My best friend, Sabrina Reeves, hates children. She wants a child of her own, but she doesn't want to give birth to her own child.

So, she sought me out and asked me to help give birth to a child for her. She even claimed that her child would be my child, and that they'd take care of me when I grew old.

I thought she was crazy. Also, I warned her that it was illegal to find a surrogate mother in our country.

Out of fury, Sabrina cut off all ties with me and called me a shameless wretch.

"It's just giving birth to a child! I can do that too!"

But Sabrina started smoking, drinking, and bar-hopping a lot. She could never get pregnant no matter what.

After that, her husband brought his mistress and illegitimate child home before kicking Sabrina out.

"Even a hen is capable of laying eggs! I've married you for so long, yet you can't even get pregnant! You really are a loser!

"I never said anything about you wanting your best friend to give birth to my child! But you can't even get that done! Isn't this all your fault?"

Sabrina pinned the blame on me. She slashed my stomach open repeatedly with a blade.

Just like that, I died from the sheer pain.

When I open my eyes again, I've returned to the day Sabrina asks me to help give birth to a child for her.

"Abby, you know I've always hated kids. But my husband is barely coming home anymore. I can't lose him! If I do, this life I've worked so hard for will be gone! I need a baby right now to secure my place in the family.

"Abby, please, have a baby for me. It won't hurt you at all. I'm just borrowing your womb for a few months. We're best friends. You wouldn't just stand by and watch my life fall apart, would you?"

As I looked into the pleading eyes of my best friend, Sabrina Reeves, my mind suddenly went into a daze. An agonizing pain flared in my lower abdomen.

Looking at the ugly reality behind her face, I fought to keep my rage from boiling over.

In my previous life, Sabrina came to me with this same sob story, claiming a baby was the only way to save her failing marriage.

But she loathed children. She couldn't stand them. Even if it were her own child, she couldn't guarantee she'd feel even a shred of affection for them.

Fully aware of her true feelings, I had told her to just follow her heart and that there was no reason to let a marriage tie her down.

But she was tuned out. She just started reciting her pre-planned script.

"Abby, I can't give up this lifestyle. But I have you! You love kids. If you just give me a child, it will save my marriage. Isn't that a win-win?"

At that time, I honestly wondered if Sabrina had lost her mind.

Noticing my silence, she continued to stare at me. "You won't have to worry about a thing. Just let them put the embryo in you for a few months, then pop it out. It won't cost you a dime, and you get a son, too. It's like a retirement plan for you and a solution for me. Isn't it perfect?"

I was speechless with fury.

As a successful professional in a major city, I could have any man I wanted. I could marry and have children on my own terms.

I wasn't infertile anyway. Why on earth would I want her charity embryo?

I didn't even know if it was clean!

Fuming, I tore the mask off her conspiracy right then and there.

Yet, remembering our years of friendship, I tried one last time to talk Sabrina out of it since it was illegal in our country.

That struck a nerve. She immediately flipped, calling our friendship fake and saying I simply couldn't stand to see her happy.

Sabrina claimed she was only offering me this golden opportunity because she didn't want me to die alone.

"You're just ungrateful," she spat, then cut ties with me on the spot.

She warned me that when she finally got her baby, I shouldn't bother coming around.

I scoffed. As if I needed her in my life.

After that, Sabrina started trying for a baby.

I thought maybe she'd finally settled down. But no, she began posting all kinds of posts on social media to remind me that I had lost her.

Her "trying for a baby" was just an excuse. She was still out there partying and living it up.

Eventually, her husband, Harold Wynn, stopped playing pretenses altogether. He showed up with his mistress and illegitimate son, telling her to move out.

When Sabrina begged him to stay, all he said was, "You're so useless. You can't have a baby on your own, and you couldn't even get your best friend to help."

Because of that, Sabrina blamed everything on me.

