My husband Ian Whitman's mother, Carol Wilson, was critically ill, and she was waiting for him to sign for her surgery.
Ian, however, was busy trying to get his first love, Bella Moore, back, who was going abroad.
I pretended to be in a hurry and called him. When he hung up, I watched helplessly as Carol departed from the world forever.
In my previous life, I managed to inform Ian about Carol's critical illness, and he left Bella behind to rush to the hospital.
It turned out that he was late, so all he saw was Carol's cold body.
Bella disappeared from his life after that.
Ian said he didn't blame me, but on the day of Carol's funeral, he knocked me out and dragged me to Carol's headstone.
He stabbed into my heart and turned the hilt with both hands as forcefully as he could.
Ian stared at my bloody wound relentlessly, his eyes red.
"Why did you insist on rushing me to the hospital? I'm not a doctor, so how would I change the outcome if I went there? I'll never hear from Bella again for the rest of my life just because of you. You should be buried with my mom!"
As I opened my eyes again, I went back to the day Carol became critically ill.
Since Ian wanted to pursue Bella, I wouldn't be a stumbling block for him.
——
The sound of the hospital's instrument alarm woke me up.
It was then that I realized I had been reborn.
Carol was lying in a hospital bed just as she had been in my previous life, and her lips looked pale from the heart attack.
Several of the instruments around her detecting her physical condition simultaneously sounded a sharp buzz.
I reflexively pressed the call bell at the bedside.
The nurse quickly rushed into the hospital room.
She called her attending doctor immediately after checking on Carol's condition.
Carol's attending doctor was Ian's best friend, Kevin Lewis, whom he had grown up with since he was a little boy, and Ian had specifically asked him to keep an extra eye on Carol.
Kevin came in, took one look, and said decisively, "Carol is in critical condition, and she has to have surgery now, so you should contact the family for a signature!"
I rolled my eyes and hit the dialing button.
I pretended to be in a hurry as I worked with the nurse to wheel Carol into the operating room. I put my cell phone on the hospital bed and hit the speaker button.
I was hung up on by Ian directly after my first dial.
Kevin frowned when the indifferent sound of the phone rang.
"Didn't Ian pick up the phone? Keep calling him! If he doesn't sign the surgery paper, the surgery can't be done. It's a hospital rule, and even I can't help it."
I pretended to nod in panic and called Ian once again.
Ian didn't hang up this time, and he just answered the phone with an annoying tone.
"What's the matter with you again? Didn't I tell you not to call me? There are so many people at the hospital, but what are you calling me over there for?"
Ian was as indifferent as he was in my previous life, causing my eyes to instantly turn aloof.
I remembered the vicious look on his face when he killed me in my previous life.
I explained, "Are you with Bella? Come over here. Your mom is in bad condition."
Ian took a deep breath on the other side of the phone, raised his voice, and yelled furiously, "You've told me every day that she was in bad condition, but I've been there so many times, and I haven't seen her get any better. As long as I leave the hospital and stay with Bella, my mom is not okay, is she? What the hell are you pretending? I'll die if she leaves me, right?"
"If she were in bad condition, you should have called a doctor, but why did you call me? Would I treat her or prolong her life? I told you I had something to do today, so leave me alone!"
Saying that, Bella's voice rang on the other side of the phone.
"Did something happen to Carol again? Go for it. You don't have to worry about me, and I shouldn't hold you back any longer. We should just stay out of touch from now on..."
Without waiting for me to say anything else, Ian hung up the phone directly.
I clenched my fists so forcefully that my knuckles turned pale and trembled.
Sure enough, when I was reborn, Bella was still the most important person to him.
The furious voice came through the speakerphone into the ears of the doctors and nurses in the room.
Everyone looked at me with sympathy.
They all knew that I had quit my job in the government specifically to take care of Carol.
I spent a whole year in the hospital just because Ian said he was worried about the nursing staff we hired.
It turned out that when I was taking care of Carol in the hospital, Ian was out pursuing his first love.
Ian appeared on a few occasions because Carol was in a critical condition, and I had no choice but to call him.
By the time Ian arrived at the scene after comforting Bella, Carol had been given first aid, and her condition had been stabilized.
Ian blamed me for making fun of Carol's life and being unreasonable with him.
He treated me increasingly worse, and his tone became even more impatient.
