Chapter 5
Mila had always been close with my family.
Especially after Mason had his accident, Mila was particularly attentive to both me and Sofia..
I used to be very grateful to her.
That was the case even in my past life, up until before I died.
When I fell from a tall building, a garbage truck broke my fall. I was gravely injured but didn’t die immediately.
Someone called 911 and had me taken to the hospital.
Mila was the first one to arrive.
At that time, I was utterly disappointed in my daughter. But out of maternal instinct, I still worried about her future.
On my deathbed, I entrusted my daughter to Mila.
“Please, take care of my daughter,” I pleaded.
When I told Mila the bank card password, the look of grief on her face suddenly vanished.
It was replaced by an uncontrollable smile.
She said, “Of course, I’ll take good care of my own daughter.”
I couldn’t speak, so I could only ask with my eyes.
“Your daughter died when she was three years old,” she said.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be reunited soon,” she added.
Mila had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and raised the child on her Own.
But her child was born weak and sickly, and died before turning three.
Her child was born around the same time as Sofia, and we had given birth at the same hospital.
In an instant, everything clicked. My child had not only been switched but also killed by her.
The grief and anger in my heart threatened to tear me apart. I was consumed by intense hatred, wishing I could tear her apart.
But I could only close my eyes in helpless despair.
Fortunately, heaven took pity on me and gave me a chance to live again.
Coming back to my senses, I heard Mila still chattering, “Children lie sometimes because they want your attention.”
“How could you embarrass her like that?” she asked.
Mila hugged Sofia tightly, saying, “Look how she’s been bullied. If you don’t feel sorry for her, I do.”
“Those jerks at school bully her because she doesn’t have a dad. I never thought even you wouldn’t protect her,” she said.
Sofia finally found someone to back her up. She subtly mocked me, saying, “Auntie is so much better to me. I wish you were my mom.”
Seeing these two liars conspiring together, the hatred I had suppressed since my rebirth erupted fiercely and uncontrollably.
My cold gaze fell on their clasped hands. I took a deep breath.
For the sake of my plan, I forced myself to smile at them.
I pretended to be upset. “Sigh, you’re right. I was just so angry I lost my mind,” I said.
I then humbled myself and soothed Sofia with a few words.
Sofia took the opportunity to back down and generously forgave me.
But there was a condition. She wanted me to buy her tickets to her idol’s concert and get good seats near the stage.
As before, I lectured her while reluctantly fulfilling all her demands.
On the surface, Sofia and I seemed to have reconciled.
While I was in the kitchen washing vegetables and cooking, Mila leaned against the doorframe, snacking on seeds.
We chatted a bit. With some subtle prompting from me, she finally brought up Sofia’s tuition and her dowry for when she gets married.
I kept washing the vegetables, pondering it in my mind.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
“I’m not too worried about Sofia’s future,” I said.
“Mason was farsighted. He made arrangements early on and saved up enough for her education fund,” I said.
“If you think about it, her dowry is already covered,” I added.
As soon as she heard about money, Mila perked up. “You mean Mason left Sofia an inheritance?” she asked.
I quickly pulled her into the kitchen, pretending to be worried that Sofia might overhear. “As long as you and I know about this, it’s fine,” I said.
“I was planning to wait until she finishes high school to tell her, so it wouldn’t affect her studies,” I explained.
Mila’s eyes darted around as she started probing for how much money was involved.
“Oh, I haven’t calculated exactly. Anyway, we opened a bank account for Sofia as soon as she was born. We deposited into her education fund every month,” I said.
“When Mason passed away, there was a large compensation from his life insurance. I deposited that too,” I added.
Mila hadn’t known about the life insurance. Her eyes lit up when she heard this.
When she found out that only Sofia had the right to control this money, she seemed lost in thought.
I called her name several times before she snapped back to reality.
I knew she was having improper thoughts.
But that was just what I wanted.