My eight-month pregnant sister-in-law was violently shoved to the ground, hemorrhaging profusely, and rushed to the hospital. I drove right past her. I rolled up my car window, pretended I didn't see a thing, and hit the gas. In my past life, I was the one who found her passed out in a pool of blood. I immediately rushed her to the hospital. The situation was critical. The massive hemorrhage triggered an amniotic fluid embolism. My husband was the top obstetrician in the city. I called him, begging him to get to the hospital immediately. But he assumed I was just throwing a jealous fit because he was out to dinner with his childhood sweetheart's family. He thought I was using his sister's "emergency" as a manipulative tactic to force him to come home. By the time his family finally arrived at the hospital, his sister had already died from the embolism because the doctors couldn't save her in time. His entire family blamed me for her death. They believed I intentionally misled my husband, causing the fatal delay. Her husband, rushing back from out of town, believed their venomous lies. Consumed by grief and rage, he hacked me to death with a machete right at her funeral. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day my sister-in-law was pushed and started hemorrhaging. 1 My vision blurred for a second. As the stoplight turned red, I instinctively hit the brakes. Screams and panicked shouts erupted from the sidewalk. "Call 911! A pregnant woman just fell and she's bleeding everywhere!" My hand shot to the door handle. But the exact second I was about to push the door open, horrific memories flooded my mind. My husband and my in-laws pointing fingers at my face, cursing me with vile words, blaming me for her death. And then... I touched my own stomach. In my past life, this was where my brother-in-law's machete had repeatedly struck, turning my unborn child into pulp. Phantom pains made every muscle in my body spasm in agony. I pulled my hand back. The light turned green. Without a second of hesitation, I stepped on the gas and drove away. To make absolutely sure my in-laws couldn't use me as a scapegoat again, I drove straight to my mother-in-law's house. "Mom, Arthur is working late tonight, so I bought some fresh fish and brought it over for you." I walked in, pretending I didn't notice her frantically hanging up a video call, looking incredibly guilty. "Oh, Luna, you're here..." Before she could finish her sentence, her phone rang. She answered it, and her face instantly turned ghost-white. Tears burst from her eyes. Her legs gave out, and she practically crawled toward me. "Hurry! We have to go to the hospital! Mia fell!" I already knew, but I feigned absolute shock. I helped her into my car and sped toward the maternity hospital as fast as I could. It was the exact hospital where my husband worked. In this life, without my intervention, bystanders had called the ambulance that brought her here. By the time we arrived, my sister-in-law was already in the operating room. "Family members, please sign here. The patient is 32 weeks pregnant. She suffered a severe fall and massive hemorrhaging. An emergency C-section is absolutely necessary." Just like in my past life, my mother-in-law signed the forms with violently trembling hands. I turned to her and said, "Arthur is the best obstetrician in the city. He told me he was working late today. Just in case, I should probably call him down here." She hesitated for a split second, then nodded. I called Arthur's number. It rang three times and went straight to voicemail. "Mom, Arthur might be in the middle of something. I'll go up to his department and find him." Her eyes darted nervously, but she nodded. The second I walked away, she pulled out her phone and called him herself. I knew for a fact he wasn't even in the hospital. I certainly wasn't going to waste my energy looking for him. I stood in the stairwell, watching my mother-in-law dial his number over and over again. I watched her expression shift from composed, to anxious, to sheer panic as tears streamed down her face. I couldn't help but let a smirk curl the corner of my lips. She definitely didn't know that her precious son had long since put his phone on silent so he could enjoy a quiet, uninterrupted dinner with his childhood sweetheart. Right before I walked into her house, Arthur had been on a video call with her. He was just trying to get her to keep me occupied so I wouldn't interrupt his little rendezvous. Watching her pace like an ant on a hot pan, I intentionally jogged back, panting heavily. "Mom! Arthur's colleagues said he isn't working late today! And I can't reach him on his phone at all!" A flash of guilt crossed her face, but she still tried to cover for him. "He... he was probably just called out for an emergency consult. If you can't reach him, just try again in a few minutes." Right at that moment, Arthur's aunt (my father-in-law's sister) and Mia's in-laws rushed into the waiting area. The aunt looked at me, her eyebrows shooting up in immediate anger. "Where is Arthur?! Isn't he an obstetrician