Chapter 1
Just as I was getting ready for bed, I received a text from my sister-in-law, Emily Summers.
She texted: [Sarah, can you help me look after Snowy tomorrow? I have a date.]
Emily was 28 this year, and the family had been worried about her marriage for a long time.
I was about to agree when the baby gave me a sharp kick in the stomach.
He said, "Mom, don't agree to it.
"Her ex-boyfriend's soul is inside that dog.
"He's going to get jealous of her date and cause trouble at our place.
"If you say yes, our house will catch fire and none of us will survive."
I gasped in horror.
Emily's ex-boyfriend, Jake Miller, had been executed last month.
*****
Just when I thought someone was playing a prank on me, that weird, childlike voice popped up in my mind again. "Mom, please don't agree to it."
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and cautiously asked in my head, "Are you my baby?"
This was just ridiculous.
"Yes, Mom, I'm your baby," the voice replied.
The voice sounded a little wronged and desperate.
"I was lost nine times before I could be born.
"This is my tenth time.
"If I disappear again, I won't be able to be a human ever again," my baby said.
My heart clenched, a wave of pain washing over me.
"That's why I have to tell you what's about to happen, so I can make sure I'm born safely.
"Emily's ex-boyfriend is Jake. After he was executed last month, his soul ended up in Emily's pet dog.
"Mom, if you don't stop this, our family will be ruined," my baby said.
I was so terrified, it felt like my heart stopped for a second.
I remembered Emily's ex-boyfriend, Jake.
He was a total psycho when he was alive, possessive to the point of obsession.
Just because Emily grabbed dinner with a guy from her class, he literally ran the guy over with his car, sent him straight to the ICU, and the poor guy didn't make it.
Even when he was alive, someone like him was terrifying enough.
Even after he died and ended up as a dog, he was still scary as hell.
My phone beeped again. Emily noticed I hadn't replied, so she messaged me again.
She texted: [Sarah? Did you see my message? I'll bring Snowy over to your place tomorrow morning, alright?]
She acted like it was totally normal.
My hands started shaking as I stared at her text.
I hurried to type out a reply.
I texted: [Sorry, Emily, ever since I got pregnant, I've been super sensitive to dog hair.
[The doctor told me I should really stay away from dogs right now.
[Maybe you could bring Snowy with you? Or you could leave Snowy with your mom for a while?]
I was basically throwing David's mom under the bus.
There was a moment of silence on her end.
A few seconds later, she sent back a longer message.
Her tone dropped several degrees, icy and distant.
She replied, [I already asked my mom. She's got a Community Bridge Tournament tomorrow, so she's not available.
[Sarah, it's not like I ask you for favors all the time.
[Why are you making it so complicated over something so small?
[Do you even see yourself as part of the Summers family anymore?]
I was so furious. It made me laugh.
It was a guilty trip.
I pressed my hand to my chest, forcing myself to stay calm as I typed back.
[Emily, you know your brother and I have been married for five years, and it took us this long just to finally have a baby.
[And to protect this pregnancy, I even gave up the job I loved most.
[Right now, my baby comes first, no matter what.
[If anything happens to my baby because of your dog, can you really take responsibility for that?]
As soon as I finished typing, my stomach started doing somersaults.
The nausea kicked in again.
Covering my mouth, I hurriedly typed out one last message, [I'm not feeling great, gotta go.]
Then I tossed my phone aside and bolted for the bathroom.
No matter what, even if it was unbelievable, now that my baby had sent me such a warning, there was no way I was going to mess around with my family's lives.
David's mom was selfish, and Emily was just plain thoughtless.
But this baby was my miracle, the precious little one I finally got after three years of medicine and endless hope.
No way was I letting that dog, possessed by Emily's ex-boyfriend, step even one paw into my house.