On our 40th wedding anniversary, I discovered that my beloved husband, Derrick, had been cheating on me. Even our marriage certificate had been forged.

The woman he cheated with was his foster sister, Jasmine.

I confronted Derrick with the evidence, but he only looked irritated.

"I've already treated you well enough in this lifetime. Jasmine is my true love. I will marry her and have children with her."

Even my son tried to convince me.

"Just be grateful. My real parents never went public with their relationship all these years for your sake. You are old now. What else can you do?"

That was when I learned the cruel truth. The Mafia heir I had raised with my own hands was not even my biological child.

Back then, Jasmine and I gave birth on the same day. To make sure Jasmine's baby would inherit the Mafia family my father left to me, Derrick secretly switched our children.

Because of their negligence, my biological child later died from a simple cold.

The cruelest irony was that I had raised Jasmine's son as my own and helped him reach the top of the Mafia hierarchy.

When the truth finally hit me, I coughed up blood and fainted.

When I opened my eyes again, I had gone back in time to the very day I gave birth.

The wails of a child tore me from sleep.

"Look at our son, Lily. Isn't he just precious?"

Derick smilingly cradled a baby in his arms, standing at the foot of my hospital bed.

Blinking away confusion, I took in Derick's youthful features and realized: I had been given a second chance at life.

I had come back to the very day they had taken my child from me.

The thought fueled a surge of adrenaline that pushed the pain aside. I reached out, desperate to take the baby from Derick.

"Hand him over to me, now!"

"Okay, okay, easy there, dear." With a smile still playing on his lips, Derick passed the baby into my arms.

I wasted no time peeling back the swaddle to inspect his thigh. There it was, a faint birthmark.

This child was not mine.

He was the secret offspring of Derick and Jasmine!

Rage bubbled up inside me.

Derick, oblivious, continued his charade. "Look at those long legs; he's got that from you! He's going to be a model, and not just that, a formidable Mafia boss one day!"

I scoffed at the irony.

I had poured my soul into raising him, grooming him.

To ascend as the leader of the country's most feared Mafia.

Still, for 40 years, he, Derick, and Jasmine had played me for a fool.

When I uncovered their lies, they had the audacity to threaten me, to demand my grace over their illicit romance.

While my true heir, my flesh and blood, had perished in the cold, uncared for, all because of a simple cold.

The thought alone made me want to rip them apart!

Nevertheless, my priority was clear: I had to find my real son.

Taking a deep breath to quell the storm inside, I turned to Derick. "What about Jasmine? She was due as well, wasn't she? Did she have a boy or a girl?"

A shadow of guilt flickered across Derick's face. "She's had a son, too.

"Her husband's gone, and she can't swing the cost of a private room. Look after the kid for a bit, I'm going to check on her in the regular ward."

I did not say a word against it.

With that, Derick was up and out the door like a shot.

I let out an icy laugh. The moment he was gone, I waved over one of my guys I trusted and slipped a nurse some cash.

Minutes later, I was cradling the baby, standing in Jasmine's room.

She and Derick had been summoned away by the nurse.

There was my boy, just left on the bed, nothing on him but a scratchy washcloth.

I did not think twice. I switched the babies back without missing a beat.

As I held the tiny bundle and the baby snuggled tight against me, tears came unbidden.

He seemed to connect with me right away, nestling into the warmth of my chest.

Yes. Even on our first meeting, I knew in my gut that he was my flesh and blood!

In my previous life, Derick had his fling with his so-called 'sister' Jasmine before he ever knew me.

All the while, unaware of the truth, I was running the mafia business and raising their child myself.

They were busy dreaming about their love child and blowing through the cash I made, which ended up costing my son his life.

I poured my soul into making their kid my successor, and they just sat back and enjoyed the spoils.

My boy and I? We were just pawns in their perfect life!

Fate handed me a do-over, and this time, Derrick and Jasmine would be dealt with a well-deserved retribution!

Back in my room with the baby in my arms, Derick and Jasmine came strolling in.

Jasmine's gaze clung to my son the second she walked in, her face lighting up.

"Lily's kid sure is a looker! Spitting image of his mom!"

