Her Unborn Child Wanted Me Dead

On the first snowfall, I heard a voice from inside my wife's belly, dripping with malice.

Mommy, can you kill him? I want Ethan to be my daddy.

On the operating table, she raised the scalpel and cut open my chest.

Just as the blade was about to slice through my skin, that childish voice rang out again. "Daddy's faking it! The one who's really dying is Ethan!"

She believed it.

She left me mid-surgery, rushed out to tend to Ethan, who'd barely scraped his skin.

In my previous life, I died from that delay.

Now, the excruciating pain suddenly receded, and I gasped for air.

I had been reborn. Back to the moment when the surgery was forcibly terminated.

This time, I called the police in advance.

Jason POV

On the first snowfall, I heard a voice from inside my wife's belly, dripping with malice.

"It would be so good if he died."

"Mommy, can you kill him? I want Ethan to be my daddy."

The surgical lights in the operating room were blindingly white, like the snow that day at the funeral.

My riddled heart was violently convulsing, and the monitor let out a sharp beeping sound.

I struggled to open my eyes and saw Sarah holding a scalpel. Above her mask, those eyes that had once been full of love were now as cold as ice.

Just as the blade was about to slice through my skin, a young yet vicious child's voice suddenly exploded in the operating room.

"Don't cut! Daddy's heart is perfectly fine. He's faking illness to get sympathy!"

"The one who's really dying is Ethan! Mommy, go save Ethan quick. His hand is bleeding so much!"

Sarah's hand holding the knife trembled violently.

The scalpel clattered onto the tray, splashing up a harsh metallic sound.

She stared at me intently. The professional composure in her eyes collapsed instantly, replaced by a fury born of being fooled.

"Jason, is this amusing to you?"

She yanked down the surgical light, plunging the room into dimness.

She looked down at me from above. I lay on the operating table, tubes sticking out all over my body. Her tone was colder than room temperature.

"To make me care about you, you bribed the anesthesiologist, forged the EKG, even went so far as to lie on this table to deceive me?"

I opened my mouth. The white mist from my oxygen mask blurred my vision.

I wanted to tell her I wasn't acting. My heart really couldn't hold on much longer.

In my previous life, it was at this exact moment.

She had believed that "genius baby" in her belly and decided I was faking illness to frame her student Ethan.

She abandoned me in the middle of my heart bypass surgery and rushed out to bandage Ethan, who had merely scraped his skin.

Because the optimal rescue window was missed, I died on that cold operating table.

Until my last breath, I heard that unborn child shouting from Sarah's belly.

"Daddy's still playing dead! Mommy, don't believe him. Ethan is the best. I want Ethan to be my daddy!"

I died with my eyes wide open.

The pain receded like a tide, then came crashing back. I gasped sharply.

I had been reborn.

Back to the moment when the surgery was forcibly terminated.

"Jason, speak!"

When I didn't respond, the disgust in Sarah's eyes deepened.

"A grown man acting like this? I'm ashamed of you!"

That eerie voice rang out again, gleeful and malicious.

"Mommy, ignore this liar! Ethan's finger is still bleeding. It hurts so much!"

Sarah's expression changed drastically. She couldn't spare me another glance and rushed toward the airlock door.

"Wait."

I pulled out the IV needle in my hand. Blood immediately gushed out, staining the white sheets red.

Supporting my already depleted body, I slowly sat up.

Sarah paused mid-step and turned back, yelling impatiently.

"What do you want now?"

I looked at this woman I had loved for seven years and been married to for three. Suddenly, that face seemed terrifyingly unfamiliar.

Using all my strength, I pointed at the door and smiled.

"Go ahead. If you're late, your precious student's wound might actually heal."

Jason POV

Sarah probably didn't expect that reaction from me.

She froze for a moment, then snorted coldly.

"Ridiculous."

The door slammed shut.

I clutched my agonizing chest and stumbled after her.

Since heaven had given me a second chance, I would witness firsthand just how far this absurd farce could go.

At the rest area at the end of the corridor, Sarah was kneeling on one knee.

