My sister-in-law finally became pregnant at fifty.

But the family parrot, Pip, suddenly said, “Abort it. Abort it.”

Hearing this, I immediately forced my sister-in-law to go to the hospital to get an abortion.

My brother and parents desperately stopped me.

They shouted, “Have you gone mad? Do you trust an animal’s words?”

I nodded and answered firmly, “Yes. I believe everything Pip says.”

Mary, my sister-in-law, stared at me. Her face was deathly pale.

“What did you just say? Are you asking me to abort my baby? All because of what Pip said?”

I gave a solemn nod.

“Yes. Pip said this child is an abomination. It cannot—”

Before I could finish, Mary slapped me.

“Your brother and I tried for thirty years to have this child! How dare you tell me to get rid of it? If he finds out, he’d kill you, you monster!”

I gave an unbothered smile.

“Even if he kills me, that monster inside you cannot live.

“Come with me to the hospital now.”

She struggled desperately, and right then, the rest of the family returned home.

Mary rushed into my brother, Jasper’s, arms.

“Jasper! Claire is forcing me to get an abortion because of something the parrot said!”

When my parents heard this, their faces darkened at once. They yelled at me.

“Have you lost your mind? How can you believe an animal’s nonsense?”

My brother looked at me skeptically.

Tears streamed down Mary’s anxious face.

“I’m telling the truth! See for yourselves!”

She held out her hand, covered with violent red marks from our struggle. It was a shocking sight.

When Jasper saw the shocking sight, he felt sorry for her.

He struck my face and said, “If you dare mention abortion again, I’ll kill you!”

I covered my cheek and spoke firmly, “Pip said Mary is carrying a cursed child. It must be aborted.”

My parents widened their eyes in shock when they heard this.

“That animal is spouting nonsense. One of these days, I’ll slaughter it.”

They looked apologetically at Mary.

“Don’t worry, Mary. We’ll definitely teach her a lesson.”

Only then did Mary reluctantly agree to forgive me.

Just when they thought it was over, I forcefully grabbed Mary and tried to drag her to the hospital. I refused to give in.

“Are you crazy?!” Jasper yelled. He raised a kitchen knife and charged at me.

“Mom and Dad may coddle you, but I won’t. If you dare target my son again, I’ll cut you to pieces!”

Jasper’s threat shocked everyone.

Jasper was typically a gentle man. He would never lay a hand on a family member or even utter a single harsh word to us.

However, at that moment, he had not only hit me but also threatened to kill me.

I held my swollen cheek and stared at him coldly.

“Try it if you dare.”

Mary had not expected things to escalate this far. She looked at me somewhat apologetically.

But that was not important. The real issue was the child in her womb.

As everyone’s guard dropped, I snatched the kitchen knife and pressed it against Mary’s neck.

I shouted hysterically, “Her child must die!”

The whole family fell to the floor in terror.

Only Pip chirped repeatedly from the sidelines, “Must die! Must die!”

My parents rose with extreme caution, terrified I would kill their precious grandson in a fit of rage.

I managed to make my way outside.

As soon as I opened the door, police officers who had been waiting outside swarmed in.

They tackled me to the floor and handcuffed me.

And just like that, the police took me away.

During the interrogation, an officer asked me, “Why are you trying to force your sister-in-law to abort the child?”

I replied flatly, “My family’s parrot said the baby was an abomination that must not be kept. So, I took her to terminate the pregnancy.”

The officer became furious and threw his pen on the table.

“That’s nonsense!”

I let out a cold laugh.

“Officer, do you have any proof that I’m talking nonsense?”

“You…!” He pointed the pen at me. “You will pay for what you’ve done.”

He slammed the door and left.

I leaned back and lounged idly in the chair as I wondered when I would make my next move.

“You’re free to go.”

Wait... they were letting me off this easily?

I followed the officer out and heard a commotion in the lobby.

Edith, Mary’s mother, was there. She shot me a deathly glare.

My mother dragged me over to her.

“Apologize to Edith now. If it weren’t for her agreeing to drop the charges, you’d still be locked up.”

I reluctantly muttered an apology.

After a few more of her scornful looks, the matter was finally over.

The moment I returned home, a deep sense of foreboding washed over me.

“Pip! Pip!” I called out tentatively several times, but Pip was nowhere to be seen.

“Mom, where is Pip?”

My father spoke before my mother could answer.

“I got rid of it. That filthy animal messed with your mind and almost caused you to make a grave mistake.”

He got rid of it?

I collapsed on the floor.

“You got rid of him? Where did you leave him?”

My father was startled by my reaction but forced himself to sound firm.

