My sister-in-law is eight months pregnant. One day, she gets pushed to the ground and starts bleeding heavily. She's then taken to the hospital right away.

As I drive by, I quickly roll up the window and pretend not to notice. I step on the accelerator and speed away.

In my past life, though, things were different. The moment I saw her collapse, I sprang into action and took her to the hospital without delay.

She was in critical condition. After the heavy bleeding, she developed amniotic fluid embolism.

My husband was the city's top obstetrician. Thus, I called him urgently, pleading for him to come straight to the hospital. However, he accused me of jealousy. He was having dinner with his first love's family, after all.

He claimed that I was exploiting my sister-in-law's accident to force him to come back.

By the time my in-laws arrived, my sister-in-law had already succumbed to the amniotic fluid embolism.

Her family blamed me for her death, convinced I had stirred trouble with my husband and brought about her demise.

Having just returned from out of town, my brother-in-law believed their accusations without question. Overcome with grief, he stabbed me to death at the funeral.

Opening my eyes again, I realize I've been transported back to the very day my sister-in-law is knocked down.

A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me. The moment the traffic light turned red, I stepped on the brakes at the intersection.

Shouts and screams erupted from the sidewalk.

"Call an ambulance! A pregnant woman has collapsed and is bleeding badly!"

I instinctively reached for the car door handle. But as soon as I tried to open it, a flood of painful memories overwhelmed me.

I could almost hear my husband, Wilfred O'Neil, and my in-laws angrily cursing and blaming me for the death of my sister-in-law, Sarah O'Neil.

My hand subconsciously went to my belly as I relived the day her husband, Matthew Pruett, had slashed it open in a bloody frenzy.

The phantom pain gripped me, making my muscles twitch and convulse uncontrollably.

I pulled my hand away. When the light turned green, I stepped on the accelerator and drove forward.

To prevent my in-laws from pointing fingers at me later, I went straight to my mother-in-law, Susan Bramwell's house.

"Susan, Wilfred's working late today. I brought some food for you," I said as I walked in.

I pretended not to notice the guilty look on her face as she hurried to end the video call.

"Ariana, you're here—"

But before she could finish, her phone rang again.

When she answered, her face went pale, and tears instantly filled her eyes. Her legs gave way, and she staggered toward me.

"H-Hurry to the hospital! Sarah has fallen!" she cried out.

Though I already knew the truth, I pretended to be shocked. After helping Susan steady herself, I drove as fast as I could to the maternity hospital where Wilfred worked.

Unlike in my past life, I resisted the urge to interfere. A passerby had already called an ambulance, which rushed Sarah to the hospital.

By the time we arrived, she was already in the operating room.

"The patient's family needs to sign this form. She is currently 8 months pregnant. After the fall, she suffered from severe bleeding. A cesarean section is necessary."

Just like in my past life, Susan's hands trembled as she signed the paperwork.

I turned to her and said, "Wilfred is the best obstetrician in the city. He's working overtime today. To be safe, let me try calling him."

After a brief hesitation, Susan nodded.

I called Wilfred three times, but there was no answer.

"Susan, Wilfred might be tied up. I'll go to his department and look for him," I suggested.

Susan's gaze shifted, and she gave me a subtle nod. As soon as I turned to leave, she called Wilfred herself.

I knew he wasn't at the hospital, so there was no point in my searching for him.

I stood in the stairwell, watching as Susan repeatedly dialed Wilfred's number.

Her expression went from calm to frantic, tears rolling down her cheeks.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

She had no idea that her "perfect son" had already silenced his phone. After all, he was out on a date with his first love.

Just before I returned home earlier, Susan had been on a video call with Wilfred. He was trying to make her keep me a little longer, so that I wouldn't get in the way of him and his beloved.

Watching Susan's nervous demeanor, I purposely hurried back, my breath heavy and ragged.

"Susan, Wilfred's colleague said that he's not working late tonight. I called him as well, but he didn't pick up!"

A flicker of guilt flashed across Susan's face, but she quickly masked it, trying to defend Wilfred. "Maybe someone asked him to step out for a bit. If you can't reach him now, try again a little later."

At that moment, Bernice O'Neil, Wilfred's aunt, arrived on the scene. She was accompanied by Sarah's in-laws, Henry Pruett and Edna McKellen.

As soon as Bernice spotted me, her brow knitted into a frown. "Where's Wilfred? Isn't he the obstetrician? Why haven't you notified him? What exactly are you doing here then?"

Bernice was my late father-in-law's older sister. Since his passing, she had taken charge of all matters concerning the O'Neil family.

In my previous life, Bernice had slapped me twice when the doctor said Sarah had passed away.

"You're Sarah's sister-in-law, for crying out loud. How could you just stand there and watch her die?" she had snapped.

This time, I refused to let her have that power over me.

I forced a bitter smile. "Bernice, Wilfred can't be reached. He told me this morning that he was working overtime, but when I checked just now, his colleagues said he didn't come in today. I've tried calling him, but there's been no answer."

Susan paused, uncertainty flickering in her eyes. But in the end, she chose to remain silent.

"Are you an idiot? Why didn't you keep trying if you couldn't get through?" Bernice retorted.

I quickly pulled out my phone and kept dialing Wilfred's number repeatedly.

On the tenth attempt, the call finally went through.

I switched it to speaker immediately.