The top cardiac surgeon in the country was holding a young man's hand, her expression as focused as if she were restoring a priceless treasure.

And that man was Ethan.

My supposed best friend. Sarah's most valued intern.

Right now, his eyes were red as he let Sarah disinfect his index finger.

If you didn't look carefully, you wouldn't even notice the cut thinner than a hair strand.

"Sarah, I'm really fine..."

Ethan sniffled. The moment his eyes met mine, his body flinched and his voice instantly took on a crying tone.

"You should go back and operate on Jason. Heart disease is no joke. What if..."

Sarah was carefully applying a bandage to his finger. At his words, she paused and turned to look at me, her gaze sharp as a knife.

"Exactly! Ethan only got hurt because he was peeling an apple for me. He's the best person in the world!"

"Bad daddy only fakes illness to scare mommy. Let him die!"

The voices from her belly came one after another. Sarah's rationality was completely derailed by this mysterious "mother-child connection."

She stood up, shielding Ethan behind her, pointing at my nose and cursing.

"Jason, look at how considerate Ethan is! Even now he's still worried about you! Look at yourself-to deceive me, you're wasting precious medical resources and even forging medical records! You're a cancer to the doctor-patient relationship!"

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand, aching and swelling.

In my previous life, I desperately tried to explain, even knelt down begging her to look at my ultrasound images. In return, I got a slap and the word "disgusting."

This life, I was tired.

I leaned against the cold wall tiles and laughed.

"Sarah, you're a doctor. Whether I'm faking or not-is it really that hard to use a stethoscope or check the monitoring data from earlier?"

Sarah frowned, seeming to waver for a moment.

Just then, Ethan suddenly stepped forward, seemingly innocent as he tugged on Sarah's sleeve.

"Sarah, actually... Jason probably just cares about you too much. A few days ago I saw him searching online for 'how to fake illness to win back wife's heart'... Don't blame him. He just loves you too much."

As he spoke, he deliberately showed a "I understand everything, I'm very magnanimous" smile toward me.

"Jason, it's okay. As long as you're healthy, Sarah and I don't mind suffering a little. Let's not do this surgery. Don't torture yourself like this."

Advancing by retreating.

Killing with words.

The trace of doubt in Sarah's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by fury at being deceived.

"Jason! What do you have to say for yourself?"

That voice came again.

"Ethan is so kind! I want Ethan to be my daddy! Bad daddy, get lost!"

Sarah took a deep breath, as if making some decision.

"Apologize to Ethan."

She commanded coldly.

"Now. Immediately. Otherwise, you're moving out of the house tonight."

The corridor fell deathly silent.

Passing nurses and patients all cast strange looks our way.

I looked at this pair of lovers before me and suddenly laughed.

"Apologize?"

I straightened my body. Though my legs were still trembling, I stood firm.

"Sarah, they say mother and child are connected at heart. That little bastard in your belly wants to change fathers. Is that what you want too?"

Jason POV

The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the corridor.

I turned my head to the side. My cheek burned with pain, and the taste of blood in my mouth grew stronger.

Sarah's hand was still shaking. Her eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe I would say something so vicious.

"Jason, have you lost your mind? That's your own flesh and blood! How can you call him a bastard?"

Ethan quickly wrapped his arms around Sarah's shoulders, patting her back while looking at me with a pained expression.

"Jason, you've gone too far! You can insult me, but how can you curse an unborn child? Don't you know how much Sarah has sacrificed for this baby?"

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, looking at Ethan's hand resting on Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah didn't pull away.

She even leaned into his embrace, as if seeking support.

In my previous life, I foolishly thought they were just teacher and devoted student.

When Ethan walked her home every night, I would gratefully hand him a bottle of water.

When Ethan was sick and Sarah stayed up all night caring for him, I would even bring over nutritional supplements.

Turns out, in their eyes, I was the superfluous, oblivious third wheel.

"Fine."

I spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"That slap, consider us even. From now on, we're done."

With that, I turned to leave.

Behind me came Sarah's furious shout.

"Go! Leave and don't come back! I don't believe you can keep up this act forever!"

