1 When I woke, finding myself a widow once more, back in the gritty heart of the 1970s, I didn't hesitate. This time, when my brother-in-law, Arthur, proposed stepping into my late husband's shoes and caring for us both, I accepted. In my previous life, my husband, Liam, had slipped and fallen into the reservoir, drowning, leaving me and our child to face the world alone. Arthur, out of genuine concern for my struggles, had made the same offer then. But no matter how kind Arthur was, he would forever be a stepfather to my son. I’d rejected his generosity, choosing instead to raise my child single-handedly, enduring untold hardships. Eighteen years later, through my tireless efforts, my son, Daniel, had earned a coveted spot at a prestigious National University. Yet, on the very day of his acceptance celebration, my long-“deceased” husband, Liam, appeared before me, arm-in-arm with his childhood sweetheart, Mia. “Daniel is my son, with Mia,” Liam had declared, his voice chillingly calm. “Now that he’s a university student, it’s time for him to come home, to be reunited with his real family.” He’d then turned to me, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “Thank you for your arduous eighteen years. Now, you can just disappear!” Only then did the horrifying truth dawn on me: I had, all this time, been raising their child. For nothing. My eyes snapped open. I was back. Back to the day Arthur made his proposal. 2 Accepting Arthur's offer to step into Liam's role finally brought a strange sense of relief, a definitive confirmation that I had, indeed, been reborn. My gaze swept across the funeral white sheets still draped in the courtyard, the solemn memorial shrine dedicated to Liam standing in the center of the living room. A tidal wave of hatred threatened to overwhelm me, a visceral urge to smash the entire setup, to shatter the very pretense of grief. But I forced myself to hold back. Everyone believed Liam had died a hero’s death for me, a sacrificial act. To desecrate his memorial now would only invite vicious slander, a public shaming that would brand me an ungrateful monster. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Hayes, already seethed with resentment for me, a bitterness born from Liam's death. If not for the child I still had to raise, she probably would have drowned me herself, sending me to join her "good son." In my previous life, Liam had gone to the reservoir late at night, hoping to catch fish to help my milk come in for our newborn. He’d slipped, falling into the depths. His body was never recovered, only a few of his belongings found by a park ranger on the shore. I’d been consumed by grief, convinced I was responsible for his death. That guilt had driven me to refuse Arthur's proposal, insisting on raising young Leo alone. Fortunately, Leo had been a smart, driven boy. Through my endless sacrifices, he’d gained admission to a prestigious National University. Just as I was beginning to feel a glimmer of satisfaction, believing I could finally face my "deceased husband" with honor, Liam, the man whose grave I was sure was overgrown with weeds, appeared. Eighteen years after his supposed death, he stood there, alive, well, and wearing a crisp suit, a perfectly groomed woman by his side. My eyes immediately recognized her: Mia, Liam's childhood sweetheart, the very woman who had taken my spot to return to the city. "Wife, Leo is my son, with Mia. Now that he’s a university student, it’s time for him to come home, to be reunited with his real family." "Thank you for your arduous eighteen years of childcare," he’d sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. "Now, you can just disappear!" It was then I learned the monstrous truth: Liam had swapped our children on the very day I gave birth. My own flesh and blood, my true son, had been abandoned in the wilderness, left to the mercy of predators, a tragic, innocent victim. The child I had nurtured with my own blood and tears was another man’s progeny! Years of backbreaking rural labor had already taken their toll on my body, leaving me frail and worn. Learning this unimaginable betrayal, this soul-crushing lie, I was consumed by a furious grief that stole my very breath. I literally died from the shock and rage. But now, I was reborn. And I would never again be a stepping stone for someone else's twisted agenda! 