Later, Ian refused to answer all my calls directly.
Kevin had no choice but to contact Ian for me on several occasions when things got urgent.
At the beginning, Ian could decisively leave Bella, who was on a date, behind to rush to the hospital.
But Carol was fine a few times, and Bella was getting indifferent to him.
She blamed Ian for not caring about her.
Then, Ian didn't even believe Kevin's words anymore and just thought that Kevin had betrayed him.
Kevin stayed with me and tried everything he could do to try and get Ian back to me.
The classic story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf had been played out to perfection by us.
But I would appreciate it if Ian didn't show up this time.
Just let Ian's first love take the blame for Carol's death.
Seeing the phone was hung up, Kevin looked grim.
"I'll go ahead and stall with first aid. You should continue to contact Ian, and Carol's surgery can't be delayed!"
With that, Kevin turned around and went straight into the operating room.
The nurse placed the slip to be signed for the surgery in front of me.
She looked embarrassed. "This is the hospital's rule, and I really can't do anything about it, so I can only ask you to contact Carol's family again, because her surgery has to be signed by an immediate family member."
I nodded in understanding.
I called Ian once more in front of everyone.
Unexpectedly, Ian directly hung up and blacklisted my number.
I was anxious on the surface, but I was relieved inside.
I fell down helplessly into a chair in the hallway and took the opportunity to rest for a while.
Ten minutes later, Kevin emerged from the operating room, and he said gravely to the nurse, "Give a critical notice. Carol is in bad condition."
Chapter 2As Kevin turned to look at me, he glanced around the room, but he still hadn't found Ian.
He suddenly frowned tightly and said indifferently, "Haven't you gotten in touch with him yet?"
I nodded helplessly and forcibly shed a tear.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't called Carol before when he was in critical condition, everything would have been fine. Now he won't believe me no matter what I say..."
Kevin and Ian were close, so of course he knew Bella and was aware of their ridiculous relationship.
Upon hearing what I said, he sighed, "We don't blame you. We just blame Ian for not being conscious!"
He took his gloves right off, walked over to the nurse's station, and dialed Ian's number with the telephone on the nurse's station.
I walked up in a hurry, feeling genuinely anxious.
The moment the call was answered, Kevin said sternly, "Carol has to be in surgery right now, and you're the only one who can sign the surgery paper for her. Where are you? Come to the hospital right now!"
The sound on the other side of the phone sounded noisy, and Ian seemed to be on his way to drive to the airport to catch up with Bella.
Ian didn't even take Kevin's words to heart.
"Since you're taking care of my mom in the hospital, what will happen to her?
"Audrey is acting up in front of me, but are you also messing around with her? Don't you know Bella is leaving today? If I don't catch up with her, I'll never see her again for the rest of my life!
"I missed her once five years ago, and I don't want to do it again this time. I know you're speaking for Audrey, but I don't want to live with a woman I don't love for the rest of my life. That's it. I have to drive, so I'm hanging up."
With nowhere to vent his anger, Kevin's eyes widened in disbelief that he couldn't believe that Ian wouldn't even listen to him.
For a split second, Kevin's eyes turned red with anger, and his heart kept beating violently.
He kept pressing the redial button with force.
But after Kevin redialed the phone over and over again, all that came was the sound of hanging up coldly.
The anger in his eyes gradually turned into disappointment.
Finally, he sighed helplessly.
He punched his fist on the desktop in vain.
I was on the verge of tears, begging the nurse on duty beside me to lend me her cell phone in order to contact Ian to sign.
The moment the call was answered, Ian heard my voice, and his tone instantly turned indifferent.
"Are you done? Have you finished making a scene? You knew Bella was leaving today, but you had to cause trouble today, didn't you?
"What can you do to me today if I don't go? We can get a divorce, and I've had enough of you being suspicious of me for a long time. If you touch my mom, I'll make you pay for it!"
Ian didn't give me a chance to explain, and he abruptly hung up.
I sneered sarcastically.
I felt worthless in my mind for the five years I had wasted.
During the five years we got married, I took care of Carol every day and did everything I could for her, but all I ended up with was Ian's heartless words.
I wasn't the woman Ian loved, much less the wife he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.
My chest was stabbed by him in my previous life. At this moment, I could still feel the pain tearing through my heart.
