On what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, my fiancé and I went to get our marriage license. But a strange man suddenly appeared, pointed at me, and shouted, “Honey, I finally found you!” Two children at his side burst into tears and rushed toward me, crying in unison, “Mommy! Mommy!” I had no idea who they were. But my fiancé, without a moment’s hesitation, turned on me, his words like venom. His accusations quickly turned to violence. The strange man, fueled by his own rage, joined in, striking me until I collapsed. Even as I drew my last breath, I couldn't understand. How could I have two children with a man I'd never met? And why had my fiancé, who had always loved me more than life itself, turned on me so suddenly? When I opened my eyes again, I was back. It was the day before we were supposed to get our license. 1 “Babe, I can’t wait for tomorrow! Once we get that license, you’ll officially be my wife. Get some sleep tonight, okay? Love you.” The sound of Richard’s voice confirmed it—I had been reborn. But before I could even respond, he’d already hung up. In my past life, Richard had always been a perfect gentleman. Before we were engaged, the most intimate he’d ever been was a soft kiss on the cheek. He’d treated me like a precious treasure, showering me with affection and care. But on the day we went to get our license, when that stranger accused me, he hadn't even listened to my explanation. He’d just started screaming, his fists flying. The terror of my own death had overshadowed the disappointment, but now, the most important thing was to cancel our appointment for tomorrow. I found my parents in the living room, cuddled together watching a movie. “Mom, Dad,” I began. They looked up, surprised. “Ella, honey, why are you still up?” “Did we wake you?” They exchanged a confused glance. I took a deep breath. “Mom, Dad, I’m not getting the license with Richard tomorrow. I’m not going to marry him.” “What?!” “What?! I won’t allow it!” My mom’s reaction was… odd. She had always been against my marriage to Richard. She thought he was irresponsible, immature, and broke. The only reason she’d consented was because I’d threatened to do something drastic. So why the sudden change of heart? Was it because she thought I was treating marriage like a joke? My dad put a comforting arm around her shoulder and turned to me. “Ella, did Richard do something to upset you? Why the sudden change of heart? You know all our friends and family know you’re getting married. The wedding is in two weeks. Everything’s been booked. You can’t just call it off.” “We’ve spoiled you, that’s the problem,” he continued, his voice hardening. “Letting you think marriage is some kind of game!” My voice was steady and firm. “Richard cheated on me. He slept with another woman.” In my past life, I’d waited at the courthouse for two hours before he finally showed up, looking like he’d just rolled out of bed, his clothes a mess, a hickey on his neck he hadn’t even bothered to hide. My mom just frowned, her tone dismissive. “You said he loves you. A man who loves you that much wouldn't do something like that. You must be mistaken.” I stared at her, a flicker of confusion in my eyes. The old Mom would have been dragging me to Richard’s place to confront him, to defend my honor. But now, she just gave me a cold, detached look, as if I were a stranger, not the daughter she had cherished her whole life. “Well, I’m not marrying him,” I said, my voice resolute. “And I’m not going to the courthouse tomorrow. You can deal with it.” My parents had handled all the wedding arrangements. Richard’s parents had passed away when he was young, and his older brother, who had raised him, had died recently. Now, his only living relative was his sister-in-law. “You can’t just not marry him!” my mother shrieked. “What about our reputation? What will people say?” Her words triggered a flash of memory from my past life. After the stranger had accused me, and everyone was pointing and whispering, my mother had screamed at me, “You’ve brought such shame on this family! How could you be so shameless?” At the time, I had been so focused on defending myself, on trying to explain things to Richard, that I had completely missed how strange my parents were acting. My dad, seeing the confusion in my eyes, quickly tried to placate my mother. I shot them a suspicious glance but said nothing. I just turned and went back to my room. A second chance at life. Nothing was more important than that. And this time, I wouldn't let that man destroy me. 2 I barely slept that night, the memories of my past life replaying in my mind like a horror film. I was in a daze when I heard my mother’s furious voice from outside my door. “Ella, you get up right now! So that’s why you suddenly didn't want to marry Richard! You’ve been cheating on him, having kids with some other man!” The door handle rattled. Oh no, I thought. I rushed to the window. A crowd of neighbors had gathered outside, their faces eager with gossip. My heart sank. We lived in a townhouse. My room was on the second floor. There was no way to escape without being seen. While I was desperately trying to think of a plan, my dad kicked open my bedroom door. His face was a thundercloud. “Get downstairs. Now.” My heart pounding, I followed him down. The living room was filled with a gawking crowd. And there, in the middle of it all, was the same man from my past life, with his two children. I thought if I just stayed home, I could avoid him. But he had found me. The two children saw me and rushed forward, clinging to my legs. “Mommy! Mommy!” I frowned, looking down at the two small faces that bore a striking resemblance to my own. No wonder my parents had believed him so easily. Looking at them, a part of me almost believed it too. “I always thought the Miller girl was a good kid,” someone whispered. “Who knew she was so… loose.” “No morals at all! Having kids with one man and then trying to trap another.” “That guy looks old enough to be her father.” “Who cares? Maybe she’s into that.” “In that case, maybe she’d consider me! I’ve never been with a woman, hahaha!” “Me too! Let’s see if I’m her type!” The air was thick with their malicious whispers. I seethed with anger, but my parents just sat on the sofa, their faces impassive, as if they couldn’t hear a thing. “I’m not your mother,” I said, pushing the children away. “Stop calling me that!” They stumbled and fell, their cries adding to