I was five months pregnant when Derek’s "one that got away" showed up at our house to provoke me—and started a fire. This time, I didn't call Derek. Instead, I grabbed a wet towel, covered my nose and mouth, and silently waited for rescue. In my past life, I had called him the second the fire started, begging him to take me to the ER. The baby was saved, but Elise died in the fire that day. He told me he didn't blame me. He told me to rest and focus on the birth. He even took leave from the fire department to care for me. But on the day I gave birth, he took a knife and slit my newborn’s throat right in front of me. Then, he burned me and the baby alive. In my final moments, through the roaring flames, I saw his face—twisted, hateful, demonic. "If you hadn't set that fire, Elise wouldn't be dead! Did you think playing the victim would fool me? Keep dreaming! You’re going to pay for her life with yours!" "You like fire so much? Then I'll let you experience exactly what Elise felt!" When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the inferno. 1 Thick, black smoke poured into my nostrils, choking me into a violent coughing fit. The searing pain in my throat snapped me out of the memories of my past life. I grabbed my phone immediately. But this time, I didn't dial my husband, the esteemed Fire Captain. I dialed 911. When the trucks arrived, I spotted Derek’s familiar silhouette through the haze. I watched him carry Elise out of the burning house. Only then did I dare to cry out for help to the other firefighters. But they thought I was faking it. They looked at me with cold indifference, lecturing me for being dramatic. A heavy wall decoration crashed down, slamming directly onto my pregnant belly. I vomited a mouthful of blood instantly, but they acted like they didn't see it. Gritting my teeth against the agony, I used every ounce of strength to crawl out of the fire. Outside, all the cooling equipment and oxygen masks were being used on Elise. Derek didn't even spare me a glance. He was too busy cursing me, saying I brought this on myself. Cold sweat drenched my body. Blood filled my mouth. I could feel the life inside me slipping away, fading fast. In my last life, we both called him. He chose to save me first because of the baby. When he tried to go back for her, the structure had collapsed. Elise was gone, burned to ash. He played the grieving friend perfectly. He told me not to blame myself. But the day our son was born, he dragged me and the baby to Elise’s grave. He cut my son’s throat. Blood splattered across his face, making his eyes look even more demonic. "Natalie, do you know what it feels like to burn to death? I’m going to make you pay back the pain Elise felt, ten times over!" I died in agony. Now, reborn, I just wanted to escape. But he wouldn't let me go. He wouldn't even spare a single oxygen mask. Through my peripheral vision, I saw blood pooling beneath me. My voice was a raspy croak as I begged. "Save the baby... please..." The firefighter nearest to me finally glanced down. His eyes held nothing but contempt and mockery. He nudged me with his boot. "Give it a rest, Natalie. Everyone at the station knows you’re jealous of Elise. I can't believe you'd start a fire while pregnant just to get attention. Cap’s already saving her. No one’s buying your act." "Honestly, I gotta hand it to you. You're committed to the bit. Too bad the Captain only has eyes for Elise. You better pray she’s okay, or he’s gonna divorce you on the spot." I knew Derek didn't love me. But I didn't realize his entire crew saw me as a monster. Violent contractions tore through my abdomen, silencing my voice. My skin felt like it was peeling off in the heat. The crew was busy battling the blaze. No one checked on me. As my consciousness faded, I heard a gasp. "Whoa! Why is there so much blood? Crap, is she actually hurt?" "What could happen? She just wants the Captain to come over. She’s been making a scene for twenty minutes. Fine, go get him." But I didn't get Derek’s concern. I got his rage. A gloved hand slapped me hard across the face. Twice. "Natalie! Wake up! Stop pretending! I’m here, are you happy?" "Did you lose your mind? You set a fire and burned yourself just to frame her? You really shot yourself in the foot this time." Even now, he thought I was the arsonist. He thought I was acting out of jealousy. I wanted to explain, but my throat was parched, my voice gone. My stomach was screaming in pain. I reached out, grabbing his sleeve, desperate for him to understand I needed a hospital. He hesitated for two seconds. Then, he pressed his hand down hard on my belly. "Nice acting. If Elise hadn't told me you started the fire and hid, I might have actually believed you." He turned and walked away without looking back. A second later, a rookie firefighter screamed. "Captain! Blood! She's bleeding out!" "Is she having a miscarriage?!" "Leave her," Derek’s voice drifted back, cold as ice. "Elise said it's probably chicken blood. She’s five months along; babies don't drop that easily. Let her act." The pain spiked, and then the world went black. 