"Bad daddy's leaving! Yay! Finally no one to bother our family of three!"

"Mommy, don't be angry. Ethan's hugs will make it better!"

That voice was like a curse drilling into my ears, each sentence striking my nerves.

I forced myself through the heart-bursting pain, shuffling step by step out of the hospital entrance.

If not to investigate the source of that eerie voice, if not to make this pair of adulterers pay, I would want to die right here and be done with it all.

But I couldn't.

Even if I died, I'd drag them to hell with me.

By the time I got home, it was completely dark.

I collapsed on the sofa and fumbled for my pill bottle, hands shaking so badly I couldn't even twist off the cap.

Several white pills rolled onto the floor. I scrambled to pick them up and swallowed them dry.

It wasn't until after midnight that I heard the door lock.

Sarah was home.

Ethan had brought her back again.

The two stood in the entryway. Ethan held her bag, his eyes ambiguous and suggestive.

"Sarah, get some rest. Don't waste energy being angry over someone like that. You have a major surgery tomorrow. I... I'll always be here for you."

Sarah's voice was unbearably soft.

"You've had a long day too. Be careful on your way home. Message me when you get there."

This wasn't a student and teacher. This was clearly lovers in the throes of romance.

After Ethan left, Sarah changed her shoes and walked into the living room. Seeing me sitting in the darkness, she was clearly startled.

Then she turned on the light. The harsh brightness made me instinctively close my eyes.

"Didn't die out there, huh?"

She crossed her arms, looking down at me, her tone full of mockery.

"I thought you had such a backbone, but in the end you still crawled back home?"

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at her.

"I'll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers. Sign them tomorrow."

The air froze instantly.

Sarah looked like she'd heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Divorce? Jason, you're threatening me with divorce? You think I'd be scared?"

"I'm not threatening you."

I stated calmly.

"I'm fulfilling your wishes. Since that unborn child wants Ethan as a father so badly, I'm making room for you."

"Shut your mouth!"

Sarah's nerve was hit. She grabbed the glass from the table and hurled it violently at the floor.

Shards flew everywhere, cutting my ankle, but I felt no pain.

"Stinky daddy! Bad daddy! How dare you bully mommy!"

"Mommy, hit him! Beat him up! Ethan said men like that need to be taught a lesson!"

Hearing the voice, the viciousness in Sarah's eyes surged.

She strode over and grabbed my collar.

"You want a divorce? Not so easy! You slandered Ethan, cursed the baby-we haven't settled that score yet! You think you can just walk away? Dream on!"

At that moment, my heart convulsed violently. My vision went black instantly.

I clutched my chest, gasping for air. The feeling of dying washed over me again.

"Medicine... medicine..."

I pointed at the pill bottle on the coffee table.

Sarah watched coldly, not moving an inch.

"Keep acting. Jason, it's such a waste you're not winning an Oscar. Just now you had the strength to bring up divorce, and now you're dying? Is your heart disease intermittent or something?"

Despair washed over me, cold as ice.

I looked at her, feeling my heart grow colder than my body.

Just as I thought I would die in front of her again, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Ethan had returned.

"Sarah, I left my phone... oh! What happened to Jason?"

Ethan rushed in. Seeing my condition, his face immediately showed panic.

He fumbled to pour a glass of water, grabbed some pills and shoved them in my mouth.

"Jason, take your medicine quick! Sarah, really, even if Jason's faking, you should play along. What if he's so committed to the act that he actually hurts himself?"

Water flowed down my throat. The pills dissolved.

However, after just half a minute, not only did I feel no relief, my heart began racing wildly, as if it would burst through my chest.

My blood boiled. My nerves went haywire. An extremely abnormal feverishness swept through my entire body.

This wasn't emergency medication!

This was... some kind of stimulant!

I stared with wide eyes at Ethan's seemingly innocent face.

He was carrying this kind of drug on him? Was he trying... to make me die directly from heart failure?

Jason POV

"What did you... give me?"

My entire body convulsed uncontrollably.

Ethan looked aggrieved and backed up two steps, hiding behind Sarah.

"Just the pills on the table! Jason, don't scare me. Are you unhappy with how I fed them to you?"