As my tears overflowed my eyes, I reached up and wiped them away casually.
The nurses kept screaming from the operating room, and Kevin's name was called numerous times.
He finally gave up on contacting Ian completely.
Kevin turned around and walked into the operating room with determination.
The critically ill notice on the table looked particularly harsh.
I calmed down and sat back in my chair.
After I contacted my lawyer, he drew up a divorce settlement for me, and he got the funeral home ready to handle Carol's funeral.
Soon, the lights went out in the operating room.
Kevin removed his mask with exhaustion and sorrow and shook his head at me.
Chapter 3Looking at the familiar scene, I felt quite different from my previous life.
Ian hadn't seen Carol for the last time this time, and I was no longer to blame for him not leaving Bella behind.
I was finally relieved and couldn't hold back the tears.
Ian was just as indifferent to me in my previous life as he was today, but I didn't give up.
I tried desperately to get in touch with him.
I took pictures for Ian of what Carol looked like when she was critically ill and sent him the critically ill notice from the hospital.
I was trying to convince Ian that Carol was terminally ill.
At that moment, Ian was on his way to the airport to catch up with Bella.
Ian turned around and drove the car straight to the hospital after reading the message.
Unfortunately, I wasted too much time on the road explaining over and over to convince him that Carol was critically ill.
By the time Ian arrived at the door of the operating room, Carol had just taken her last breath.
Ian had a nervous breakdown, covered his head with his hands, and knelt in the hallway of the hospital, sobbing uncontrollably.
He forced himself to handle Carol's funeral with me.
As everything was settled, Ian realized that all his contacts had been blacklisted by Bella.
He could never get in touch with his first love who had gone abroad.
For seven whole days, Ian was silent without saying a word.
When I asked him in concern, he just shook his head and said he was fine.
I even booked a ticket for Ian to go abroad on my own accord so that he could go to Bella and explain the situation.
However, I was refused indifferently by Ian, who said he wouldn't even contact Bella in the future.
Ian said that he realized he should cherish the people around him after this incident.
He finally said the words I had waited five years for, and I chose to believe him without hesitation.
Just when I was overjoyed and thought that he was finally coming back to our family, Ian knocked me out with a stick on the day of Carol's funeral and dragged me to Carol's tombstone.
Ian's eyes no longer showed the same indifference as before but only hatred.
Ian's eyes no longer showed the same indifference as before but only hatred.
The moment I opened my eyes from unconsciousness, Ian stabbed the dagger he had polished by hand for seven days into my heart.
I kept struggling in pain, unable to utter a single word of pleading for mercy.
Ian turned the hilt of his knife forcefully, his eyes filled with hatred.
He looked so paranoid as a madman who had lost the love of his life.
Ian watched mercilessly as the skin of my wound blurred, and I was drenched in blood.
Only a second before I lost consciousness, Ian said slowly, "Why did you have to call me? How would I change the outcome if I rushed to the hospital?
"l'll never see Bella again for the rest of my life just because of a few pictures of you!
"Do you know how long I have waited for her to come back? For the five years I married you, I wished that she would come back everyday, and I even dreamed of her, begging her to come back and see me for a second. Now Bella finally showed up, but I'll never hear from her again for the rest of my life just because of you!
"Since you can't take care of my mom, you should be buried with her! Go to hell!"
Upon saying that, Ian suddenly drew the dagger in my chest.
He stabbed me for several times.
The blood instantly spurted out and splattered on the tombstone, staining Carol's face with a smile.
The examination report of my pregnancy for two months in my bag would never be taken out again.
When I died, my soul would float off to the side.
I watched helplessly as Ian fled abroad and ended up standing humbly in front of Bella.
Before Ian could say anything to beg for reconciliation, he was shot dead by the police who chased him to arrest him.
At that moment, I realized how ridiculous it was for me to unilaterally sacrifice the marriage I had maintained for five years.
Ian could change his last name for Bella, and he didn't even care about his family.
So how could he possibly hesitate because of what I gave him?
Fortunately, the fate gave me a chance to start over.
Chapter 4I didn't leave as soon as I put away Carol's death certificate.
Instead, I gave up the baby in my belly.
Kevin was worried about my condition, so he stayed by my side the whole time.
The more he cared for me, the worse I felt.
I feel worthless for myself.
