My daughter-in-law cheated on my son behind his back, and I caught her. When I confronted her, she turned the tables on me, accusing me instead. I told my son everything exactly as it happened, but she broke down crying and accused me of bullying her.

"Ever since I married into the Simmons family, you've never been happy with me," she sobbed. "If I’d known you’d slander me like this, I would’ve been better off dead!"

She attempted to hurt herself to prove her innocence, but my son stopped her.

"Mom, how could you accuse my wife like that? You're my own mother, but this is too much!" he shouted. Furious, he moved out with her.

Later, I fell gravely ill and begged my son to come see me one last time. When he finally arrived, he brought her with him. To my horror, they removed my oxygen tube. As I struggled to breathe, I heard her smug voice whisper in my ear:

"Old hag, if it weren't for you accusing me of cheating, Herman and I wouldn’t have gotten your inheritance so quickly!"

She laughed coldly. "Oh, and next time you accuse someone, make sure you have evidence. Did you really think your word alone could ruin me?"

I died choking on my final breath. Afterward, they lived happily, spending my money without a care in the world.

But then, I woke up. It was the day I caught her cheating again.

This time, I went straight to work. I replaced the lubricant at home with industrial-strength glue.

She wanted proof? Fine. I’d give her proof.

"Mom, it’s time to go buy groceries. If you’re late, all the good stuff will be gone," my daughter-in-law, Ruby Larson, called out, still lounging on the sofa with her phone.

"The seafood at the East District market are fresh today. Go there to buy some!"

She didn't even look up as she hurried me to leave. I glanced at her briefly, hiding my thoughts, and smiled as I agreed. Picking up my basket, I walked out of the house.

The East District market is five kilometers away, which takes about two hours for a round trip. Still, I made my way there slowly and deliberately.

Why?

Because I had been reborn.

I knew Ruby was just finding an excuse to get me out of the house.

In my previous life, she used the exact same excuse to send me to the market. But I returned earlier than expected and caught her in bed with another man.

Furious, I confronted her and called my son, Herman Simmons, home from work. I told him everything I’d witnessed. But Ruby refused to admit it, crying and playing the victim instead.

"Mom, I know you’ve never liked me, but how could you slander me like this and ruin my reputation?" she sobbed. "If you family can’t tolerate me, I’d rather just end my life!"

My son, blinded by love, believed her dramatic performance. In the end, he chose her over me. He moved out with Ruby and even threatened to cut ties with me.

Later, I fell seriously ill and begged Herman to visit me one last time. But when he finally came, he stood by as Ruby coldly pulled the oxygen tube from my nose.

As I lay gasping for breath, moments from death, Ruby leaned in close, her voice dripping with venom.

"You old hag, if it weren’t for you accusing me of cheating, Herman and I wouldn’t have gotten your inheritance so quickly!"

She laughed cruelly. "Next time, if you want to accuse someone, bring proof. Did you really think your word alone would be enough to ruin me?"

Herman stood silently, adding only one sentence. "Mom, Ruby is the one who’ll be by my side for the rest of my life."

And then, I died.

After my death, my "wonderful" son and his wife spent my hard-earned money without restraint, living a life of luxury and indulgence.

But fate had mercy on me. I was given a second chance and returned to this moment.

While I was carefully picking out vegetables at the market, my phone buzzed with a notification. I unlocked it and was immediately greeted by footage from the surveillance cameras I’d installed at home.

In the video, my daughter-in-law, Ruby, was wearing a revealing lace nightgown, clinging to a slightly overweight man and kissing him passionately. The man was none other than her first boyfriend, David Sullivan.

When I was reborn, one of the first things I did was install cameras at home, knowing this day would come. The two were so lost in each other they didn’t care where they were, moving from the living room all the way to the bedroom.

In the video, Ruby was pinned beneath David, her cheeks flushed red. David, seeing her like this, smirked and teased her.

"You’ve got guts, Ruby—sneaking around with a man right in your own house. This is way too exciting!" He laughed and squeezed her waist roughly.

Ruby squirmed like a snake, wrapping her legs around his waist and responding in a flirtatious tone. "Herman is like a block of wood—boring and useless. You’re so much better than him."

David raised an eyebrow, amused. "Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out?"

