Chapter 1

My husband, Mark Dawson, had a low sperm count, so his mom, Lily Dawson, caught a spotted snake and tied it right to his dick.

"This is called Snake's Blessing Remedy. In three days, your wife will be pregnant with a big, healthy baby boy," she said.

Seeing Mark's face twisted in agony, his eyes rolling back, I called an ambulance in my previous life.

Mark survived, but the tens of thousands of dollars in emergency bills made me the thorn in Lily's side.

Later, when my son drowned, she tried to save a few bucks by hanging him upside down from a tree, and he ended up being strangled alive.

Lily and Mark forced me into a water tank, saying I was a curse to my husband and son, and that they needed to cleanse me of bad luck.

Back in the day, when Mark got the snake treatment, I smiled and locked the door behind me.

"Honey, listen to Lily. Her remedies are the most effective. Besides, hospitals are so expensive. We need to save money for your treatment so we can have a baby sooner, right?" I agreed this time.

*****

"Ahhh." Mark's blood-curdling scream tore through the entire apartment building. "Whitney. You witch. Open the door. Are you trying to kill me?"

I leaned against the cold door, taking my time to paint my nails.

In the mirror, my face looked ten years younger, back to the day the tragedy began.

Outside the door, Lily was shouting instructions, "Mark, hold on. This is called Snake's Blessing Remedy. It's passed down from our ancestors.

"The more venomous the snake, the better it works. Give it three days, and your wife's gonna be pregnant with a big, healthy baby boy. Guaranteed."

Mark's voice was cracking, almost in tears. "Mom. I can't stand it anymore. It's biting me. It's biting me."

Lily sounded absolutely sure of herself. "Nonsense. I pulled out its fangs before tying it on. It's only trying to scare you. You're a grown man. If you can't handle this, how are you supposed to have kids?"

I blew on my freshly painted nails and smiled.

In my previous life, I was fooled by those words. I thought the snake was really harmless, only scary-looking.

It wasn't until Mark passed out from the pain, foaming at the mouth, that I realized something was wrong. I cried and screamed as I called an ambulance.

And what happened in the end?

Mark survived, but his dick was ruined, and he was completely infertile.

And those tens of thousands of dollars in emergency bills became a lifelong burden for me.

Lily called me a spendthrift, said I was immature, and that I had ruined her "miracle remedy."

Mark hated me too, hated that I made him the laughingstock of the whole neighborhood.

Later, after I finally managed to have our son through IVF, they acted like he was nothing but trouble.

When our son had a fever, Lily refused to take him to the hospital and insisted on rubbing him down with alcohol. Nearly fried his brain and left him stupid.

When our son drowned, she hung him upside down from a tree to drain the water, to avoid paying for emergency care, and missed the critical window to save him.

I went after her, but she and Mark ganged up on me and shoved me into the water tank.

They said I was a curse to my husband and son, full of bad luck, and that they needed to "cleanse" me.

As the freezing water covered my face, I saw my son smiling at me.

'Baby, don't be afraid. Mommy's coming to be with you,' I thought.

Next thing I knew, I was back on the day Mark got the snake treatment.

I looked at the door lock, my smile growing wider. "Honey, listen to Lily," I shouted. "Her remedies are the most effective.

"Think about it. We've been married for three years, and I still haven't gotten pregnant. The hospital said your sperm count is low. That's pretty humiliating, isn't it? Now that Lily's found the Snake's Blessing Remedy, we ought to treasure it."

Mark paused outside the door, clearly not expecting me to say that. "Whitney, have you lost your mind? That's a venomous snake. Open the door and let me out."

I put on my best wounded look. "Honey, how can you not trust Lily? Lily would never hurt you, right?

"Besides, hospitals are so expensive. Even signing up costs dozens of dollars. We need to save money for your treatment so we can have a baby sooner, right?"

"Just hang in there. Three days will fly by. When the time comes, I promise I'll give you a big, healthy baby boy."

As soon as I finished speaking, Lily's praise came from outside the door. "Listen to that. Whitney is so smart and considerate. Mark, you've got such a great wife. What more do you want?"

Mark's screams turned into curses. "Whitney, you bitch. Just you wait."

I nonchalantly picked at my ear, then turned on the TV and cranked the volume all the way up.

As the deafening drama theme song blasted from the TV, Mark's screams became the perfect background music.