Chapter 1

"Ingy, I've hidden a gold bangle for you in your bedside table. It's made of solid gold and weighs 3.22 troy ounces!

"Remember to take it out tomorrow and put it on. It will help you accumulate wealth and also bless your baby with good health."

I felt my back getting drenched in cold sweat when I heard Mom's familiar voice in my ear. It was then that I realized that I had been reborn.

Mom's kind face looked eerie and terrifying to me. After all, she had never looked at me with such kindness before.

In my past life, when I retrieved the gold bangle from the bedside table, my first instinct had been to give it to my younger sister, Irene Owens. However, she said Mom favored me over her and insisted that I should be the one to wear it. She forced the bangle over my knuckles and onto my wrist, then told me to take good care of it.

I believed her. But I missed the look of disdain in her eyes when she looked at the bangle on my wrist.

Mom had been terminally ill before she passed away. During that time, I was the only one who stayed by her side and took care of her on her deathbed.

Before passing, Mom had grabbed my arm tightly with her bony hands and said, "I was blind my whole life, spoiling Irene rotten when the only person willing to stay with me in my sickness is you. She was the first one to leave as soon as she heard about my condition!

"You're the only daughter for me, Ingrid Owens."

I thought that the gold bangle was Mom's way of rewarding me for my kindness and filial piety toward her, so I trusted her with all my heart. However, I never realized it had all been part of a conspiracy orchestrated by Mom and Irene.

The gold bangle was only the tip of the iceberg that would later plunge me into a hopeless abyss.

Irene and I were married. I was married to Paul Connor, and she was married to Paul's younger brother, Pierre Connor.

Ever since we were children, Irene had always liked taking away whatever was mine; she had even tried seducing Paul many times after learning that I was dating him. Unfortunately for her, Paul loved me very much and completely ignored her each time.

Ultimately, she and Pierre were caught sleeping together in my and Paul's bed, so Irene was also forced to marry into the Connor family, alongside me. Because of that, Paul and Pierre's mother, Rose Trevino, didn't have a good impression of Irene.

Three months later, I was pregnant. I'd only just told Rose about my pregnancy when Irene also said that she'd been showing symptoms of morning sickness.

So, Rose said, "I'll buy a five-million-dollar villa for whichever of you gives me a healthy grandson first!"

Irene immediately thumped herself on the chest and promised Rose that she was very sure that she was pregnant with a healthy baby boy. However, her subsequent behavior was completely detrimental to the baby's development in her belly.

She didn't just continue sleeping with Pierre every night—often leaving the nanny, Lucy Doyle, blushing in embarrassment when she went in to make the bed each morning.

She also fell in with a crowd of troublemakers and frequently went out drinking, smoking, and even taking part in illegal street races.

She basically didn't care about the baby at all.

As for me, I didn't harbor any special expectations for my baby. I genuinely didn't care if I gave birth to a boy or a girl, as long as they were born healthy.

Paul deliberately told Lucy to pay more attention to my pregnancy diet, making sure I got enough nutrients and vitamins while keeping an eye on my salt and sugar intake to minimize any risks. He also took me on walks and often encouraged me to exercise, as he believed that it would help with the natural birth.

During one of our prenatal checkups, the doctor said that my baby was healthy, in the correct gestational position, and that all the vital signs and developmental indicators looked good. On the other hand, Irene's baby looked just like a lump of flesh, and the doctor suggested that she abort it.

"You're just seeing things! My baby is perfectly fine and healthy!" she retorted at once. I even advised her to listen to the doctor, since she and Pierre could always try for another baby. They were still very young, after all.

Yet, Irene just gave me a once-over and chuckled before saying, "I think you should worry about your own baby first, Ingrid. My baby is perfectly fine and definitely healthier than yours!"

I didn't understand what she meant at that time. But now, I understood everything.

As it turned out, Mom never truly loved me from the very beginning.

She knew that Irene was rude to Rose and that the latter disliked her. So, Mom decided to use my baby as a stepping stone for Irene to gain Rose's favor instead. She made me give birth to a deformed baby so that Irene would be the one giving birth to a healthy grandson for Rose.

And, it seemed that the gold bangle was the "medium" used for this transfer!

I wasn't going to make the same dumb mistake again in this life. I would never let them absorb the nutrients and life essence from my baby!

At that thought, I looked up at Mom's face and smiled sweetly at her.

"Thank you, Mom. I promise that I will take great care of the gold bangle!"

I made a silent vow in my heart, though. I would most definitely find a more suitable home for the cursed bangle instead!