My younger sister, Sophia Ashford, got pregnant before marriage. To protect her reputation before marrying into a wealthy family, she abandoned the baby at our doorstep after giving birth.

Our parents, Owen and Julia Ashford, begged me to adopt the child, Tom Ashford. Seeing how pitiful he was, I agreed.

Raising Tom consumed nearly all my time and energy. I lost my original job and ended up washing dishes and carrying trays, juggling three jobs on my own just to survive.

When Tom grew up and was accepted into a top university, Sophia suddenly returned, crying and accusing me of stealing her child.

She had successfully married into a wealthy family and lived happily with her CEO husband, Sebastian Langford, for years. Now, she wanted Tom, who had already grown into someone accomplished, back.

"She was the one who stole my baby! I finally found you, my precious child! Your CEO father is rewarding you with a million dollars for getting into university. Work hard and inherit the family business in the future!"

Just like that, the son I had raised for over a decade threw himself into her arms without hesitation and cut off all ties with me.

The situation spiraled out of control. Our parents were ashamed of me and kicked me out of the house.

To prove my innocence, I drove to the police station to retrieve surveillance footage from back then, but I died in a car accident on the way.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I discovered the abandoned baby.

This time, I didn’t hesitate. I called the police immediately.

Staring at the wailing baby inside the cardboard box in front of me, I didn’t hesitate. I picked up my phone and called the police.

"Hello? Yes, there’s an abandoned baby outside my house. I don’t know who left him here."

The officer said they would arrive shortly. After I hung up, my parents, Owen and Julia Ashford, came out of the house. The moment they saw the baby, their first reaction was to rush over and pick him up.

"Oh my god, whose baby is this? The poor thing. It’s freezing out here, and someone just dumped him like this."

"Natalie Ashford, don’t you love kids the most? Why don’t you just adopt him?"

I watched them perform with cold indifference.

In my previous life, I had adopted this child and named him Tom Ashford. I gave up my career and struggled to raise him on my own.

Then, on the very day Tom was accepted into a top-tier university, my younger sister, Sophia Ashford, suddenly appeared and accused me of stealing her child.

Overnight, I became a despicable human trafficker, cursed and reviled by everyone.

Even after learning the truth, my parents didn’t defend me. They kicked me out of the house without hesitation.

Only then did I find out that the family Sophia wanted to marry into valued reputation above all else. If word got out that she had given birth out of wedlock, the media would tear her apart.

So they all conspired together. They tricked me into taking in Sophia’s illegitimate child, raising him into someone accomplished, only to snatch him back once he was grown.

As if life worked that way.

This time, I wasn’t letting them get what they wanted.

"Mom, Dad, what are you talking about? How could I adopt a child of unknown origin? What if he has a genetic disease? And I still plan to get married in the future. If people see me raising a child, who would want to marry me?"

For a moment, they were left speechless.

The noise had already drawn the neighbors over, and soon a small crowd gathered to watch.

"She’s right. Maybe the baby was abandoned because he’s sick. Better to call the police and let them handle it."

The moment someone mentioned calling the police, Mom hurriedly stopped the neighbor who was pulling out their phone. "If you call the police, this poor child will be sent to a welfare home! That’s too cruel. Absolutely not!"

I crossed my arms and let out a cold laugh. "This child isn’t related to you by blood. Why are you so nervous?"

Faced with my question, they stammered for a long time, unable to come up with an excuse.

Just then, Sophia walked out of the house. She looked at the baby on the ground with feigned shock, then pointed straight at me and accused me outright.

"How could you give birth to a child and then secretly abandon him? Do you have any idea that this is illegal?"

All eyes immediately turned to me.

Sophia continued, "Mom, Dad, Natalie hasn’t been home these past few days. Last night, I heard a baby crying. I went downstairs and saw her sneaking out with a big cardboard box. I never imagined she was throwing away her own child!"

The neighbors erupted into chatter.

"How can someone be that cruel? That’s her own flesh and blood."

"And she even said the baby was sick. I bet she’s the one who caught some filthy disease…"

I found her story laughable.

"You say I abandoned the baby. Where’s your proof? Just your word? And if I really wanted to dump a child, why would I leave him right at my own doorstep and wait for you all to find him?"

"Who knows? Maybe you had a change of heart and couldn’t bear to throw him away after all."

The murmurs grew louder. People were already pointing at me openly.

Mom put on a look of false kindness and tried to persuade me. "Natalie, hurry up and take the baby inside. If this gets out, your reputation will be ruined. Where will our family’s dignity go?"

In my previous life, this was exactly how it happened. Sophia accused me without evidence, my parents urged me to adopt the baby to quiet things down, and I obediently listened.

This time, I wasn’t going to be that stupid.

"If anyone spreads rumors about me, I will pursue it legally. I’ve already called the police. Once they arrive and pull the surveillance footage, we’ll know exactly who abandoned this baby."

The moment Sophia heard that I had called the police, she panicked so badly she nearly jumped in place.

"Nat, how could you call the police?!"

I looked at her frantic reaction and found it almost amusing. "I called the police to help this child find his biological parents, and to clear my own name. What’s wrong with that? Or are you afraid the police will discover that you’re the one who abandoned the baby?"

When I stared straight at Sophia, I clearly saw the flash of panic and fear that crossed her eyes.

Nevertheless, she recovered quickly and immediately turned to our parents for help. "Mom, Dad, listen to what she’s saying. Just to cover up the truth, she’s actually framing me in front of everyone!"

Mom frowned. "Natalie, apologize to your sister."

"She accused me without any evidence. Why don’t you make her apologize first?"

Dad shouted my name again, harsher this time. His eyes were cold, unquestioning, leaving no room for argument.