"Honey—"

"Are you crazy? Why are you calling nonstop? Didn't I tell you I'm working overtime? I'm busy! Stop bothering me!"

"Honey, Sarah had a bad fall and is bleeding heavily. She's still in surgery and hasn't come out yet. We found you're not at the hospital. Where are you?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end. Out of nowhere, a woman's sharp, pretentious voice broke through.

"Ariana, the fact that you went to the hospital to look for Wilfred says a lot about your trust in him. Wilfred, do you think your colleagues would misunderstand the situation?

"Ariana, if you want answers, why don't you ask Wilfred directly? Instead, you show up at his workplace without a word and even wish harm on Sarah. Doesn't that seem a little malicious?"

"No, I'm not bluffing. Wilfred, Sarah is actually in the operating room. If you don't believe me, you can—"

Wilfred stopped me short. "Enough! If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. How could Sarah possibly fall at her mother-in-law's house? Even if you're jealous or throwing a tantrum, that's no excuse to cause trouble at my workplace.

"If my year-end evaluation takes a hit because of this, I won't let you off easy."

Before I could speak again, the call was suddenly disconnected.

The murmurs at the entrance to the operating room faded into an eerie silence.

I forced a bitter smile, pretending to be deeply wounded.

Susan quickly averted her gaze. A flicker of embarrassment flashed across Bernice's face, but she stayed silent.

Henry and Edna sighed, their faces twisted in disdain.

Just then, the operating room door flew open. A nurse hurried out, anxiety written all over her face.

"The patient is experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism! Aren't you all Dr. O'Neil's family? Someone, please contact him immediately!"

My eyes widened in surprise. Everything was unfolding just as it had in my previous life.

Susan's legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.

Meanwhile, Bernice couldn't keep up her indifferent facade any longer.

She quickly dialed Wilfred's number, whispering to herself, "It's okay, it's okay. Wilfred is the best obstetrician. He's saved countless patients with amniotic fluid embolism. He can definitely save Sarah."

The golden window for saving a patient with amniotic fluid embolism was measured in mere minutes. It was essentially a battle between the doctor and the grim reaper.

In the past three years, Wilfred had saved five women from this condition. Only one life had slipped through his hands.

His success rate had solidified his position as the top obstetrician in the hospital's department.

At last, Bernice's call connected.

In a panic, she cried, "Wilfred, you need to come to the hospital! Your sister is experiencing an amniotic fluid embolism. You're the only one who can save her!"

On the other end of the call, the sounds of children laughing and glasses clinking filled the air.

"Aunt Bernice, must you spiral out of control like Ariana? Isn't this chaos enough already? I spend all 365 days of the year catering to her every need. I just want one peaceful day. Can't you just let me be?

"Kelly and I aren't involved in any way. Her family just returned, and I was simply having a meal with them. Please, just stop calling me!"

"I'm not making this up, Wilfred! Sarah is in grave danger. She has an amniotic fluid embolism, and only you can save her! You need to come back, or you'll regret it!"

"I'll only regret it if I come back!" Wilfred snapped, his voice devoid of any warmth.

Hearing Wilfred's response, Susan broke down.

Clutching the phone, she cried out, "Wilfred, Bernice isn't lying! Sarah's life is at risk! Even if you don't trust Ariana or Bernice, can't you trust me? Please come back!"

I let out a quiet sigh. To me, Susan was nothing more than a traitor. Despite knowing about Wilfred's affair, she still helped him cover it up. But to Sarah, she was the perfect mother.

"Wilfred, did you hear what your mom just said? Do you really think she'd lie to you? Hurry up and come back!" Bernice shouted, panic evident in her voice.

"Mom, you—" Wilfred's voice faltered.

"Ah! Wilfred, my eyes... They hurt so much!"

A woman's anguished cries erupted from the other end of the line.

In the next moment, the stern voice of an adult scolding a child cut through the noise. "How could you shoot marbles at Kelly's face?"

Wilfred's voice softened with concern. "Kelly, does it hurt? Stay still. I'm a doctor, so let me take a look."

But in the blink of an eye, his tone hardened as he said into the phone, "Mom, stop with the excuses. Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't matter. I've had too much to drink, so I won't be able to make the drive back."

With that, he mercilessly hung up.

The phone slipped from Susan's hand, hitting the floor with a sharp crack. She collapsed in a heap, her head slamming against the ground.

She remained still, trapped in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever.

Bernice dropped to her knees beside her, tears silently falling down her cheeks.

"How did Wilfred become like this?" she murmured. "How could he abandon his family for another woman? What kind of monster is he?"

As I helped Susan to her feet, my eyes landed on the bruise forming on her forehead. She didn't deserve a son like Wilfred.

Still, I felt no pity for her. After all, she was partly responsible for my death in my past life.

After what felt like an eternity, the door to the operating room swung open again.

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

Sarah and her unborn child were gone. At that moment, Susan seemed to lose all semblance of life.

She couldn't bring herself to eat or drink. Holding onto Sarah's clothes, she broke down, sobbing without restraint.

Furious, Bernice recounted everything that had happened at the hospital to each relative. She didn't hold back, calling Wilfred a good-for-nothing.

Henry and Edna broke into even greater sorrow upon discovering that the baby she carried was a boy.

Matthew Pruett, Sarah's husband, returned from out of town as quickly as he could. Seeing Sarah and their unborn baby lifeless before him, his face contorted with agony, and his eyes turned red with grief.