My childhood friend suffered complications during labor and entrusted her child to me before she died.

“Shea Wilde, I trust you the most. I’m counting on you to raise this child!”

After she passed away, I endured every hardship while raising the child.

Eighteen years of hardships and sacrifices later, I raised my foster son. He became the valedictorian and the top scorer in the college entrance exams.

But on the day of the celebration banquet, my childhood friend returned with my childhood sweetheart. “Shea, I never imagined you’d raise my son so well!

“Congratulations! I hereby announce you as the best childhood friend ever!”

Her childhood sweetheart wrapped an arm around her shoulder while looking down on me. “Shea, Lilian Reyes is the daughter of the richest man in town. We’re taking our child back to claim our rightful inheritance. Here’s 30,000 dollars as compensation for you!”

My adopted son was equally arrogant. His face twisted with pride. “I always knew a prodigy like me could never have a mother like you!”

The rage killed me instantly.

When time turned back, I sent the child straight to the orphanage.

In the hospital, my childhood friend, Lillian Reyes, laid pale on the delivery bed.

She gripped my hand tightly. “Shea, I’m not going to make it. I’m leaving my baby to you. I trust you.”

Her grip was so strong it hurt my hand.

The pain snapped me back to reality. I took in the familiar surroundings and instantly understood what had happened. I had returned to the past.

When I remained silent, the midwife beside me shot me a look. “Your friend is dying here, and you can’t even say a word!

“How could you call yourselves childhood friends?!”

I peered at Lillian. Her face and neck were two distinctively different skin tones.

In my previous life, I had panicked and agreed without a second thought.

I was not going to repeat such folly.

“Lily, what are you saying? I’m still a student myself. How could I possibly have the energy to raise him?

“What about his biological father? You got pregnant out of wedlock. That guy has to take responsibility!

“What a poor thing, I can’t raise him either. Why don’t we send this child to an orphanage? Otherwise, if any unmarried student is seen carrying a child from goodness knows who, people will call him a fatherless orphan!”

The triple whammy made Lillian raise her voice in anger. “No one can insult my child! You’re around to take care of him, aren’t you?!”

I pulled my hand back and crossed my arms. “You sound perfectly healthy to me. That’s not the voice of someone on their deathbed!”

Only then did Lillian snap back into her “exhausted” act. The midwife shot me a glare. “You, step outside. We need to clean her up.”

Without another word, she shoved me out.

I was not stupid. Why would I waste eighteen of my precious years raising someone who would turn around and bite the hand that fed them?

The moment I stepped outside, the midwife thrust the baby toward me. I immediately raised my hands high and shouted, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t try to trick me into this!

“If anything happens to the baby, you’re responsible.”

She was furious. “How could you be so heartless? The mother’s already dead. If not you, then who else should take the baby?

“The mother’s will is right here. She trusts you the most. I’m leaving this child in your care.”

Before I could react, she shoved the baby into my arms and started walking away. I grabbed her arm. “What about the body? I need to take care of it!”

I had to see her corpse for myself!

The midwife’s face paled. “The mother was very understanding. She offered up all her organs for donation.”

“Where are those donation forms? I need to see it! How do I know if your hospital isn’t selling her organs under the table?!

“It was just a regular childbirth. My childhood friend was perfectly healthy. How could she die from complications during delivery?”

My outburst drew the attention of all the waiting family members outside.

“What happened? The mother died? Will my wife be okay giving birth today?”

“Doctor, what exactly happened? Explain clearly!”

“Even if the body will be donated, relatives should be able to see the body!”

The midwife grew flustered. She clearly had not expected me to be so difficult to placate.

Her eyebrows shot up in anger. She turned and pulled out the donation form. “Here it is! The mother knew she wouldn’t make it, so she signed this in advance. By now, the body’s already been taken to the medical university for dissection and teaching!”

“Is that so? Then tell that to the police. I don’t want to be deceived. After all, which layman can really say for sure?”

No sooner had I finished speaking, the police arrived. The midwife’s face instantly turned pale.

Did she really think I was that easy to fool?

“Y-you actually called the police!”

I scoffed. “What a surprise! As you said, this is an orphan. Even if I adopt him, I’ll need to go through proper channels! Don’t you understand that? How many children have you given up for adoption before?”

“Y-you’re making false accusations!”

She grew frantic. The police would naturally determine whether it was a baseless accusation.

After learning the details, the officers examined the donation form and other supporting documents.

Credit had to be given where credit was due. Lillian had been very thorough. Not only were all those documents genuine, but she had even obtained the acceptance paperwork from the medical university.

The midwife finally glanced at me, her expression dripping with contempt. “Now you finally believe us, huh? You thought we were frauds!

“The mother is most unfortunate to have a childhood friend like yourself!”

I snorted coldly. “I’ll tell you what’s really unfortunate! Meeting with a hospital like yours, where giving birth means certain death!”

“You!”

She widened her eyes in fury. I memorized her name, then stepped outside and climbed into the police car with the baby.

Eighteen years later, on the day the college entrance exam results were released, my son, Neil Ryans, became the top scorer in the state. He was also the valedictorian.

I hosted a special banquet and invited many people, including several unfamiliar faces.

When Neil delivered his speech on stage, he specifically mentioned me.

“Without my mother, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

“My success is owed to my teachers’ guidance and my mother’s care!”

“That’s right!”

A voice rang out from the crowd. Everyone turned to see an uninvited couple.

I narrowed my eyes and let out a cold laugh.

