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?

That night, I used the excuse of feeling unwell from the pregnancy to ask Declan if we could sleep in separate rooms. At first, he did not quite agree.

It was Jane who convinced him. She said being pregnant was highly inconvenient, and I should get proper rest for the baby's development.

Only then did he reluctantly agree and said, "Jane's right. If sleeping separately is good for the baby, then we'll sleep separately. Sierra, you need to pay attention to your condition. If anything seems wrong with the baby, call me immediately."

If I had not already known he was only worried that if something happened to my child, there would be no one to take the blame for Jane.

I might have been moved for a moment and thought he really cared about me. Unfortunately, it was all an act.

I hid the hatred in my eyes and nodded gently. "Don't worry. I'll definitely take good care of the baby."

With my words, Declan felt much more at ease.

He knew I had always kept my promises.

When we first got together through Beatrice Truman, our commanding officer, I fell for him at first sight. Knowing he was a traditional man, I promised that if I could marry him, I would focus on family life.

After our marriage paperwork was approved, I immediately applied to my commanding officer to suspend all my work duties. Even though I had outranked him when I was serving in the military, Declan believed I loved him so deeply that I would always stay under his control.

For a while, I pretended not to notice anything, quietly watching as he openly favored Jane over me.

Military work was indeed quite busy, yet whenever he had any free time, he would accompany Jane to her prenatal checkups. Even the hospital staff had started treating Declan as Jane's husband.

The moment the doctor remarked, "The baby's mother looks a little underweight," Declan would wake up early to buy fresh meat, cooking daily to nourish Jane's body.

Of course, since Jane had severe morning sickness, all that meat ended up in my mouth. She did not gain much weight, but my belly became considerably rounder and had more energy for my daily morning fitness routine.

Declan clearly noticed and began to show signs of irritation, but he could not say anything. After all, I was still his wife in name.

What kind of husband would buy food and not allow his wife to eat?

Perhaps because Declan and Jane were getting too close, quite a few wives on the base gave me reminders.

"Sierra, I know you're easygoing, but you can't be so trusting about everything. Declain is young and promising! You need to be on guard so he doesn't get lured away by another woman."

I just smiled and brushed off the ladies' good intentions.

What a joke.

I could not wait for that scumbag Declan to put all his energy into Jane. Otherwise, if he had reached out to touch my 'child' even once, or suddenly decided to accompany me to a prenatal checkup, he probably would have discovered immediately that my baby was long gone.

My belly was about the same size as Jane's. However, it was nothing more than cotton padding that I adjusted daily based on observing her belly size.

Declan did not disappoint me either. Right up until the baby was nearly full term, he never discovered the cotton padding. He just stared at my stubbornly still belly, anxiety burning so fierce that blisters rose around his mouth.

Jane had been having intense contractions lately and could go into labor at any moment. The doctors advised her to stay at the hospital, but she was afraid something would go wrong and insisted on going home, constantly watching my belly.

After another two days, Jane could not wait any longer. She cried about how much pain she was in.

Declan immediately brought a bowl of chicken soup and knocked on my door. "Sierra, this is chicken soup my mom sent over. Drink some quickly to nourish your body."

One glance told me everything.

Aside from a thin layer of chicken fat floating on top, the soup was practically clear. The meat had probably already been sent to Jane.

I took the chicken soup, and under Declan's expectant gaze, I set it aside.

As expected, Declan got anxious. "Mom made the chicken soup herself. If you leave it much longer, it'll get cold. You should drink it while it's hot and not waste her effort."

"She still has the heart to care about me?"

I almost laughed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

My mother-in-law, Irene Truman, had always disliked me for not being gentle and soft-spoken. She thought I was unfit to manage a household like a perfect daughter-in-law should.

She also looked down on my ordinary background. Both my parents were farmers in the countryside, completely incomparable to Jane, the daughter of war heroes.

Irene's favorite line had always been, "It was my mistake from the start. I should have matched Jane and Declan together. Oh, how I adore Jane... She's so much better than that stiff, unyielding Sierra Marks."

Even when Jane and I were both pregnant, Irene's eyes were only on her. Any good food in the house was immediately sent to Jane, and I was always left out.

Declan knew all of it.

He recalled Irene's attitude toward me, and I caught a flicker of guilt in his eyes. However, he quickly found his excuse.

"Sierra, that's just how she is. Mom has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. There's no way she would truly ignore our child. This soup was made from the old hen she raised herself, stewed for hours. Don't be upset with her, okay? After all, she's still my mother."

I did not say another word. As if I had been persuaded by him, I drank the chicken soup in one gulp.

Declan breathed a sigh of relief and left contentedly with the empty bowl.

I knew that bowl contained labor-inducing drugs. Before long, I pretended the medication was taking effect, clutching my belly and crying out in pain.

"Ouch! My stomach hurts so much! Am I going into labor? Honey, hurry and take me to the hospital!"

Declan and Jane exchanged glances, their faces full of joy.

She immediately put her hand on her belly too. "Declan, I think I'm going into labor too!"

"Perfect, Jane's in labor too. I'll take you both to the hospital right away!"

He hurriedly borrowed a car from the old commander next door and drove us both to the hospital.

By the time we arrived, Jane's water had already broken, soaking her clothes, and she was crying in agony.

"It hurts so much, Declan. Am I going to die?"

He picked her up tenderly in distress, telling me, "Jane's situation is more urgent. I'll take her to the emergency ward. Figure something out yourself!"

I rolled my eyes at his retreating figure and slowly walked into the private delivery room I had already arranged. Inside stood Albert Lloyd, the doctor Declan had secretly bribed to help with his scheme.

However, he did not know that just a few days ago, I had already approached Albert and offered him a far better deal.

I lay on the hospital bed for several hours, waiting patiently until the uninvited guest finally appeared.

Declan came in carrying a baby bundle. Seeing me with my eyes closed as if I were asleep, he tiptoed into the delivery room, heading straight for the 'child' lying beside me.

Just as he set the baby down and reached for the swaddle, I spoke up.

"Honey, what are you doing?"