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.

When we arrived at the stall, there was an old man in a long robe wearing dark sunglasses.

It was the same person in my last life.

The doctors all said it was a pair of twins, but she didn't feel at ease and insisted on bringing me here to have it checked.

In the end, the fortune-teller said I was carrying a girl, and my mother-in-law believed him without hesitation.

I told her we should trust science.

She said, "Have heard? Science eventually leads to the supernatural."

This time, I wanted to see what he would say.

"Dear customer, what would you like to know? Love, career, fortune—we can do it all."

He saw that someone he liked had finally come and quickly got up to greet them.

My mother-in-law whispered mysteriously.

"This is my daughter-in-law. Could you tell me, since she just got pregnant, whether it's a boy or a girl?"

The fortune-teller nodded and said.

"That's easy, just 188 dollars, and we'll be friends."

My mother-in-law's face instantly changed.

"The fortune-teller in our town only charges 8.8 dollars. You're being too greedy."

The fortune-teller replied irritably.

"Who bargains with a fortune-teller? It's bad luck."

In my last life, my mother-in-law haggled with him for a long time.

The fortune-teller drank two bottles of mineral water, and in the end, he reluctantly agreed to give her a reading for 8.8 dollars.

He didn't have good intentions and maliciously said.

"You're carrying a girl, but she will have a short life."

My mother-in-law believed him and didn't care for the baby in my womb.

This time, seeing them about to argue again, I quickly stepped forward and said to the fortune-teller.

"Go ahead with the reading. If it's accurate, there's a big red envelope waiting for you."

He immediately smiled at me warmly.

"You're a sensible daughter-in-law. I'm revealing divine secrets here. Write down your birth date and time."

After I wrote it down for him, he turned one palm up and used his fingers to calculate.

His face gave nothing away; he seemed deep in thought.

After a while, he finally said.

"Congratulations, congratulations, it's a boy!"

My mother-in-law was so happy she clapped her hands.

She clasped her hands together and muttered.

"Thank you, ancestors! The Shelton family finally has a successor."

The fortune-teller interrupted her and handed over a payment code, indicating it was time to pay.

But my mother-in-law didn't take it. She looked at me instead.

For someone as stingy as her, 188 dollars might as well have been her life savings.

I took the payment code and flung it into a nearby water basin, cursing at him.

"I'm not even pregnant, you fraud!"

With that, I overturned his little stand.

He didn't expect such a sudden change and, realizing what was happening, clenched his fist to hit me.

"City management! Someone here is promoting feudal superstitions!"

As soon as I shouted that, he was so scared he abandoned his stand and ran away.

These street frauds say whatever suits them, telling people what they want to hear.

I just wanted to see if he'd give a different answer if we paid him enough.

Sure enough, in my last life, my stingy mother-in-law bargained the 188 dollars down to 8.8 dollars. The fortune-teller was already resentful, so naturally, he wouldn't say anything good and even cursed my child.

When the fraudster had run off into the distance, my mother-in-law's face turned icy, and she demanded.

"What do you mean you're not pregnant?"

I smiled and replied.

"I was just tricking him. 188 dollars could feed us for a month. Why waste it?"

"Now we've got the fortune, and we didn't spend a single cent."

She happily clapped her hands again, her eyes squinting into a smile, praising me as a good daughter-in-law.

"Liam made no mistake marrying you. You fit right into the family."

"The most important thing is, the Shelton family will have a successor!"