Watching how blatantly they favored Sophia, bitterness rose in my throat.

Even though they had done the same in my previous life, going so far as to throw me out of the house, they were still my biological parents. It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt at all.

However, I wasn’t going to apologize, and I wasn’t going to hold on to even a shred of hope for them anymore.

In the middle of the standoff, the police pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of us.

"We received a report about an abandoned infant. Who made the call?"

I raised my hand and explained everything from beginning to end. "Officer, I want to review last night’s surveillance footage and see who actually left the baby at my doorstep."

The officer nodded. "We’ll check the surveillance footage. For now, we’ll take the child back to the station."

I handed the cardboard box with Tom inside to the officer. Suddenly, Sophia lunged forward and snatched it back.

"Officer, my sister already agreed to adopt this baby. There’s no need for you to take him away!"

She shot a look at our parents. They immediately understood and rushed to back her up.

"Yes, yes. Our eldest daughter here, Natalie, already agreed to take him in. Just leave the baby with us for now."

"I never agreed—" I had barely started to speak when Mom slapped me across the face.

"Shut up! Who told you to call the police? Haven’t you embarrassed us enough already?"

As she spoke, she dragged me into the house by force and locked me inside a room. However, I wasn’t panicked at all. I used the time to pack my belongings and get ready to move out.

After a long while, presumably after they had sent the police away, they came back carrying Tom.

Mom shoved Tom straight into my arms. "We brought the baby back. From now on, you’ll raise him."

I placed Tom down on the couch. "I never agreed. Whoever wants to raise him can do it themselves."

Mom was so angry that she pointed at my nose and cursed. "The incident today has already spread. Everyone says you’re the one who abandoned the baby. If you don’t raise him, you’re bringing shame to our family!"

"I already told you, this isn’t my child. If you want to raise him, then do it yourselves. Don’t try to force this on me!" With that, I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the door.

Dad stopped me. "Where do you think you’re going?"

"I’m moving out."

"Who allowed you to move out? If you dare walk out today, don’t even think about stepping back into this house ever again!"

Sophia rushed over and grabbed my arm. "Nat, you can’t run away from your responsibility like this. If you’re going to move out, at least take the baby with you."

I shoved her hard, sending her to the ground. "I’m not coming back. From now on, I’m cutting ties with all of you completely. Don’t ever come looking for me again."

Without sparing these so-called family members another glance, I turned around and walked away.

I never expected them to take advantage of a moment when I wasn’t paying attention and put Tom into the trunk of my car.

By the time I reached my new place and opened the trunk, I saw Tom lying inside the pitch-dark space, crying so hard he could barely catch his breath.

There was a message from Mom on my phone.

"Natalie, Sophia still has an engagement to follow through with, and we’re too old to take care of a child. Whether this baby is yours or not, just take him in for now."

I laughed and drove Tom straight to the police station.

At the same time, I requested last night’s surveillance footage. The video captured everything clearly.

A figure appeared in the middle of the night, sneaking around while holding a cardboard box and placing it at our doorstep. Tom cried in there all night, until I discovered him in the morning.

I recognized the person immediately. It was Sophia.

I saved the surveillance footage as evidence.

The police tried several times to contact Sophia, but every call was rejected. With no other choice, they sent Tom to a welfare home.

After that, I went back to work as usual.

In my previous life, I had given up my career just as it was reaching a critical stage to raise that child. Every day felt like I was being drained dry.

This time, I finally had the chance to continue pursuing the dreams and life I had left unfinished.

Work projects were intense. I often worked late into the night, sometimes so busy I even forgot to eat. Fortunately, my teammate, Daniel Derrington, always took good care of me. He frequently brought me food and even stayed late to work overtime with me.

As time passed, we gradually developed feelings for each other.

When the project was successfully completed, the boss publicly commended me at a company-wide meeting and promoted me to senior management.

Daniel took the opportunity to confess his feelings, and just like that, we became a couple.

A year later, Daniel and I got married, and I gave birth to our son, Elliot Derrington. Together, we raised him. He was bright, quick-witted, and well-behaved. From a young age, he showed extraordinary interest and talent in astronomy.

I posted a few photos of Elliot and his awards on social media. I never expected my parents and Sophia to see them and reach out to me on their own. They probably mistook my son for Sophia’s child.

After marrying her CEO husband, Sebastian Langford, Sophia moved to a distant city. She hadn’t seen me again and had no idea I had ever been pregnant.

When she saw the photos of Elliot, she commented directly underneath.

"Winning so many awards at such a young age! He’s definitely going to be impressive when he grows up!"

I replied, "Good genes."

Sophia responded, "Are you complimenting yourself through the kid? You really think highly of yourself."

I let out a cold laugh and didn’t reply again.

Mom and Dad even transferred some money to me.

"Natalie, use this money to buy our grandchild more nourishing food. He’s at the age where he needs to grow."

I rejected it all. I didn’t lack their money, and I had never shortchanged my child when it came to food. After all, this was my own biological child.

Later, Daniel and I started our own business together. Our company, Northvale Holdings, grew larger and larger, and Elliot was successfully admitted to one of the country’s top universities, Sterling University.

I decided to celebrate his admission. At the party, I planned to announce Elliot as the sole heir to Northvale Holdings.

I had never told my family about my entrepreneurial journey or even invited them to my wedding. Somehow, though, they found out that I was hosting the party.

This part seemed to be exactly the same as in my previous life.

The moment my son got into Sterling University, my parents and Sophia were ready to come and take him.

The difference this time was that this was my biological son.

"Natalie, Sophia said she wants to come and show her support. You both haven’t seen each other in years. Take this chance to catch up!"

I looked at the message Mom sent me and curled my lips into a cold smile.

Fine.

I had a big surprise prepared for them.