"If you had agreed to my suggestion, would I be getting trampled by the mistress and kicked out of my own house? It's all your fault! You bitch! I'm going to make you pay just like I did!"

While I was coming home and unlocking the door, she snuck up behind me and knocked me out.

When I came to, Sabrina was there, slicing open my stomach. "A uterus that doesn't want kids is useless anyway."

At the thought of this, I forced down the surge of hatred within me and quickly smoothed out my expression.

"Am I that kind of person in your eyes? Of course I'll help you. In fact, I'd be more than happy to help you save your marriage."

I paused, watching her smile widen, then added, "But I can't have kids."

Sabrina's face fell instantly.

I smirked inside.

This was just the beginning, and she couldn't hold it together already?

This time around, I was going to watch her lose everything. She would pay for all the pain I had suffered!

Sabrina snapped, "You think it's funny to mess with me, Abby? Do you enjoy watching me stress out over having a kid? If you don't want to help, just say so! There's no need to beat around the bush!"

I put on a panicked act and shook my head. "Rina, you've misunderstood me. Both of my fallopian tubes are blocked; I have no idea how long the treatment will take. I can't get pregnant now. I truly want to help you, but I just can't."

"You're lying! There's no way it's such a coincidence!"

I sighed helplessly.

I knew Sabrina wouldn't believe me, so I decided to let her see it for herself.

"My checkup results weren't great. I haven't even had time to go back for a follow-up before coming to you. Why don't you come to the hospital with me?"

It would completely shut down any ideas Sabrina had of scheming against me.

After I died in my previous life, I wandered for a long time as a restless soul.

I watched Mom break down, desperately searching through my belongings for any trace that I had once existed.

It wasn't until she found my medical report that I learned about my condition.

The body Sabrina had been fixated on all along was unhealthy.

After a full round of tests, everything matched what I had said. The news hit Sabrina like a thunderclap, and her hope collapsed in an instant.

"Rina, don't be so fixated on me. You're more than capable of having your own child. Once you have your own baby, you won't hate kids anymore. The kids you hate are just badly raised. Do you think you'd mess up your own child too?

"You need to have more faith in yourself. You're so pretty, and Harold is so handsome. Your kid would be insanely good-looking! Just picture it. Don't you feel even a little excited?"

As I spoke, Sabrina fell into thought, like she was starting to see my point.

She hesitated before asking, "Will my own kid really be different? Do you really think it'd be better if I had one myself?"

"Of course. A child of your own is different. That bond can't be replaced."

Even the doctor smiled and chimed in, "You'll know how adorable babies are once you have one. They're so soft and cuddly. Impossible not to love."

Sabrina didn't quite get it, but her stance began to crumble. There was even a hint of anticipation on her face.

Her so-called hatred of children had always been nothing but an excuse.

But even if she wanted to try for one herself now, I wasn't about to let her.

I suddenly thought of a parenting simulation center nearby, and an idea flashed through my mind.

"Rina, you don't have to decide right away. There's a place nearby where you can try out what being a mom feels like. Why don't you give it a shot?"

Sabrina's eyes shifted. "Abby, why don't you try it too?"

Afraid I'd say no, she quickly added, "Just think of it as getting experience for the future."

"Sure!"

What a bitch. She was scared, so she wanted a sacrificial lamb to share the burden.

But that was fine. I'd make sure she felt it down to her bones.

I went all out and bought her the full premium package. As for me, I wasn't about to waste money on that.

While we were changing, I pulled a staff member aside. "Miss, my friend's a bit shy, but she has a little kink. She's the type who says it hurts even when she's enjoying herself. So, during the labor simulation, don't mind her if she starts screaming. Just get through the process as usual."

The staff member stared at me in shock but nodded anyway.

I pressed down the smile creeping onto my lips. Inside, I was already laughing.

To make sure Sabrina got the full experience, I deliberately scheduled diaper changing before the labor simulation.

