No Child, No Chains

I was reborn back to 1975, when the child in my womb was three months old. I did not tell anyone and quietly had an abortion. However, I still wrapped cotton around my belly every day, pretending the baby was still there.

In my past life, my husband Declan Huxley's childhood sweetheart Jane Patton and I gave birth on the same day. She had a healthy, ordinary baby boy. But my child looked nothing like us—he was mixed-race, with features of the Valorian people.

Declan and I were both locals, so there was no way our son could look like this. Enraged, Declan scolded me in front of everyone, accusing me of cheating on him and having a disgraceful affair with a Valorian.

No matter how many times I explained, no one believed me, and I became the shameful woman everyone pointed at.

Worse still, Declan reported me and handed in some foreign letters he found at home, which led to me being taken by federal agents and sentenced as a spy. I spent ten years in prison, and when I finally walked out, I was nothing but skin and bones.

Meanwhile, Declan had climbed the ranks for his so-called loyalty to the country. He held Jane's hand and brought along my real son, Seth Huxley, then threw 500 dollars at me like it was charity.

He said, "Back then, Jane was accidentally deceived by someone else and gave birth to that brat. Unlike you, she has a gentle nature and couldn't endure hardship, so I had no choice but to switch your children.

"This money is payment for your ten years and your reputation. You have a criminal record, and I already filed for divorce long ago to be with Jane. Seth also thinks you're not worthy of me, so you better take care of yourself."

Seth also looked at me with disgust. "Mommy Jane treats me very well, and she's not like you; she's never been to prison. I don't want a mother like you!"

When I learned the truth, the fury was so overwhelming that I had a stroke and died in despair.

In this new life, I want to see how they plan to scheme against me when the child is already gone.

When I returned from the hospital to the Huxley residence, I ran straight into Declan Huxley helping his childhood sweetheart, Jane Patton, get ready to go out.

Fortunately, I had wrapped cotton padding around my abdomen, so they did not notice anything unusual.

Jane smiled as she spoke.

"Sierra, my stomach's been feeling a bit uncomfortable. I told Declan, and he said he'd take me to the hospital for a checkup. Look at him, making such a big fuss over such a small matter. Declan's so responsible... When you have a baby, he'll definitely be a great father."

If it were in the past, I would have fantasized about raising children with Declan because of her few words.

However, after being reborn, I only felt duped for actually thinking that Jane and Declan, that pair of scumbags, were good people.

Their eyes fell on my belly, and there was not an ounce of love there.

Only greed and calculation.

In my past life, I was so careless that I never noticed that Declan, my husband, cared far more about Jane than he did about me, his legal wife.

When Jane and I went into labor on the same day, I still thought about what a coincidence it was. If the babies turned out to be a boy and a girl, they could even become in-laws someday.

However, I never expected that after the children were born, Declan would storm in with the swaddled child and furiously slap me across the face. He said I had cheated on him and messed around with a foreigner.

I could not believe it. However, when I looked at the baby, I knew there was no way anyone would think he was not mixed.

Declan demanded a divorce right there in front of everyone at the hospital, and no matter how much I explained, he refused to believe me.

He even turned around and reported me to the federal agents for colluding with foreigners and was suspected of selling national secrets. Along with the report, he also submitted so-called letters between me and other foreigners that he had found in the study.

Instantly, I became a spy that everyone wanted to beat up. Before I could even finish my postpartum recovery, I was thrown in prison and sentenced to ten years.

After enduring endless torture and finally getting out of prison, Declan held Jane and told me the truth. Only then did I realize that it was all a setup by those two scumbags.

He grabbed Jane's hand and the hand of my real son, Seth Huxley, and threw 500 dollars at me like it was charity.

"Back then, Jane was tricked into having that brat. She's not like you... She's gentle and fragile and can't handle hardship, so I had no choice but to switch your babies.

"This money is payment for your ten year prison stint and your reputation. You've got a criminal record, and I filed for divorce long ago to be with Jane. Seth also thinks you're not worthy of me, so you'd better take care of yourself."

Seth looked at me with disgust. "Mommy, Jane treats me very well, and she's not like you. She's never been to prison. I don't want a mother like you!"

From my time in prison, I already had health problems. Their shamelessness literally drove me to my grave.

Remembering how miserable I had been in my past life, while Declan climbed to success and lived happily with Jane, made the hatred in my chest burn even hotter.

I said sarcastically, "Him? A great father? That's not necessarily true. I said I had a cold and went to the hospital, but Declan didn't care at all. Looks like he treats you way better than me."

Declan's expression soured as he tried to defend himself. "Don't misunderstand, Sierra. You used to be in the military, so you're tough and strong. Jane is different. She's been frail since she was little.

"Besides, both her parents were heroes who passed away, and she's been alone with no husband by her side. As her brother figure, of course, I have to take care of her."

Declan spoke like a righteous man, pretending there was nothing more to it.

Before leaving with Jane, Declan leaned back into the room and added, "If you're not feeling well, just rest in bed. Oh, and don't take any cold medicine. You might hurt the baby."

The first part was meaningless. The second part was his real point.

I noticed his gaze once again drop to my stomach, but I brushed it off with a casual reply and went upstairs. Without hesitation, I pulled out the cold medicine and swallowed it with water.

What a joke.

That ungrateful child who had once called another woman 'Mommy' was already gone.

What harm could there possibly be?