3 Eighteen years. The span of time was more fleeting than I'd imagined. Yet, throughout those long years, a stubborn anger had simmered within me. For that anger, that deep-seated resentment, I had worked harder to raise my son than I ever did in my previous life. The villagers secretly scoffed at me, whispering about my foolishness. They said no prodigy could emerge from our secluded hollow, urged me to abandon my daydreams and send my child to work in a factory. But I refused to believe them. If I could get Leo into a National University in my last life, with the added advantage of foreknowledge, how could I not do even better this time? Heaven truly rewards the diligent. Bolstered by the memories of two lifetimes, this time, my son not only earned a spot at a National University but achieved the highest score on the national academic exam, outscoring the second-place candidate by a full twenty points! Journalists flocked from every corner of the country, eager to interview the rural woman who had somehow nurtured a national academic champion in our humble, backwoods village. Even the Governor of the state, upon hearing the news, announced plans to publicly honor my son—he was not only the first student from our state to enter the National University but also the state's first-ever national academic champion. I immediately decided to host the acceptance celebration at the finest banquet hall in the city, making sure the news of my son's achievement was widely publicized. When the villagers heard, their usual taunts of me being "a woman who had taken on two husbands" vanished, replaced by fervent chatter: "Grace Chen, she’s truly an educated woman from the city! To raise a national academic champion like that…" "If Liam knew his son got into the National University, he could finally rest in peace." I watched their fickle faces with a cold, detached amusement. How ridiculous. On the day of the celebration, I rose early. My mother-in-law, Mrs. Hayes, flushed with pride from the crowd’s fawning praise, sat beaming at the head table. Next to her, to my disbelief, sat Mia’s mother, Mrs. Miller. Before I could even open my mouth to question why they were at the head of my celebration, Mrs. Miller spoke, her voice sharp with disdain. "Grace Chen, how are you hosting guests? Can't you see our glasses are empty?" Her face was a mask of condescension, her eyes filled with contempt. My son, Daniel, started to stand to pour water, but Mrs. Miller pressed him back down, a fawning smile spreading across her face. "Oh, no, sweet grandchild, don't move! You're a university student now! You shouldn't be doing such things!" Then, she turned her angry gaze on me. "What are you gaping at? Get moving! Pour the water! How dare you make Daniel's hands—hands destined for greatness—do such menial work?" It was Mrs. Hayes, my mother-in-law, who, sensing the escalating tension, finally stood and poured water for everyone, which finally placated Mrs. Miller. She seemed to quiet down, but later, while Daniel was being interviewed, she deliberately snuck up beside him. As Daniel earnestly answered the reporter’s questions, she gave him a loud, smacking kiss that left a bright red mark on his cheek. Her action brought the entire hall to a stunned silence. Daniel looked mortified, furiously wiping at the mark. Then, she pulled Daniel behind her, brazenly presenting herself as his grandmother, rambling confidently to the reporters, much to my mother-in-law’s seething frustration. People from every corner of the county had come to the celebration today. Even the Governor's staff and various journalists were present. After rounds of greeting guests, I was utterly exhausted. The moment my backside touched the chair, I heard Mrs. Miller's cold scoff. "Grace, it's just hosting guests, isn't it? Do you really need to put on such an act?" When she saw Daniel begin to knead my shoulders, her eyes widened, and she practically leaped to her feet. "Grace Chen, how shameless can you be?! Don't you understand the concept of a grown son keeping a proper distance from his mother?! Daniel is destined for great things! How dare you let him massage your shoulders and back?!" "She's my mother! It's my filial duty to care for her, and it's certainly not your place, as an outsider, to dictate my actions!" Daniel’s voice, sharp and clear, cut through her tirade. At his words, Mrs. Miller’s face twisted into a pained expression, her eyes reddening. Seeing Daniel fussing over me, showing no concern for her, she could only discreetly spit at me under her breath, then fix her gaze, expectantly, on the main entrance. At the host’s invitation, I stepped onto the stage to give my speech. Just as I took the microphone, ready to speak, the grand doors of the hall swung open. A familiar voice instantly resonated through the room— "How could I, his father, miss my son's celebration for getting into the National University?" As the words hung in the air, a man and a woman, dressed in matching colors, walked in. My gaze met his, and I saw him: Liam Hayes, my husband, "dead" for eighteen years, standing