My Thoughts Were Heard, and Mom Ran Off Pregnant

My parents are the main characters in a billionaire romance novel.

They were supposed to have a marriage of convenience that blossomed into a deep, lifelong love.

However, an interloper, determined to win my father's affection, not only orchestrated my parents' divorce but also caused my mother's death, taking me with her.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the moment my father's company was on the brink of bankruptcy, and my mother, mistakenly believing he was cheating, was demanding a divorce.

"Let's get a divorce!" my mother seethed.

My father, exhausted, nodded. "Fine. I'll go draw up the papers."

I panicked, my spirit circling frantically around my mother.

[Mom, don't divorce him! Dad didn't cheat, and his company isn't going bankrupt. It's all a trap set by the interloper!]

[Dad is the hero of this little world, and you're the heroine. She wants to take your place, so she framed him to make you misunderstand!]

[After the divorce, she'll have you lured into a human trafficking ring. You'll miscarry from the torture, and they'll end up harvesting your kidney! Meanwhile, she'll help Dad through his 'crisis,' win him over, and become the new heroine of this world!]

[Mom, this isn't about fighting for a man, it's about fighting for your life! Don't be impulsive!]

My mother froze for a second, then burst into tears.

"I say we get a divorce, and you agree just like that! I knew you never loved me! You cheat!"

My father flinched slightly, a self-deprecating look on his face.

"The company is in trouble right now. I completely understand why you'd want a divorce. I'll cooperate whenever you're ready."

My mother stomped her foot in frustration. "Whether you believe me or not, I was just saying that because I was angry! I'm not getting a divorce!"

Thinking she had other concerns, my father sighed, weary and resigned. "Don't worry. You can have the house and the savings. I'll take on all the debt. It won't affect you."

Seeing that he was unmovable, my mother resorted to being unreasonable.

"I knew it! If my father hadn't used his favor to pressure you, you never would have married me!"

"You agreed so quickly. You've wanted to divorce me for a long time, haven't you?!"

At that thought, genuine tears welled up in her eyes.

My father's expression grew even more tired and helpless.

"What do you want, Cindy? Can you just tell me straight?"

His tone only fueled my mother's anger. But, in a surprising turn, she didn't explode. Instead, she took a deep breath and said patiently, "Someone sent me a message saying you were at a hotel with an influencer. They even sent a picture!"

My father sneered. "And where is this picture?"

"It's on my phone!"

My mother snatched her phone from the dining table and opened her photo gallery.

But the picture wasn't of my father and an influencer. It was a photo of a ridiculously muscular man flexing.

"Damn it!"

My mother yelped, nearly dropping the phone. She stammered, trying to explain, "I'm not lying! The picture I received really was of you and some influencer kissing in a hotel hallway. I don't know why it changed into this!"

My father just stared at her and laughed coldly, clearly not believing a word.

Unable to prove her innocence, my mother simply declared, "I don't care! I'm not getting a divorce!"

I gave her a spiritual thumbs-up.

[Way to go, Mom! This isn't about fighting for a man, it's about fighting for your life! Don't divorce him. Let's drive that interloper crazy!]

The more she wanted to replace my mom, the more we had to make it difficult for her!

But wait, why was my mom acting so differently from the last time?

Could it be she was reborn, too?!

My father stared at my mother, his face a blank mask. His voice was mocking.

"Whatever you want. Just let me know when you decide you want a divorce. I'm ready whenever."

"I'm sleeping in the guest room tonight. You can have the bed."

With that, he went into the master bedroom, grabbed his pajamas, and went to shower in the guest bathroom.

My mother looked like she was about to cry, and I couldn't help but wail.

[Well, it looks like we're still doomed. Dad definitely thinks this is all some drama Mom cooked up, and his heart is broken.]

[But that's not the most important thing! The most important thing is]

[Is Mom going to get rid of me in a fit of rage? Then I would have been reborn for nothing!]

[Waaah, Mommy, don't kill me! If you have me, you can get tons of child support from Dad later. You can be a rich, single mom living your best life!]

A flicker of amusement crossed my mother's face.

