Helen suddenly sat up. There wasn't a hint of weakness in her voice as she pointed at me and yelled, "Are you even human? You kept calling me your best friend, yet you wouldn't donate blood for me or help raise my baby! What kind of friend does that?"

I glanced at her sideways. "You look pretty fine to me. Maybe the hospital messed up the diagnosis."

Realizing she'd just slipped up, she panicked for a moment before lying down on the bed with a pained expression, calling for the doctor.

Chaos erupted around us, and I was shoved out of the room.

A few minutes later, the nurse who had been working with Helen came out carrying Aidan.

She shoved him into my arms firmly. "The patient just experienced a brief moment of clarity before passing. The baby's birth certificate is already processed, and your name is listed as the mother. Don't even think about ditching him. We have the right to call the cops."

I nearly laughed out loud. What a blatant forced handover. I was the one who should be calling the police!

I pushed past her and stormed back into the operating room. I wanted to see just how far Helen's performance could go.

Only a few minutes had passed since I left the room, but she was already gone.

The nurse followed behind, shouting, "This is the OR! You can't just barge in! Get out of here!"

I stopped her from going on with her constant scolding. "Where is she?"

She rolled her eyes. "She's dead. She's been taken for cremation, of course."

No sooner had she finished speaking than an urn was brought in.

Just then, realization dawned upon me. I suddenly remembered that this was exactly what had happened in my last life.

I'd been pushed out of the operating room and soon told Helen was dead. Heartbroken, I cried while holding Aidan. Not long after, they brought me Helen's ashes.

However, the hospital had no right to cremate her without her family's consent. Besides, there was no way a cremation could happen that quickly.

Back then, I was in such bad shape I never questioned it.

But this time, no way I was going to accept this burden or be the fool again.

I grabbed the urn, popped it open, and dumped everything inside onto the floor.

Dark powder scattered everywhere. The nurse let out a piercing scream. "What do you think you're doing? That's her ashes!"

People nearby gasped and quickly backed away.

"What the hell? Why is she dumping ashes here? Is she crazy?"

"Hey, security! What are you waiting for? Get her out of here before she causes more trouble!"

"Did it get on me? If anything bad happens to me because of this, I'm suing!"

A chorus of angry shouts filled the air.

Just as things were about to get out of hand, the nurse jumped in. "You're disrespecting the deceased! Pick up those ashes with both hands right now! You need to get on your knees and grovel to calm the spirit's anger. Don't bring misfortune on innocent people nearby."

I sneered. "When did hospitals start believing in superstition? If I really dumped ashes, then yeah, I'd be wrong. But take a closer look. Are these even ashes?"

Everyone bent down to look at the powder on the floor, and a doubtful voice said, "That doesn't look like ashes. There aren't even any bone fragments."

After cremation, what was left should be crushed bones, not just a pile of sand.

I turned to the nurse. "You cremated my best friend without my consent. Now, you can't even account for her ashes. I think it's reasonable for me to suspect there was a mistake in surgery, and your hospital is just trying to cover it up."

The nurse immediately panicked and loudly denied it. "No! Our hospital is the most reputable one around."

However, the suspicion had taken root. It wasn't so easy to explain away.

Several onlookers whispered to each other, "My grandma had surgery here and suddenly passed too. Could the hospital be hiding something?"

"And they're the ones who recommended all those crematoriums and funeral homes. Could there be some shady business going on?" another person asked.

The nurse was sweating bullets. She clearly didn't expect me to cause such a scene by dumping the ashes.

She forced herself to stay calm and soothe the crowd before quickly rushing into the operating room.

I chuckled softly and gently stroked Aidan's cheek. Sure, I could raise him, but it was going to come at a cost.

After a while, the nurse came back, sweating profusely and holding a document.

Smiling awkwardly at me, she said, "It's all a misunderstanding. The patient signed a consent form agreeing to immediate cremation if anything happened to her.

"As for the ashes, a new nurse made a mistake. Your friend's body is still being cremated. We're not trying to avoid responsibility. Would a compensation of 2,000 dollars be acceptable to make up for it?"

I took the envelope, weighing it in my hand.

After glancing at the still-wet ink on the consent form, I chose not to press further. Without hesitation, I left with Aidan in my arms.

Since Helen trusted me so much that she was willing to pay for me to raise her son…

I couldn't help but scoff. Well, I definitely wasn't going to let her down.

…

Eighteen years passed in the blink of an eye.

Over those years, I used that 2,000 dollars as startup capital to establish a professional social media account. I hired countless streamers and even invested in films and TV shows.

The money kept growing, and I spent most of it on Aidan's training.

This time around, I had Aidan start acting in small roles in major productions since he was a kid.

Before he won Best Actor, he was already a household name. His fame and status far surpassed what he'd had in my last life.

Sitting in the VIP seats, I watched Aidan deliver his acceptance speech while silently counting the time.

I had raised Aidan to be so outstanding. Helen would be itching to reconnect with him by now.

Sure enough, as soon as Aidan finished, Helen appeared, linking arms with Joe. They confidently strode toward the stage.

Her eyes were red as she pulled Aidan into a tight hug. "My son, I finally found you."

The crowd and fans were baffled. "What's going on? Is this some kind of performance?"

Aidan looked equally confused. "My mom died 18 years ago. Who are you?"

Helen's face lit up. "That's right. 18 years ago, I almost died giving birth to you, and I asked Melanie to raise you. Perhaps I was lucky. I was saved on the way to cremation. But when I came back to find you, you were already gone from the hospital."

Helen glanced at me, her voice breaking. "Melanie, I'm really grateful you raised my son all these years. But I don't understand why he's so distant with me. Have you been badmouthing me to him?"

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked heartbroken.

I sneered. Just like in my last life, Helen believed the Best Actor I raised with my own hands was her son.

But this time, I was here for revenge. I wasn't about to be the fool again.

"Of course I won't stop you from reclaiming your son," I said.

Helen's eyes lit up with joy, and her expression turned smug.

Puzzled, I continued, "But he's not your son."