My best friend, Clara Wilder, has baked an apple pie for me. But I don't hesitate to give it to my pregnant dog.

That's because I've gotten reborn.

In my previous lifetime, Clara had bound the Fertility Transfer System to me. If I were to eat the food she made, the baby I was pregnant with would be transferred into her womb, and she would be the one giving birth to them.

Clara had married into the wealthy Gray family. For three generations, the Grays were only able to produce one heir each. That was why her in-laws desperately needed her to bear them grandchildren.

Since Clara couldn't get pregnant at all, she decided to target me, her newly-wedded best friend.

I went to great lengths just to get pregnant every time, but right after I ate the food Clara made, I'd go through a miscarriage by accident.

Just like that, Clara was able to give birth to four sons in a row. She became the apple of her in-laws and her husband, Colton Gray's eye, which made her ego swell like mad.

In the end, Clara and Colton hatched a plot where they accused me of cheating on my own husband. With my reputation flushed down the drain, I got kicked out by my in-laws. In the end, I starved to death on the streets without a penny under my name.

At the end of the day, Clara wants children very badly, doesn't she?

After I get reborn, I decide to give her some special "babies".

When I opened my eyes again, the doctor was telling me that I was pregnant, exactly three months along.

Before I could even process the reality of it, a bowl of piping-hot beef broth was set down right in front of me.

"Being pregnant is tough work, Jessie," my best friend, Clara Wilder, said.

Clara was a wealthy, high-society housewife who had married into an affluent family and lived a life of absolute luxury.

"I knew there was a reason your appetite has been so off lately. Here. I made this beef broth just for you.

"It smells amazing. Hurry up and try some."

I looked up into her eyes, frowned tightly, and didn't reach for the bowl.

A second later, my mother-in-law, Martha Flint, rolled her eyes at me.

"Drink up, Jessie Carter! What are you just sitting there for?

"You don't know how lucky you are, do you? Clara treats you so well, and she's always thinking of you."

The nurses standing nearby immediately chimed in with a chorus of praise.

"Exactly! If I married into that kind of wealth, I wouldn't even waste my time on regular people anymore. Clara is just so down-to-earth and kind."

"I heard she even baked that apple pie herself. Having a friendship like this is so enviable."

"Clara is beautiful and sweet. Her future children are bound to be just as amazing as she is."

Smiling, Clara nodded at the nurses to acknowledge their compliments. Then, she ladled out a fresh bowl of beef broth and tried to feed me.

"Drink it while it's warm. I got up at 4:00 am this morning to start prepping it and let it simmer for a full eight hours. If you don't like it, shall I make you some chicken bone broth instead?"

Suddenly, I was reminded of scenes from my past life.

Back then, I had just learned that I was pregnant, but before I even had time to celebrate, I drank the beef broth Clara offered.

That night, my stomach started hurting after I returned home, and I lost my baby, just like that.

My husband, Wyatt Houston, took me to the hospital for a comprehensive panel of tests, but the results showed that my body was completely healthy. The doctors couldn't find a single explanation for the miscarriage.

But that was just the beginning.

After that, I got pregnant three times and ended up losing each baby. Still, the doctors insisted I had zero gynecological issues or underlying factors that could cause the miscarriages.

In my past life, I racked my brain to understand why and never got my answer. Why couldn't I keep my poor babies?

While I drowned in grief and confusion, Martha discovered a strange security footage scene from home. In the video, I intentionally jumped and thrashed about, even pressing hard on my stomach as if I were desperately trying to kill my baby.

But I never did that!

I had always been extra careful at home, taking every precaution to ensure my safety with every move I made and paying close attention to my diet. How could I possibly have done something like that?

I desperately tried to explain and protest my innocence, but my in-laws and Wyatt were convinced that I was mentally ill and forcibly sent me to a psychiatric hospital. Even the doctors diagnosed me with schizophrenia.

