After the unexpected news of my pregnancy, my boyfriend Brian suggested I continue studying while having the baby.

"Jenny, you're in a liberal arts program—it's pretty chill. You could definitely manage a child on the side."

"Don't worry. We're short on cash now, but I promise, once I graduate, you'll be taken care of."

"Besides, time's ticking. If you wait until after graduation to have a baby, you'll be on the older side. I'm just thinking of what's best for you."

In my last life, I fell for his story. I swapped studying for motherhood, only to end up as an overlooked housewife.

After he completed his PhD, he secured a corporate job and got involved with a young, attractive undergrad.

My mother-in-law spent her days claiming that I was a bargain-bin bride, completely outmatched by her son.

After a disappointing end, I found myself back on the day I discovered I was pregnant.

Holding the ultrasound, my fingers couldn't stop trembling.

The hospital corridors were bustling, and my heart thumped loudly amidst the noise.

Before I could even recover, Brian called.

"Jenny, are you okay? What did the doctor say?"

His supposed concern made me feel nauseous.

I took a deep breath and responded, "It's nothing serious, just gastritis."

Brian sounded surprised, "Really? Are you sure the doctor didn't make a mistake?"

His tone suggested he knew something more.

"What do you think is wrong with me then?"

Noticing the coldness in my voice, he quickly softened, "You've been feeling nauseous and vomiting, right? You also missed your period last month. I was worried you might be pregnant."

"It's nothing. I need to pick up some medicine, I'm hanging up now."

I had scheduled an abortion for the afternoon.

In the previous life, Brian had done everything to dissuade me. This time, I was determined to go through with it.

While waiting, I unexpectedly ran into Brian's sister, Emily, who was supported by her African American boyfriend as she clutched her stomach.

We made eye contact before I could avoid her.

Previously, we had never officially met, only seen each other on social media.

I pulled up my mask, silently praying that Emily wouldn't recognize me.

As she passed by, Emily's gaze lingered on my mask for a moment.

A nurse came out to remind me that it was almost my turn.

I gently touched my stomach, feeling a surprising twinge of regret.

It would have been a sweet little girl.

Brian was handsome, and our daughter would have inherited his big, expressive eyes—always gazing at me, calling me "mommy" in her sweet voice.

I sighed; Brian did not deserve to be her father.

Whenever she fell ill, Brian never showed concern, and his mother always dismissed her as being too dramatic, and showing no affection.

"Jenny, what are you doing in the OB-GYN department?"

Brian's anxious voice interrupted my thoughts.

He was sweating profusely, his glasses fogged up.

"Emily sent me a photo, and said she saw you here. Are you pregnant?"

His voice was laced with concern, almost as if he genuinely cared.

He glanced at my medical report, and then quickly grabbed it. "Jenny, are you really pregnant?"

Excitement was evident in his tone.

I looked at him coldly. "Why, are you excited? Didn't you say you always took precautions?"

Previously, Brian had claimed that contraceptives were harmful to women, so he would take a male contraceptive pill.

I had believed it was a sign of his love, but now it seemed like just a part of his manipulation.

Brian avoided my gaze for a moment, then composed himself and said, "I did take them, but you know, contraceptives aren't foolproof."

"Jenny Kidwall, it's your turn."

The earlier nurse reminded me to go in.

Brian's face turned pale, and he grabbed my arm. "You're going to terminate the pregnancy?"

"I don't agree with that."

"You don't have a right to agree."

The nurse gave me an urging look, and I shrugged off Brian's hand.

Terminating this pregnancy meant Brian would finally stop bothering me.

"Jenny, please, let's keep the baby."

Brian gripped my hand, dropping to one knee, "We can get married next month, okay? Please don't go through with the abortion."

Bystanders started watching the drama unfold, and the nurse rolled her eyes, calling the next name.

I never expected Brian to make a scene like this in public.

"This guy looks pretty sincere, and he's quite the looker too. Why would she want an abortion?"

"Who knows, maybe the kid isn't his. He could just be stepping in."

...

I shot a glare at a few busybodies and yanked my hand away from Brian, heading back home.

My mom noticed my troubled expression and quickly came over, "Did something happen at school?"

I couldn't hold back anymore and hugged her, burying my face in her shoulder, and starting to cry softly.

"What's going on? Did you and Brian have a fight?"

My heart clenched. I hesitated whether to tell her everything but then she continued, "Brian's a good boy, your father and I have seen that. You've been coddled a bit too much by us, honey. Every couple has their ups and downs, sometimes you've got to learn to temper your reactions a bit."

I had to admit, that my parents saw Brian as an ideal son-in-law. He was well-educated, had integrity, and was always considerate towards me.

But who could have predicted he would change so drastically a few years down the line?

Would my mom believe me if I shared what I went through in my past life?

I nodded, "I got it, Mom. Don't worry about me and Brian."

For dinner, Mom asked Dad to pick up some of my favorite dishes.

During dinner, Dad talked about a recent fishing trip with Brian, laughing, "I thought the younger generation lacked patience, but Brian really surprised me with his calm."

