In my previous life, I was eight months pregnant when my mother-in-law and husband forcibly dragged me to grab decorative gift boxes from the Christmas tree. I told them there was nothing inside, but my mother-in-law slapped me across the face while my husband pulled me into the crowd.

A stampede broke out. They clutched their gift boxes and fled to save themselves, while my child and I were trampled to death.

They eagerly tore open all the gift boxes with high hopes, only to find exactly nothing, just like I'd warned them. But as I lay dying, I noticed something in the final gift box.

A Black Widow spider with an hourglass pattern on its belly crawled onto my mother-in-law's hand. This spider carries deadly venom. Anyone bitten either dies or suffers permanent disability.

When I open my eyes again, I'm back on Christmas Day. This time, watching my mother-in-law and husband gear up to fight over those Christmas gift boxes, I won't try to stop them!

I looked around in amazement at the familiar mall layout and the familiar Christmas tree standing in the center, just like in my previous life. The towering 30-foot Christmas tree was covered with decorative gift boxes that sparkled enticingly under the lights.

I took a deep breath, overwhelmed by an indescribable shock. I had actually been reborn, returned to the very day I died so horribly in my previous life.

My mother-in-law, Paula Sutton, turned to look at my husband, Oliver Canning, who was beside her, her voice filled with urgency and excitement. "Oli, look at these gift boxes! They're wrapped so nicely. There must be good stuff inside!"

Paula stood in front of the Christmas tree with the same greedy expression as in my previous life, her eyes fixed on those gift boxes as if she could already see the treasures hidden inside.

Meanwhile, eight months pregnant, I stood there struggling with heavy grocery bags Paula and Oliver had shoved into my hands after their shopping spree.

Ever since Oliver and Paula found out I was carrying a girl, they had been tormenting me endlessly. Not only did they speak to me harshly, but they made do all the heavy lifting when I was heavily pregnant, claiming it would help with delivery.

I kept giving in to them, but they only became more ruthless. It wasn't until that Christmas in my previous life, when they abandoned me in that shoving crowd and left me to be trampled to death, that I finally saw their true nature.

This time around, they wouldn't have it so easy.

Oliver's face lit up with greedy confidence as he glanced at those gift boxes. "Mom, you're absolutely right. The mall wouldn't put on this big event without putting good stuff in these boxes. Did you forget about the gold bracelet I scored last time?"

People nearby heard Oliver's words and looked curious but skeptical. A fashionably dressed young man couldn't help asking, "Dude, are you serious? There's really stuff in these boxes?"

Oliver grinned smugly and patted his chest. "Of course! Why else would they make such a big production? Last time I grabbed a solid gold bracelet here and sold it for thousands!"

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at the mention of the gold bracelet. That had been from a previous mall promotion to attract customers. The store had prepared thousands of balloons, claiming they contained gold jewelry inside.

Oliver insisted on joining the chaos and naturally came up empty-handed. So to keep him from being disappointed, I had quietly slipped the gold bracelet I'd bought as his birthday gift into one of the balloons.

He thought he'd gotten incredibly lucky and became addicted to these events, never knowing it was just me silently making his "wins" possible.

When Paula heard the mention of a gold bracelet, her eyes immediately lit up as if she could see dollar signs. She grabbed Oliver's arm and urged him, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go grab some! We can't miss an opportunity this good!"

After saying this, Paula immediately reached out to grab gift boxes from the Christmas tree with a determined look. Mall shoppers nearby stared in shock at the scene.

Someone whispered, "What's wrong with these people? How can they just take the decorations?"

Paula didn't care at all. She glared at those surprised onlookers and rolled her eyes dismissively. "What are you staring at? The mall is running an event, and we're participating! If you're not joining, don't stop others from doing it!"

The crowd gradually gathered around them, stirred up by Paula's provocation. Some people began getting restless, wanting to do the same as Paula and Oliver.

Others stood in place, hesitating between wanting to take advantage and fearing trouble.

I stood to the side, watching everything coldly with mixed feelings.

The tragedy from my previous life played vividly in my mind. I clearly remembered that this stampede ultimately led to chaos in the mall, with countless deaths and injuries. Yet the instigators, Oliver and Paula, had escaped unharmed.

While they weren't paying attention, I secretly called the police, telling them the mall was getting crowded and chaotic. I told them I was worried something might happen.

