Chapter 4 My Wife Had Died Once Before

I stared at the divorce agreement. I could feel my blood run cold as my ears filled with a deafening buzz.

"Sophia, don't do anything rash." I immediately started panicking as I stepped over the spilled soup and reached for her hand.

"I know you've been wronged. I've already suspended my card! From now on, every cent I earn will go to you! I'll make Bethy return every last cent of the money she ga—"

"Logan," Sophia calmly interrupted me. She didn't pull away from my touch, but her hand was as cold as ice. "Do you really think I want a divorce just because I was hungry or because she took your money?"

She raised her head and stared straight at me with those dead eyes.

"I'm not desperate for a meal. I can support myself just fine. The reason I look like this… The reason why I'm doing this is because I've already died once before."

My heart skipped a beat upon hearing her words.

"What did you just say?" I blurted disbelievingly.

Sophia's smile was one of despair. She slowly leaned back against the sofa and began to speak, as though she were telling someone else's story.

"Logan, do you believe that people have past lives? In my dream, or you could say that in my previous life, you came home today. We got into a huge fight. You slammed the door and went back to the ship, applying to sail out again that very night."

I stared at her in bewilderment. After all, I couldn't deny that my first instinct was to storm out of the apartment when I had opened the door and seen the empty kitchen.

Sophia ignored my shock and continued dully, "Not long after you left, I went into premature labor and was hemorrhaging. By the time the ambulance got me to the hospital, I had almost completely lost my amniotic fluid.

"The doctor rushed out with a critical-condition notice and told your mother to sign it. He told her to pay the surgical fees immediately, and that they had to perform an emergency C-section. Otherwise, both the baby and I would die."

As Sophia spoke, her voice began to tremble. Her eyes turned bloodshot, burning with a hatred that had been carved deep into her bones.

"Do you know what your mother said? She grabbed the doctor's coat and threw a hissy fit. She said it was normal for women to bleed during childbirth, and that the doctor was just trying to scam her!

"She told the doctor that she wouldn't pay for the fees, and that I would need to give birth naturally. At that time, the doctor was so furious that he started shouting at her, saying that if she delayed any longer, the baby and I would die.

"However, all your mother did was let me die. She said that I was nothing but a spoiled, dramatic bitch, and that the baby might not even be yours anyway.'"

My mind went blank after hearing her words. Then, my legs gave out as I dropped to my knees in front of Sophia.

"No... That's impossible..." My face turned pale as I shook my head desperately. "How dare she..."

"Logan, our baby suffocated to death inside of me, and I died in agony!" she hissed.

I stared up at her in horror.

"When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day you left for sea," Sophia whispered.

She clutched at her own hair as she continued, "I thought about aborting the baby and leaving you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. This child is my own flesh and blood. Why should my baby be denied the chance to live just because of you and your disgusting mother?"

Then, she stared at me, her eyes gaining a steely edge. "I've forced myself to endure her disgusting act for the past six months. I've been counting down the days ever since you left, waiting for you to finally see the truth and then take me far, far away from all of this."