My mother-in-law, Renee Xander, smugly rested her hand on her waist and looked at me with a face full of pride. "Who would’ve thought I'd still be so fertile at my age?

"Unlike a certain somebody who's absolutely useless…”

I stared at her ugly expression for a long while before realizing I had been reborn.

Renee had done the same thing in my previous life. She had simply pulled out a pregnancy test stick and announced she was pregnant.

I was in complete shock back then. After all, she was nearly 60, and being an older expectant mother was incredibly risky for both her and the child.

I suggested taking her to the hospital for a checkup. In response, she cried and complained, claiming that I was just jealous because I could not get pregnant myself.

I tried my best to explain that I was only worried about her health, which was why I convinced our family to agree to take her to the hospital. Even after the test results confirmed a molar pregnancy, she was still convinced she was having multiples.

I anxiously explained the dangers of a molar pregnancy to her, even bringing in a doctor to persuade my father-in-law and husband. Finally, they agreed to sign the consent form for her to undergo the surgery.

I never could have guessed how much she would come to despise me for it. After her recovery, she pushed me off a balcony, killing me.

When I did not respond to her taunts, Renee turned to snuggle into her son Brady Orwell's arms, pouting. "Bubba, Eloise doesn't seem very happy!"

Renee competed with me over everything. I had once called Brady ‘Bubba’ playfully, and he liked it.

From then on, she started calling him ‘Bubba’ too. Seeing a nearly 60-year-old woman leaning on her son's shoulder and calling him a pet name made my skin crawl.

Filled with hatred, I gritted my teeth and said, "I could never compete with you. I can’t believe you swallowed a toad whole just for a false pregnancy!"

Renee immediately looked wounded and pouted. "Bubba, did you hear that? How can your wife say such things about me?"

I stood up and kicked over the chair, storming toward the bedroom. If I stayed any longer, I knew I would not be able to resist slapping this old rival of mine.

I reminded myself to stay calm. Now was not the time to expose my true feelings. Since fate had given me another chance, I was going to send her and her molar pregnancy straight to hell.

I could hear Renee's exaggerated laughter from the living room, and I knew she was doing it on purpose to get under my skin. Ever since I married into this family, she had seen me as her sworn enemy. Making me upset was her greatest pleasure.

"Laugh all you want, Renee. Your good days are numbered, and I hope you'll still be able to laugh when I'm done with you."

After a while, Brady opened the door and came in, looking at me pleadingly. "Dad spoiled Mom so much back then, which is why she’s like this now. She's still your elder, so maybe you could cut her some slack and apologize later," he suggested.

I replied coldly, "It's none of my business that your dad dotes on her. I'm not obligated to indulge her!"

Brady's face darkened. "But you married me, so she's your mother too."

I replied sarcastically, "Ha! I don't think I'm worthy of that!"

Brady looked at me in disbelief. "Eloise, what's wrong with you? You've never acted like this before."

Of course. The kind, understanding Eloise Loyle you once knew was killed by your own mother!

The woman standing before you now was a completely different Eloise.

The next day, I displayed a tampered pregnancy test stick in front of everyone in the family. Brady immediately forgot our argument from the previous night and hugged me tightly.

"This is amazing, Eloise! I'm going to be a dad too!"

My father-in-law, Oliver Orwell, also beamed with joy. He said, "It seems like the heavens have bestowed two gifts upon us!"

Seeing that both Brady and Oliver were focused on me, Renee's face darkened with displeasure. A sly smile crept onto my face as I looked at her and said, "This baby really couldn't have come at a better time."

Renee quickly grabbed Oliver and wrapped her arms around him, saying, "Neenee is pregnant too. I need a hug!"

Though Oliver was exasperated, he indulgently put his arm around Renee's plump waist.

Still not satisfied, Renee pried Brady's arm away from me and said, "Bubba, am I no longer the most important woman in your life? You didn't even hug me yesterday. I'm upset!"

Brady glanced at me apologetically before letting go of me and embracing Renee instead. Her wrinkled face lit up with delight as she cooed, "Honey, Bubba, Neenee is so lucky to have you both."

I could not help but find the scene of the three of them huddled together like a human sandwich amusing.

That evening, I bought a box of raw beef slices, along with some fresh live crabs and shrimp.

I said to Brady in front of Renee, "A relative who works at the hospital told me that pregnant women should eat more seafood and meat, especially if it’s raw. That's the best way to retain nutrients for the baby."

I added, "Some people eat raw food all the time, and their children grow up strong and tall."

As expected, Renee's eyes lit up, and she quickly pulled on Brady's arm. "Bubba, I want to eat it too! I have a baby in my belly too."

Seeing this, I immediately put the food away, making it clear that she was not getting any of what I bought. Brady hurriedly tried to calm her down, saying, "Mom, if you want to eat those things, I'll go get some for you later."

Renee pouted and insisted, "No! I only want what she bought."

I turned to Brady and said, "There's only enough food for one person today. It's either me or her—you decide."

Renee's smug expression showed that she believed Brady would choose her over me.

Brady hesitated, caught in a dilemma. I gently rested my hand on my flat belly and said, "I'm carrying your child, you know."

Renee immediately patted her large stomach and said, "Bubba, I'm carrying your sibling! Don’t you always say I'm the most important woman in the family? Was that all a lie?"

Brady looked at me with a troubled expression and finally said, "Eloise, let's give it to Mom this time."

I furiously threw the food at him. Then, eager to show off, Renee grabbed it from Brady's hands and began devouring it right in front of me.

