Introduction:

After my sister-in-law, Paisley Montes, gave birth to my nephew Gaven Wiley, she was unable to nurse him. My mother, Briley Stokes, unwilling to leave Gaven, lifted her shirt and fed him herself.

She said, "If he drinks my milk for a full year, he'll become a prodigy."

Years earlier, my mother had suffered from breast disease, and the doctors said her breasts were full of thick pus.

Worried about my nephew's life, I withstood beatings from my parents and bought the best formula in the store to feed him.

But as my nephew grew up, his super-masculine genes manifested. He teamed up with criminals to rape a girl, murdered and dismembered her. Finally, he was sentenced to death by firing squad.

On the day the verdict was announced, Paisley revealed her true nature. While I slept, she came at me with a knife, screaming, "It was that poor-quality formula you bought that killed my son! You have to pay for it!"

I collapsed in a pool of blood and couldn't make it.

When I opened my eyes, I had returned to the day Paisley gave birth.

***

"Briley, this… isn't right, is it? The baby can be fed formula." I heard Paisley say hesitantly.

"Shut up, you know nothing. All you do is complain."

"Formula can't compare to the nutrients in breast milk. You're useless enough as it is, and now you're meddling in everything."

My mother harshly interrupted Paisley's words.

She lifted her shirt and started breastfeeding my nephew, who eagerly sucked away.

A maternal smile appeared on my mother's face. "Look at him, our little Gaven likes it."

My nephew, held in my mother's arms, really was gulping something down.

Paisley's gaze was complicated. She opened her mouth to say something more but was silenced by my mother's sharp glare.

"You fool. If you ruin my grandson's chance to become a prodigy, you'll be a disgrace to the Wiley family.

"I raised Hudson the same way when he was young. Otherwise, he wouldn't be as outstanding as he is now. I don't understand why you're so worried."

My elder brother Hudson Wiley was the first college graduate from our village, so he was well-known in our town. And since my mother liked to brag, she had exaggerated his achievements. Though Hudson worked as a salesman for a small company, she had inflated his position to that of a government worker with an official post.

Ever since Paisley married into our family, my mother always looked down on her. With my mother's overbearing personality, Paisley had been meek and submissive in our home.

Now, Paisley had no choice but to turn to me for help.

After Hudson, I was the second person in our village to graduate from college. With two college graduates in one family, my mother had been overjoyed, walking with her head held high, full of pride whenever she passed by others' homes.

This had shaped her domineering and arrogant nature.

In my previous life, only I knew that years earlier, my mother had suffered from a breast disease. Her breasts were filled with pus and had to be drained with tubes, but my mother never followed through with the procedure.

So what my nephew was gulping down was actually... pus.

I feared for my nephew's life, so despite the beatings from my parents, I stubbornly snatched him away and went to the store in our town to buy the best formula for him.

Who would have thought that when my nephew grew up, he would turn out to be a super-masculine child? His super-masculine genes manifested, and he ended up teaming up with thugs to rape and kill a young girl. Finally, he was sentenced to death by firing squad.

On the night the court's verdict was issued, Paisley, who was usually timid, found her way to my bedside. She raised a chopper and slashed at me while muttering in a crazed tone, "It's all your fault! That low-quality formula ruined my son, leading to his death. You killed my son. Now you have to pay with your life!"

As Paisley swung the chopper down, all I could see was her twisted face and the glint of the blade in the moonlight. The intense pain surged through me, and I closed my eyes forever.

For five whole hours, Paisley dismembered me and fed the pieces to the pigs. As for my bones, she and my mother tied them to a heavyweight at night and sank them into the river.

After they finished everything, Paisley kept cursing me, "We never should have trusted you, you wretched thing. My son could have been an outstanding person, but you destroyed him and all our hope."

My mother's face twisted into a ferocious sneer, "If I had known you would be the one to ruin my grandson, I would've drowned you long ago.

"Such a good man finally born into the Wiley family, but you destroyed him. You should disappear in this world. Just go to hell."

A few years after my death, Paisley had two more pregnancies, both girls, and both were miscarried.

Even after my death, they harbored hatred toward me, blaming me for ruining such an excellent heir in the family and causing the family's decline. I became the scapegoat, constantly cursed and reviled.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn, back on the day Paisley was giving birth.