I could not help but let out a scoff, pulling the blanket tighter around my baby, shielding him from her prying eyes.

Jasmine could not contain her shock.

"Lily, why on earth are you swaddling the baby in cotton? It's so rough and cheap, it could scratch his delicate skin. Here, take my silk blankets instead!"

She was quick to flaunt her pricey silk quilts and garments, reaching out to take my baby into her arms.

I brushed her hand aside, my voice icy. "He's my son. I'll look after him my way."

Jasmine paused, a flicker of irritation passing through her gaze before she masked it with a grin. "But of course, Lily, the queen bee with all the cash and clout. Naturally, you'd only want the best for him: only the best of things and the finest education. He's bound to be brilliant and tough, just like you."

Maybe she was already dreaming of the day he would inherit my fortune, her eyes brimming with love as she gazed at him.

Derick chimed in, "Lily, what do you think about calling our boy Nathaniel?"

He had been set on that name since I was pregnant, insisting we use it once the baby arrived.

Only later did I learn that Nathaniel was the name of Jasmine's deadbeat dad.

He was pushing for it because Jasmine wanted to leave her own legacy on the child.

I shut that down fast. "No, his name will be Ayden."

Derick's expression darkened. "But we had a deal that I'd get to name him, didn't we?"

"Ayden was my granddad's name. My dad made it clear before he passed that he wanted my baby to carry it. Besides, it's my dad's legacy that's keeping us afloat. Unless you're ready to foot the bill?"

Derick tensed up, a clear sign.

Ever since we got together, he had been living off me. How could he possibly support a child?

Jasmine's mood soured at that.

"Lily, your dad was a Mafia legend, and it's pretty cool you named your kid after him! Just make sure to raise him right, okay?"

I kept my face blank as I answered, "Don't worry about it. Focus on your own kid."

When her child came up, Jasmine scoffed, "Don't get me started. My kid's dad died before he was even born, and the little guy's just a pain. Just looking at him stresses me out."

"Tell me about it. The doctor just found out he's got a heart condition, and almost died of hypothermia a bit ago." Derick said under his breath, "That doctor's a miracle worker, bringing him back from the brink."

Derick's words sent a chill down my spine.

Both Jasmine's kid and mine had congenital heart disease.

In my previous life, Jasmine's kid got through it with some pricey surgery. My baby, though, caught a bad cold early on and did not make it because of complications.

Despite knowing the kid was sick, Derick and Jasmine did nothing but throw a washcloth over him. Thank goodness I had switched the kids back in time. Any later, and I might not have been able to save my own.

I bit back my anger and hurried them out the door.

Two days later, Derick came to pick up me and Jasmine from the hospital. Jasmine beat me to the punch, cooing over the baby in my arms with love in her eyes.

Her own kid, dressed in nothing but a flimsy onesie, was tossed aside at the foot of the bed.

I shielded my baby, not letting her get a good look, and frowned. "It's freezing out there. Aren't you worried that not bundling up your kid will lead to a cold, or worse, complications?"

Jasmine just rolled her eyes and, without much care, picked up her child.

"Newborn clothes cost a fortune, and it's not that chilly outside. A brief exposure won't freeze anyone to death."

Derick joined in the conversation. "That kid's nothing like our little lord. He doesn't even have a father, not nearly as pampered."

With that, they left the hospital room.

I watched them go, their foolishness and indifference so blatant that I could not help but scoff.

Would they act the same if they knew the child shivering from the cold was their own son?

I had offered my advice out of kindness, and whether they heeded it was up to them.

As expected, the day they got home, their secret son met with misfortune.

In the dead of night, a child's cries woke me. I opened my eyes to find Derick absent from our bedroom.

I called for the maid to bring my child, and seeing him sleeping peacefully, I headed to Jasmine's room.

It was a scene straight from the hospital.

In Jasmine's room, a lone baby wailed.

The infant's intermittent cries were feeble and strained, his flushed face a clear sign of a fever brought on by the cold.

Frowning, I left the room to search for Derick and Jasmine.

At last, near the dimly lit tool room on the ground floor, I heard their excited, heavy breaths.

