While Pregnant, I Found My Husband Lies

I found messages on Nicholas's phone where he asked a prostitute to split the hotel bill. That's when I realized he was addicted to hiring escorts.

Furious and pregnant with our second child, I decided to confront him.

It wasn't until the night he beat me to death that I realized how much Elena and the entire Watson family despised me.

They all stood there, watching me bleed out, discussing how to cover it up and protect him.

When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn to the day I stayed at my mother-in-law, Elena's house for the first time after marrying my husband.

That was the night I conceived our first child. The one Elena would later blame me for losing.

I stood in front of the rusty old gate of their neighborhood, holding a gift I had bought to try and please her.

It was a Burberry gift set, complete with perfume and a silk scarf.

In my past life, Elena had seemed pleased when she saw this gift.

But behind my back, she told Nicholas to find out how much money I had saved and warned him not to let me waste what I earned.

The next thing I knew, that scarf was around Jocelyn's neck, and the perfume was all over their apartment.

I stared down at the gift box, anger boiling up inside me.

This time, I was going to get my revenge. Everyone in that house was going to pay.

I turned around, walked out of the neighborhood, and tossed the gift box straight into the trash.

Last time, I swallowed my pride and thought that compromising would bring harmony to our family.

But all it did was give them room to take advantage of me, humiliate me, and kill me.

That gift set had cost me thousands, money I saved from my internship at the hospital.

No matter how expensive it was, it symbolized my shame. I wouldn't pick it up, not for myself, and certainly not for them!

After tossing it, I walked to the pharmacy near the neighborhood entrance.

I stepped inside and told the staff, "Could you get me some of your best supplements? The ones for major nourishment."

Surprised by my no-questions-asked approach, the staff began enthusiastically pitching the most expensive supplements, painting them as miracle cures.

As an OB-GYN student, I wasn't as familiar with supplements as my colleagues who studied nutrition or medicine, but I knew enough.

Unlike how Austin carelessly mixed them into his homemade brews, I knew that even the best supplements needed to be taken in moderation.

In my past life, I had casually mentioned to Austin that mixing supplements with alcohol could be dangerous.

Nicholas had slapped me, encouraged by Elena's goading.

Elena had said I was a jinx, and their family believed that bad words brought bad luck.

That was the first time he showed his violent side.

I admit, back then I was blinded by love, still living in the haze of his sweet lies.

Another reason? I was pregnant with our first child, and for the sake of the baby, I chose to ignore all the red flags.

Seeing how quickly I paid, the staff rushed to bag everything up, afraid I'd change my mind.

With bags full of expensive supplements, I headed back to the neighborhood.

Just as I arrived at the gate, I ran into Nicholas, who was late as usual.

He was so focused on his phone that he almost bumped into me. He stopped abruptly when he realized I was right in front of him.

He was about to curse but swallowed it when he saw it was me.

Seeing him like that reminded me of a saying: Some people swallow their curses, but their hearts remain dirty.

"Madelyn, why are you still here?" he asked, quickly shoving his phone into his pocket.

He smiled, trying to explain, "Ah, you know how bosses are last-minute work. What did you end up getting for Mom at the mall?"

In my past life, this was always his excuse. Whenever we had to buy something, he'd claim he had to work late or had

He always found a reason to avoid shopping, which conveniently meant he never had to spend a dime.

As he leaned in to kiss me, I casually put the bags of supplements between us, using them as a barrier.

"Why don't you hand these over to your mom yourself?" I smiled at him.

He quickly perked up, smiling sheepishly as he took the supplements from me.

As I looked at his face, I couldn't help but remember how those same hands had brutally beaten me, shattering my bones and my teeth in my past life.

I felt a sudden wave of fear. Even though I tried to steady myself, my legs were shaking.

A chill ran down my spine, afraid that he might turn violent again. The thought of being hurt by someone I once considered my closest companion sent a sharp pain through my heart.