“Don’t ask. He’s gone, and you’ll never find him again.”

I trembled with rage. My mother panicked and pushed him aside.

“Why did you lie? You could’ve just told her we gave him away.”

She hurriedly helped me up and patted my back to calm me down.

Jasper walked over and dropped a cold remark. “Anyone would think Pip was her real father.”

I ignored his sarcasm and tightly gripped my mother’s hand.

“Mom, please, tell me where you gave Pip away!”

My mother guiltily avoided my gaze, then finally clenched her teeth and revealed the entire story to me.

I was relieved when she confirmed that Pip was not in danger.

I scrambled desperately to the doorstep of the house where my father had sent Pip. The sight that greeted me when the door opened almost made me pass out.

Several bratty children had tied Pip’s wings with a rope and were repeatedly dropping it from a height.

“What are you doing?” I snatched Pip back.

Seeing my deranged state, the family dared not speak their anger.

Pip lay weakly in my palm, as if it might leave me at any second.

I rushed him to the vet. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured.

On the way home, Jasper suddenly appeared from nowhere. I hid Pip behind my back guiltily.

He waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not so petty as to hold a grudge against an animal.

“The most urgent matter now is to follow me to Mary’s parents’ home and persuade her to come back!”

Only when Jasper mentioned it did I realize I had not seen Mary at home earlier.

I followed him quietly as a plan started forming in my mind.

Upon arriving at Mary’s home, Edith stood with her arms crossed as she looked at me sideways.

“Well, if it isn’t Claire, here to give me a piece of her mind.”

I frantically waved my hands.

“Of course not. It’s totally on me. You were right to call the police on me.”

Only then did she give a proud, hesitant nod.

“Then what are you doing here?”

Jasper nudged me, and I hurriedly spoke up.

“I’m here to take Mary home.”

As soon as I said it, Edith became so angry she nearly stumbled.

“You’ve got some nerve! Do you think we’re pushovers?”

Before we could say more, Mary emerged from her room.

She glanced at me.

“Do you admit you were wrong?”

I nodded vigorously, afraid Mary would not feel my sincerity.

Jasper then seized the moment to take Mary’s hand.

“Mary, you’re not really going to make me sleep in our bed all alone, are you?”

Mary shyly broke free from his grasp.

“Not here! People are watching.”

Soon, Mary brought out her already packed luggage.

“Mom, I’m heading out.”

Upon returning home, I attended to Mary with utmost diligence.

I fetched water when she was thirsty and cooked meals when she was hungry.

Mom even began to suspect something was wrong with me and insisted on taking me to the hospital.

Mary laughed and said, “She’s not sick, she’s just trying to make it up to me.”

I scratched my head sheepishly, but my eyes remained fixed on her belly.

The pregnancy was progressing, and further delays would only cause her more suffering.

“Mary, let’s go shopping tomorrow.”

She hesitated briefly, but after I pleaded with her persistently, she agreed.

“Claire, how old do you think my baby will be before they can fit into this?”

My heart ached with sorrow when I looked at the adorable baby clothes in her hands.

She did not yet know that she was going to spend her last day as a mother.

“Ah, my stomach is hurting so much!”

Mary quickly rushed to support me.

“Oh no, are you okay? Should we get you to a hospital?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s probably just something I ate last night. Mary, could you just wait for me right outside?”

I lingered in the bathroom for a long time. Mary grew worried and came in to check on me.

“Claire, are you okay? I really think we should go to the hospital.”

“No... don’t worry. Mary, come here for a second and give me a hand.”

She walked over without any suspicion.

Before she could speak, I swiftly pushed the bathroom door open and tied her up.

By the time she regained consciousness, she was already in the hospital.

“Claire, let me go! What in the world are you doing?!”

I picked up a scalpel and could barely hide the glimmer in my eyes.

“I’m getting rid of that abomination growing inside you, of course.”

She broke down crying and begged me repeatedly to let her go.

“Claire, please just let us go! I swear this child will never come after any of your money or property! I promise!”

I had worked too hard to just let her walk away.

I pressed the blade against her stomach.

“If you’d just listened to me and gotten the abortion, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this now.”

Mary fell into a daze. She stared vacantly at the surgical lamp.

I averted my eyes and made a firm, cold statement.

“Let’s begin.”

The entire time, Mary never made a sound. She just stared daggers at me as her eyes welled up with tears of anger.

“The surgery was a success.”

I let out a long sigh of relief and hugged Mary excitedly.

“Thank goodness! We’re all safe now.”

The next instant, a sharp scalpel plunged straight into my abdomen.

I stared at Mary in disbelief as I clutched my stomach before collapsing to the floor.