Most people at the parenting simulation center were expecting parents. They followed the instructor closely and practiced with serious expressions.

The moment Sabrina unfastened the simulation baby's diaper, the poop—made from a carefully blended mix of chocolate cream and coffee grounds—made her gag. She couldn't bring herself to touch it at all.

Her brain automatically blocked out the coffee aroma.

She ignored the instructor's repeated reminders and demonstrations and was already on the verge of a breakdown.

The couple next to her seemed to picture their future child and, overcome with emotion, even kissed the simulation baby's butt.

Sabrina visibly snapped.

Screaming like she'd seen a ghost, she bolted out of the classroom, leaving everyone behind in stunned silence.

When I found her, she was retching so hard she could barely stand.

With tears in her eyes, she said, "Abby, I really can't do this. It's disgusting. I swear I smelled it."

"Rina, you're overthinking it. It's just chocolate cream. Smell it. It's actually kind of sweet."

I reached out again, trying to coax her.

Sabrina gagged and threw up again.

A faint smile danced in my eyes as I completely ignored her pleas to leave and dragged her straight to the labor simulation room.

Come on, my money didn't grow on trees. If I paid for it, we were finishing it.

When the simulation reached level five, Sabrina was screaming herself hoarse. She clutched my hand and begged, "Abby, it hurts. Please, turn it off."

I didn't move.

The more miserable she sounded, the more pleasure I felt rising inside me.

Using stomach pain as an excuse, I stepped out of the room, as I was afraid the smile on my face would give me away.

Through the glass in the door, I watched Sabrina writhing in agony.

This was nothing.

In my previous life, Sabrina had slashed my stomach. No matter how I begged, she didn't hesitate.

To make sure I suffered and didn't die too quickly, she poured an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide onto my wound to disinfect it.

The pain was so intense I wanted to die, yet I couldn't pass out. The repeated tearing sensation crushed me completely.

Compared to that, this little simulation was just child's play. It wasn't nearly enough.

The staff member controlling the current thought Sabrina felt it wasn't enough and slowly turned it higher.

She screamed like a pig about to be slaughtered. Cold sweat poured down her face.

I heard the staff mutter under her breath, "That's one twisted fetish."

Crouched in the corner, I did everything I could not to burst out laughing.

Sabrina grew up in an ordinary single-parent household. Her mother supported them by selling vegetables, and the hardship of her childhood made her swear she'd rise above it all.

But once she married into money, she became arrogant.

She looked down on security guards, thinking they were born to stand at gates. She despised waiters, believing they existed only to serve others. She scorned anyone poorer than her, seeing them as beneath her.

She never once considered that she'd done those same jobs herself.

Sabrina even looked down on me. In her mind, she was doing me a favor by being my friend. So when she needed me, I was supposed to sacrifice everything and gratefully accept her offer.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the room.

Sabrina staggered out, and I grabbed her arm. "Rina, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to have kids. I don't want to give birth. Never! Abby, it hurts so bad. I can't take it!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? I went through it with you. Just grit your teeth and get through it. Think about Harold. Think about your marriage. You need to have a child."

But my words no longer worked. Sabrina shook me off and ran away.

A few days later, she called me, sounding unusually smug.

"Abby, guess what? I found a woman to have a baby for me. See? There's nothing money can't solve. Don't be too upset. It's not your fault that you couldn't help. I just hope that you won't be too envious of me when you have no one to care for you in your old age."

She had to get one last jab in.

My gaze turned cold, but I still said, "Congrats. Hurry up and get started with Harold. You don't want things dragging on."

"Of course. I'll talk to him tonight, and we'll put it on the agenda right away."

After what I'd learned in my previous life, I knew exactly what kind of person Sabrina was.

She would never give up until she got what she wanted. I was sure she would look for a surrogate.

I hadn't been idle. I'd had people watching her the whole time. All I needed to do was present the candidate I had already prepared for her.

That was my real goal.