Chapter 1

In the hospital, my childhood friend, Lillian Reyes, laid pale on the delivery bed.

She gripped my hand tightly. “Shea, I’m not going to make it. I’m leaving my baby to you. I trust you.”

Her grip was so strong it hurt my hand.

The pain snapped me back to reality. I took in the familiar surroundings and instantly understood what had happened. I had returned to the past.

When I remained silent, the midwife beside me shot me a look. “Your friend is dying here, and you can’t even say a word!

“How could you call yourselves childhood friends?!”

I peered at Lillian. Her face and neck were two distinctively different skin tones.

In my previous life, I had panicked and agreed without a second thought.

I was not going to repeat such folly.

“Lily, what are you saying? I’m still a student myself. How could I possibly have the energy to raise him?

“What about his biological father? You got pregnant out of wedlock. That guy has to take responsibility!

“What a poor thing, I can’t raise him either. Why don’t we send this child to an orphanage? Otherwise, if any unmarried student is seen carrying a child from goodness knows who, people will call him a fatherless orphan!”

The triple whammy made Lillian raise her voice in anger. “No one can insult my child! You’re around to take care of him, aren’t you?!”

I pulled my hand back and crossed my arms. “You sound perfectly healthy to me. That’s not the voice of someone on their deathbed!”

Only then did Lillian snap back into her “exhausted” act. The midwife shot me a glare. “You, step outside. We need to clean her up.”

Without another word, she shoved me out.

I was not stupid. Why would I waste eighteen of my precious years raising someone who would turn around and bite the hand that fed them?

The moment I stepped outside, the midwife thrust the baby toward me. I immediately raised my hands high and shouted, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t try to trick me into this!

“If anything happens to the baby, you’re responsible.”

She was furious. “How could you be so heartless? The mother’s already dead. If not you, then who else should take the baby?

“The mother’s will is right here. She trusts you the most. I’m leaving this child in your care.”

Before I could react, she shoved the baby into my arms and started walking away. I grabbed her arm. “What about the body? I need to take care of it!”

I had to see her corpse for myself!

The midwife’s face paled. “The mother was very understanding. She offered up all her organs for donation.”

“Where are those donation forms? I need to see it! How do I know if your hospital isn’t selling her organs under the table?!

“It was just a regular childbirth. My childhood friend was perfectly healthy. How could she die from complications during delivery?”

My outburst drew the attention of all the waiting family members outside.

“What happened? The mother died? Will my wife be okay giving birth today?”

“Doctor, what exactly happened? Explain clearly!”

“Even if the body will be donated, relatives should be able to see the body!”

The midwife grew flustered. She clearly had not expected me to be so difficult to placate.

Her eyebrows shot up in anger. She turned and pulled out the donation form. “Here it is! The mother knew she wouldn’t make it, so she signed this in advance. By now, the body’s already been taken to the medical university for dissection and teaching!”

“Is that so? Then tell that to the police. I don’t want to be deceived. After all, which layman can really say for sure?”

No sooner had I finished speaking, the police arrived. The midwife’s face instantly turned pale.

Did she really think I was that easy to fool?

“Y-you actually called the police!”

I scoffed. “What a surprise! As you said, this is an orphan. Even if I adopt him, I’ll need to go through proper channels! Don’t you understand that? How many children have you given up for adoption before?”

“Y-you’re making false accusations!”