Chapter 2

Though Sarah was stunned by my words, the news that followed shattered her even more. Just like in my past life, Mia had an underdeveloped chest cavity.

With a mask of calm, I said, "If that's the case, I still believe ending the pregnancy might be the safer option. If the baby is born with deformities, I fear our family won't be able to handle it."

Sarah's eyes instantly filled with tears. "Mom! After eight long years of trying, I finally got pregnant. No matter how slim the chance, I cannot bring myself to terminate the pregnancy!"

She gripped my hand tightly. Her whole body was shaking with sobs.

My heart twisted with pain. I knew I could never bring myself to say those cold words again.

The doctor let out a sigh. He proceeded to recommend a conservative treatment plan and prescribed medication for Sarah to take at home.

On the way back, my mind churned restlessly. It didn't take long before Mia's voice echoed in my thoughts again. "As long as Mommy takes this medicine to replenish her vitamins, I'll definitely be a healthy baby when I'm born."

Without a word, I stared at the bottle of pills in Sarah's hand.

In my past life, Mia's deformity had been caused by a severe vitamin deficiency and a lack of leafy vegetables in Sarah's diet.

Still, I couldn't help but question whether this bottle of supplements could really fix a congenital defect.

The more Mia spoke with such conviction, the more my doubts gnawed at me.

Once I returned home, I started doing the exact opposite of whatever Mia told me.

Whenever Mia turned down leafy greens, I juiced them and ensured Sarah drank every last drop.

Mia refused to eat fish, eggs, and milk. All she wanted was chips and junk food. With this in mind, I took extra care to prepare wholesome meals for Sarah every day and discarded anything even remotely unhealthy.

Day by day, things started to improve. At every prenatal check-up, we were greeted with good news.

Overwhelmed with joy, Sarah would wrap her arms around me. "Mom, you take such good care of me. As long as you're here, I feel at ease. Forget those stupid pills! Your home-cooked meals are all we need to get the baby back to health."

I felt a surge of relief, believing that everything I had done after being reborn had given Sarah a genuine shot at a better life.

However, at the next checkup, everything shattered.

The doctor exploded with fury. "Why didn't you take the medicine I prescribed? With such a severely malformed chest and underdeveloped limbs, this child will inevitably be born with serious deformities! Why won't you listen?"

His words struck me like lightning. As I met Sarah's accusing gaze, all I could think to do was apologize.

However, just like in my past life, Sarah coldly brushed my hand away. "Mom, why would you purposely harm me like this? If I had followed the doctor's advice and taken those supplements, my baby could have been healthy.

"But instead, you stubbornly insisted on making homemade food. You've completely ruined our family's future!"

I didn't know how to respond. As I watched Sarah walk away, tears began running down my face.

Before I could even begin to mourn, Mia's voice echoed in my mind once more. "The only person responsible for my deformities is Daddy. His affair caused Mommy to be exposed to toxic perfume, and that's how I ended up like this...

"My life is completely ruined, and now Mommy's blaming you for it all. I genuinely feel bad for you, Grandma. Who's going to defend us?

"Daddy is currently at the hospital with his mistress. If you go now, you can expose them and finally get the justice we deserve!"

Initially, Mia's advice seemed well-intentioned, but in truth, every sentence was meant to provoke me.

The catastrophe from my past life hung over me like a shadow. I no longer dared to rush to the hospital blindly.

Since I couldn't undo what had already happened, I chose to distance myself from Sarah and Jeremy.

My own happiness no longer mattered. As long as Sarah didn't have to endure any more hardship, that was enough for me. Her and Jeremy's happiness was all I cared about.

I knew that Jeremy was honest and loyal. I was certain he would never cheat. He and Sarah had been together for nearly a decade, and now that she was finally pregnant, he cared more for her well-being than anything else. There was no way he would betray her.

In my past life, I had been blinded by rage. But after being reborn, I finally saw through the inconsistencies in Mia's words.

I packed my belongings and quietly left Sarah and Jeremy's home in the dead of night. I stopped involving myself in their lives and never asked about Mia's situation again.

Weeks passed, and Sarah gradually came to terms with Mia's deformity. She even reached out to me, hoping for some kind of reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Jeremy's career at the hospital progressed without any hiccups. There was never a whisper of scandal or gossip about him.

I finally began to relax and focus on my own life. Still, I kept my distance and never moved back in with them.

Just when I thought I had finally changed the course of the future, another unexpected event occurred.

As I was going about my chores, my phone suddenly rang. In that moment, Mia's voice pierced my thoughts once more.

She kept yelling at me to answer, insisting that something important had happened.

In my past life, I did exactly as Mia instructed, and yet calamity always struck. Thinking of this, I hesitated. My hand hovered over the phone.

In that fleeting moment, Sarah's call ended abruptly. I immediately tried to call her back, but the line went silent.

Panic gripped me. Without wasting another second, I rushed to my car, desperate to find Sarah.

However, when I reached their home, the only thing I saw was Jeremy sprawled in a pool of blood.

Close by, a crazed woman was holding a knife in her hand. Similar to my past life, Jeremy had been stabbed and left for dead.

My chest tightened. Before I could even ask what had happened, Sarah slapped me hard across the face. "Why didn't you pick up your phone? You've destroyed my entire family! It's because of you that my baby is deformed, and now I've lost my husband too. How do you even have the nerve to stand here?"