Trapped in the Heat

“Ria, what a coincidence! Just as your contractions started, I felt something too. Looks like my time is coming as well.

“It’s perfect that we’re sharing the same hospital room. We can look after each other when the time comes.

“And once our babies are born, they can grow up together like brothers. It’s truly fate, don’t you think?”

Lily clung to my arm warmly, her smile so genuine and tender.

She even reached over, adjusting my pillow and tucking in my blanket with such care.

Anyone watching us would have thought: What a beautiful bond between them.

“Yeah, it really is fate.”

I squeezed my nails deep into my palm, my voice tight, speaking through clenched teeth.

In my past life, I had trusted this sweet, gentle mask she wore. That trust cost me everything—my son’s life, my parents’ entire fortune. She tricked them out of everything, forcing them, in their old age, to work menial jobs just to survive.

I hated her. But more than anything, I hated myself. How could I be so blind? I couldn’t tell a person from a monster.

I married a heartless man. I supported a venomous woman through college. And worst of all, I raised a son who betrayed me without a second thought.

Heaven must have been watching—giving me a second chance to make these monsters pay with their lives!

“Ria, you’re looking pale. Is your water about to break?” Lily asked, a flicker of calculation flashing through her eyes.

I knew exactly what she was planning. She was timing my delivery, scheming to get the doctors to induce her labor at the same time so she could switch our babies.

“Not that soon,” I forced a smile, my belly twisting in pain. “Maybe by this afternoon.”

I swallowed the agony, holding out.

A trace of disappointment crossed her face before she turned and lay back on her hospital bed.

I reached for the herbal tonic I had prepared earlier, sipping it slowly. The earthy, bitter taste made my stomach churn, but I kept drinking.

In my past life, I refused to touch the herbal tonic my mother had painstakingly prepared. I hated its taste. And because of that, I passed out from exhaustion right after giving birth. When I woke up, my son was gone.

This time, no matter how bitter it was, I wouldn’t let history repeat itself.

Right after that, I quickly texted my best friend, Nina Smith, who ran a martial arts studio. “Come to the hospital. Right now.”

My parents were out of the country. My husband had arranged everything, sending them on a two-week luxury yacht trip, supposedly a prize from his company's prize drawing. He insisted it would be a shame to miss out and promised that with his mother by my side, I’d be well taken care of.

Back then, I actually thought he was being thoughtful—choosing to give such an incredible trip to my parents instead of his own.

But it was all part of his scheme. A setup.

Even his own son—just a pawn in his cruel game.

How could anyone be so heartless?

But this time, I won’t repeat the same mistake.

And every last one of those monsters will pay with their lives.

*

The herbal tonic brought warmth and energy surging back through my body. I felt stronger already.

Lily’s eyes glinted with something greedy.

“Ria, what are you drinking? You look so much better already. Is it from your parents? They always know how to take care of you. Unlike me…” She sighed, voice dripping with self-pity. “My parents couldn’t care less about me. You’re so lucky to have them.”

I knew exactly what she was doing. She was eyeing my herbal tonic. Hoping I would hand it over out of guilt.

In my past life, she played this same card—pathetic and pitiful—knowing I was too soft-hearted to refuse her anything.

I funded her education for years because of that pity. And how did she repay me?

That was why she dared to seduce my husband, murder my real son, and shamelessly claim the title of ‘godmother’ to my child. She then forced her way into his life and interfered with how I raised him.

In the end, she even turned my child against me, manipulating him into causing the car crash that killed me.