A Life That Isn't Mine

I didn't hear my husband come home until four in the morning. He moved quietly, careful not to wake me.

After washing up, he leaned down and kissed my forehead, then slipped under the covers and wrapped an arm around me before falling asleep.

At that moment, the child's voice echoed in my mind again.

'Mom, Dad just got back from sleeping with his true love. How can you sleep so peacefully? If you ask me, you should divorce him right now and run away with me. When I grow up, I'll repay you for everything.'

Hearing the child's thoughts overlap so perfectly with what I remembered from my previous life, I didn't dare show the slightest reaction.

I replayed everything that had happened back then.

After I asked Daniel Carter for a divorce, he was surprised, but he respected my decision. He even agreed to leave with nothing. Afterward, he sent me a generous living allowance every month.

At the time, Daniel didn't even know I was pregnant. He only learned the truth after he received the news that both the baby and I died on the operating table.

From that day on, he completely lost his mind.

Remembering how he had acted in my previous life, I couldn't help but look at him again with fresh eyes.

Had he really never cheated on me?

I decided that after waking up tomorrow, I would talk to Daniel properly.

But when I opened my eyes, he was already gone to work.

There was a voice message from him on my phone. "Honey, breakfast is ready on the dining table. I also prepared some milk for you. It's in the kitchen."

As soon as the child heard Daniel's message, he suddenly became restless inside my belly.

'Mom, he's just putting on a show for you! He actually went out to meet his lover! Mom, hurry up and divorce him! Only you can take good care of me!'

The more agitated the child became, the more certain I felt that something was wrong.

He was pushing me toward divorce for one reason—to make sure that when I went into labor, I would have no one by my side.

So I would be completely alone, helpless, and die on the operating table just like before.

In this life, no matter what, I had to rewrite my fate.

On my way to the company, an elderly man in a robe suddenly grabbed my arm. His face was pale with panic.

He said urgently, "You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you!"

I jumped in fright, having no idea what he meant.

I assumed it was some new kind of scam and turned to leave, but he clutched my wrist tightly and shouted at me, "This life doesn't belong to you! You must leave at once!"

His crazed intensity sent chills across my skin, and I stumbled backward several steps.

I thought I had run into a madman, but his expression was too serious to be a joke.

I stood there, stunned, replaying his words over and over.

This life didn't belong to me? Did he know I had been reborn?

Was he saying that even after being given a second chance, my life was still not in my own hands?

A crushing sense of fear closed in around me.

Just as I opened my mouth to question him further, the old man turned and vanished around the corner.

Before I could think any more about it, the child's voice pulled me back to reality. 'Mom, who were you talking to?'

The Proof in My Womb

A sharp, searing pain tore through my lower abdomen.

I knew it.

The thing inside me was suspicious again, deliberately trying to scare me. 'Mom, if I find out you're doing anything behind my back that could hurt me, I'll get angry.'

The voice in my head grew more violent, more unhinged—nothing like what a child's thoughts should sound like.

At that moment, I made up my mind. No matter what it took, I had to find out what was really inside my body.

Fighting down the nausea and panic, I pulled out my phone and called my supervisor. "Mr. Morrison, I need to take a sick day today."

Then, I sent my husband a text. 'Darling, there's something I need to talk to you about in person.'

After that, I hailed a cab and went straight to the hospital.

The entire ride, the voice inside my womb kept interrogating me. 'Mom, where are you going? I'm your child. You're not thinking about abandoning me again, are you?'

Wave after wave of stabbing pain rolled through my abdomen. Sweat soaked my forehead, but I clenched my teeth and didn't make a sound.

I had to know what this thing really was.

I had already registered online in the cab. When the doctor saw me—pale, drenched in sweat—she visibly startled.

"Ms. Brooks, why do you look so awful?" she asked. "Have you been taking the supplements I prescribed? Is your morning sickness that severe?"

Before I could answer, the voice inside me roared, 'Mom, why are you seeing the doctor again? Was I right? Are you really planning to get rid of me?'

Instantly, a violent tearing pain exploded in my abdomen. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.

The doctor immediately called for a nurse, and they helped me to a chair.

"Ms. Brooks," the doctor said seriously, "your pregnancy symptoms are extremely intense. You need to think carefully about whether you should continue this pregnancy. The mother's health is the priority. I suggest you recover first, and then—"

I cut her off.

"This baby must stay," I said firmly. "I came here today for pregnancy support injections. No matter what, I'm having this child."