2 In the darkness, I dreamt of when I first met Derek. He was giving a safety seminar at my university. Cool, professional, incredibly capable. He captured half the girls' hearts in the auditorium. Mine included. I fell in love at first sight and started looking for ways to get close to him. I was just an intern lecturer then. He didn't even notice me. I worked harder, trying to be someone worthy of him. When I got a permanent position, I invited him to dinner as a thank you. I noticed his gaze soften. I seized the chance. I pursued him relentlessly. Flowers, basketball tickets, homemade lunches, coffee runs. Finally, I got what I wanted. He agreed to be my boyfriend. I thought it was the start of my happily ever after. I didn't know it was the prologue to a horror story. After we started dating, he grew colder. Every date was canceled—work, emergencies, training. I never doubted him. Not until our wedding day. An anonymous email from overseas shattered my world. It was a diary from Elise. She chronicled their ten-year romance in excruciating detail. Every moment I spent waiting for him, he was spending with her. I was pathetic. I didn't even have the courage to confront him. I was terrified he would leave. In my past life, when Elise died, his calm demeanor made me think I had "won." He bought out entire baby stores for our child. The sudden influx of "love" blinded me. I stopped thinking. It wasn't until he murdered our son that I understood. He wasn't loving me. He was fattening up the sacrifice. His only love, from beginning to end, was Elise. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. Derek wasn't there. A stranger was sitting by the window. "You're awake? I'm your downstairs neighbor. I went up to check the fire and saw you lying there alone, so I brought you in. Are you okay?" I tried to move my limbs. My hands went to my stomach instinctively. It was flat. Empty. "I'm so sorry," the neighbor said gently. "The doctors... they couldn't save the baby." I forced a bitter smile. "It's not your fault. I know." "Thank you for saving me." A stranger could see I was dying, but my husband of five years couldn't be bothered to look. The neighbor looked angry. "What is wrong with those firefighters? Leaving a person lying there like that? If I hadn't gone up, you’d be dead! Where is your family? Where is the husband?" "Do you have his number? I'll call him. You shouldn't be alone." "I already filed a complaint against that fire station. Those people are a cancer to society!" I nodded weakly. My voice was a whisper. "The father is dead." The neighbor looked horrified, then sympathetic. He offered to stay until I was discharged, but I refused. I transferred him the money for the hospital bills and sent him home. He left, but the storm online was just beginning. "Fire Captain's Wife Injured in Blaze" was trending. The neighbor had posted a photo of me lying unconscious in the dirt while the firefighters ignored me. The internet was furious. People were questioning if the fire department only cared about putting out fires and not saving people. They were calling them the "Fire Extinguisher Team" instead of a Rescue Squad. I scrolled through the comments, feeling a grim satisfaction. But this wasn't enough punishment for Derek. I opened my messages to send him a divorce request. But Elise beat me to it. She sent a photo. She was in the same hospital, one floor down. In the picture, Derek was feeding her porridge, blowing on the spoon carefully so she wouldn't get burned. I had seen photos like this a thousand times. They couldn't hurt me anymore. I closed the chat and called Derek. It took five tries before he answered. His voice dripped with impatience. "You have the nerve to call? What? Want to ask if Elise is dead yet? Sorry to disappoint you, I saved her! She's alive and well, right here in the hospital!" "Natalie, I didn't think you were this vicious. Do you know what you did? That’s attempted murder! Are you insane?" "I’m giving you one hour. Get your ass down to her room and apologize! Or we’re getting a divorce!" Before I could speak, Elise’s voice came through the phone, weak