She looked down at her belly and whispered gently, "It's okay, sweetie. Mommy's not going to kill you."

I did a happy little flip in the air.

[Great! Mom's not going to kill me! This rebirth wasn't a total waste!]

My mother let out a small laugh. "Don't worry. I won't let your rebirth be for nothing."

I nodded vigorously. [Good, good.]

Wait. Something wasn't right.

How was my mother talking back to me?

Could she hear my voice?!

It turned out my mother could hear my voice, but she couldn't see me.

And no, she hadn't been reborn.

While my father was in the shower, my mother and I quickly and quietly schemed.

As for why the photo changed, we both had the same theorythe interloper was likely bound to one of those legendary "systems"!

She used the system to create the fake photo and then change its content.

I didn't know the interloper's true identity. In my previous life, I only made it to seven months in the womb. Since the interloper never directly confronted my mother, I never learned who she was. The only reason I knew about her and the final outcome was because a voice had revealed the general plot to me as I was being reborn.

My mother and I agreed that our top priority, besides stopping the divorce, was to figure out who this interloper was.

Ten minutes later, my father emerged from the bathroom in his pajamas. He gave my mother a cold glance before heading to the guest room. Even I could tell how much her talk of divorce had hurt him, especially now, during his most difficult time. But my mom hadn't brought it up because of his company's problems, which made her the wronged party, too.

My mother stared at the closed door for a moment, then went into the bedroom, changed her clothes, and hurried out of the apartment.

[Mom, don't run away from home!]

[As long as you're not divorced, you're the rightful wife! We can't lose our nerve before the battle even begins!]

My mother smiled and reassured me, "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm not that foolish. I'm just going to buy a pregnancy test."

[Oh. That's necessary.]

[Dad is actually a very loyal and honorable man. In the last life, when he found out you'd been tricked and taken, he tried to rescue you. But by then you were already gone.]

"Okay, sweetie, please stop. That's a bit heartbreaking."

[Okay, okay.]

My mother went to the pharmacy outside our complex, bought three pregnancy tests, and then stopped for a bowl of spicy noodles before slowly heading home.

When she opened the door, she found my father sitting on the sofa, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers. The air was thick with tension.

My mother froze for a second but said nothing, walking straight to the bathroom.

None of the three tests showed two lines.

We were both disappointed. It was probably just too early. It seemed we'd have to wait a few more days to use our secret weapon.

When my mother came out of the bathroom, dejected, my father was still on the sofa. She was about to say something to soften the mood when he spoke first.

"Let's go register the divorce tomorrow morning. Right now, the most I can give you is twenty thousand in cash. You can have this apartment and one of the cars."

My non-existent heart skipped a beat.

My father had truly given up on her.

To be fair, he had built his company from scratch, and it had only started taking off a few years ago, so he wasn't incredibly wealthy. With his company in trouble, he was genuinely giving her everything he could.

My mother stated her position firmly. "I am not divorcing you!"

My father sighed again, resigned.

"Have it your way. But my offer still stands. Whenever you're ready, I am."

He stood up and walked toward the door.

My mother grew anxious. "Where are you going?"

"An emergency at the office," he explained coolly. "I have to work late."

"Oh."

My mother didn't say anything else until he was almost out the door. Then, she couldn't help but call out, "Come back home when you're done!"

My father turned and looked at her for a moment. "Okay," he said softly.

My parents were living a "marry first, love later" script. They hadn't known each other before the wedding, so there was no emotional foundation.

My grandfather had once done my father a great favor. On his deathbed, he worried about my mother, his beautiful but naive daughter. He asked my father to look after her. To put my grandfather's mind at ease, my father proposed marrying her. My grandfather, fearing my mother would fall for the wrong person, agreed. Not wanting her dying father to have any regrets, my mother didn't object.

My father was always busy with work, either working late or traveling. They rarely saw each other, had little in common, and thus, their relationship wasn't close, and their trust was fragile.

According to the original plot, their feelings were supposed to deepen during his company's crisis. But then, the interloper showed up and ruined everything.

The thought of the interloper kept my mother awake. She tossed and turned, and finally, unable to sleep, she picked up her phone.