The moment the words left my mouth, the pain vanished.

The voice returned, suddenly sweet. 'Mom, I misunderstood you. Then, you have to protect me properly, okay? If I ever find out you're trying to abandon me, I'll be very angry.'

The doctor quickly arranged the injection.

Just before the nurse led me away, I grabbed a pen and scribbled a sentence on a piece of paper.

'I want an amniocentesis. Test the baby's DNA.'

The doctor frowned in confusion and opened her mouth to ask questions.

I immediately reached out and covered her lips, giving her a pointed look to stay silent.

If the thing inside me heard even a hint of this, I doubted I'd live to see tomorrow.

The doctor had no choice but to comply and perform the amniocentesis.

Since the results wouldn't be ready until the afternoon, I decided to go home first to confess everything to my husband.

The moment I stepped inside, I heard raised voices arguing.

When I entered the room, I caught my husband hastily hanging up a call.

A flash of panic crossed his eyes, but he recovered almost instantly. Smiling gently, he said, "Honey, why are you back so early? You said you had something to tell me. What is it?"

I opened my mouth, about to tell Daniel everything.

Before I could speak, the voice interrupted again. 'Mom, what are you going to say to Dad? Before that, why don't you take a look at what's inside his suit jacket?'

Alarm bells went off in my head.

I forced a casual smile and said to Daniel, "Could you pour me a glass of water first? Then, I'll tell you slowly."

The moment he walked out of the room, I went straight for his suit jacket.

In the next second, I froze. Inside the pocket was a pair of women's underwear—clearly not mine.

Before I could think, the voice spoke again.

'I told you Dad is cheating. If his true love weren't infertile, he never would've married you. What you need to do now is divorce him and raise me on your own. Mom, I'm your child. Why would I lie to you?'

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was the test result from the doctor.

'Probability of biological parent-child relationship: 99.99%.'

The Truth Reveals Itself

My head buzzed violently, and I stood frozen in place.

The flood of sudden information left me barely able to think.

The child in my belly was really mine.

Did that mean Daniel had truly cheated on me? Was everything the child had been saying actually true?

The voice inside my stomach kept rambling on, relentless and insistent. 'Mom, you have to believe me. Dad really did cheat. If you don't trust me, just hire someone to follow him and investigate.'

The very next second, Daniel's phone, resting on the table, lit up with a new message.

'Babe, what time will you come to keep me company this afternoon?'

The sender's name was unmistakable. Emily Hart, Daniel's college sweetheart.

Only then did I finally accept it.

Daniel really had cheated.

He walked into the bedroom holding a glass of water and handed it to me gently. "You like your water at 100°F, so it took a bit longer to heat."

I took the glass numbly, my thoughts in complete chaos.

Daniel reached out and stroked my hair with affection. "What did you want to talk to me about, honey?"

Clinging to my last shred of hope, I looked up and met his eyes. "Darling, can you stay home with me this afternoon?"

He paused, hesitation flickering across his face.

After fumbling for a long moment, he finally said, "There's a meeting at the office this afternoon. How about I come back tonight and spend time with you then?"

At that moment, I understood perfectly.

Between Emily and me, he had chosen her. So, I pretended everything was fine and said calmly, "Okay. I'll tell you tonight what I wanted to say."

With that, I turned and walked out.

Even though my doubts left my head spinning, two things were crystal clear to me: Daniel had to go, and this child could not stay.

No matter what motive the child had for telling me those things, the horrific way I had died in my past life was still burned into my memory.

I pulled out my phone and messaged my doctor to schedule an abortion.

As long as I ended the pregnancy without the child knowing, he would have no way to harm me.

At my request, the doctor stayed completely silent throughout the process. The child inside me had no idea that I was already signing the voluntary abortion consent form.

Just before entering the operating room, I suddenly caught sight of two familiar figures slipping past the far end of the hallway.

I followed them and realized they were Daniel and Emily.

What were they doing in the maternity ward?

When I looked closer, my heart clenched. Emily's lower belly was slightly swollen.

They were there for a prenatal checkup. But hadn't Emily been infertile? Then what was that baby bump?

Watching Daniel support her as they walked into the consultation room, everything suddenly clicked.

I finally understood the reason behind it all, so that was it.

I immediately took off the sterile gown and turned to the doctor. "I'm keeping this child. Not only that, you must make sure he survives and stays healthy all the way to the day he's born."