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.

When I reached the entrance of our apartment complex, Herman arrived in a rush as well. He shot me a furious glare before dashing toward the building.

I pretended to run after him for a bit, but when we got to the ground floor, there was no sign of any fire or firefighters. This only made Herman more anxious.

He grabbed me roughly and demanded, “Didn’t you say Ruby was trapped in a fire?”

I looked at him innocently. “Ruby called and told me not to come back because of a fire. I immediately called you. I don’t know anything more than that.”

Suspicion flickered in his eyes, but he quickly reasoned that the kitchen was at the back of the apartment, so the fire might not be visible from the front. Without wasting another second, he pulled me along and hurried into the elevator.

When we reached the door of our apartment, everything looked normal. The door was shut tight and locked from the inside. We couldn’t get in.

Herman panicked even more. His eyes turned red as he grabbed a fire extinguisher and started smashing it against the door. All the while, he shouted Ruby’s name at the top of his lungs.

The commotion was so loud that neighbors started coming out to see what was going on. Herman kept pounding on the door, but it didn’t budge. Frustrated, he called the property management office, demanding they send someone to unlock the door immediately.

While we waited, Herman slumped against the door and, in front of everyone, began blaming me again.

“Mom, this is all your fault! You insisted on buying such a fancy door, and now Ruby is trapped inside because of it. Are you happy now?”

I didn’t respond, just looked at him calmly.

Seeing that I wasn’t saying a word about Ruby, his anger flared. “Ruby could be in danger, and you don’t even show an ounce of concern. How can you be so coldhearted?”

Some of the neighbors who knew me well couldn’t stand by any longer and spoke up in my defense.

“Herman, you know exactly what kind of person your mother is. Don’t say things that will hurt her feelings!”

“That’s right! This is the mother who raised you on her own. Don’t go too far!”

Even the neighbors were standing up for me, yet my own son kept throwing baseless accusations my way.

Even though I had already lived through death once, this scene still hurt deeply. I tried my best to suppress the pain in my heart, reminding myself over and over that this ungrateful son wasn’t worth my tears.

Herman glared at me with fiery anger, but I met his gaze with cold indifference.

Just then, the security guard arrived with a locksmith. The locksmith worked on the lock for a while before finally getting it open.

The moment the door swung open, Herman shot inside like a rocket. The rest of us, including the confused neighbors, followed closely behind.

“Ruby! Ruby!” Herman called out desperately.

“Ahhh!”

Two voices shouted at the same time. I had barely lifted my eyes when I saw Herman frozen in the middle of the living room.

Behind me, the neighbors gasped in shock, their murmurs filling the air.

Right in front of us, Ruby lay completely naked on the couch, with her lover, David Sullivan, on top of her. The two of them were stuck together in an embarrassing and intimate position, unable to move!