I walked through our front door, my heart pounding with anticipation. The hospital results confirmed it—I was pregnant again. A fresh wave of hope filled me, momentarily washing away the agony of the past. This time, please… let my baby live.
But as I stepped inside, an eerie feeling settled in my chest. From our bedroom, hushed laughter drifted toward me, intimate and careless. My breath hitched. The door was slightly ajar. I moved closer, heart hammering.
Inside, tangled in the sheets, was my husband, Jake. And with him—Clarissa, his childhood friend. Their bodies intertwined, their lips mere inches apart. I opened my mouth, but no words came. Then I heard them laughing. Whispering. Mocking.
"I can't believe she never stops," Clarissa giggled, running her fingers down Jake’s chest. "Lindsay just keeps getting pregnant, like a guinea pig."
Jake smirked. "Which works for you, doesn’t it? Always a fresh supply for your experiments."
My stomach lurched. Experiments? A cold shiver ran down my spine. My hand instinctively cradled my abdomen. My baby… our baby.
Clarissa sighed, her voice dripping with amusement. "It’s honestly pathetic. She never even questions it—just accepts it. Ten dead babies, and she still believes she’s just unlucky."
Ten. The world tilted beneath me. Ten stillborn children. My precious babies—gone. Just for her.
Jake shrugged as if it meant nothing. "She’s too desperate for a child to see the truth. She didn’t even realize that the energy drinks I gave her caused the miscarriages. She’s so gullible. I’ll make sure she never finds out."
A sharp pain tore through my chest. My breath came in short, ragged gasps. Jake… the man I loved… had been killing our children all along? Then…
"But isn't she your wife?" Clarissa teased, pouting.
Jake pinched her cheek affectionately. Yes. I was his legal wife. So why is she…
"She’s not even my wife," Jake scoffed, his voice laced with disdain. I froze. "Did you really think I legally married her? Between you and her, Clarissa, you’re my real wife. You’re the only one I brought to the altar."
A deafening silence filled the room. Something inside me shattered. With trembling hands, I pushed the door open. The sound made them jerk upright. Their shock flickered for only a moment before amusement took its place.
"Lindsay," Jake drawled, slipping out of bed as if nothing happened. "Didn’t hear you come in."
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. "How could you?" My voice was barely a whisper. "You… you murdered them."
Jake sighed, rolling his eyes. "Our? I never considered them mine to begin with."
Clarissa scoffed. "Come on, Lindsay. Don’t act surprised. Did you really think you were special to Jake’s heart?"
Fury ignited inside me. I lunged, but before I could reach them, Jake shoved me hard. Pain exploded through me as I stumbled backward. My foot caught the edge of the coffee table. Glass shattered. I crashed to the floor.
A sharp, searing pain erupted in my abdomen. My vision blurred.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Clarissa shrieked.
“Damn it!”Jake cursed under his breath.
I gasped, struggling to breathe. My fingers trembled as I touched my stomach. My baby… my baby…
“No… I don’t want to die yet. I wish to have a second chance to correct my mistake… and get revenge on the children I lost,” I whispered desperately but darkness swallowed me whole.
---
When I opened my eyes again, the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room greeted me. I gasped, hands flying to my stomach. Pain throbbed there, deep, familiar. The same pain I had felt when—
The door creaked open. A nurse stepped inside, her expression gentle, but heavy with sorrow.
"Mrs. Lawson, I’m so sorry," she said softly. "You’ve had another miscarriage. It’s your fifth."
A chilling silence filled my mind. Fifth? That was impossible. I had lost eleven children. This should have been my eleventh miscarriage. Unless—
My breath hitched. My heart pounded violently in my chest. Did I… go back in time?
I stared at the nurse, my mind racing. Five years into my marriage with Jake—that was when I lost my fifth baby. If this was my fifth miscarriage… then… I had been given a second chance.
The door burst open. It was Jake. His hair was disheveled, his eyes tired, his shirt wrinkled. He looked devastated. His perfect performance.
"Lindsay," he murmured, rushing to my side. "Are you okay?" His fingers brushed my cheek, the same touch that had once comforted me. Now, it made my skin crawl.
I stiffened, my body cold, but inside, I burned.
Jake’s eyes darkened with grief. "I’m so sorry, baby. I know how much you wanted this child. I should have protected you more…"
This child. Like the others. Like the ten he had murdered. His acting is flawless. Well, given the experience, he had plenty of it. I clenched the hospital sheets. My fingers trembled, not with sorrow, but with fury.
I forced my lips into a weak, trembling smile. "I… I just don’t understand," I whispered. "Why does this keep happening?"
Jake sighed, feigning sadness. "It’s fate, sweetheart. Maybe we’re just not meant to be parents for now."
Lies. Lies. Lies.
I bit my lip, nodding as if I believed him. But in my heart, I made a vow. Jake was a murderer. A monster. A threat. And this time, I would not be blind. This time, I would escape. This time, I would make him pay.