the cacophony. The crowd, enjoying the drama, grew louder. “Hey, that’s no way to treat your kids!” the man said, his voice laced with indignation. “You carried them for nine months. You gave birth to them. You’re the one who begged me to have them, and then you just abandoned us.” One of the children looked about eight, the other four. Eight years ago, I was still in high school. It was impossible. Four years ago, I was swamped with grad school applications. I had no time to have a baby. My best friend could vouch for me. In my past life, when Richard was late, I’d asked my best friend, Sarah, to go find him. She’d missed the whole scene with the stranger and the kids. But last night, I had told her I was calling off the wedding. She’d been completely supportive. And when she found out why, she’d vowed to give Richard a piece of her mind today. I pulled out my phone, but the man snatched it from my hand and smashed it on the floor. “Bitch! I heard you were getting married today. Not on my watch!” The screen shattered. My anger flared. “Are you insane?! Look at me! I’m not the person you’re looking for!” He stared at me intently. “Don’t you have a red birthmark on your back? And a black mole on your ass? And another one on your lower back?” He was right. But I didn’t know him. I’d never even seen him before. “If you want to prove I’m wrong, just take off your clothes and show everyone!” Without another word, he lunged at me, tearing at my clothes. I fought back, but he was too strong. The back of my shirt ripped open, exposing the birthmark and the mole to the gawking crowd. A wave of shame washed over me. My face was pale, my lips trembling. “It’s a coincidence,” I stammered, tears streaming down my face. “It’s all a coincidence. I don’t know him…” I looked at my parents, my voice pleading. “Mom, Dad, make him leave…” But they were gone. Seeing that my parents were no longer there, the man grew bolder. He pushed me to the floor. “Let’s see if you’re my woman or not.” His hands were all over me, pulling at my pants. 3 I struggled, but he held me down, his weight pinning me to the floor. Disgust and helplessness threatened to consume me. “Tsk. Still got a good body after two kids. A natural-born whore, aren’t you? It’s been a while. How about you give me a good time right now?” “Get off me!” I screamed, my voice raw with desperation. “Get off! I’ll call the police!” A sharp sting across my cheek. Then another. He’d slapped me, hard. I could taste blood. “The police?” he sneered. “I’m your man. I can do whatever I want with you. I could sell you, and the police wouldn’t do a damn thing. Anyone want a taste? Ten bucks a pop.” “Me! Me!” someone shouted from the crowd. “Me too!” “She’s a hot piece of ass. I’ll pay fifty!” The humiliation was a burning fire in my chest. I wanted to die. But he held me fast. Was this it? Had I been reborn just to die again? “Ella! I waited for you at the courthouse for hours, and you’re here putting on a live show with another man! You fucking slut! You cheated on me!” Richard pushed through the crowd, his eyes filled with disgust as he looked down at me. “Richard, help me…” I pleaded, ignoring the hatred in his eyes. “Help you? You cheated on me, and you want me to help you? Am I a fool?!” He kicked me in the stomach. A sharp pain shot through me, and I cried out. The man loosened his grip. I tried to scramble away, but he grabbed my hair, yanking me back. He then turned to Richard, grabbing him by the collar. “So you’re the one she was marrying. Tsk, tsk, tsk. You’re no better than her. Can’t even clean up your own mess.” He shoved Richard away and started dragging me by my hair. Just then, the sound of police sirens filled the air. “The police are here!” someone shouted. The man’s face hardened. “Who called the cops?!” “I did!” It was Sarah’s voice. A wave of relief washed over me. I was saved. The police dispersed the crowd. My parents reappeared, their faces a mask of concern as they spoke to the officers. “Officer, our daughter is just… promiscuous. She gets herself into these situations. We can handle this ourselves. You don’t need to get involved.” The officer gave me a strange, pitying look. Richard stood by, his eyes burning with rage. The two children huddled by the man’s side, their faces streaked with tears. “Mr. and Mrs. Miller, you know Ella better than anyone!” Sarah’s voice was filled with righteous anger. “You’re just going to believe this man’s lies? She’s your daughter! You’re just going to stand by and let him assault her?!” But they just looked at me with disgust, as if they’d never seen me before. “Who said I was lying?” the man said, pulling out a piece of paper. “I have proof.” It was a paternity test. It clearly stated that Ella Miller was the biological mother of the two children. I demanded another test. Under the watchful eye of the police, a new sample was taken. The result was the same. A 99% probability that I was their biological mother. “Now what do you have to say for yourself?!” Richard sneered. My parents just shook their heads, as if they’d known all along. Only Sarah kept staring at the report, muttering, “This can’t be right… there must be a mistake…” The officer sighed. “Well… this seems like a family matter.” “No!” I grabbed his arm. “Officer, I swear, I don’t know this man! I’m willing to have a medical examination. That will prove I’ve never given birth.” The officer considered this. But then my parents started to make a scene. “A medical examination?! What for? Isn’t the paternity test enough? Ella, are you trying to drag our family’s name through the mud?! Do you want the whole world to know our business?! If that’s the case, I might as well just die!” My mother burst into tears, pretending to be on the verge of collapse. The officer, flustered, tried to calm her down. After a moment, he seemed to agree with her. “Miss Miller,” he said, his voice gentle. “The paternity test is conclusive. You don’t have any siblings. If the children aren’t yours, whose could they be?” His words hit me like a ton of bricks. The pieces of the puzzle, the things I had missed in my past life, started to fall into place. My parents’ sudden change in behavior… it was all starting to make sense. “What if there was a twin?” I blurted out. “Wouldn’t a DNA test have trouble telling us apart?” “Well, there is that possibility, but…” I gripped his arm tighter. “I know who the mother is.”
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