I sneered to myself and went back to my bedroom.

10 minutes later, feigning surprise at being woken by the cries, I encountered them as they returned to the third-floor bedroom.

They jumped at the sight of me.

Derick glanced at me, his eyes betraying his guilt. "Darling, you're awake? I was just about to mix the formula for our son. I bumped into Jasmine in the kitchen; she was making formula for her son, too."

'What a liar,' I thought, suppressing a smirk.

"Hold off on the baby formula for a second, Jasmine. Your kid's wailing like something's seriously wrong. Shouldn't we get him checked out at the hospital?"

Jasmine, clearly annoyed, rolled her eyes. "He's fine, just a little cold and feverish. No big deal. No hospital needed."

I raised an eyebrow. "'Just a little cold'? He's crying so hard he can barely breathe."

"It's such a pain to go to the hospital in the dead of night! Imagine the noise, waking up Nathaniel–Ayden, then what?"

Derick chimed in, nodding. "Yeah, honey. Don't fret. Take care of our little one. I'll take Jasmine's boy to the hospital first thing in the morning."

I could not help but snort with a mix of laughter and frustration.

Just then, the maid came running over, clutching my child. "Ms. White, Ayden seems to have caught a cold."

My heart skipped a beat. He must have gotten chilled in Jasmine's room before I had the chance to switch them.

Jasmine was just as panicked.

She lunged to grab my child, but I smacked her hand away hard.

Cradling my child close, I could feel the heat radiating from his small body.

Jasmine pulled back her stinging hand, too worried to dwell on the pain, and yelled at me, "Lily! What are you waiting for? Get him to the hospital, now!"

Derick's concern grew as he steadied me by the shoulder. "Come on! I'll drive you to the best hospital!"

"Don't you dare touch my child or me!"

My sharp words made him flinch, but he quickly brushed off my resistance as just a case of postpartum stress and offered a conciliatory grin.

"Right. The White family has its own private hospital for families only. It's got the top medical care in town. Ayden will be just fine! Let's go, I'll take you both."

"No, we'll manage on our own."

I could not possibly hand over my child's second chance at life to the man standing before me, a man I could not trust.

"Have my guys drive me. You take Jasmine's kid," I told him.

With that, I was off to our family's private hospital.

A little bit of care was all it took, and my kid was over the fever without a hitch.

Jasmine's kid, though, was not so lucky.

Because she was not paying attention, by the time her baby got to the public hospital, he was already in respiratory failure and rushed into the NICU.

I figured Derick and Jasmine would be glued to his side.

Nope. There they were, waiting anxiously as I stepped out with my child in my arms.

"I heard Ayden's got a heart problem! Is he okay?" Jasmine was on the verge of tears.

"Yeah, Lily! How's Ayden? Any lasting damage? You've got to make sure he gets better!"

I frowned. Could not help it.

"Jasmine, isn't your baby in the ICU? How could you just leave him all alone in the hospital?"

She looked guilty but defensive altogether.

"He'll be fine. The hospital's full of doctors and nurses. What good would I do there?

"And besides, I care about Ayden almost as much as my own son. I'm worried about him, too."

I could not help but scoff at that. Right on cue, Derick's phone rang. It was the hospital.

Jasmine's baby had a sudden respiratory crisis, and with no one there to sign off on emergency surgery, he did not make it.

I was taken aback.

Even though in a previous life he turned out to be a thankless wretch, the news of his death still hit me with a wave of mixed emotions.

Jasmine heard the devastating news without so much as a flinch of shock or a trace of sorrow.

"Quick! Let me make sure baby Ayden is really okay!"

She seized the moment I was caught off guard and snatched my child from me.

I reacted with a jolt and wrestled my baby back into my arms.

In the tussle, the baby's pants slipped down, revealing his chubby, bare legs.

Jasmine's face drained of color, and she let out a piercing scream.

Derick, who had just ended a call, looked at her with a furrowed brow, puzzled.

"What happened?"

Jasmine's gaze was locked onto the baby, then snugly rewrapped in my arms, her voice shaking. "Why doesn't Ayden have a birthmark on his legs?"