and sobbing. "Derek, don't blame Natalie. It's my fault. If she says I set the fire, just agree with her. Don't argue. Pregnant women shouldn't get upset." Derek sighed, his voice softening. "You're too kind, Elise. That's why she walks all over you. We knew each other first. Who does she think she is?" "Don't worry. I'm going to teach her a lesson she won't forget." While they played out their soap opera, I spoke calmly. "Okay. Let's divorce. I agree. I'll send the agreement over. Sign it." Derek paused, clearly stunned that I beat him to the punch. Before he could explode, I hung up. I didn't block him immediately. The barrage of texts came flooding in. "Where are you? Are you crazy? I let it slide because you're pregnant, and now you're pushing it?" "You think because you're carrying my kid I won't leave you? Watch me. You'll be kneeling begging me to sign the birth certificate!" "And the news online—take it down immediately! Don't make me expose your true face to the public!" I deleted the texts and blocked the number. Even after living through a literal murder, the betrayal still stung. Just for a second. Nurses came in to change my dressings. They didn't notice I was awake and chatted freely. "That guy downstairs is so handsome. I've never seen a couple so perfect. I heard they're childhood sweethearts." "You're behind on the news. Mr. Du rented out a whole station in the cafeteria just so he could cook fresh porridge for his wife every day." "I tried to change her IV earlier and he wouldn't let me touch her. Said he had to do it himself. True love is real, guys." I stared at the needle mark on my hand. My skin was peeling from the burns. It itched and burned. When they left, I gasped for air, trying to fill my empty lungs. That night, the doctor told me my uterus had been severely damaged by the impact. I would likely never conceive again. My first reaction was relief. Good. No child would ever have to suffer being mine and his. Once the room was empty, I checked social media. The backlash against the fire department had forced Derek's superiors to issue a statement. But their statement claimed the fire was a domestic dispute caused by me. They claimed I set the fire out of jealousy and staged the injury scene. They painted Derek as a hero who was being slandered by a crazy wife. In the video, the Chief asked netizens to move on. But every word pinned the blame on me. To add credibility, Derek registered a verified account and posted our marriage certificate. That was the nail in my coffin. The tide turned instantly. The insults shifted from the fire department to me. My accounts were flooded with hate speech and eventually banned. My explanation posts were drowned out by the mob. In the hospital, even the nurses started looking at me with hostility. If not for professional ethics, they probably would have thrown me out. I received threatening packages daily. Dead rats, razor blades. I never defended myself again. On the day I was discharged, I sent Derek a text using a new number. "Meet me at City Hall tomorrow. Let's finalize it." He called back instantly. "Finally coming out of your hole? I warned you. You refused to take down the posts, so don't blame me for being heartless." "If Elise hadn't begged me to spare you, you'd be in jail right now! Fine, let's divorce. When that kid grows up without a father, don't come crying to me! You made him a bastard!" He hung up before I could speak. I opened the cloud app on my phone and downloaded the security footage from our living room on the day of the fire. The footage clearly showed Elise pouring the gasoline. 3 The next morning, I went straight to City Hall. But Derek didn't show up. Elise did. "I told you, you can't beat me. Your husband is just my dog," she sneered. She looked at my stomach and feigned shock. "Oh my god, the bastard is gone? What a shame. Killed by his dad in the last life, killed by his dad in this life. Having you as a mom is a death sentence." She remembered. She was reborn too. I didn't think. I slapped her across the face. I was weak from the miscarriage, so it wasn't hard, but she threw herself to the ground like she'd been shot. "Elise!" Derek sprinted from the parking lot, slamming into me with his shoulder. I tumbled down the concrete steps, scraping my face raw on the pavement. Derek cradled Elise, then whipped his head around to look at my stomach. Seeing it flat, his face went ghost white. "Where's the baby?" I climbed up, my movements stiff and painful. I covered my stomach with my bag and looked at him with pure disdain. "The baby? Since when does the great Captain Du care about