Part 3My Daughter Wants to Be Born into a Rich Family

My mood lifted instantly.

Anyone. It could be anyone, as long as it wasn’t Stella.

With that realization, a wave of relief washed over me, immediately followed by the pure, uncomplicated joy of pregnancy.

I truly, deeply loved children.

When I got home, I ran to my husband, David, who was cooking dinner, and threw my arms around him. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

In our last life, Stella forced us to work at a diner when we were in our seventies. He was a busboy, and I washed dishes in the back.

He worried about me, always sneaking back to help whenever he could. One day, he slipped on the wet floor and nearly fractured his spine.

That was when we found out. He had advanced stomach cancer. He’d been hiding the pain for months to save money.

The doctor told him he needed to be admitted to the hospital immediately. Stella caused a massive scene, screaming that “stomach cancer is a death sentence anyway, it’s a waste of money!” She physically dragged him home and tossed a bottle of cheap painkillers at us.

I tried to fight her, screaming for our bank cards, but she just shoved me. I fell to the floor, helpless. I was in my seventies, frail and thin. I was no match for her. We had never laid a hand on her when she was young, and now, in our old age, she beat us.

That night, David and I held each other and wept.

In the end, he died in agony.

After he was gone, the diner let me go. Stella, seeing I was no longer of any use, dumped me in our old hometown and never spoke to me again.

She only showed up right before I died, to hastily arrange a funeral so she could collect the cash gifts from mourners.

Remembering the horrors of my past life, the tears came in a flood. I sobbed uncontrollably, letting out all the grief and pain I had held inside for so long.

David panicked, trying to wipe my tears away. “What’s wrong? Being pregnant is a good thing! Why are you crying so hard? Are you just that happy?”

I wiped my eyes and nodded fiercely. “Yes! I’m that happy! From now on, our family is going to be happy!”