I went on a trip with my best friend, bringing our kids along.

At a famous Los Angeles tourist hotspot, my son ordered a bowl of noodles. When he wasn’t full and asked for more, someone pointed at him and cursed:

“Shameless brat! What, are you broke? Ordering one bowl of noodles and asking for refills again and again? No manners—your parents must both be dead!”

Furious, I argued with the owner. Unexpectedly, he splashed boiling soup onto me and my son.

While we were still at the hospital, the owner posted our pictures online, claiming the four of us had shared a single bowl. Soon after, both my son and I became the target of online abuse.

I was determined to seek justice for my child, but before I could, a truck ran us over.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day we went to that noodle shop.

…

“All right, so it’s settled—we’ll go to that hotspot tomorrow. I heard their noodles are amazing.”

The familiar words made me shiver. I turned my head instinctively and saw the face of my best friend, Chloe Miller.

Glancing around at my surroundings, I instantly understood.

I had been reborn.

My son—my heart clenched, and I quickly looked over. He was squatting on the floor, playing with his toy, and I finally let out a breath of relief.

“What do you think I should wear? This green dress, or the pink one?”

Chloe had already pulled clothes from her suitcase, holding them up to the mirror.

The sight of her filled me with hatred.

In my past life, she had entered the noodle shop with us—she knew exactly how much we ordered.

When the internet tore me and my son apart, I begged her countless times to testify for us.

But Chloe, who was supposed to be my closest friend, suddenly changed her face.

She flatly denied everything, refusing to stand up for us.

Before that truck killed me and my son, I had watched her step out of my husband’s car.

I never got the chance to figure out why—because I was already dead.

Now Chloe was holding designer clothes, all limited editions.

There was no way she could afford them on her own. And when I compared her daughter’s face with my son’s, a wild, unsettling thought crept into my mind.

My fists clenched tightly. The more I thought about it, the more possible it seemed.

Countless little details I had once ignored surfaced in my memory.

“Mommy, what are you thinking about? Aunt Chloe said the handmade noodles there are really delicious—we have to go tomorrow!”

My son’s voice snapped me back. I instinctively pulled him into my arms.

I almost refused outright, but when I saw Chloe standing not far away, I changed my mind.

I would still go to that noodle shop. But this time, I was going to expose the hidden hand behind our deaths.

I didn’t believe in coincidences—not this many.

The next morning, Chloe practically banged down our door in excitement.

When I noticed the purse hanging on her arm, my heart sank.

I had once seen that exact bag in my husband’s car. Back then, I thought it was meant to be a birthday surprise for me.

I never imagined it would appear on Chloe’s arm instead.

All the way there, she kept enthusiastically recommending the noodle shop. To anyone who didn’t know better, it would seem like she owned the place.

Before stepping inside, I glanced at the hidden camera on my button and the recorder hidden in my bag.

This time, I was fully prepared. I would never allow them to frame us again.

I needed to see exactly what these demons were plotting.

Just like in my previous life, my son ordered a bowl of handmade noodles. But the portion was so tiny that even a child couldn’t get full from it.

Under Chloe Miller’s deliberate guidance, my son stepped forward to ask for a refill of noodles.

“Rachel, he’s grown up now. Let him ask on his own—it’s a good exercise for him,” Chloe said.

I sneered inwardly but kept my expression calm.

Glancing at the little girl slurping soup beside us, I spoke evenly:

“Emily, your bowl is empty too. Why don’t you go ask for more noodles, just like your brother?”

As soon as I said that, Emily Miller jumped up with her bowl.

Ever since she was young, Chloe had instilled in her that whatever my son had, she must also have.

Emily ran off carrying two bowls, leaving Chloe wide-eyed in panic, unable to stop her in time.

Watching Chloe’s flustered expression only confirmed the suspicion gnawing at me.

The bitterness in my chest deepened—my husband and my best friend had betrayed me together.

I drew in a sharp breath, forcing myself to stay calm.

The next second, the rough, irritable voice of the shop owner shattered the quiet inside the noodle shop.

“Shameless! You ordered just one portion, and how many times have you asked for more? Didn’t your parents teach you any manners, little girl?”

“Get out! You’re not welcome here!”

The owner’s face was ferocious as he barked at Emily. Startled, she froze and burst into loud sobs, clutching her bowl.

Chloe’s expression shifted instantly. She rushed forward, trying to whisper something to the owner.

But he ignored her, even casting her a reassuring glance before continuing his vicious tirade with more confidence.

Watching this staged performance between the two of them, I knew without a doubt—if I still didn’t see through it now, the past twenty-something years of my life had been wasted.