Lillian Reyes, Linden Smith. I’ve been waiting for you two for a long time!

They walked straight over, their eyes brimming with tears of emotion as they gazed at Neil on stage.

“Who are you?”

“Neil, this is your biological mother!” Linden walked up arm-in-arm with Lillian.

“What did you say?” Neil froze.

Everyone stared at me in shock.

As the valedictorian’s mother sat at the head of the table, I remained utterly composed while facing Lillian and her company. “This isn’t how you ride someone else’s coattails!”

Lillian stared at me smugly, then declared loudly, “Shea, don’t you remember me? Back then, I gave birth to my child and entrusted him to you. Thank you! Thank you for raising my son so well!”

She stepped forward to grasp my hand, but I swatted it away.

“Who the hell are you? Stop pretending to be someone I know!

“My son’s excellence is indeed the result of my upbringing, but it also stems from his innate talent. What does that have to do with you?”

Linden looked at me. “Shea, you don’t recognize her? This is Lillian Reyes. The three of us grew up together. This child is hers!”

I laughed. “I remember clearly that Lillian died in childbirth that year!”

“Yes, but it wasn’t my time yet. Someone saved me.

“I went away to recover, and now I’m back to claim my son!”

Tears welled in Lillian’s eyes. “The midwife was right there. She could testify! Yet you called my son a fatherless orphan. I begged you for so long!”

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at me.

“Who knew Shea Wilde could be so cold-hearted?!”

“What are you talking about? Raising a child is a huge responsibility. No one agrees to it so lightly!”

“Her life was on the line back then. After being separated from her own flesh and blood for so many years, what’s wrong with her claiming him now?”

Seeing the tide turning in her favor, Lillian immediately put on a magnanimous facade.

“Shea, I know you’re angry. Here’s 30,000 dollars as compensation. Don’t look down on the amount. I’m struggling too.”

Her act made me snort coldly. Neil’s voice was firm. “I’m not your son. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

The next moment, Lillian produced a paternity test report. “I had the midwife help me with this back then.

“I was worried about unforeseen circumstances, so I prepared for the worst. Neil, your mother had no choice!

“I am overjoyed that you became the valedictorian. But you’ve got to acknowledge the fact that I truly am your biological mother!”

I snorted in disbelief. “That’s truly bizarre. I didn’t believe you were dead back then, but the hospital showed me your death certificate and the medical university’s body donation receipt. I caused quite a scene at the hospital and even called the police.

“The police confirmed those documents were genuine.

“Lillian, they told me that you were sent to the medical university to become a cadaver for dissection teaching, yet here you are, completely intact. It’s such a miracle!

“There are only two ways to take this. Either the documents are forged, and even both the police and the hospital are in on it!

“The other possibility is that the documents are genuine, and this Lillian Reyes is an imposter!”

She froze. “You... What did you say? Called the police?”

I produced the evidence. “I had a major falling out with the hospital back then. I kept every single piece of evidence!”

I snapped my fingers, and the large screen instantly displayed those old documents.

Lillian was speechless. She was stunned that I had kept them for nearly twenty years.

Having lived this experience twice over, how could I let her lead me by the nose?

With irrefutable proof, everyone was dumbfounded.

“How could such a thing happen?”

“Was it a resurrection? That’s a medical miracle!”

“No, what medical miracle? This is outright fraud! If she’s real, then they actually forged death certificates! Who knows how many people were forced to die? This is an unscrupulous hospital!”

“If the documents are fake, that means she faked her own death. She had someone else raise the child while she lived it up, only to come back later to reap the rewards. How shameless!”

Lillian immediately began protesting. “That’s not what happened!”

“I-I was unconscious back then. I truly had no vital signs!”

I called her out again. “You died giving birth at a top-tier hospital? I only saw a midwife. I never saw a single doctor.

“The midwife had her hands full with me. She didn’t even try to verify your death. She even issued a death certificate. After all of that, you came back to life at the medical university?

“Setting aside doubts about your identity, even if you are Lillian, don’t you find this absurd?

“Didn’t the medical university say anything? Shouldn’t the hospital have contacted me? Didn’t they notify the police?

“Didn’t you ever think to ask about your son at the time?

“Stop spinning lies! Today, no matter whether you or the hospital is lying, I won’t give you my son!”

Lillian’s face flushed crimson and turned pale as I went on and on. She was dumbfounded and rushed forward.

“Is the money not enough for you? My son is exceptional! It’s because his father and I have good genes. You only need to feed him!

“Besides, proof aside, do you really not recognize me?

“If you don’t trust me, can’t you trust Linden?”

Linden chimed in from the side. “Shea, I know you’re reluctant to give him up, but for the child’s future, you can’t deny Neil’s right to acknowledge her!

“Lillian is the Reyes family’s heiress. The Reyes family from the provincial capital. Her father is Creston Reyes, and he’s worth billions! If Neil returns, he’ll be Creston’s grandson. The sky is the limit where his future is concerned!”

Lillian nodded repeatedly. “Yes, I know you’re angry, but after so many years apart, I’ve always missed him!

“Today, I finally gathered the courage to come. Rest assured, I won’t erase what you have done.”

I spread my hands helplessly. “Lillian, I’ve told you. Setting all that aside, he truly isn’t your son!”

“How could that be! You only have this one child. If he’s not my son, then whose could he be?!”

“He’s my son. He’s my own flesh and blood. He’s born to me, Shea Wilde!”