter broke out all around me, and my face turned bright red.

Shirley sweet-talked Matthew, telling him how sick she had been feeling.

Matthew was so worried, asking her what she wanted to eat.

"Cindy, hurry up and cook Shirley's favorite dish in the kitchen!"

I held back the pain in my chest and slowly got up.

The divorce was close. I just had to make it through tonight!

I had not been in the kitchen long when Shirley came in.

She did not know the first thing about cooking, but kept bossing me around.

I was so fed up. I told her the kitchen was too smoky and she did not need to stress herself about it.

However, Shirley just caressed her belly gently. "I'm not just teaching you to cook, I'm helping your baby learn too.”

"You take care of me now, and your child can take care of my son later."

I wanted to hold on until the divorce, but I could not bear her putting down my child like that.

When I threw the spatula onto the counter with a loud bang, Shirley yelped.

She told me to cool it with anger. "If you're a mom with that kind of temper, what if your kid ends up the same?"

Her words, like a curse upon my child, made me shake with rage.

My belly was hurting more and more, and the contractions were so strong I almost could not stand up.

However, Shirley just came over, laughing at me. "You're so pale. You'd make a great actress.”

"It's too bad Matthew doesn't care about you. With just one call from me, he'll leave you in a flash to be by my side."

She was telling the truth. Two years ago, when I had a fever of 104℉ and felt so weak, I asked Matthew to take me to the hospital.

However, when he heard Shirley had trouble at a bar, he rushed out, leaving me behind.

I had to get up on my own and take lots of medicine for my fever and cold.

I did not know then that I was two months pregnant.

On the day I lost the baby, feeling so sad and scared, I found out that Matthew was not the doctor who came in.

A nurse said with envy, "Mr. Smith is such a good boyfriend. He's always there for his girlfriend, even when she has cramps."

The other nurse added, "Mr. Smith and his girlfriend have been best friends since they were kids. He pursued her for eight years before she said yes. He really treasures her!"

After they talked, they looked at me with pity. "Your husband isn't here with you during your miscarriage? What a jerk! He’s so irresponsible!"

Thinking back on that hurt my heart and made my head pound.

Just then, Shirley grabbed a pot and pretended to drop it, but she threw it at me.

The heavy pot hit my pregnant belly hard and I fell to the floor.

The cutting board and knife from the counter had tumbled down, hitting me over and over.

The pain was so bad I could not even open my mouth.

However, Shirley was screaming at the top of her lungs. She had spilled chicken blood near her thigh after we had butchered a chicken today, and then she was on the ground, holding her belly.

All our relatives rushed over to see what was happening.

Matthew was right there, shielding her, and he turned on me, furious. "Cindy, I leave you alone for just a few minutes and you're already trying to hurt Shirley, aren't you?"

I was hurting too much to talk back, but that just made Matthew madder. He kicked me, not once, but twice.

"Stand up and quit faking!"

Blood dribbled from the corner of my mouth as I reached out, grabbing his sleeve.

"My belly... it really hurts. Please call an ambulance."

He pressed down on my stomach and laughed. "I'm a doctor, remember? I know you're fine.”

"You're six months along so that baby's not going anywhere. Don't think you can get my sympathy by pretending."

Just then, my mother-in-law gasped, "Blood! Shirley's bleeding!"

Matthew spun around, his face white as a sheet.

Shirley was sobbing, scared, asking if the baby was going to be okay.

Matthew whipped out his phone and dialed for help, telling her everything would be fine.

One of the relatives noticed something and spoke up, unsure.

"Cindy... Cindy's bleeding too."

Matthew glanced at me, frowning.

Shirley burst into tears, claiming I pushed her and then faked my own injury with chicken blood to look like I was in trouble.

Matthew lost it. He slapped me hard, twice.

"You better hope Shirley and the baby are okay. If not, I'm calling the cops on you for trying to kill them! Once the baby's born, you're going to jail!"

The hospital was just around the corner from our neighborhood, and they got there super fast when they found out the call was from their own maternity doctor.

I was hurting so bad that I kept seeing spots, but I had to be strong for my baby, so I pushed through the pain and made it downstairs.

Matthew was there, helping the paramedics get Shirley into the ambulance.

He was about to hop in too, but I grabbed his arm with the last bit of energy I had, begging him with all my heart.

"Matthew, please, I'm begging you, let me go with you. My baby's in trouble!"

An ambulance only had room for one patient and one family member.

If Matthew would just let me have his spot, I would squeeze into any tiny space just to make it to the hospital.

The ambulance crew was shocked and asked me what was wrong.

However, Matthew just marched into the ambulance and kicked me away.

"She's faking it, ignore her! She'll stop her act and go home once we're gone."

I watched the ambulance drive off, then collapsed in the snow, and everything went black.