Brian had certainly put in the effort to impress my parents, which was why they agreed to let me marry him while I was still studying, and they even agreed to help us out with the baby.

I grabbed my phone and rescheduled my appointment.

Early the next morning, Brian stood at the door with an armful of health supplements.

"Jenny, you—"

My mom's voice caught up from behind.

"Brian's here, come on in."

"Nice of you to drop by, but why all the goodies?"

"Mrs. Kidwall, Jenny's pregnant. I brought these to help keep her strength up."

As he spoke, my mom stopped in her tracks, stunned, and my dad, who was changing shoes at the door, also froze for a few seconds.

I shot Brian a sharp look; he was clearly trying to use my parents as mediators.

"Mr. Kidwall, Mrs. Kidwall, don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for Jenny."

"I've already called my mom, she's on her way here now."

"I know this is sudden, but since Jenny's already pregnant, we need to start thinking about the wedding sooner rather than later."

My parents exchanged a glance, remaining silent.

I knew that for them, the idea of a premarital pregnancy conflicted with the image of Brian they had in their minds.

In my past life, my parents were also worried when they found out I was pregnant, since neither Brian nor I had graduated yet; having a baby at that time really seemed imprudent. But back then, I had been brainwashed by Brian, and my parents eventually relented.

My mom looked up at me, "Jenny, what do you think?"

"Mom, I believe education should come first. We can think about these other things in a few more years."

"Jenny," Brian said, his eyes lighting up, a suave smile on his face, "Didn't you mention wanting to marry me soon? This baby could be our little miracle."

"Plus, you're in a relaxed program. Having a baby now would be much easier than trying to juggle it with a full-time job later on."

My dad was frowning, and it looked like my mom was softening up a bit.

Brian kept going, "Look, Jenny, you're already 25. Wait a few more years, and you'll be in the zone where it's tougher to bounce back after having a baby. Makes sense, right?"

Inside, I smirked; it was the same old line, now recycled for my parents.

I met Brian's gaze squarely, "So, you're talking marriage? What's the deal with the dowry? How much are we talking?"

Brian was momentarily speechless.

In the past life, he'd sweet-talked me into having the baby first, promising a dowry and a wedding later, which obviously never materialized.

This time, with my parents watching, I figured he'd want to save face and wouldn't be as direct.

"We'll sort all that out, Jenny. We need to sit down with our parents and hash out the details."

My mom, thinking I was on board, tried to smooth things over, "A bigger or smaller dowry isn't a big deal. After all, we only have one daughter, and eventually, it's going back to you as a fund for raising the child."

"I get it, Mr. and Mrs. Kidwall are practical folks, not ones to get hung up on these things."

"Jenny and I haven't even graduated yet; all this formal stuff is really just going through the motions."

I could almost predict his next move would be to suggest we table this discussion for later.

But before he could get another word out, his mom Barbara was already at the door knocking.

My mom welcomed her in, and she strode in with her disposable shoe covers, plopping down on our couch like she owned the place.

"Oh, in-laws, I heard Jenny was pregnant and I just had to come right over."

"These kids aren't getting any younger, and since the baby's on the way, we might as well get them married off quickly."

She smiled in a way that crinkled her eyes, seeming friendly on the surface, but my parents looked visibly uncomfortable.

My mom shifted uneasily, trying to detach from her grasp, "We're actually still talking it over."

"What's there to talk over?"

Barbara waved her hand dismissively, "There's a baby coming; what's there to even deliberate?"

My dad frowned deeper, "Even if they decide to get married, there are a lot of preparations to be made. It's not something we can just rush into."

Barbara's smile stiffened slightly, "The kids aren't even out of school yet, I think we should keep it simple."

"The most important thing is that the kids really care about each other; everything else is just for appearances."

My dad nodded, "That's true, but a wedding isn't something to take lightly, and we only have one daughter. We don't want to feel like we're shortchanging her."

Barbara dropped the friendly act, "I understand where you're coming from, but it hasn't been easy raising my boy and girl by myself. Thankfully, Brian's done well, he's young and already pursuing his PhD. He's got a bright future ahead, and plenty of young women are noticing him at school."

"Your Jenny is lucky; she got in early and got pregnant first."

My parents were almost amused by her reasoning. My dad retorted, "Can you really say this pregnancy was solely my daughter's decision?"

"That's debatable."

Barbara glanced at my belly, "My son's quite the catch, so it wouldn't surprise me if your daughter made the first move."

"Now that she's pregnant, my son is willing to step up and marry her. Isn't that enough?"

My dad's face turned red with anger, while Brian also looked uncomfortable.

He stepped forward and tugged at Barbara's arm, hinting that she should stop talking.

Barbara, however, continued unabated, "I've never heard of someone demanding a dowry for an out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Asking for one just shows a lack of self-respect. We're already being more than generous by accepting her into our family under these circumstances."

Brian had had enough and snapped, "Mom!"

My mom squeezed my hand, her eyes full of concern for me.

Reflecting on Barbara's past behavior, her initial warmth was probably all an act, just because I had agreed to forego the dowry temporarily and was eager to rush the marriage certificate with Brian.