I have no children. Clive, my brother, warned me I'd be lonely in my old age, suggesting his son Evan and daughter Iris would take care of me.

I watched my niece and nephew grow up, genuinely fond of them.

So, I drafted a will, leaving all my assets to them upon my death.

Little did I know, they turned out to be ungrateful wretches, seizing my house and running off with my money.

I was in the late stages of stomach cancer, and they abandoned me under a bridge to fend for myself.

That winter, a heavy snowfall buried the city and my body along with it. When I woke up again, I found myself back to the moment when Clive mentioned Evan and Iris would look after...

"Rebecca, stop daydreaming. Mom is talking to you!"

Clive's voice snapped me back to reality. The whole family was gathered around the table with a large cake in the center.

There was no stabbing pain in my stomach, no garbage-strewn bridge underpass. I had been reborn.

"Greg always wanted you to have children when he was alive, but you wouldn't listen. Now that he's gone, you don't even have anyone to keep you company."

Greg was my husband. In our youth, we were too busy building our business to think about having children.

Once our venture finally stabilized, he was tragically taken from me in a car accident.

Afterward, I threw myself into my career and never remarried. Time flew by, and now I'm nearing fifty.

Leaning on my mother's shoulder, I savored the warmth of this second chance. "Who says so? I still have you and Dad."

"Your father and I are getting old. How many more years can we be with you? You really need someone to be with you."

My parents took turns persuading me to remarry. Clive interjected, "Mom, Dad. If Rebecca is happy living alone, don't force her. She's been taking care of herself just fine all these years."

My mother frowned, "But she's still young now. What about when she's old? She has no children and no husband. If she falls ill, who will even help her with a glass of water?"

Clive's wife, Beryl, chimed in, "Don't worry. Evan and Iris are there. Rebecca has always been kind to these two kids. They will take care of Rebecca in the future."

Evan and Iris also nodded. "Yes, Grandma. Aunt Rebecca can ask for anything in the future. We will be there without hesitation."

Clive patted his chest confidently. "Mom, Dad, trust me. If Rebecca doesn't mind, Evan and Iris are like her own children."

He added, "My sister has a vast estate. If she remarries now, wouldn't her wealth just benefit an outsider? Let Evan and Iris take care of her in the future. At least our family's assets will stay within the family, instead of being given away for nothing."

His words were identical to what I had heard in my previous life as if he genuinely had my best interests at heart.

Evan and Iris were indeed very caring towards me, always inquiring about my well-being and sweetly calling me Auntie, saying I was their second mother.

So, I made a will to leave all my property to them after my death.

I was soon diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer. It was only then that I realized these two were nothing but parasites.

After learning about my illness, they not only didn't take care of me for a single day, but they even wished for my quick death. They schemed to take my house and money, leaving me with nowhere to go and no money for treatment.

They abandoned me under a bridge to fend for myself.

I scavenged for food from trash bins, barely surviving. I didn't last long and died in the heavy snowfall.

It was bitterly cold, but it was the betrayal by my trusted family that chilled me to the bone.

This time, I flatly refused, "No need. They will have their own families in the future. How could they have so much time and energy to take care of me?"

Then I changed the subject and chatted with my parents.

Those two parasites wouldn't care for me even if they had the time.

Perhaps not expecting my outright refusal, their family exchanged glances. Clive wanted to say something more, but Beryl held him back and whispered a few words into his ear.

They probably thought this wasn't something that could be achieved in one go and planned to plot slowly.

I watched their self-righteous and ridiculous behavior with cold eyes, determined in my heart not to give them any chance.

I was busy with work. Just after a meeting, I received a call from Iris.

"Aunt Rebecca, come over for dinner tonight. I've prepared all your favorite dishes."

I knew they had ulterior motives, and I was a bit tired, so I didn't really want to go. I said I'd go some other day.

However, Iris insisted, "I'm already downstairs at your office. Please come today, okay? The food won't taste as good once it gets cold."

She had actually come to my company, clearly not giving up until I agreed. I thought about it. I'd have to cook when I got home, so I might as well eat my fill here first. I wasn't at a loss anyway.

I would have to cook when I got home, so I might as well eat my fill here first. I wasn't at a loss anyway.

She hadn't been a stranger to my dinner table. It was about time I was the guest.

I told her to wait for me. After work, I went to her place with her.

Sure enough, there was a table full of delicious food, all my favorites.

I didn't hold back and started eating as soon as I sat down.

During the meal, Clive's family set the stage for a while before quickly steering the conversation towards Iris's wedding.

I had already guessed what they wanted to talk about.

In my previous life, Iris, taking advantage of her pregnancy, demanded half a million dollars from her fiancé Derek to marry him.

But Derek was not easily swayed. He asked Iris to provide a car of equal value, or he would rather not have the child and not get married.

Clive, of course, couldn't come up with half a million dollars. He directly told Iris, "Let your aunt buy it for you."

Iris was frail and often ill as a child. I carried her from one hospital to another, treating her like my own daughter.

Upon hearing this, fearing she would be at a disadvantage with Derek and worried that it would be inappropriate to have a wedding when her pregnancy showed, I generously gave her eight hundred thousand dollars to buy a high-end car and personally arranged her wedding.

