Chapter 2

"One step at a time, Mom," Eric said patiently. "If I asked to be a boss right away, Mr. Lawson wouldn't have given us this much money. We secure the cash first.

"Don't worry. I've got it all on tape. Give it some time, then I'll say Linda's got depression from losing Hannah, and we'll need cash for therapy.

"Then I'll go back to Mr. Lawson and ask for an easy, well-paid job. If he refuses, we'll go down together.

"We've got nothing to lose. But the Lawson family has everything to lose. They're far more afraid of prison than we are."

In my previous life, after overhearing Eric and Nora plotting, I had been so furious that my whole body shook. The cleaver slipped from my hand and hit the floor, giving me away.

The two of them turned ghost-white and cried as they begged for mercy. They pinned everything on Grace and the Lawson family.

I stormed out of the house, ran to a hardware store, bought a razor-sharp bone cleaver, and started asking around everywhere for Grace and Fiona, and the Lawson family too.

If the Lawsons hadn't bribed Grace and used the "free health check" as bait to secretly match Hannah with their grandson, how could Hannah have died?

But just as I was heading to the Lawson residence, a cement mixer truck lost control and came straight at me.

Remembering how Hannah and I had died so brutally previously, I crouched by the entryway and pulled her tightly into my arms.

My poor child. She was only five years old. She was so small, warm to the touch, and still smelling faintly of milk.

Previously, she never even got the chance to grow up before those heartless monsters took her life.

This time, I swore they would pay in blood.

*****

"Mom, I'm going to be late. Hurry and take me to school." Hannah patted me impatiently.

An idea struck me. I covered my stomach and cried out dramatically, "Ow—Hannah, my tummy really hurts."

"What's wrong, Mom?" Hannah asked.

"My stomach hurts so bad. Dr. Hannah, could you take me to the hospital right now?"

She had always loved playing doctor and nurse. Seeing that her mother was "sick," she immediately forgot all about school.

I booked a ride on my phone and told the driver to head for the farthest hospital out in the suburbs.

Just then, Fiona called. "Mrs. Young, today's the kindergarten health check. Why hasn't Hannah arrived yet? Hurry and bring her over. The exams have already started, and our class is next."

Bring her over? So you could cut out her heart and kidneys?

I sneered, hung up, and blocked Fiona's number right away. This time, no one was going to lay a finger on Hannah.

*****

When the car arrived at the suburban hospital, I decided to stall for time by signing myself up for a full medical checkup.

Those comprehensive exams took forever. There was no way they could be finished in less than half a day. By the time I was done, the kindergarten's health check would already be over.

While I was being examined, I called my parents and asked them to come over. When they heard I wasn't feeling well and needed a full checkup, they panicked.

Just then, Eric called. "Linda, where are you? Where's Hannah?

"Ms. Warren couldn't get through to you. She asked me to check when you're bringing Hannah over. Today's the kindergarten health check. Hurry up and send her in."

I stayed quiet for a moment before lowering my voice. "Eric, I almost went into cardiac arrest earlier. I'm at the hospital right now."

"What?" Eric sounded rattled. "Which hospital are you at?"

I told him the name. After I hung up, I checked the time.

It was nine in the morning. As long as I dragged things out for another two hours, the school's health check would be finished, and they wouldn't be able to draw Hannah's blood.

Without that, how would the Lawsons ever know that Hannah was a match for their youngest grandson?

As for Eric, whether or not he had already planned to hurt Hannah, I would never live with him again.

In my past life, Hannah had paid with her life to warn me.

It turned out, ever since I had Hannah and didn't want a second child, Nora had always wished Hannah dead. And Eric had actually given his daughter's heart to the richest family in the province for money.

A family so cold-blooded and heartless—how could I ever allow Hannah to keep living with them?