there, alive, beside his childhood sweetheart, Mia. From the corner of my eye, I caught Mrs. Miller’s smug, triumphant expression. The moment everyone recognized them, the hall erupted in a cacophony of whispers and gasps. These were our neighbors; they all knew Liam had died eighteen years ago. My mother-in-law, seated at the table, gasped, her eyes instantly welling with tears. She was so overcome, she knocked over and shattered a glass. She slowly, cautiously, approached Liam, her trembling hand reaching out to caress his face. "Liam? Is it really you, my Liam?" Eighteen years apart from his mother. Liam’s eyes welled, tears streaming down his face. "Mom, it's me, Liam. Your unfilial son…" My mother-in-law, though initially overjoyed to see her son returned from the dead, quickly regained her composure. Liam had her sit down, then, with an arrogant swagger, led Mia by the hand directly to me. "Grace Chen, I never thought you had it in you, getting my son into the National University." His eyes glittered with a possessive pride. "But Daniel is my son, with Mia. We've been separated, a family of three, for so long. It's time for us to be reunited." Mia’s eyes also reddened, and she reached for Daniel’s hand. "Daniel, I'm your mother. Do you remember? I even visited you at school before." She then turned her head, a smug satisfaction in her gaze. "And thank you, Grace, for raising our Daniel so well!" Daniel looked at me, a desperate plea in his eyes, as if asking if any of this could possibly be true. Liam, meanwhile, lovingly wiped away Mia's tears. "There, there, it's a joyful day! No need to cry!" Then he turned to me, his gaze dripping with mockery. "Now that Mia and I are back, it's time for you to pack up and leave!" Everyone in the hall stared, their eyes wide, looking at Liam as if he were insane. Even Mrs. Hayes, who had been silent, suddenly jumped up and slapped Liam hard across the face. The resounding smack echoed through the room. Liam looked at his mother, the woman who had always doted on him, in utter disbelief. But Mrs. Hayes didn't waste time explaining. Her face etched with pleading, she grabbed my hand. "Grace, dear, don't mind Liam! He's just talking nonsense! Don't you dare listen to him!" "Mom! What are you saying?!" Liam shoved his mother away, then violently pushed me, sending me stumbling. Just as I was about to fall, a strong pair of arms encircled my waist, steadying me. Liam’s eyes widened in shock as he saw the man in a military uniform. "Arthur! What are you doing here—" The reporters in the room, seeing Arthur Hayes, swarmed him like bees to honey. Everyone knew Arthur. He had risen from a simple soldier to a decorated Regional Commander, earning immense honor. Arthur was notoriously elusive, rarely seen in public. An interview with him would be an exclusive, a goldmine. Arthur paid no mind to the clamoring reporters. His gaze, ice-cold, fixed solely on Liam. Liam met his brother’s frigid stare and felt a shiver run down his spine. He still couldn't quite accept that his little brother, who used to trail behind him, was now a high-ranking Commander. Come to think of it, he had only returned with Mia because Daniel had topped the national exams, and Arthur had become a Commander. Things were different now; their family wasn't impoverished anymore. With this thought, Liam put on a cordial smile and approached Arthur, patting his shoulder. "Arthur, to be honest, Daniel is my son with Mia. Back then, Mia and I were deeply in love, but Grace interfered. I had no choice but to switch Mia's baby with Grace's baby on the day they both gave birth." "Mia and I suffered immensely all these years living outside the village. But now Daniel has grown up and entered the National University, so I don't want to keep secrets anymore—" "Arthur, this Grace is a cunning, deceitful woman! Quickly, help me throw her out!" Liam finished, his face beaming with a triumphant smirk, fully expecting Arthur to expel me. But Arthur didn't move an inch. I met Liam’s smug gaze. "By what right do you order Arthur to throw me out? Who do you think you are?!" "Because I'm Daniel's biological father! And Arthur's older brother!" I suppressed a cold laugh. This fool still didn’t know the truth. He thought he'd cleverly swapped the babies when Mia and I gave birth simultaneously. But knowing that Daniel wasn't my biological child, how could I have possibly nurtured him all the way to a National University? No, it was my own blood, my real son. Still, it wasn't too late to reveal the truth now. I truly looked forward to seeing the expression on his face when he found out. With that thought, I opened my mouth. "Liam, Daniel is actually…"
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