I let Nicholas walk ahead of me, hoping he wouldn't notice how tense and scared I was, or how hard I was trying to stay calm.

Nicholas knocked on the iron door. "Mom, it's me, open up."

Elena, hearing her son's voice, rushed to the door, faster than the guard dog. She unlocked the wooden door in one swift motion and swung open the iron gate.

The rusty hinges screeched, the sound of metal scraping against metal piercing the air.

Elena wiped her hands on her apron, beaming so widely that the wrinkles around her eyes deepened. "My baby's home!"

Glancing at the gifts in his hands, she muttered, "No need to spend money on all this! It's enough that you're home!"

Nicholas chuckled. "It's nothing, just a little something to show our respect."

What a picture-perfect moment, mother and son in harmony. In my past life, I naively thought this meant we had a happy, peaceful family.

But I never realized that they never truly saw me as one of their own.

Elena kept pulling Nicholas to her, fussing over him, completely forgetting I was standing right behind them.

It wasn't until Nicholas said, "Mom, Madelyn's been really busy with her hospital internship, she's lucky she even had time to come today," that she finally remembered me.

Elena's face lit up as she pushed me toward the living room. "Oh, right! You two must be exhausted from work. Go sit down, watch some TV, and I'll get you some fruit."

Elena disappeared into the kitchen and after a while, called out, "Nicholas, come help me bring the fruit out."

"Got it," Nicholas replied, disappearing into the kitchen for a while before coming back out.

It was at this moment I realized the timeline was aligning perfectly with my past life—everything was happening exactly the same way.

Nicholas hadn't gone into the kitchen just to help. He went to sneak some cherries.

He had told me that the cherries were part of a company gift, and that we had eaten so many we were sick of them, so we might as well give them to his parents to enjoy.

Back then, I had thought he was so thoughtful, always thinking of his parents.

I had believed that if he treated his parents so well, he would treat mine with the same respect.

But his idea of "treating my parents well" was leaving them heartbroken and grieving the loss of their only child.

Nicholas came out carrying a plate of sliced apples, already starting to brown from oxidation, and placed them on the table.

His crisp white collar now had two small red stains from the cherries he had been snacking on.

It reminded me so much of that first blow he had dealt me.

The punch that had broken my nose, sending blood splattering everywhere.

I raised my hand to gently wipe the corner of his mouth. Startled, he quickly did the same, like he was hiding something.

There was nothing there.

I was starting to get used to the fact that he didn't remember anything.

I forced a gentle smile and told him to keep eating. Yes, eat everything up.

"Ahem." Austin, sitting nearby smoking and reading the paper, let out a pointed cough.

It was his way of signaling that we shouldn't be acting intimate in front of him.

After all, he was the head of the family, the one who made all the rules.

"Dad," Nicholas muttered nervously.

Nicholas had always been afraid of his father, a former rural barefoot doctor who ran a small clinic to support the family.

His father's ability to read and write prescriptions earned him the respect of the entire village.

This reputation gave him the authority to demand respect and obedience from the younger generation.

Nicholas not only respected him but feared him. When he misbehaved as a child, Austin would beat him until he was covered in bruises, then have Elena apply ointment to his wounds.

Austin would boast about how he knew exactly where to hit so it hurt but wouldn't cause any permanent damage.

When Nicholas tearfully shared these childhood scars with me, I naively believed that love could heal him.

Later, I realized that unless a person truly separates themselves from such a toxic family, there's no healing. Otherwise, it's just crocodile tears, and they're complicit in the dysfunction.

"How's work going? Your boss showing any signs of promoting you?" Austin asked abruptly, flicking ash onto the floor without any preamble.

Nicholas hesitated, unsure whether to lie or tell the truth. "It's... going fine, but my boss hasn't really given me many opportunities."

Austin's temper flared immediately. His voice rose several octaves as he barked, "I'm telling you, if you keep coasting through life, one day Madelyn will become a doctor and walk all over you! Then you'll know what real shame feels like!"