At 2:30 AM, another message came from an unknown number.

It was a picture of my father lying in a hotel bed with a woman whose face was obscured.

My mother, knowing I was hovering nearby, immediately covered the screen.

"Baby, avert your eyes!"

I giggled. [Mom, that picture was definitely faked by the interloper's system.]

"Even if it's fake, you can't look!" she said sternly.

[Okay, Mom, I won't look!]

"If you peek, I'll spank you!"

Not trusting me, my mother tried to quickly do something with the photo while keeping it covered, but she soon let out a curse.

"Damn it!"

[What's wrong, Mom?] I asked, curious.

"The picture changes every time I try to do anything with it!" she said through gritted teeth.

After a moment's thought, she found my father's number and called him. The phone rang and rang until it went to voicemail. She tried a second and a third time with the same result, and finally gave up.

My mother didn't sleep a wink. After breakfast, she finally dozed off on the sofa. The moment she fell asleep, so did I.

I don't know how much time passed, but we were both startled awake by the sound of the front door opening.

My father walked in, dragging his exhausted body. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was covered in stubble.

My mother quickly sat up. "Have you eaten? I can make something."

My father shook his head. "Don't bother. I have to go out of town for a business meeting. I'm just going to take a shower and leave."

My mother's face fell. "Oh. I'll pack your bag."

She was only halfway through packing when he finished his shower. He stood in the bedroom doorway, dressed and ready to go, watching her busy herself.

When she finished, she turned and saw him. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, that's everything." He paused, then added, "If this deal goes well, the company won't just survive the crisis, it'll be stronger than ever."

I knew he was trying to reassure her, but it also showed he still believed she was planning to leave him.

My mother hesitated, then said politely, "Well, I hope it all goes smoothly."

My father didn't say anything more. He walked over, took the suitcase from her, and after a moment, said, "Take care of yourself. You can call me anytime, for anything."

My mother nodded. "I know."

After my father left, I couldn't help but ask:

[Mom, aren't you going to ask him where he was last night?]

Even though I also believed the photo was fake, the fact was that he hadn't come home at all.

My mother smiled. "Sweetie, your father looked like he'd been working all night. He reeked of corporate exhaustion."

Though I'd never been a corporate drone myself, I'd seen plenty of uncles and aunts who had worked themselves to death. They all had that same exhausted look my father had when he came home.

Yep, my mom was right. Dad had been slaving away at work, not on a date with some other woman.

Although my father told my mother to call him anytime, she didn't want to disturb his important business, so she didn't. Instead, he was the one who called her every evening for a short chat. They weren't exactly close, but it was a start. My mother and I were both happy about it. After all, latching onto my father's success was a pretty good deal.

The morning my father was due back, my mother finally got a positive pregnancy test. Two lines.

Not wanting to distract him from his work, she decided to wait until he was home to tell him.

My father got home around two in the morning. My mother had planned to wait up for him, but she drifted off to sleep. When her alarm went off, she woke up to find his side of the bed empty. She checked the guest room, but he wasn't there either.

Confused, she went out to the living room and found him sitting on the sofa, his face like stone. He was clearly in a bad mood.

My mother grew nervous. As she was about to ask what was wrong, he spoke first.

"I've drafted the divorce agreement. Take a look and see if there's anything you want to add."

He handed her a document.

My mother stared at him in disbelief. "Why?!"

My father looked away. "There's no why. I just suddenly feel that we're not right for each other. I'm sorry. Besides the house, car, and savings, I'll give you twenty percent of the company's shares."

My mother laughed, a bitter, angry sound.

"Ha."

Even I didn't believe there was "no why." Everything had been fine when they talked on the phone the night before.

Her eyes welled with tears. "Are you cheating on me?"

My father looked at her, stunned for a moment, but he didn't deny it.

My mother fought back her tears. "In that case, I want thirty percent!"

She knew thirty percent was an outrageous demand. But to her surprise, my father barely hesitated before nodding.

"Fine. I'll print a new one."

She was shocked by how easily he agreed, but she didn't say anything. As for me, I certainly had no objections. My mom having money meant I had money. More was always better!