Seeing the pleading look in Paisley's eyes, I chose to ignore it this time.

The trauma of being hacked to death still haunted me. Just thinking about it made my hands tremble uncontrollably. That feeling... was so terrifying.

In my past life, I was so foolish. The child wasn't even mine, so why did I fight so hard?

Respecting others' fates and letting go of my urge to help was something I should do.

So why should I fight against fate?

So I responded, "Paisley, you're just being foolish. Mom raised both me and Hudson the same way. It's a blessing that Mom has milk to feed the baby.

"This way, you'll have it easier!

"Look at Hudson. Thanks to Mom's feeding, he's so accomplished and capable. I'm sure my nephew will be no less talented than him.

"Mom is cultivating a future talent for the Wiley family. Our family will surely prosper, and you should be happy about that."

My mother shot me a look of approval and immediately echoed, "Exactly! You're just a clueless woman. Little Gaven is the hope of the Wiley family. We'll all rely on him in the future.

"Don't let your shortsightedness ruin my grandson's fortune, or I won't forgive you. Not just me, the ancestors of the Wiley family won't let you off."

My mother was getting carried away with her speech.

At the mention of Hudson, Paisley immediately fell silent.

As a poorly educated farm girl, marrying the village's only college graduate meant Hudson had complete control over her.

And Paisley wholeheartedly believed in Hudson's words.

At this point, Hudson also spoke up, "Paisley, let's go along with my Mom's wishes. She wouldn't have any bad intentions."

With Hudson's decision, Paisley didn't say anything more even though she was still reluctant.

On the day of my nephew's first-month party, my mother proudly carried him out and paraded him around each table after all the relatives had taken their seats.

Her pride was practically bursting from her. "Look at him! My grandson is so handsome and strong."

She made Gaven, barely a month old, stand up. Gaven stood for a second before falling, but that one second was enough for my mother to brag.

"See that? My grandson is amazing! He's only a month old and can stand. Whose grandson could be as remarkable as mine?" She glanced around, her eyes filled with unabashed pride.

One honest relative spoke up, "Briley, your grandson may look chubby, but he seems jaundiced. You should keep an eye on him."

This relative, straightforward and well-meaning, expressed her concern openly, hoping to remind my mother.

Other relatives chimed in, "Exactly, his face doesn't look well. It might be a good idea to take him to the hospital."

Hearing this, my mother snapped, "You're the ones who are sick! Your whole family should be living in the hospital!

"Stop talking nonsense. My grandson's got a fortunate look. Have you ever seen a successful person with a face like him?" She pointed at another relative's fair-skinned child and challenged everyone.

"You're all just jealous of my grandson's good looks. Let me tell you, he's one in a million. He might be the president one day.

"But you lot are just a bunch of ignorant peasants. You wouldn't know any better." She waved her hand dismissively, pretending to be magnanimous.

Paisley echoed her, "She's right! My son is the hope of the Wiley family."

The relatives had no choice but to smooth things over. Someone offered a few flattering words, "Yeah, I can see he's well-fed. He looks so chubby!"

"Briley, why not tell us your secrets to raising such a healthy child!"

My mother's face lit up with pride. She glanced disdainfully at Paisley before speaking, "Paisley is weak. She didn't have any milk after giving birth to Gaven, so my grandson was fed with my breast milk, which is why he's so strong!" At that moment, she beamed with even more pride.

Her wrinkled face lifted high as she was waiting for the compliments from others.

But the room fell silent.

Even the person who had asked the question was so shocked by her astonishing reply that she didn't know how to react.

After a while, someone finally replied lightly, "Briley, you really are something!"

Everyone else exchanged awkward glances and stopped talking, focusing on the food instead.

That was how things worked at village banquets. If you clicked with someone, you might chat a little more. If not, you would just follow the motions and leave.

After that day, the entire village knew that the Wiley family had an extraordinary grandchild, or at least, that was how my mother thought it.

Paisley began to approve of my mother's feeding methods. So whenever my nephew was hungry and cried loudly, Paisley would always carry him to my mother for breastfeeding.

As time went on, my nephew grew healthier, but the yellowish hue on his face became even more pronounced.