here?! What good are you doing just standing there?! Why haven't you told him to get his ass down here?!" Aunt Martha was a formidable presence. Since my father-in-law passed away, she controlled every major and minor decision in the Sterling family. In my past life, the second the doctor announced Mia's death, before I could even process it, she slapped me hard across the face twice. "You are her sister-in-law! You're supposed to act like a mother figure to her! How could you just stand by and watch her die?!" In this life, I certainly wasn't going to give her that opportunity. I offered a bitter, helpless smile. "Aunt Martha, I can't reach Arthur. He told me this morning he was working late, but I just went up to his department and his colleagues said he never came in today. I've been calling his phone non-stop, but he won't answer." My mother-in-law mumbled something under her breath but ultimately stayed silent. "Are you an idiot?! If it doesn't go through, you keep calling! Useless!" Aunt Martha shrieked. I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed his number again and again. Finally, on the tenth try, the call connected. 2 I immediately put it on speakerphone. "Hubby..." "Are you insane?! Why the hell do you keep calling me over and over?! Didn't I tell you I was working late?! I'm incredibly busy, do not bother me!" "Hubby, Mia fell and is hemorrhaging massively! She's in the operating room right now! If you aren't at the hospital, where are you?!" There was a pause on the other end, followed immediately by a sickeningly sweet, artificial female voice. "Oh, is your wife checking up on you because she doesn't trust you? Arthur, I hope your colleagues don't get the wrong idea. And really, Luna, if you have an issue, you should just ask Arthur directly. Going to his workplace and causing a scene is bad enough, but cursing his sister with a medical emergency? That's just vicious." "No, I didn't! Arthur, Mia is literally in the operating room right now! If you don't believe me, you can..." "Get lost! If you're going to lie, at least make it believable! Mia is resting at her in-laws' house, how could she possibly fall?! There's a limit to how many jealous tantrums I'm going to tolerate! You actually went to my department to cause a scene?! If this affects my year-end promotion, I swear to God I will kill you!" Before I could say another word, he hung up. The previously murmuring waiting area outside the OR fell dead silent. I smiled bitterly, putting on a perfectly wounded expression. My mother-in-law looked away shiftily. A brief flash of awkwardness crossed Aunt Martha's face, but she didn't say anything. Mia's in-laws exchanged a sigh, looking at the Sterling family with absolute disgust. Just then, the OR doors burst open. A nurse rushed out, looking frantic. "The patient is experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism! You're Dr. Sterling's family, right?! Someone needs to contact him immediately!" My eyes flickered. Everything was unfolding exactly as it had in my past life. My mother-in-law's legs gave out, and she collapsed directly onto the floor. Aunt Martha couldn't maintain her detached attitude anymore. She frantically pulled out her phone to call Arthur, muttering to herself, "It's fine, it's fine. Arthur is the best obstetrician here. He's saved several patients from this before. He can definitely save Mia!" The golden window for treating an amniotic fluid embolism is terrifyingly short—barely ten minutes. It's literally a tug-of-war with the Grim Reaper. Over the past three years, Arthur had successfully saved five patients from it, only losing one. That record was what propelled him to the top position in the central maternity department. Aunt Martha's call connected. She screamed, sobbing hysterically, "Arthur! Get to the hospital right now! Your sister has an amniotic fluid embolism! You are the only one who can save her!" Through the phone, we could hear the sounds of children screaming and playing, and the loud, cheerful clinking of glasses. "Aunt Martha, Luna has lost her mind, and now you're going crazy with her?! Is there an end to this drama?! I revolve my entire life around her 365 days a year, and I finally take one day to get some peace and quiet! Can you all just leave me alone?! Nothing is going on between me and Chloe! Her family is just back in town and I'm having dinner with them! For just this one day, stop calling me!" "Arthur, I am not lying to you! Your sister is really in danger! She has an amniotic fluid embolism, and right now, you are her only hope! I am begging you, Arthur, please come back! If you don't, you're going to regret this for the rest of your life!" "I'll only regret it if I actually go back!" Arthur's voice was freezing cold, completely devoid of emotion. Hearing his voice, my mother-in-law completely broke down. She grabbed the phone and wailed, "Son! Your aunt isn't lying! Your sister is really in danger! Even if you don't believe Luna, even if you don't believe your aunt... do you really not believe me?! Get back here right now!" I