Sarah frowned, finally sensing something was wrong.

She instinctively reached out her hand, wanting to check my carotid pulse.

If her fingertips could just touch my skin and feel that explosive pulse, she would know the truth.

Just a little bit closer.

"Daddy's acting again! He's trying to scare Ethan!"

"He's framing Ethan, saying the medicine he gave has problems! So evil!"

That damned voice rang out again!

Sarah's hand, extended halfway, stopped abruptly in midair, then jerked back.

The trace of inquiry in her eyes instantly turned to extreme disgust.

"Enough!"

She shouted sternly.

"Jason, to frame Ethan, you're even lying about the medication? Those are your own pills. Ethan kindly helped you take them, and you're turning it around on him?"

My whole body trembled. My heart pounded like it would explode. My vision was filled with double images.

The poison surged through my veins, but more poisonous than that was the human heart.

Ethan hid behind her, a sinister smile curling at his lips, though his voice carried a sob.

"Sarah, did I do something wrong? I shouldn't have come back... If Jason gets angry enough to hurt himself because of me..."

"It's not your fault."

Sarah comforted him gently, then turned to me with that icy expression again.

"Since you love acting so much, love faking heart disease, I'll fulfill your wish."

She pulled out her phone and called emergency services.

"Hello, send an ambulance. There's a patient here with a heart attack. Since he says it's so serious, take him back to the hospital. Operate immediately."

After hanging up, she looked down at me writhing in pain on the floor, her eyes flashing with a crazed light.

"Jason, you say you have heart disease? Tonight, I'll cut open your chest and let everyone see whether your heart is black or red, whether it's rotten or just an act!"

Twenty minutes later, I was wheeled into that familiar operating room again.

The difference was, this time it was filled with a murderous atmosphere.

There were no routine preoperative checks.

Sarah directly dismissed the other medical staff. Only she, Ethan, and me lying on the table remained in the operating room.

"Sarah, this... this isn't proper protocol, right? Don't we need an anesthesiologist? No monitoring?"

Though Ethan said this, the excitement in his eyes couldn't be hidden.

Sarah put on her surgical gown while saying coldly.

"He's faking. What anesthesia? Give him a muscle relaxant so he can't move. I want him to watch his lies get exposed while fully conscious."

My eyes widened in terror.

Muscle relaxant!

That meant my whole body would be paralyzed, unable to speak, yet I'd clearly feel every bit of pain from the knife!

She wanted to kill me while I was alive!

"Sarah... I'm really... you'll regret this..."

I roared with the last of my strength, but Ethan jabbed a syringe viciously into my neck.

Cold liquid pushed into my body.

A few seconds later, my tongue went numb. My limbs lost all sensation. I could only lie there like a fish waiting to be butchered, staring in despair at the pale ceiling.

"Ethan, you do it."

Sarah handed him the scalpel.

"Haven't you always wanted surgical practice? Today's a good opportunity. He won't die anyway. This suffering is what he asked for."

Ethan took the knife, his hand even trembling with excitement.

He walked up to me. Above his mask, his eyes curved into crescents. In a voice only I could hear, he whispered.

"Jason, hang in there. This is the privilege Sarah gave me. After we cut you open, if there really is a disease, it's accidental death. If there isn't... well, you'll be a cripple for the rest of your life."

"Yay! Ethan's becoming a doctor! Mommy's teaching Ethan surgery!"

"Cut open bad daddy! See if his belly's full of nasty stuff!"

Sarah stood to the side, instructing.

"Don't be afraid. Keep the blade steady. Cut from the center of the sternum..."

The cold blade touched my skin.

Intense pain instantly swept through my nerves, but I couldn't even scream. I could only watch helplessly as that knife slowly cut open my chest.

Sarah, you're so cruel.

In another life, I'd rather never have met you.

Tears slid from the corners of my eyes, mixing with blood.

Just as my consciousness was slipping away from the pain, just as I thought history was about to repeat itself-

BANG!

A loud crash.

The solid airlock door was kicked open violently from outside.

A group of people suddenly rushed in.