In my previous life, Austin was the first to oppose me working at the hospital.

He would constantly lecture me, saying women should stay home and raise children, and that a woman who's too capable is hard to control. It was exhausting.

Whenever I tried to argue back or use medical knowledge to correct him, he'd feel even more humiliated.

We once had a massive argument, and he told me to get out of his house, saying they didn't need a disrespectful daughter-in-law with a sharp tongue.

This was one of the reasons I had to give up taking the residency exam after I got pregnant with our first child.

I had learned my lesson after the hardships of my past life.

I stood up and brought the box of supplements Elena had placed aside, handing it to Austin.

Like I was presenting a treasure, I said, "Dad, could you take a look at these? A friend recommended them to me for health, but I'm not sure how to use them. I'd appreciate your advice."

Austin immediately perked up when he saw me humble myself and ask for his opinion. He pushed his reading glasses up his nose, suddenly energized.

After inspecting the ingredients, he said, "Antler velvet, cistanche, morinda... these are all great supplements. You can use them for tonics or soups. Young people these days don't know anything. You waste money on calcium pills and vitamins when this stuff is a hundred times better."

By flattering Austin, I had indirectly bailed Nicholas out of trouble.

Nicholas shot me a grateful look.

He must've thought he hit the jackpot by marrying a generous and sensible wife like me.

Yes, I would ensure they felt the full burn of the fire that hatred had ignited within me.

Elena brought out the last dish and called to Nicholas, "Dinner's ready, come eat."

Austin, annoyed by her interruption, barked, "Stop fussing and bring out the medicinal wine I prepared. I want to show her the good stuff we collected from the mountains."

Elena had made all of Nicholas's favorite dishes.

Looking at the feast, I couldn't help but remember how, during my first pregnancy, my taste buds had become more sensitive. I couldn't handle spicy food, but Elena always catered to Austin and Nicholas's preferences, ignoring mine.

Whenever I mentioned that the food was too spicy, Elena would slam her Forks down and yell, "If you want something different, cook it yourself! You don't work, yet you're still picky. If you were in someone else's home, you'd be thrown out by now!"

Austin cradled his glass jug of medicinal wine, proudly praising the herbs and their miraculous health benefits.

I smiled, though it didn't reach my eyes, and complimented him. "You really know how to take care of yourself, Dad. These are top-quality herbs, the kind you can't even find in the city."

Austin loved flattery, and hearing me praise him, he burst out laughing. "Ah, a city girl like you knows good stuff when she sees it."

He then used his fork to drop a piece of pork into my bowl. "But a woman should still know her place. Look at you. You're too skinny. Eat more, build your strength, and have a son."

Elena immediately chimed in, "Exactly! He is right."

I quietly passed the pork trotter to Nicholas and stood up with my wine glass. "You're absolutely right, Dad. I'll toast to that. But it shouldn't just be me. The whole family should stay healthy. These herbs aren't worth much, but as long as you need them, I'll keep bringing more to show my respect."

"No, no, that's too much of a waste!" Elena quickly interjected, alarmed by my offer.

Austin slammed his fork on the table and pointed at Elena, snapping, "You old hag, do you have no manners? Who asked for your opinion?"

Elena immediately shrank under his scolding, lowering her head and staying quiet.

But she kept glancing at me, clearly feeling humiliated by Austin in front of me, yet too afraid to fight back.

In my past life, I used to feel sorry for her. Thinking that, as a fellow woman, I should help her by speaking up in front of Austin.

Little did I know, they were two peas in a pod. Behind my back, they would say I was disrespectful and didn't know how to honor my elders.

Nicholas never dared to stand up to his father, and whenever I tried to defend myself, he'd say, "She's just an uneducated old woman, why bother arguing with her?"

After dinner, Elena started cleaning up the mess, while Austin and Nicholas conveniently disappeared. They wouldn't lift a finger to clear the table, not even to push in their chairs.