couldn't help but sigh internally. To me, a mother-in-law who knew her son was cheating and actively helped him cover it up was pure garbage. But to Mia, she truly was a good, devoted mother. "Arthur, did you hear your mother?! Do you think your own mother would lie to you?! Get your ass back here!" Aunt Martha was jumping with anxiety. "Mom, you..." Arthur's voice finally sounded hesitant. "Ah! Arthur! My eye! My eye hurts so much!" A woman's delicate cry of pain echoed through the phone, accompanied by an adult scolding a child. "How could you shoot a marble at your aunt's face?!" Arthur's panicked, intensely concerned voice immediately drowned out everything else. "Chloe! Does it hurt? Don't move! I'm a doctor, let me look at it!" Then, his voice turned sharp and icy as he addressed the phone. "Mom, drop the act. Even if what you're saying is true, it's useless. I've had a lot to drink. I can't drive, and I can't make it back." With that, the line went dead. The phone slipped from Aunt Martha's hand, clattering to the floor. My mother-in-law smashed her forehead against the tiles, completely paralyzed. Aunt Martha slumped to the floor, tears streaming silently down her face, muttering over and over, "How did Arthur become like this? How could he do this? How could he abandon his own family for some woman? He's a monster... an absolute monster..." I helped my mother-in-law up. Looking at the massive, swelling bruise on her forehead, I genuinely felt bad that she had wasted her life raising a son like that. But I didn't pity her. Because in my past life, she was one of the primary forces that drove me to my brutal death. I don't know how much time passed before the OR doors opened again. "I'm sorry. We did everything we could." 3 Mia and the baby were both gone. My mother-in-law was like an empty shell. She refused to eat or drink, just sitting there clutching Mia's clothes and sobbing. Aunt Martha was furious. She recounted the events at the hospital to every single relative she could find, viciously cursing Arthur as a soulless monster. When Mia's in-laws found out the baby she was carrying was a boy, they cried even harder. Mia's husband, David, rushed back from out of town that very day. When he saw the lifeless bodies of his wife and unborn child, his face twisted in agony, his eyes blood-red. He simply couldn't accept that he had only been gone for a three-day business trip—that right before he left, they had been excitedly planning their future as a family of three—and now, she was just gone. After hearing the absolute truth from his parents, David wiped his tears and silently began helping me organize the funeral arrangements. No one even thought to notify Arthur. Especially after learning that he had been having dinner with Chloe's family at a hotel directly across the street from the hospital, and hadn't even bothered to walk over and verify the situation. Even his own mother had completely given up on him. But how could I possibly let Arthur miss such a lively, important event? The day before Mia was scheduled to be buried in their rural hometown, I paid someone to anonymously notify him. On the day of the burial, a light drizzle fell from the sky. I stood by the cars under an umbrella, watching the crowd carry Mia's casket out of the mourning tent. In my past life, it was on this exact day that David hacked me to death with a machete. My blood, mixed with the rain, rolled out like a gruesome red carpet for Mia's final journey. Before the casket even cleared the doorway, Arthur's car screeched to a halt. He stormed out of the car, practically vibrating with rage, and charged straight toward me. I watched him with a perfectly numb, deadpan expression. I hadn't even opened my mouth yet. Smack! He looked at the black-and-white memorial portrait I was holding and delivered a brutal slap across my face. "You vicious bitch! You actually dared to curse my sister just to trick me into coming back?!" I collapsed onto the muddy ground. The framed portrait slipped from my grasp, falling into the dirt. Mud splattered across half of Mia's face, leaving only her cold, lifeless eyes visible, staring silently at Arthur and the rest of the world. Arthur's eyes were bloodshot. I don't know if it was fear or pure rage that triggered his feral instincts, but all traces of the gentle, refined doctor vanished. He looked at me like a rabid animal and lunged. "You bitch! I'll teach you to lie! I'll teach you to curse my sister! I'm going to beat you to death!" I didn't fight back as Arthur kicked and punched me. I just stared at the portrait of Mia, silently thinking: Mia, make sure you take a very good look at who your real enemy is. When you get to the underworld to file your grievances, make sure you don't accuse the wrong person. "Enough! What the hell are you doing?!" The people inside the mourning tent heard the commotion and rushed out. Aunt Martha violently shoved Arthur away, sobbing and screaming, "You absolute monster! Your sister could have been saved! We called you so many times! Your mother practically got on her knees and