I no longer cared about the farce before me. Taking my son’s hand, I turned and prepared to leave this place of trouble.

Chloe looked back, surprised that I walked away so easily.

Her expression hardened.

She had gone to such lengths to lure me on this trip, carefully designing this trap.

She hadn’t expected me to avoid falling into it.

This was something she was determined to pull me into, no matter what.

Once vague and misleading messages were posted online, no one would bother to check the details.

Back at the hotel, I immediately began packing, preparing to leave.

My son looked at me in confusion but stayed silent, standing obediently nearby.

“Mommy, we’re not traveling anymore? We’re going home?”

Looking at my sweet, well-behaved boy, my heart softened.

He wasn’t such a little kid anymore—some things I could begin to tell him.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at him seriously.

“If I divorced your father, who would you choose to stay with?”

At my words, his pupils shrank. His small hand clenched tightly.

He didn’t ask why I would want to divorce his father—he just looked at me with unwavering determination.

“I’ll choose you. Mommy, you’re so good. If you want a divorce, it must be because Dad did something wrong to you.”

Hearing my son’s words, I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling.

Of course I was heartbroken. I had been married to Daniel Carter for eight years, pouring so much of my heart into our marriage.

It had been love at first sight. Back in college, he had pursued me eagerly.

We had married and started a family smoothly.

To support his startup, I had even handed over part of my own family’s resources to help him.

I once believed we would live happily for a lifetime.

But in the end, years of love couldn’t withstand betrayal.

Daniel had cheated. And Emily was only one year younger than my son.

My husband was lying next to me while, at the same time, sharing himself with another woman.

Just thinking about it made my world collapse, and nausea twisted in my stomach.

Yesterday, I secretly obtained Emily Miller’s hair and sent it to a hospital for testing.

With some help, I might even get the results by this afternoon.

My son reached out his tiny hand to wipe away my tears, his face full of worry.

I quickly steadied myself. I had already packed my suitcase and was preparing to leave.

Just then, my phone began to ring incessantly.

My eyelids twitched as a wave of dread washed over me.

When I opened it, countless private messages from different social platforms flooded in—each one filled with malicious insults.

The scene was exactly the same as in my previous life.

My hands trembled as I clicked on the top trending headline.

#FourPeopleShareOneBowl Shameless Adults Refill Again and Again#

The post was a video: the noodle shop owner’s loud accusations, paired with surveillance footage of me and my son.

Enraged netizens immediately doxxed us, exposing my social media accounts, along with every detail about my son and me.

Even his school teacher called me.

The fallout was serious—too serious. I decided not to send him to school for the time being.

My son looked at me, bewildered, while I forced myself to stay calm.

Would I, like in my previous life, still hold crucial evidence in my hands?

I had to report this to the police.

Anyone who tried to frame me would pay the price.

But the moment I opened the door, a familiar figure barged in, his face twisted with impatience.

Without hesitation, Daniel Carter jabbed a finger at me and roared:

“Rachel Bennett, can’t you behave for once? You’re not the Bennett family’s princess anymore! Do you realize how much damage this scandal has done to my company?”

“All you do is sit around all day—eating my food, drinking my drinks, spending my money. I’m sick of it!”

I stared at Daniel in disbelief.

I never imagined he would say such words. Back then, I had willingly given up my identity as the Bennett heiress just to marry him.

I had handed over my inheritance to support his startup.

And now that he was successful, he dared to accuse me of spending his money.

At some point, Chloe Miller appeared behind him, her face full of false concern as she looked at me.

“Rachel, you really overreacted. It was just a bowl of noodles—now you’ve made a huge scene all over the city.”

Before I could respond, Emily came running up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Daniel.

She was still young, and whatever Chloe had whispered to her at home, in her excitement she forgot to keep it hidden.

Right in front of me, she cried out, “Daddy!”

The entire room fell silent.

My son’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Daniel in disbelief.

Emily leapt into Daniel’s arms.

“Daddy, I haven’t seen you in so long! Did you bring me a present this time?”

After saying that, she cast my son a challenging look.

My son’s face twisted in fury. He reached out to push Emily away—

But Daniel shoved him to the ground without mercy.

The moment I saw Daniel lay hands on my son, I lost all control.

I raised my hand and slapped hard—

But Chloe moved quickly, stepping between us.

The slap landed squarely across her cheek instead.

Clutching her face, Chloe’s eyes filled with tears as she sobbed.

“Rachel, I’m sorry. I can’t hide it anymore. Daniel has always loved me. Now that your reputation is ruined, there’s no point pretending.”