Chapter 1

"Mr. Wagner. Congratulations, you're going to be a father! The report shows that your wife is a little over two months pregnant!

"From now on, make sure you take good care of her. Pregnant women tend to be emotionally sensitive, so they'll need extra care and support."

The doctor's voice echoed in my ears. I, Steven Wagner, jerked my head up and stared at the report in the doctor's hand.

Only then did I dare believe it. I had been reborn.

The next second, I heard the thoughts of the baby growing inside my wife Cindy Stuart's womb.

'Dad, Mom's going to divorce you after I'm born!'

Hearing the exact same voice I'd heard in my previous life sent a chill down my spine.

The horrifying memories of dying alone in the hospital came flooding back. It left me trembling in fear.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the baby spoke again.

'Mom's first love can't have children! That's why she married you. You're just a tool!

'Once I'm born, she'll divorce you, take me away, and live happily ever after with him!'

In my previous life, after hearing those words, I hadn't questioned them for a second. I immediately asked my wife for a divorce.

No matter how desperately she explained or begged me to stay, I believed every word the baby said.

It wasn't until I was on my deathbed that I learned it had all been a lie.

Why had the baby lied?

This time, I was determined to find out.

The doctor noticed how pale I'd become and asked with concern, "Mr. Wagner, are you alright? Is the news too overwhelming?"

I looked at Cindy's still-flat stomach and asked thoughtfully, "Doctor, is this baby normal?"

The doctor blinked in confusion.

"Are you asking about the baby's health?"

I recalled that in my previous life, Cindy and I got divorced because of this baby.

If I chose not to have this baby, or if I simply ignored what the baby was saying, would Cindy and I have stayed together?

At the very least, when I was diagnosed with cancer, would the woman I loved have still been by my side?

If we didn't have this child in this life, would our ending be any different?

So I nodded and said, "This pregnancy was unexpected. My wife and I aren't really prepared for it, and we're worried there might be complications.

"If we were to terminate the–"

"Steven, my stomach hurts!"

Before I could finish, Cindy's face suddenly turned pale. She clutched her stomach tightly as sweat formed on her forehead.

The baby's voice immediately rang out again.

'Dad, what were you about to tell the doctor?'

'You're not thinking of getting rid of me, are you? I won't like that!'

'I know you love Mom. Even if she betrayed you, the worst you'd do is divorce her. But you'd never let her die, would you?'

Cindy was in so much pain she couldn't even speak.

Only then did I realize the baby could hear everything happening around us from inside the womb.

The moment I showed even the slightest intention of not wanting the baby, it would drag Cindy down with it.

But the baby was right about one thing.

I loved Cindy. In my previous life, after hearing that she'd betrayed me, I was so devastated that I completely lost my reason. I never gave her a chance to explain before rushing into a divorce.

Yet in the end, I died on an operating table without ever seeing her one last time.

Seeing how much pain Cindy was in, the doctor finally realized the seriousness of the situation.

She hurried over and asked, "Miss, how are you feeling? If your current condition isn't suitable for pregnancy, I recommend putting your own health first. You can always have another child later."

Cindy wiped the sweat from her forehead and clenched her jaw. "I'm fine. I can do this."

"Honey, we don't have to keep this baby. Your health comes first–"

I had barely started speaking when Cindy's face turned even paler.

The words caught in my throat. Instead, I forced myself to say, "Doctor, could you prescribe some glucose and nutritional supplements? We're definitely keeping this baby."

The moment I finished speaking, the baby's voice returned.

'That's more like it, Dad.

'You'd better take good care of Mom. Otherwise, I'll take her life.

'Oh, and if you don't behave, not only will I kill her, but even you–'

The voice trailed off, but I understood that if I didn't obey, I wouldn't survive either.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. Could the cancer I'd mysteriously developed in my previous life also be caused by this child?

But that didn't make sense. I'd already divorced Cindy in my previous life. So why had I still gotten cancer?

Sweat trickled down my back. I didn't dare say another reckless word because I knew the baby was listening every second.

When we got home, Cindy secretly answered a phone call before turning to me with a smile.

"Honey, I have a class reunion tonight. I'll be home a little late."

In my previous life, that phone call had been the final straw. The moment I heard the baby's words, I'd assumed she was meeting her lover.

That very night, I'd filed for divorce.

This time, I wasn't going to make the same mistake.

So I simply nodded.

"Okay. I'll wait up for you. Take good care of yourself and our baby."