As she tugged at David’s shirt, Ruby sneered. "Herman’s just a pathetic simp. He worships me and would never suspect a thing." She chuckled and added, "And that old hag? I sent her to the market. She won’t be back for hours. Make yourself at home—do whatever you want."

Listening to their shameless conversation, I felt both furious and amused.

From the beginning, I was against my son Herman marrying Ruby, but he threatened to cut ties with me if I didn’t agree. After my husband passed, it was just Herman and me. We had supported each other through everything, so I eventually gave in for his sake.

Because he loved Ruby, I tried to love her too, treating her like my own daughter. But in my previous life, that kindness led to my tragic death.

The memory of it all fueled the resentment burning inside me as I watched the two of them on the screen. In the video, David became even bolder after hearing Ruby’s words.

"Well, I might as well do your husband’s job for him," he said with a wicked grin.

In a rush, he stripped off his clothes and reached for Ruby’s lace nightgown. Grinning lecherously, he opened the bedside drawer, pulled out a bottle of lubricant, and poured it out with practiced ease.

I didn’t bother watching any further. A satisfied smile tugged at my lips as I made my next move.

I dialed my son, Herman, who was still at work. "Herman, today’s your wedding anniversary with Ruby. I went all out and bought some great ingredients, including your favorite king crab. Don’t work overtime—come home for dinner tonight."

Herman agreed immediately, even reminding me to buy more of Ruby’s favorite dishes. His voice was full of love and devotion for her.

Too bad he didn’t know the truth. The woman he’d worked so hard to marry not only looked down on him but was cheating with her ex-boyfriend behind his back.

As soon as I hung up with Herman, Ruby called.

I answered, and she spoke in a panicked voice. "Mom, don’t come home yet!"

I could hear the unease in Ruby’s tone, so I played along, feigning curiosity. “What’s wrong, Ruby?”

She stammered, “Oh, uh… the dog made a mess. There’s fur everywhere. I need to clean it up first.”

I didn’t respond right away, and just as Ruby assumed I’d agree, I replied in a warm, motherly tone. “Oh, is that all? Don’t worry! I’ll come back and help you clean up.”

Ruby was clearly stunned. She knew I disliked having dogs running loose in the house, which was why she’d used that excuse. She obviously hadn’t expected me to respond like that. After a brief pause, she tried again to convince me.

“Mom, it’s just a small thing. I’ll handle it myself. You don’t need to see the mess—it’ll just stress you out.”

But I didn’t budge. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all! And besides, today’s your wedding anniversary with Herman. I need to get back and start cooking dinner. I’ll grab a cab and be home soon.”

“Mom! I told you not to come back yet—just stay out for now! Who cares about the anniversary?” Ruby was so flustered she sounded like she might cry.

I could also hear David muttering insults about me under his breath, calling me a meddling old hag. But I didn’t care one bit.

Hearing how desperate Ruby was for me not to return made me inwardly chuckle. Keeping my tone sweet, I said, “What nonsense! I could never neglect my wonderful daughter-in-law!”

With that, I grabbed my groceries and hailed a cab.

The moment Ruby heard the sound of the taxi, she completely broke down. Her voice choked with tears as she pleaded, “Mom, something happened at home. Please, please don’t come back!”

I pretended to be alarmed. “What happened, Ruby? Don’t be afraid—just tell me, and I’ll handle it!”

Ruby took a deep breath, as if searching for an excuse, and finally said, “Mom, there was a gas leak. It caused a fire! You can’t come home—find somewhere safe to stay!”

Hearing that, I immediately put on a show of panic. “What? A fire? I’ll call the fire department right now!”

I told the taxi driver to speed up, making sure Ruby could hear it before hanging up. Of course, I didn’t actually call 911—I knew she was lying. The mention of the fire was just to scare her.

However, I did call Herman. In a frantic tone, I told him there was a fire at home and that Ruby was trapped inside.

Herman was beside himself. His voice trembled with fear and anger as he shouted, “Mom, how could you leave Ruby alone in the house? What if something happens to her? How will I live with myself?”

He didn’t stop there. “It’s probably your fault! You must’ve left the gas on before you went out! How could you be so careless? Or did you do it on purpose to hurt Ruby?”

With that, I heard the sharp slam of his computer shutting down, and he rushed out, frantic to get home.

Listening to Herman’s accusations felt like ice piercing my heart. The son I had raised on my own, sacrificing everything for him, actually believed I could be a malicious killer.