I made her wedding grand and magnificent. To keep up her appearance, I even paid out of pocket to invite my connections to her wedding.

But she complained about my stinginess in the dressing room with her bridesmaids, saying I didn't buy her a one-million-dollar car. She claimed I deliberately didn't arrange a better wedding venue, making her once-in-a-lifetime event shabby and simple.

Those words still ring in my ears. I haven't forgotten the feeling of my heart freezing over.

Now, judging by their intentions, they were planning to hold the wedding quickly. I suspected Iris was pregnant out of wedlock, just like in my previous life.

As I ate, I asked, "This is great news. What wedding gift are you and Beryl preparing for Iris?"

"We were thinking of giving her and Derek a car, but..." Clive hesitated.

As expected, the second half of his sentence was about to bring the topic back to me.

So, I quickly interjected, "That's not quite right. Derek is giving her half a million dollars. How can you only give them a car? That's too stingy. You'll make Iris look bad in front of his family. Our girl must not be wronged. You two should be generous. Iris must marry in style and splendor!"

Beryl, having prepared her words, said to me, "Rebecca, you're right, but..."

I cut her off again. "Iris is getting married. As her aunt, I should give her something..."

I paused, and Iris and her parents looked at me expectantly.

They knew I was wealthy and had always been generous; they could only expect more than they imagined from me.

Sighing under their eager gazes, I said, "But I just bought a piece of land recently... The real estate market is not doing well these days... Now I'm so broke I can't even afford a meal, and I have to come here to eat for free..."

They were stunned, looking at each other, understanding but unwilling to accept it.

Beryl first laughed it off, "Rebecca, you're really joking. How could you be that poor?"

Iris got anxious, following up. "Aunt Rebecca, you have such a big company. I can't believe you can't even afford a car."

Realizing her words were too blunt, Iris tried to recover. "Of course, I would be happy with whatever you give me. Aunt, you love me the most, right?"

Indeed, I used to be fond of her, but that didn't stop her from leaving me under the bridge.

She even complained about my filth and stench, saying she felt sick just looking at me.

But why was I dirty and smelly? Because without treatment, my illness progressed too quickly, with cancer cells spreading and causing many abscesses on my body.

Given how she treated me, I wouldn't give her even a feather, let alone a car.

"Of course. When you have a baby in the future, I'll prepare another big gift."

I didn't say who the big gift was for. If she assumes it's for her, that's her own business. It has nothing to do with me.

Iris was clearly not satisfied. "But the most pressing matter is to marry. It would be so embarrassing if I can't come up with half a million dollars."

I comforted her. "Silly girl, it won't happen. Your parents love you so much. They will definitely prepare more for you. Besides, didn't I give your dad quite a bit of money a few years ago? It's more than enough to buy a good car."

Beryl's face changed instantly. Obviously, she never saw that money, but Clive's expression indicated that I did give him the money.

The atmosphere at the table began to change. Having eaten my fill, I patted my round belly and got up to leave.

As for what would happen next, it had nothing to do with me.

Soon, I heard from my parents that Derek had backed out, only intending to give her one hundred thousand dollars. If she didn't accept, he wouldn't marry her.

This outcome was not surprising at all.

Clive had some bad habits, occasionally sleeping with women. The money I gave him before was probably long gone, so he couldn't come up with much cash for Iris and Derek.

Knowing Iris was pregnant and couldn't delay, Derek insisted that offering her one hundred thousand dollars was already very generous.

My parents also felt sorry for Iris, sighing, "We don't care about his money. But fifty thousand to one hundred thousand shows that he and his family don't take us seriously. Will you be happy if you marry into his family?"

Iris used to suffer from menstrual cramps, and I took her to a big hospital for a gynecological examination. She had severe polycystic ovary syndrome, making it difficult for her to get pregnant.

My parents didn't know about this, but Iris and her parents did.

If she didn't get married this time, she would have to have an abortion. Next time, she might not be able to get pregnant again.

Even if she didn't have an abortion, she would become a single mother. Her future husband might not accept her child.

So, she had to get married this time.

The wedding was hastily arranged. Time was tight, so everything was simplified.

She said the wedding I arranged for her last time was shabby. This time, I didn't participate at all, letting her see what real shabbiness was.

The wedding was held in an inconspicuous small hotel with poor lighting and sound systems that screeched at the slightest opportunity.

Only a dozen guests attended her wedding.

It was a world away from the grand wedding in my previous life.

There wasn't even a bridal dressing room here. The hotel arranged an empty private room for her to get ready.

I passed by on my way to the restroom and heard her complaining to the makeup artist inside. "It's all because of my stingy aunt. If she hadn't spent the money on buying land just when I was getting married, I wouldn't be in this situation.

"It's all her fault that my wedding is so miserable. It's so embarrassing. She must have money left, but she just doesn't want to give it to me. She's deliberately trying to embarrass me. Our whole family has been so kind to her, and our sincerity has been completely wasted on this ungrateful person!"

I pushed the door open and said, "Iris, who are you calling ungrateful?"

Iris turned to see me, her face flustered. "Aunt Rebecca, why are you here?"