Chapter 2

My brother came to my hospital room and smiled after hearing the news of my pregnancy.

"Congratulations, sis! You're finally pregnant!"

But still, I could see the reluctance behind his smile. I immediately grabbed his hand and asked, "What's wrong, Jerry?"

Under my repeated questioning, he finally told me the truth, "I stood up to a bunch of local thugs a little while ago, and they threatened to hurt May… I thought that Ben's a military man, so he'd probably have some way to help…"

Thinking about how terribly my brother died in the past, I wanted nothing more than to tear those criminals apart, but I couldn't do anything.

"Ben's out on an emergency mission, so he won't be able to return by today…"

I saw a flicker of guilt flash in my brother's eyes and realized that he was worried about causing me trouble. Before he could speak, I said, "I'll go get a few guards to send you home, alright? That should be enough to ward them off.

"Once Ben comes home, I'll tell them to deal with those thugs immediately to make sure you and May are safe!"

Jerry held my hands tightly, bidding me thanks.

Watching him leave with the guards, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Yet, the very next morning, the police came knocking at my door and told me that they found Jerry's corpse.

"When we pulled your brother out of the river today, his entire body was covered with slashes."

It felt like a thunderbolt struck me. "How is that possible?!"

I didn't turn my brother away this time and even told some guards to escort him, so how could those thugs have been able to hurt him?

Before I could swallow the reality of what had happened, May charged in, wrapping her fingers around my neck and strangling me with all her might, her eyes bloodshot. "Jerry came to seek help because he was in danger, and you brushed him off?!

"You basically killed him! You're the reason why I'm a widow, and why my child will be born without a father!"

Halfway through her words, she let go and collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

I slumped back onto the bed, completely drained, suffocated by terror.

I didn't listen to the voice this time, so why did my brother still die such a gruesome death?

Ben, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, scooped me into his arms, my eyes already gone unfocused and blurry. "It's the killer's fault, not you! You don't need to feel guilty!

"What's important now is to take care of yourself, and of May. You're both pregnant, after all!"

I grabbed onto him like my very last lifeline.

"Okay…"

I suppressed my tears. The dead couldn't come back to life, after all, and I couldn't continue falling apart!

After that, my husband never left my side, and even brought May into our home so that we could take care of each other.

For a while, life seemed to return to relative normal.

But suddenly, the child's voice broke through the calm:

"Actually, Dad's only good to you because he feels guilty for cheating on you. If you go to the military compound right now, you'll see Dad and Aunt May kissing up a storm…"

I clenched my fist tightly, forcing myself to remain calm.

In my past life, I treated my husband like my only salvation, so when I heard that my sister-in-law of all people was trying to steal him away from me, I couldn't help but rush into the fray.

In the end, all I did was cause Ben to be demoted.

This time, I had already confirmed with him. He said there would be a classified meeting today and that I must not disturb him.

So I pretended not to hear anything and continued ironing his military uniform.

When he returned home, he hugged me and mentioned what happened that day, "You know what happened today? We were having a meeting, and a subordinate's wife insisted on dragging him home for dinner.

"The commander was so angry that he demoted him on the spot as an example!"

Breathing shakily, he pressed a kiss upon my skin. "I'm glad you're a more sensible wife than that, Lucy… What more could a man ask for?"