To make things worse, a stranger suddenly appeared and claimed to have an affair with me. According to him, I had murdered my four unborn babies because I refused to have children with Wyatt and only loved him.

As a result, my in-laws threw me out, and Wyatt divorced me without hesitation. They even stripped me of all my money and legal identification, so I ended up starving to death under a highway overpass.

It was only when my soul drifted up into the sky that I finally saw the truth.

Everything had happened because Clara was bound to the "Fertility Transfer System".

…

As the thought crossed my mind, I turned my head away and gently pushed the bowl of beef broth aside.

For some reason, just the sight of the glistening broth filled me with revulsion. A sharp wave of nausea hit the back of my throat.

"I think I'll pass."

Maybe my rejection stung her pride, because Clara's expression immediately darkened. She was about to say something when Martha glared at me with a look of contempt.

"Clara spent her morning stewing this beef broth for you, Jessie, so you'd better not be ungrateful!

"You used to talk about how much you loved the soup all the time, and now that she's made it for you, what are you acting so high and mighty for?"

The nurses around me started murmuring among themselves.

"That's right! Can't she appreciate having such a caring best friend? If it were me, I'd drink every last drop of the soup."

"Beef broth loses its nutrients if it sits too long, and it tastes terrible cold. What is she acting so stuck-up for?"

"If you ask me, she's just full of herself and gives Clara an attitude to feel superior."

Livid, Martha stepped forward, about to teach me a lesson when Clara shielded me behind her.

Then, she produced a cup of freshly squeezed lemonade and looked at me with pitiful eyes.

"That was my fault, Jessie. I should've thought it through better," she said softly. "But I brought some lemonade too. Why don't you have some of it instead?"

She gently pushed the cup toward me.

Martha let out a cold laugh before turning to Clara with concern. "No way. You have a cold, and the doctor said you need more vitamin C. You have to save that lemonade for yourself."

But Clara stubbornly shook her head. "Jessie recently told me that she's been craving sour things, and since she's feeling nauseous right now, this cup of lemonade is perfect for her. I don't matter."

If I had no idea what her true intentions were, I would have been touched by her thoughtfulness and accepted the drink. But now, looking at her hypocritical face, all I felt was a burning hatred toward her.

I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart.

My initial instinct was to hurl that cup of lemonade straight into the trash can and sever all ties with Clara to protect my baby. But just as I turned around, my eyes fell on the female dog Wyatt was cradling in his arms.

It was pregnant, too, with a round and bulging belly. By the looks of it, it was carrying at least five or six puppies.

I looked back at Chloe, who was staring at me with a probing look in her eyes.

A wild thought flashed through my mind.

If the dog ate what Clara personally made, would the puppies in its belly be transferred into Clara's womb?

So, I decided to run an experiment.

I suppressed my disgust and shoved the lemonade back into Clara's hands. "I've been throwing up since this morning, so I don't think I can handle lemonade either.

"But you put so much effort into this beef broth. It'd be such a shame to let it go to waste."

The moment the words left my mouth, a heavily pregnant woman who had just finished her doctor's appointment walked over, her face lighting up with surprise. "Clara? It really is you!

"I was your classmate in college. We used to be pretty close back then."

She sized Clara up and down, enthusiastically chatting away. "Did you make this beef broth yourself?"

Her eyes lit up when she saw the pot. "You used to share homemade food with me back in college, and it was always delicious.

"I haven't tasted it for so long. Do you mind if I try your cooking again?

I studied her. She was plain-looking, tanned-skinned, and short. I remembered that Clara once mentioned this particular classmate had terrible grades in college and dropped out before completing her degree.

She was such a godsend!

Clara's face turned pale. She instinctively hid the bowl of beef broth behind her back.

"T-That won't do. I made this just for Jessie," she stammered.

But the woman just smiled unbotheredly. "And what does that even matter? I just saw everything. She doesn't want it and hasn't had a single sip.

"Give it to me instead. I don't mind."

The nurses around us joined in to smooth things over.