Even Ian's friends knew I was vulnerable right now and needed company.
However, my husband, whom I had loved for five years, only felt that I was standing in the way of his pursuit of true love.
As a free carer who helped him look after his mother for a year, all I got was Ian's complaints and endless hatred.
Kevin witnessed me scheduling the surgery and finishing it.
He didn't stop me, and he couldn't speak for his best friend any longer.
As I came out of the operating room, he meticulously advised me of the precautions to be taken.
I took those words to heart and nodded weakly.
"Carol's funeral will be in three days. Ian isn't here, and you're Carol's attending doctor, so you should take a look at her for him."
Carol treated me nicely, and I didn't want her to leave alone.
Ian's fault wasn't caused by her.
None of the funeral rituals should be missing.
With that, I shakily walked out the door and took a taxi home.
For the past three whole days, Ian hadn't sent me any messages.
He didn't even greet Carol.
The only thing Ian kept up was Bella's constantly updated Instagram that Kevin had screenshotted for me.
Maybe Kevin didn't want me to be kept in the dark, so he sent me their new messages every day.
It seemed that Ian had gotten her back successfully.
Carol had just passed away, and the two of them had traveled to all the surrounding attractions in three days.
I saw everything, so I sneered and took screenshots to keep the evidence, intending to use it as evidence to sue him for cheating when the time came.
When it came to the day of Carol's funeral, there were very few people there.
Since Ian and I never had a wedding ceremony, I didn't know any of his relatives.
The people who could come to the funeral were relatives Carol had mentioned to me once.
Kevin stared indifferently at the door.
I knew he was waiting for Ian.
Kevin still couldn't bear it, so he sent a message to Ian about Carol's funeral.
But when the funeral got to the last step, Ian still didn't show up.
Kevin's eyes were filled with hatred.
I held Carol's ashes in my hands and wore a thin funeral suit.
I couldn't tell you if I felt hatred or distraught, and I just felt heartbroken from it.
Today's funeral was as much for Carol as it was for myself in the past.
As we were just about to bury Carol, a man's angry roar suddenly sounded from the doorway.
"What are you doing? Who told you guys to give my mom a funeral? My mom is alive and well in the hospital. Are you guys crazy?"
I stopped, holding the urn tightly.
The familiar and harsh voice made me tremble uncontrollably.
Ian walked in furiously, and Bella was beside him in a red dress.
The bright red dress looked especially strange at the sorrowful funeral.
Without waiting for me to speak, Kevin took the lead and said indifferently, "Carol has died a long time ago. You didn't listen to Audrey or me, and do you expect Carol to come back to life and tell you in person?
"It's Carol's funeral today. Are you insane for bringing this woman over here dressed like this?
"Ian, I'm so disappointed in you. If you came here to cause trouble today, you should get the hell out of here with her now!"
Ian hadn't expected his best friend to be so ruthless with him, and anger instantly surged in his eyes.
"Audrey's messing around, and you're doing it along with her, aren't you? She couldn't pretend to be sick, and now she's holding a funeral for my mom, right? Is she such a drama queen? Well, you're having a funeral. I'll make you do it!"
After saying that, Ian rushed to me with big strides.
Ian grabbed the urn out of my hand.
He slammed it down hard on the floor.
My eyes instantly filled with grief.
I was stunned in place and couldn't help but scream out.
I crouched down to protect the urn with my body, but I was kicked into the ashes by Ian.
The ashes were splattered all over my face, staining my funeral clothes.
When Kevin came to his senses, he quickly rushed to me and threw his fist into Ian's face as forcefully as he could.
"You're an animal! How could Carol have a son like you?
"Get out, now! Don't say I know you from now on! I'll have Carol's funeral myself!"
Carol appreciated Kevin's care and was very attentive to him during her lifetime. When her relatives came to visit her, she made a point of sending Kevin lots of specialties.
What was ridiculous was that an outsider was even known to leave Carol in peace.
Carol's biological son, who she raised alone, smashed her urn for another woman.
Seeing this, Bella rushed forward to stop Ian.
However, she was pushed to the ground by Kevin.
Her hand was sliced deep into the bone by the broken urn.
Ian instantly burst into tears.
He turned to help Bella up.
When Ian was just about to roll up his sleeves and hit me, Kevin took Carol's death certificate out of his pocket and threw it in his face.