Chapter 4

Damien and his family were so stingy, they wouldn't even pay for an epidural. The pain during labor was so unbearable that I blacked out. Just before I slipped into darkness, a crushing sadness completely overwhelmed my heart.

I was sorry, baby.

I was sorry, Mom, Dad, and Omari.

Even after travelling through time, I was still useless. I couldn't change my tragic destiny.

Time seemed to blur. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but in a daze, I thought I heard someone banging on the door. Then, voices I recognized instantly echoed from outside the delivery room.

"Let us in. We want to be with our daughter," someone blurted out.

That was my parents.

My mind was still fuzzy, but I suddenly felt a jolt of alertness.

The taste of blood on my tongue jolted me awake. I couldn't hide the rush of joy in my heart anymore. My parents really did it.

With my parents here, Damien and his family wouldn't have a chance to pull any baby-swapping tricks. The nightmare that haunted our family in my previous life was finally about to be rewritten.

I held back my excitement, propped myself up as best I could, and strained to peek through the gap in the privacy curtain toward the delivery room door.

Right then, the door was thrown open.

My parents burst in, their slightly hunched figures radiating urgency. Their anxious eyes darted around, searching for me, and they called out my nickname with shaky voices.

As soon as I locked eyes with their bloodshot, worried faces, the tears I'd been fighting finally broke free and streamed down my cheeks.

"Mom, Dad, I'm here," I called out.

I thought I'd be able to shout, but when I heard my own voice, hoarse and barely a whisper, I was honestly surprised.

Then I realized, giving birth had drained every ounce of strength from me.

But that mother-daughter bond is real. My parents zeroed in on me through the curtain like they had a sixth sense.

"Priscilla," they cried out.

They called out and tried to rush over to me, but before they could get close, Lisa stepped in, cold and unyielding, physically blocking their path.

"This is a restricted area. Don't cause a scene. The mother is giving birth right now, so you need to leave immediately. If you don't, I'll call security to escort you out of the hospital," Lisa said, her tone flat and merciless.

My parents were humble farmers, honest and unassuming. Lisa's words intimidated them, and they hesitated, stopping awkwardly in place.

Then Lisa gave the doctors and nurses a pointed look, silently telling them to help force my parents out of the delivery room. I watched helplessly as my parents were about to be pushed out the door.

Ignoring the agony from giving birth, I forced myself to shout with every ounce of strength I had left.

I shouted, "Mom, Dad, don't listen to Lisa. Damien and his family want Lisa to switch out my baby after I deliver. Don't let them steal my child."

"Priscilla, stop making things up," Damien stammered, his face burning with embarrassment as his plan was exposed.

"Please, just come outside with me. There's been a misunderstanding, I swear. "

As he spoke, Damien reached out, trying to drag my parents out of the room.

But before he could lay a finger on them, my parents shook him off with icy determination.

"Get out of the way. Priscilla would never lie to us. Once she's safe and the baby's born, we'll settle the score with you," my parents shouted, their voices trembling with rage.

My parents, just one step from being thrown out, suddenly found strength in their anger. They shoved Lisa and Phoebe aside, fighting their way through. They were almost to me.

But Damien and Phoebe, realizing their scheme was falling apart, rushed over and went for my parents, shoving them hard to the floor.

My parents were so focused on protecting me, they never saw it coming, and crashed to the ground.

"Mom, Dad." My heart felt like it was being stabbed, bleeding out.

Hearing my cry, my parents gritted their teeth and forced themselves back up, fighting tooth and nail against Damien and his family. But no matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't stand up to them.

I watched helplessly as the delivery room door slowly swung shut, cutting me off from my parents, who were screaming and struggling outside. My fists clenched so tight they shook, and hot tears streaked down my cheeks, tinged with blood.

Even after getting a second chance at life, and my parents appeared, it couldn't change the tragic fate of my previous life.

While I was in a daze, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my arm. Taking advantage of my distracted and sorrowful state, Lisa had told the doctor that my emotional fluctuations were too intense and would cause complications during delivery.

She even persuaded the doctor to administer an anesthetic to me

I tried to pull away, but my head was spinning. As the world faded to black, I sank into utter despair.