a 'bastard'?" "Don't worry. Your fake concern isn't needed. The baby is gone. Died the day of the fire." "Oh, and congratulations. The lovers are finally reunited. I hope you enjoy your time together before one of you ends up in prison." Derek’s face twisted in rage. "Natalie, do you have to be so toxic? I'm a firefighter. Saving lives is my job. You set the fire! I didn't press charges, I saved Elise for you, and you blame me?" "Are you wearing a girdle? Is that it?" "I'm telling you, I am that child's father! You can't change that! If you're hiding the baby, I will sue you for custody!" I almost laughed. Five years of marriage, and this is what he thought of me. He helped Elise up and started walking toward me, reaching for my shirt. Elise let out a perfectly timed yelp of pain. Derek spun around. "Are you okay? Where does it hurt? We need to go to the hospital." "I'm fine," she sobbed. "Don't be mad at Natalie. It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone to your house. I knew she hated me. It's all my fault." Derek's eyes turned red with pity. The display was nauseating. "Are you done?" I interrupted coldly. "If you're done, let's go inside and sign the papers." "I'm making room for you two. You should be thanking me." Derek snapped. "Natalie! Do you have a heart of stone? Look at what you did to her!" "Apologize to her! Now!" I looked at Elise's smug face peeking over his shoulder. "You're the blind one," I said. "You pushed me down the stairs just now. Did you apologize? What right do you have to call yourself a father? You ignored me in the fire." "You spent five months of my pregnancy playing house with another woman." He bristled. "That's because you set the fire! You tried to burn Elise to death!" "I thought a week of silence might make you reflect on your actions, but clearly, you're beyond saving!" "You are selfish and vicious. You don't deserve to be a mother!" "If the child is born, I'm taking him. If you treat Elise well, maybe I'll let you visit. Otherwise, you'll never see him again!" He was shouting so loud that passersby were stopping. Some recognized him as the "hero captain" from social media. Elise made sure to identify me. "Sister, I know you hate me, but think of the baby. You set the fire while pregnant... I can forgive you, but please stop being so angry." The crowd turned on me instantly. "That's the toxic woman from the news? The one who framed her husband?" "She treats human life like a joke. Verbal abuse is too good for her." "Poor kid. Having a mom like that... better off not being born." Derek stood tall, righteous, refusing to defend me. "Did you hear me? Apologize to Elise!" "Sure," I said. "When she kneels at my child's grave and apologizes to him first." "Unreasonable! Hopeless!" "I was blind to marry you! Fine! Divorce! Right now!" Elise smiled. I brushed the dirt off my clothes. Smile while you can. You'll be crying in prison soon enough. During the process, the clerk recognized us. She looked at Derek with sympathy, as if divorcing me was his liberation. I let them take photos. I let them post them online. When we walked out, Derek didn't look at me. He put his arm around Elise and drove off. He didn't even ask about the baby again. He didn't ask, so I didn't explain. I rented a small apartment since my house was a ruin. Then I went straight to the police station. On the way, Elise texted me. A photo of them at a real estate office, buying a new house. "You couldn't beat me in the last life, and you can't beat me in this one. Accept your fate. Your bastard was never meant to be born." I saved the text. Along with the surveillance video of her starting the fire. I handed everything to the police. At first, the officers were cold, recognizing me from the internet. But after watching the video, their faces turned to shock and pity. "You had this evidence... why didn't you turn it in earlier?" I shook my head. "It wasn't time. If I released this earlier, he wouldn't have divorced me." I wanted her to fly as high as possible before I cut the string. The police told me to go home and wait. They would investigate immediately. 