"Bubba, I knew you'd always take care of me. When your little brother is born, he'll be so strong," she said as she stuffed the wriggling shrimp and crabs into her mouth, filling the air with their fishy smell.

After that, I would bring home a portion of raw seafood every day, and every time, without fail, Renee would snatch it from me.

As I watched her wolf down the food, I smirked inwardly and thought to myself, ‘Keep eating, Renee. I'm not sure you're getting any nutrients, but I'm sure you're getting plenty of parasites.’

A week later, Renee and I went for a prenatal check-up. I had already arranged for a relative who worked at the hospital to help me out.

When I came out of the ultrasound room, I proudly announced that I was carrying twins. Brady beamed with pride, saying, "Eloise, you're truly our family’s star!" My father-in-law even gave me a big envelope filled with cash as a gift.

I made sure to say, "Honey, since I'm carrying twins now, we need to double my nutrition. No more giving my food away to others."

Now, Brady did not hesitate to agree. "Of course."

Renee immediately put on a pitiful face and clung to Oliver, whining, "Neenee wants to have twins too, and Neenee wants even more cash!"

Oliver tried to comfort her, saying, "You'll have your check-up soon. Who knows? Maybe you're carrying twins too."

Not long after, Renee strutted out of the ultrasound room like a triumphant general and excitedly announced, "I'm carrying multiples!"

Brady looked puzzled as he took the ultrasound report and said, "Mom, it says here that it's a molar pregnancy."

"The doctor said that a molar pregnancy is just like multiples. It means I have so many babies, just like a bunch of grapes. I'm carrying at least ten right now," Renee declared confidently.

Oliver was thrilled upon hearing this. "Really? Neenee, you're practically a miracle for the Orwell family!"

Renee straightened her back even more dramatically. "From now on, I need to focus even more on my nutrition," she said, then cast a mocking glance at me. "Multiples are much rarer than twins. After all, not just anyone can carry them."

‘Indeed, a life-threatening pregnancy like yours is something no one else would want to carry,’ I thought to myself.

As Renee's supposed multiples outshined my 'twins,' she once again became the center of everyone's attention and care.

Renee firmly believed she was carrying divine babies, so she made sure not to starve her ten sons, indulging in all kinds of rich foods and eating far more than usual.

With all the raw seafood I kept bringing home, Renee's weight skyrocketed to 200 pounds. At the supposed three months, her belly looked like she was seven or eight months pregnant.

Renee lay on the sofa in the living room, ordering Oliver to feed her while Brady peeled grapes for her. She touched her round belly and suddenly cried out, "Ouch!"

Oliver immediately asked in concern, "What's wrong?"

Renee smiled and said, "Our sons are kicking me! It hurts so much!" Her belly visibly shifted, and Oliver was overjoyed as he felt the movement.

"The Orwell family has always passed down our lineage through one son only. I can’t believe we’re going to be parents to so many sons at this age. It's like a blessing from our ancestors," he said.

I looked at Renee's belly. A molar pregnancy was just an underdeveloped mass of tissue, so how could there be fetal movement?

A sudden suspicion formed in my mind—could it be that what she was carrying was...

Brady turned to me and asked, "Eloise, Mom's baby is already kicking. Has yours moved yet?"

I snapped back to reality and shook my head. "Fetal movement varies from person to person. Some feel it earlier while others feel it later."

Renee grabbed Brady's hand and placed it on her swollen belly. "Bubba, you can feel it too!" After that, she turned to look at me with a smug expression she could not hide.

"This is a divine pregnancy, unlike a certain other pregnancy… Even though she’s three months along, her belly's still so small. The babies inside are probably dead!"

I could not hold back anymore and rushed forward, slapping her across her smug face.

Renee had not expected me to react so violently. She was stunned for a moment and tried to get up to hit me back, but her obese body made it difficult for her to move.

I dodged her clumsy attempt and slapped her again.

Renee immediately clutched her face, crying out to Oliver and Brady, "Honey, Bubba, Neenee's face hurts! This wicked woman hit Neenee!"

I looked at her coldly. "Who's the wicked one here? The children I'm carrying are also Orwells. How dare you curse them like that!"

Oliver and Brady stood rooted to the spot. They were caught between us, not knowing what to do.

Meanwhile, Renee cried even harder, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Not wanting to see her disgusting display any longer, I turned and went back to the bedroom. As soon as I closed the door, tears started streaming down my face uncontrollably.

In my previous life, I really did have a miscarriage. At that time, Renee had just undergone surgery for her molar pregnancy.

I found out I was pregnant shortly afterward, but I was afraid that announcing my pregnancy would upset her more, considering her recent loss. I planned to wait a little longer before sharing the news with everyone.

However, before I could say anything, she recovered and took my life, so my poor baby died with me.

Outside, I could hear Renee's wailing grow louder as she demanded that Oliver and Brady punish me to avenge her.

Brady burst into the bedroom, yelling angrily, "Eloise, you went too far today! She's my mother, and we've spoiled her all these years. How could you… hit her…"

When he saw the tears staining my face, his angry tone softened, almost trailing off. "Eloise, why are you crying?"

Brady and I had been together for seven years since we met in college, and he had never seen me cry except for our wedding day.

It was no wonder he seemed so lost and confused now.

I wiped away the tears from my face. "Brady, she may be your mother, but I'm a mother too. How can I tolerate her cursing my children to die?"

Brady's voice was much softer now. "My mom's spoiled and a little arrogant, but she doesn't mean any harm."

"Doesn't mean any harm?" I shot back, "What if one day, she kills your children with her own two hands?"