I was reborn the rainy night my father brought his pregnant mistress home to humiliate my mother. Just as he announced, "She carries the Gray heir. She must have a title," a tremor shook my mother’s womb. Panicked, I clung to the umbilical cord, screaming in my mind: Don’t tell him you’re pregnant too! He’s taking her side—this isn’t about the baby! Mom, feeling the stir, initially raised her hand to tear up the check he offered. I wailed inwardly. Last life, you stayed and fought that mistress, and Justin framed you. You died in prison! This time, take the money. Let’s live well! A realization flashed through her. You’re right. Why waste tears on a man who can’t stay faithful? The next moment, she snatched the check—and tore it to pieces. But now, she met Justin’s gaze squarely. “Fine, we’ll divorce. But you’re at fault. We split everything by the book.” She patted her belly, calming my kicks. “Don’t worry, little one. Thirty million is an insult. Mommy will make him pay—dearly.” ... Justin stared at my mother’s face and sneered. “I earned every penny of this money. You think you can just walk away with half after a divorce? Dream on!” But if it hadn’t been for my mom’s savings that funded his startup, Justin Gray would be nothing today. My mom didn’t back down. “You cheated. I’m legally and morally entitled to half.” Before she could finish, the mistress, Lily, walked in. “I see what you’re doing. You’re just making a scene because you don’t want to divorce Justin.” “Face it, sister. You’re just a washed-up hag who can’t even lay an egg. Justin’s fortune belongs to me and my child.” Justin shot my mom a look of pure scorn. “She’s right. You should be on your knees thanking me for thirty million.” I could feel my mom’s explosive temper about to detonate. I quickly tugged on the umbilical cord and yelled in her mind: Stay calm, Mom! The baby in Lily’s belly isn’t even Justin’s! She’s just trying to bait you into hitting her so she can fall and frame you! If you slap her now, you’ll walk right into her trap! Realization dawned on my mother’s face. She immediately backed away a good ten feet, treating Lily like the plague. Lily froze, a flash of hatred in her eyes. “Sister, why are you standing so far away?” As she started to walk over, my mom turned and strode away. “If you won’t agree to split the assets, we’ll see each other in court. I’m not signing anything until I get what I’m owed.” Lily’s plan to stage a miscarriage was foiled. She swayed, looking faint. Justin, thinking she was worried about her status, rushed to her side. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the divorce goes through.” But a court battle takes time. My mother sold some of her jewelry and found a quiet place to stay. She gently stroked her swelling belly, her expression full of wonder. “Are you really my baby?” One hundred percent, Mom! To prove it, I added, Mom, you like to pee standing up in the shower. Her face flushed a deep crimson. “Okay, stop. I believe you.” Her phone chimed. It was a reminder from the OB-GYN for her scheduled abortion. She swiped it away without a second thought, then asked me, puzzled, “Then how were you reborn? I would never have gone through with it!” You didn’t, Mom, I continued. In your last life, you couldn’t bear to lose me, so you refused the divorce. But that just gave Justin the perfect opportunity to frame you! The Gray Group is about to face a massive crisis. Justin will accuse you of stealing corporate secrets and running off with the money. He’ll send you to prison, and… and the baby won’t make it due to malnutrition. My mother’s eyes turned red, and she gritted her teeth. “Then I need to divorce him, fast. I can’t be Mrs. Gray a second longer.” “Don’t worry, baby. Mom’s done being blinded by love. I’m going to be smart, get us the best deal possible, and we’ll spend the rest of our lives having fun!” Just then, her phone rang. It was my grandmother. “I assume you know about Lily’s pregnancy. Come back to the family estate. It’s time to settle this.” In my past life, my grandmother had always maintained a benevolent facade and was kind to my mom. Her later favoritism toward Lily became a thorn in my mother’s side, driving her to fight for an explanation. I felt my mom’s body tremble. I immediately cranked up the volume in her head: Go! You have to go! Grandma cares more about the family line than money. This is our golden opportunity to threaten her and walk away rich! And more importantly, once Lily has that baby, Grandma will show her true colors! Heh heh heh! I let out a wicked little laugh. My mom paused, her eyes lighting up. “Oh? You seem to know quite a lot, baby.” You bet I do! This time, we’re all about the money! I held on tight to my umbilical cord as my mom hailed a cab and sped to the Gray estate. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by the sound of Lily’s soft sobs. “Justin and I are truly in love. That’s how this baby came to be.” “But his wife won’t let him go. This child will be born without a name, a bastard. Imagine how people will mock him!” I felt my mom’s sadness through the cord as Grandma shot her a reproachful look. True to her fiery nature, my mom was about to retort, but I stopped her. Let her spin her lies to Grandma, Mom! Don’t be fooled. Grandma may be protecting her now, but she only cares about her son and her grandson. In the last life, when you were pregnant with me in prison, Grandma even paid for people to protect you. But after I was lost to malnutrition, she immediately had you bullied to death. That old hag is a traditional nouveau-riche snob, rotten to the core! My mom looked closer and saw it. Grandma’s gaze was fixed on Lily’s stomach, but when her eyes met Lily’s, it was like she was looking at a breeding tool, devoid of any warmth. My mom got it. She strode forward, her purpose clear. “Justin told me everything. I agree to the divorce.” Grandma was stunned. The entire speech she had prepared was stuck in her throat. Lily’s eyes welled with tears. “You’re just putting on a show. You still refuse to sign the papers.” “Good thing Justin comforted me yesterday. He set off fireworks by the river and proposed to me.” “You should just step aside, sister. A marriage without a man’s heart is just an empty title.” As she spoke, Lily casually flashed a diamond ring the size of a pigeon’s egg. Justin arrived just in time to sweep Lily into his arms, shooting my mom a disgusted look. “I’d rather buy Lily a thousand more rings and transfer all my money to her and our child than give you another cent!” But when Justin was so broke he was living on instant noodles, my mom had married him for a ring made from a soda can tab. As expected, my mom’s blood started to boil. I quickly cooled her down. Don’t worry, Mom! That baby in her belly isn’t even his! When that kid is born, you can sit back and watch him wear the green hat! The old hag put on her fake-benevolent face. “Stella, thirty million is enough for you to live on. A smart woman knows when to quit. Don’t be so greedy you end up with nothing.” I kept encouraging my mom. Just you wait, Mom. When the old hag finds out the truth about that baby, it’s going to be one hell of a show. My little pep talk cleared my mom’s head completely. She smiled. She looked at the old hag. “My demand is simple, Mother. We follow the legal process for asset division.” “And if you try to claim Justin isn’t at fault, well, videos of his grand proposal are all over the internet. And last I checked, Justin and I are still married.” With that, my mom held up her phone, playing a video. That scumbag was only offering my mom thirty million, but he had spent twenty million on fireworks alone for the proposal. The whole thing was broadcast on the giant screen in the city’s central plaza, which cost millions per minute. On my urging, my mom had recorded the whole thing as evidence for the divorce. It was already coming in handy. My mom wiped a fake tear from her eye. “Oh, dear. I seem to recall that bigamy is illegal in this country. I believe it’s called infidelity during marriage? Grounds for being left with nothing, I think.” “But out of respect for our years together, I’m only asking for half. That’s reasonable, isn’t it?” Justin and Lily’s faces turned livid. My mom and I shared a wicked, telepathic grin. You think that’s bad? We were just getting started. My mom kept a safe distance from Lily and pointed at the ring on her finger. “Actually, according to marital law, I paid for half of that ring, too. If I end up destitute, I might just have to come and… take it off your finger.” Lily turned pale, swaying as she bit her lip. “Justin, this woman is insane.”
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