In my previous life, I used to feel sorry for Elena and would help clean the kitchen and wash the dishes. Eventually, those chores became entirely my responsibility. If I didn't do them, I was labeled lazy and disrespectful.

The truth is, if you give people like that an inch, they'll take a mile. They'll start to think they're the master, and you're just a cheap servant.

In this life, I wouldn't waste a single ounce of sympathy on them. I knew now that I was never part of this family of vultures.

Once they had all gotten up and headed to the living room, I stood and said to Elena, "Thanks for your hard work, Mom."

You like to suffer, so enjoy it. Take your time.

I went to the bathroom, set my phone to "Do Not Disturb" mode, and turned on the voice recording app.

I placed the phone in the storage room, a spot where Nicholas and Elena used to whisper their schemes in my past life.

If my memory of the past was right, Elena would insist on Nicholas and me staying the night. But this time, I wasn't planning to back down.

Even though every breath I took in that room reminded me of how they had brutally killed me and coldly plotted their escape from justice, I was determined to face them.

I would stay and confront them head-on. There wasn't a single moment of hesitation, and I wouldn't regret it this time.

Just as I expected, while I was slicing fruit in the living room, I saw Elena come out and tell Nicholas, "Sweetheart, come help me fix the light in the storage room. It keeps flickering."

Nicholas clicked his tongue, annoyed at being ordered around, but still begrudgingly stood up to help.

The two of them fiddled around in the storage room for quite a while.

After they came out, Nicholas scratched his head and called me over.

"What's up, honey?" I asked, feigning innocence.

Nicholas stammered, "We've all had some drinks with Dad tonight. Maybe we should just stay here instead of driving back?"

Of course, I knew what he was really up to, but I didn't let it show. "You're right, I'll just call a driver."

Frowning, Nicholas added, "Mom also said my brother is coming tomorrow. She wants us to all have a family get-together."

Teasing him like prey was a bit amusing, so I refused again.

"Why not just come back tomorrow? The guest room is so small, it's uncomfortable to stay over."

My resistance clearly irritated Nicholas, and his tone grew more impatient.

"It's been ages since Mom last saw me. She has it hard, you know. What's wrong with roughing it for one night?"

In my past life, I would've argued back, pointing out that his mother's hardships didn't start with me; they began when she married his father.

But now, I knew better than to waste my breath arguing with his family.

Besides, my intention all along was to stay.

I quickly put on a gentle smile and said, "You're right. It's just one night, no big deal."

Nicholas, relieved, gave me a grateful hug. I subtly pulled away from his cold, calculating embrace.

Nicholas excitedly ran to tell Elena I had agreed to stay.

He came back and said, "I'll have Mom make up the bed in the guest room."

I nodded and said, "Go ahead, I need to use the bathroom anyway."

As soon as Nicholas left, I snuck into the storage room and retrieved the hidden phone I had planted to record.

I locked myself in the bathroom and began listening to the recording.

I fast-forwarded a few seconds, skipping to the part where I saw the soundwave spike.

What I heard next was a conversation between Elena and Nicholas.

Their words sent a chill down my spine, making my blood run cold and the hairs on my neck stand up.

Nicholas started, "Mom! Why are you giving me these?"

Elena whispered, "Shh, keep your voice down. I poked holes in all of these condoms. Every time you two... use these. Your dad's right, that girl's too smart. If you don't find a way to get her fired and keep her at home with kids, once she becomes a doctor, you think you'll still be able to control her?"

Nicholas hesitated, "But if she works, wouldn't that bring more money home? If she just stays home, wouldn't I lose out more?"

Elena clicked her tongue. "How are you so grown but still not as sharp as your brother? Once she's back home, I'll train her to take care of you properly. You think I'd let her do as she pleases?"

Nicholas finally laughed. "You're always looking out for me, Mom."

Elena added, "Don't wait any longer. Make her stay tonight. Use these."