Chapter 1

As I bled out in labor, the doctor presented Henry Grant with a choice no one should have to make: whose life to prioritize, mine or the baby's.

Henry replied calmly, "Save the baby."

Henry's voice hissed, cold, in my ear, "This is what you owe Claire."

In the end, I died on the operating table with my child.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Henry's first love, Claire Hughes, went to the hospital for her abortion.

I called Henry. "Claire's about to get rid of the baby. Come to the hospital, now."

This time, we were even.

I chose to step aside. Let them have their forever.

*****

"Here's 300 thousand dollars. Terminate the pregnancy and stop bothering my son." A familiar voice hit me, and I realized I'd time-travelled back to the old days.

In the café, Henry's mom, Morgan, sat next to me, looking every bit the elegant, wealthy matron.

Across from us sat a woman in a white cotton dress with no makeup on her face, and her belly just started to show.

She kept her head down, her hand trembling around her coffee cup.

This was Claire Hughes, Henry's first love.

In my previous life, she was dumped by a jerk, ended up pregnant, and begged Henry to marry her so the baby would be legitimate.

After thinking it over all night, Henry chose to break off our engagement and marry Claire instead.

We hadn't officially tied the knot yet, but the news of our wedding was already out there. If he called it off now, my family would become the laughingstock of our social circle.

So Morgan promised, "Don't worry. Your wedding will go ahead as planned."

With 300 thousand dollars, Claire had the abortion, and any chance of her marrying Henry was gone for good.

But I could never forget the moment Henry learned Claire had lost the baby. His eyes turned bloodshot.

He grabbed me by the throat and roared, "Someday, you'll pay for this with your life!"

I still remembered the stabbing pain, the blood soaking the sheets, and Henry's icy words, "Save the baby." That bone-deep pain still lingered, haunting me even after I time-traveled back.

"Lily, let's go home." Morgan's soft voice snapped me back to reality.

She patted my hand. "It's all taken care of. She's taken the money and is on her way to the hospital to get rid of the baby right now.

"Don't worry. No one can come between you and Henry."

Morgan took my hand and led me out of the café, just as Claire flagged down a cab, her pregnant belly leading the way as she climbed in.

I made up an excuse to say goodbye to Morgan, then hopped into another cab and headed straight for the hospital.

This time, I wasn't going to let Claire go through with the abortion. I didn't owe her anything anymore.

In the cab, I called Henry.

"Claire's about to get rid of the baby. Come to the hospital, now," I said.

At the hospital, Claire's name was finally called.

She kept looking over her shoulder every few steps, moving slowly toward the operating room.

I stood at the corner of the hallway, able to see everything happening right outside the OR doors.

I knew she was waiting for Henry.

In my previous life, before she went in for the procedure, she messaged Henry, but he never came.

That was because Morgan had tampered with Henry's phone and blocked Claire's number.

By the time he got word from Claire's best friend and rushed to the hospital, Claire was already out of surgery, lying in a hospital bed.

Claire sobbed to Henry, telling him the baby was gone, all because someone couldn't accept her and the baby's existence.

With her number blocked, Henry just assumed I was behind it all and dumped all the blame on me.

This time, I took the initiative and called Henry myself.

He rushed to the hospital and arrived just in time, right before Claire was about to be wheeled into the operating room.

Claire collapsed into his arms, tears streaming down her face. "Henry, someone's making me get rid of the baby. They told me to stop bothering you."

She was a mess, sobbing in his embrace, but Henry just froze, silent and stiff.

This time, he had no reason to suspect me this time, since I was the one who called him.

Seeing Henry's lack of reaction, Claire decided to lay it all out.

She said, "It was Lily. She gave me 300 thousand dollars to terminate the pregnancy and forbade us from getting married.

"She's so vicious. We agreed it was just a fake marriage, just to give the baby legitimacy. Why would she go so far as to hurt an innocent life?"

Henry lowered his gaze, staying silent, but he just held her a little tighter.

I took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift off my chest, and turned to walk away.

Claire's baby was safe, and Henry could formally apply for their marriage certificate, fulfilling his long-held wish.

Henry didn't give a damn about his family's protests. He was hell-bent on marrying Claire.

Word was, they forced him to reflect on himself for twenty-four hours, and his dad, Frank, really laid into him with a beating.

But even that couldn't make him back down.

Frank and Morgan came over to my home to offer their apologies in person.

"We didn't raise Henry right, and Lily ended up getting hurt because of it," Morgan said, her voice heavy with regret.

My mom gently squeezed Morgan's hand. "You can't force matters of the heart. I guess it just wasn't in the cards for our kids."