begged you! And just because of one word from that cheap slut, you refused to save her! You killed your own sister, and now you have the nerve to cause a scene at her funeral?! What do you want?! What the hell do you want?!" Arthur staggered backward, his face a mask of terror desperately trying to appear calm. "Aunt Martha, what are you talking about? How could Mia actually be dead? She must be faking it! How can you all be helping her lie to me?! Is it because she's pregnant? Are you all helping her trick me for the sake of the baby?!" I curled myself into a tight ball on the muddy ground, letting the icy rain smash against my face, washing away the tears rolling down my cheeks. So, Arthur actually knew I was pregnant. "You're all lying to me! I want to see Mia! Mia! MIA!" Arthur screamed, trying to force his way into the mourning tent. But the next second, he was forced back out. The heavy, black casket, carried by eight strong men, slowly emerged from the doorway. Chapter 2 4 "Didn't you say you wanted to see Mia? Here she is." Aunt Martha wiped the freezing rain from her face, pointing a trembling finger at the heavy wooden casket. Her voice was thick with biting sarcasm. Arthur stumbled toward the coffin. His legs completely gave out, and he collapsed onto the muddy ground. "Who exactly is this pathetic performance for? Your wife begged you to come back, and you said she was lying. I begged you to come back, and you said I was lying. Your own mother got on her knees and begged you to come back, and you still said she was lying! Did you really believe we were all lying to you? Or is it just that your sister's life was completely worthless compared to having dinner with another woman?!" "No! That's not true! Mia is my sister! I practically raised her! I loved her like she was my own daughter!" Mia and I never had a good relationship. Although she lost her father at a young age, my mother-in-law and Arthur treated her like absolute royalty. She grew up incredibly spoiled, arrogant, and entitled. Added to the fact that Arthur openly treated me with dismissive neglect, she never showed me an ounce of respect. Every time she saw me, she ordered me around with a condescending, arrogant tone. In the past, I was constantly forced to compete with her for a place in Arthur's heart. She won every single time. Arthur defended her unconditionally, without logic or reason. Now, she had finally been forced into a competition of her own. But one single loss cost her her life. I guess this is what they call karma. Smack! Arthur's cowardly denial completely enraged Aunt Martha. She slapped him so hard his head snapped to the side. Enduring the heavy, cramping pain in my lower abdomen, I felt nothing but a sharp thrill of satisfaction. If my body wasn't so weak right now, I would have loved to beat him senseless myself. Someone helped me up from the mud. I clutched Mia's black-and-white portrait and stood to the side, keeping my head down as I carefully wiped the mud from the glass. I ignored the warm blood slowly dripping down my legs, soaking my dress. My poor baby... Mommy is so sorry. Go find a mom and dad who will actually be excited for you to be born. The moment I finished wiping the portrait clean, Arthur violently shoved me again. He directed all his suffocating guilt and rage entirely onto me. "It was you! You killed my sister! She was perfectly fine at home, how could she suddenly fall?! It's all your fault! You cursed, unlucky bitch! Give me my sister back!!!" I crashed back into the mud. The portrait shattered in a puddle, and the blood pooling at my feet grew thicker. But neither Aunt Martha nor Arthur seemed to notice. "Luna, I always knew you were jealous of Mia! You were jealous of how much I spoiled her! But she's my biological sister! How could you murder her?! You killer! I'm going to beat you to death!" Arthur's face was terrifyingly contorted. He looked like a rabid, feral beast, completely stripped of any human decency. He was actually acting even more unhinged than he did in my past life. But it made sense. In my past life, they had a plausible reason to blame Mia's death on me. I was the only one waiting outside the OR, and no one else heard the phone call I made to him. He could spin the narrative however he wanted. But in this life, my mother-in-law, Aunt Martha, and Mia's in-laws all knew exactly what he did. He had absolutely no way to shift the blame. His current outburst was just pure, humiliated rage. His lies couldn't even convince himself anymore, so naturally, he lost control. I swallowed the retort on the tip of my tongue, covered my head, and curled up defensively. Today was the day of Mia's burial. Even if the Sterling family didn't care about the timing, the David's family wouldn't allow Arthur to delay the auspicious hour. Sure enough, as soon as the casket was loaded into the hearse, David emerged from the mourning tent, supporting his grieving parents. "Arthur, get the hell out of here! Don't you dare pollute my wife's path to the afterlife!"
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