My mother-in-law would feed me leftovers every day. At six months pregnant, my baby got food poisoning, and I miscarried.

The doctor said it was a pity; it had been a pair of fraternal twins.

My mother-in-law insisted that it was because I accidentally fell.

"You're pregnant, and you can't even walk properly. Oh, my poor grandson!"

My husband ignored my explanations and smothered me to death.

"Die, you wretch! How dare you cause the Shelton family to have no descendants!"

My soul floated in the air. I saw him, a month after my death, using my money to remarry and have another child.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I got pregnant.

***

"How long have you two been married? Why is there no sign of a baby yet?"

My mother-in-law spoke with clear dissatisfaction. In her eyes, having children was the primary duty of a woman.

"Mom, we're just enjoying our married life a bit longer. We can wait a couple of years before having kids."

I knew she was eager to have a grandchild and trying to reassure her not to worry. It would happen eventually.

My husband and I were both at a critical point in our careers and couldn't handle the responsibilities of a child right now.

Suddenly, my mother-in-law slammed her bowl and chopsticks on the table and started pointing at me, shouting.

"Nina, you're just selfish!"

"You can't just think about yourself."

"Have you considered how we, the elderly, feel?"

"We're here, taking care of you every day, all because we want a grandchild sooner."

"The Shelton family cannot let the bloodline end with you!"

Seeing my mother-in-law lose her temper, my husband urged me to quickly clean up the dishes.

"Don't worry, Mom. We'll make sure you have a grandchild soon."

Hearing her son's words, the mother-in-law calmed down a bit.

As I put away the dishes and wiped the table, I heard her say casually.

"You young people spend money so recklessly. I took all the condoms from your room and returned them to the convenience store downstairs."

I stopped what I was doing, shocked by her words.

She had not only gone through our room without permission but had also returned our contraceptives?

No wonder the convenience store owner looked at me strangely when I went to buy water today.

I tried to suppress my anger and said.

"Mom, why did you enter our room?"

Instead of feeling guilty, she became more self-righteous.

"This is my son's house. I can go in whenever I want!"

"Who are you to question me?"

"Right, son?"

Seeing that his mother was upset again.

My husband turned his frustration on me, giving me a displeased look.

"Just stop talking!" he snapped.

With her son backing her up, my mother-in-law became even more brazen and began her tirade.

"Back in our day, we didn't use things like that."

"A box costs dozens of bucks—enough to buy several pounds of meat."

"As a woman, it's only natural to have children."

"What you're doing is outrageous, you know?"

"When I got pregnant with Liam, I was only 18, and everyone in the village looked up to me."

That night, my husband broke all the plans we had agreed upon before.

He said that continuing the Shelton family line was the most important thing.

At that time, whenever my mother-in-law made trouble, I would just gaslight myself.

I even agreed to my husband's request to have a baby with her urging.

But this time, there was no way I was going to have a child with him.

When Liam tried to get close to me in bed, I pushed him away.

"Have we finished paying off the mortgage? If I have a child, are you going to support it?" I asked.

He acted as if nothing was wrong.

"We're paying the mortgage as usual, aren't we? Having another child would make my mom happy, and she can help us take care of it."

He made it sound so easy. The mortgage was nearly 8,000 bucks a month.

My salary was just over 8,000, while his was only 4,000.

The house was in his name, and his mom had suggested they cover the down payment, making it a pre-marital asset.

He thought I didn't know, but I just didn't bother arguing with him.

The mortgage, though, we paid together because I was living there too.

For the renovations, we spent a few thousand dollars just to paint the walls and lay down some basic flooring.

The furniture and appliances were all second-hand because he said that older things were of better quality.

Finally, he said to me.

"Nina, your salary just covers the mortgage. From now on, your earnings will go directly to the mortgage, and my money will be kept for household expenses."

After that, every time I got paid, the money barely stayed warm in my hands before it was transferred to the bank.

Thinking back on this, I wish I could slap myself. How blind was I in my last life?

Looking at my husband in front of me, who was just about to make a move on me, I pushed his hand away and said.

"Next time for sure."

That day, I suddenly felt nauseous for no apparent reason.

"Oh dear, Nina, could you be pregnant?"

My mother-in-law asked, her eyes gleaming with joy.

I stared absentmindedly at the food in my bowl—leftovers mixed with some fresh ingredients, once again.

I knew I couldn't be pregnant, but I didn't want to dash her hopes.

So, I told her I'd go for a check-up the next day.

The following evening, when I got home, only my mother-in-law was there.

She was preparing dinner, and when she brought it to the table.

It was just pickled radish, steamed buns, and cabbage. Nothing else.

"Liam is at a colleague's gathering tonight, so he won't be home for dinner. We'll just make do."

So, just because her son wasn't coming home, I, who had worked all day, couldn't even get a fresh meal.

I gave her 2,000 dollars every month for food, and yet this was worse than cafeteria food.

Seeing my displeased expression, she knew I wasn't happy with the meal.

"You young people are always trying to lose weight. I'm just thinking about your health, dear."

A mother-in-law who has been good to others her whole life.

I took out a test result and told her I was pregnant.

Her previously furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

"Oh, I knew it! I've been having this twitch in my left eyelid, and now I see it's because of good news!"

"Nina, why didn't you say so earlier?"

She then got up and went to the refrigerator, taking out a bowl of braised pork.

Carefully counting and picking through it with chopsticks, she finally picked out two pieces.

She placed them in a small bowl and solemnly set it in front of me.

"Nina, eat up while it's hot."

So she did cook, but because her son wasn't home, this daughter-in-law wasn't worthy of eating it.

I picked up a piece and put it in my mouth—it was still warm.

She rubbed her hands and eagerly asked.

"Nina, did the doctor mention if it's a boy or a girl?"

Seeing my surprised look, she quickly added.

"Oh, whether it's a boy or a girl doesn't matter. I'm just curious."

These people were always like this—claiming they didn't favor sons over daughters.

But when it comes to making choices, they never hesitate to give all the benefits to the male side.

In my last life, just because she thought I was carrying a girl, she caused me to miscarry.

During a prenatal check-up, the doctor said I was lucky to be expecting twins—a boy and a girl.

But my mother-in-law believed a fortune-teller who said it was a girl and refused to believe the doctor.

In the end, she fed me leftover food that caused poisoning, resulting in a miscarriage. The doctor said it was a pity for the twin babies.

She denied everything and told her son that I hadn't been careful at home, leading to the miscarriage.

Right after the miscarriage, while I was weak and bedridden, she and her daughter smothered me to death.

Snapping back to reality, I saw my mother-in-law's expectant look and said calmly.

"The doctor said it's only a month along, so it's too early to tell."

Her face immediately fell, but then she seemed to think of something.

"Don't listen to those doctors; they're useless."

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to see a fortune-teller. They can predict everything!"

I picked up the second piece of braised pork, put it in my mouth, and nodded in agreement.