4 I had been a housewife for years. I had no income. I needed a job to sue Elise. I sent out resumes. But the cyberbullying was effective. No one would interview me. HR departments saw my name and deleted the application. I called them. They hung up. My number was blacklisted in my industry. I didn't get angry. I knew the tide would turn. I lowered my sights. I went to the mall and applied for retail jobs. Finally, a jewelry store hired me. Meanwhile, the photo from City Hall went viral. Everyone celebrated the "hero" dumping the "psycho." Strangers posted photos of Derek and Elise on dates. The comments were full of blessings. Someone even leaked that Derek said they were getting married soon. The city's biggest hotel announced they were hosting Derek’s wedding banquet. He had claimed Elise was "just a sister." Clean and innocent. Now, days after our divorce, he was marrying her. The love I once had was long gone. But this... this gave me a stage. I imagined the police arresting the bride and groom at the altar. It would be quite a show. A day later, I was working at the jewelry counter. They walked in. Elise didn't look surprised to see me. She had probably tracked me down. "Honey, does this look good on me?" "Everything looks good on you, Elise. If you like it, we buy it. I make money to spend it on you." I was wearing a mask to hide my scars, but Derek recognized me instantly. I turned to leave, but Elise called out. "Salesgirl? Get me this ring." The other staff members were busy. I was the only one free. I cursed internally and took the ring out. Derek saw my flat stomach. His brow furrowed. "Natalie, why are you wearing a girdle? Don't you know it's bad for the baby?" I placed the ring on the counter and didn't look at him. "Sir, I don't know you. Stop harassing me or I'll call the police." He grabbed my wrist, trying to lift my shirt. I dodged. He was furious. "Do you know what you're doing? You're five months pregnant! Who told you to work?" "Are you sick? Who said I'm pregnant?" "Buying or not? If not, leave." He ignored me and grabbed my collar. "Natalie, even if we're divorced, I'm the father! I have rights!" Customers were staring. He yanked my shirt up regardless. Seeing my flat, scarred belly, no girdle in sight, Derek froze. "Where's the baby?" "I'm asking you one last time! Where is the baby?" He roared, shaking me. Even Elise trying to pull him back didn't work. I pried his fingers off one by one. "I told you. The baby is gone. Died the day of the fire." "When you were saving Elise, your child died! Died!" He looked like he'd been struck by lightning. "Impossible... You were fine. You set the fire yourself. How could you burn your own child to death?" "You're joking, right? Say it! Say it's a joke!" Elise hid her smirk and held his arm. She looked at me with fake concern. "Sister, the child isn't just yours. How could you abort it without telling Derek?" "That's so cruel. I told you I didn't blame you for the fire. Why take it out on the baby?" "It's a human life! Not a toy for your tantrums!" Derek snapped. He lunged and choked me. "You aborted him behind my back?" I couldn't breathe. My coworkers finally rushed over and pulled him off. I coughed violently, clutching my stomach. But I felt a thrill of revenge. "Aborted? Derek, remember this. You killed that child in the fire!" "You trust that woman? Keep trusting her. My dead son is watching you from heaven. Watching his father marry his murderer!" Derek was stunned into silence. Elise stepped forward, whispering so only I could hear. "You took everything from me. You deserved it. That bastard child deserved to die." I gathered all my strength and slapped her. My nails cut her cheek. Blood welled up. She instantly wailed like a victim. Derek snapped out of his trance and charged at me. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head onto the glass counter. "You bitch! You psycho! How dare you kill my child?" "I'll make you pay with your life!" The glass cracked. Shards dug into my forehead. I felt no pain. Just numbness. Humans are strange. In the last life, he killed our child for her. In this life, he wanted to kill me to avenge the child. Truly, you only want what you can't have. Security arrived and dragged him off. They left. And I lost my job. The manager fired me for fighting with customers. I didn't argue. I went to the hospital. I called the police on the way. The evidence was solid. We confirmed the arrest time. The wedding day. While getting stitched up, the doctor saw my medical history of the recent miscarriage. He sighed. "Young people need to take care of themselves. You keep this up, your body will collapse." I smiled bitterly. Once the garbage is in prison, I'll have time to heal. While paying the bill, Derek texted me from Elise’s phone. Hundreds of messages. Asking why I aborted the baby. Asking how I could be so selfish. He still believed I did it myself. And that his precious Elise was innocent. I didn't reply. I went back to the mall and got the security footage of him assaulting me. I sent it to the police.
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