"Exactly! You went through all the trouble to stew that beef broth, Clara. Jessie clearly doesn't appreciate it."

"Just give it to someone else then. There's no point in being so nice to her."

Clara clenched her fists tightly, and her expression turned increasingly ugly.

Just as the situation reached a standstill, her husband, Colter Gray, arrived just in time.

"No one is allowed to drink the soup!

"This morning, I accidentally knocked over the salt container while passing through the kitchen. All the salt spilled right into the beef broth."

"I was in such a rush to head out that I forgot to tell Clara. That beef broth is probably way too salty to drink right now," Colter added, scratching the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

"But it's no big deal, and it's fine even if you can't drink the soup. I'll treat everyone to a nice meal to make up for it."

Just like that, he smoothed the whole incident over dismissively.

But I knew that I was right. The system's effects would trigger for anyone who ate food made by Clara. It seemed that Clara and Colter were screening for beautiful, intelligent mothers to give birth to their baby.

When I gave it more thought, I remembered that I was scheduled to volunteer at an animal rescue shelter next month.

The shelter director, Collin Gould, mentioned that several of their female dogs were currently pregnant. They were constantly ravenous and always searching for food at night.

I planned to stay at the shelter for two days. If I could bring along all the food Clara prepared, wouldn't that be perfect?

I was just about to ask her for some of the homemade pies she loved to bake when she said, "Jessie, since you don't like the beef broth and lemonade, I also brought fresh apple pies. This is the best nutrition for pregnant women."

I smiled, and she immediately shoved the container into my hands.

The onlookers gaped in amazement, while the nurse couldn't help giving her a thumbs-up.

"Gosh! You deserve an award for the Best Friend of the Year!"

Clara covered her mouth and laughed demurely. "Jessie is three months along, right when the pregnancy is just stabilizing. She's my best friend, so of course I have to take good care of her.

"Best friends are our closest family. It's only right that I do my best to care for her."

People around us cast envious glances in my direction, as if they wished they had such a wonderful best friend like her.

I remembered my soul floating above the ceiling of her house in my past life when I overheard Colter complaining to her.

"The fourth child you had didn't turn out as handsome as I expected. We should have reset the system and picked someone else."

At that time, Clara had been applying her makeup. She had laughed and said, "Whatever. I only wanted a child from her, but she's ridiculously fertile, popping out babies one pregnancy after another.

"Besides, she's the one taking the physical toll of the pregnancy, and I didn't feel a thing when giving birth. So when I thought about it, getting a few extra sons for free isn't such a bad deal.

"The whole system game was quite fun. It's just a shame she died so quickly, or I could have kept playing with her a little longer."

Her vicious cruelty and complete lack of morals were what drove me to such a tragic end.

Why? What right did she have to treat me this way?

But now that she willingly offered all the food, I decided that I wouldn't have to waste my breath asking for it.

When I packed the container of apple pie into my bag, Clara's expression immediately grew tense.

"The apple pie is delicious, Jessie. Why don't you open it up and take a bite right now?"

I smiled and took her hand. "And that's why I have to take it home and slowly savor it."

Clara looked like she wanted to say something, while the crowd around us exploded with criticism.

"Look at her putting on an act. I bet she doesn't want to eat it at all. Why would she accept it in the first place if she doesn't want to eat it?"

"Just look at the apple pie's beautiful packaging. It must have cost a fortune to make if it's homemade. Jessie isn't going to stash it away and sell it online, is she?"

"Homemade baked goods like that can fetch a fair price on the internet. Wow, I can't believe Jessie's so disgusting that she'd even schemed against her best friend."

In this life, I wasn't afraid of offending anyone anymore. Given a second chance at life meant that my happiness was a priority, so I would do whatever I wanted.

But Clara followed me around like a shadow. "You've been throwing up and haven't eaten all day, Jessie. How could you go a whole day without a single bite of food?

"Your body won't be able to handle it, and the baby needs proper nutrition, too. You don't have to play nice with me; just eat it."