I then asked them to send officers quickly to maintain order. After hanging up, I quietly moved away from the crowd. In this life, I had to protect myself and my unborn child.

Paula and Oliver stood out prominently in the crowd.

Paula looked anxious, her eyes fixed intently on the gift boxes hanging from the Christmas tree. Oliver could no longer contain his excitement and began climbing toward the higher parts of the tree, targeting the bigger, more tempting gift boxes.

"Hurry, Oli, climb higher! There must be good stuff up there!" Paula shouted while reaching to grab as many gift boxes as possible.

Paula's voice was sharp and urgent, as if urging everyone to join this grabbing frenzy. Conversations rippled through the crowd. Some people looked confused, others were tempted, but most were just watching.

"Is there really stuff in these boxes?" a young woman asked.

"Of course there is! Look how hard they're fighting for them. There must be good stuff inside! I'm going to grab a couple too!" A middle-aged man rubbed his hands together and joined the scramble.

Just then, Oliver successfully grabbed a gift box from high up and shouted excitedly, "Mom, I got one! This box looks pretty big, so there must be something good inside!"

When Paula heard this, her face immediately lit up with joy. "Great! Open it up and see!"

Oliver didn't open the gift box right away. Instead, he clutched it tightly to his chest, afraid that someone might snatch it away.

The discussions in the crowd became even more heated. They could no longer resist the temptation and began joining the scramble.

"Quick, let's grab some too!" a young man shouted.

"Right, we can't let them take everything!" a middle-aged woman chimed in.

The situation gradually spiraled out of control. People started fighting and pushing, with some even falling to the ground.

The order in the mall finally collapsed.

Screams, curses, and arguments echoed as the mall descended into chaos.

I stood outside the crowd, watching it all with a heart full of helplessness and sadness. I knew this was all caused by greed and vanity. But there was nothing I could do aside from calling the police.

Paula and Oliver fought desperately for gift boxes in the crowd, and their figures could hardly be seen amid the chaos. They had completely lost their minds, as if they'd forgotten everything around them.

Suddenly, Paula spotted me. Her eyes widened with fury as she ran toward me. "What are you standing there for? Get over here and help! You're completely useless!"

Looking at Paula's twisted face, I felt a wave of strong disgust rise in my heart. "I can barely move. If you want to grab things, do it yourselves."

The moment I finished speaking, Paula raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. "You worthless burden! Carrying a girl and still acting all precious!

"When I was eight months pregnant, I was still working hard on the farm! And nothing happened to me!"

Paula grabbed my hand as she spoke. "Come on! You're coming with me right now! This is like money falling from the sky, and whatever we grab is pure profit!"

I didn't dare struggle too hard, afraid of hurting my unborn child. My cheek burned with pain, but my heart felt even colder. I was filled with rage as I looked at Paula's vicious face.

"Paula, I told you there's nothing worth grabbing in there! Besides, I need to watch our groceries. What if someone takes them?" I covered my cheek, deciding to try calming Paula down first.

Paula glared at me viciously and shouted, "What do you know? Those groceries aren't worth much, but these gift boxes definitely have good stuff inside. Hurry up and come grab some with us!"

Paula snatched the heavy bags from my hands, set them on the ground, and pulled my hand to drag me along. I couldn't resist and stumbled forward several steps.

Oliver walked over to me at that moment, carrying an armload of gift boxes, and chimed in, "Exactly! With this many people, Mom and I can't grab enough by ourselves! You need to help us!"

He also pulled me toward the Christmas tree. The terror of being trampled to death in my previous life washed over me again.

"Oliver! Let go of me! I'm not going!" I said anxiously.

"No way! You have to go! With one more person, we can grab several more boxes! That's all the money!" Paula dragged me forward while I felt like I was suffocating again.

I had a sudden inspiration and quickly clutched my baby bump. "I can't, Oliver! It really hurts. I think the baby's coming!"

"What!" Oliver jumped in shock and began hesitating.

Just then, mall security finally arrived. The guard waved his arms and shouted loudly, "Everyone, stop grabbing! It's too dangerous!

"Please calm down! These gift boxes are all empty. There's nothing in them at all!"

But the mob had already lost control. Someone knocked him down with a hard shove.

The security guard fell awkwardly, his face full of terror and helplessness as he muttered, "This is bad! Something terrible is going to happen."