Rebirth and Vengeance: I Dare You

Today was Sunday, but Joshua Hui said that he couldn't go with me to the hospital for my prenatal care visit because he had something to deal with in the company.

He wasn't like this in the past. Before, no matter how busy he was, he would always find a way to accompany me.

Joshua Hui came from a small village, and he held a PhD from Peking University. After we got married, we lived with his mother. She was a conservative woman who had a feudal way of thinking. After being married for more than half a year, I still hadn't gotten pregnant. Because of it, she started to persuade him into divorcing me and marrying someone else.

After his mother brought up the topic a few times, he busied himself with work. He always went home late and even worked on weekends.

Finally, I got pregnant. But he didn't go back to his old self. He was still very busy all the time.

His mother, who used to make things difficult for me because I couldn't get pregnant, didn't change either.

She still made things difficult for me up until now. Worse was, he sometimes helped her scold and blame me.

We fought about it a few times in the beginning.

But every time we fought, he wouldn't go home. Eventually, I had no choice but to give in to him just to have him stay by my side.

After all, I only had him in my life now.

I was born and raised in a well-off and powerful family. And since Joshua Hui only came from a small village, my family looked down upon him. They opposed our marriage. I got angry with my parents when they tried to separate us. As a result, I chose him and cut off relation with my parents.

Since then, I never dared to contact my family again. It had been more than two years. But every time his mother treated me badly, I couldn't help thinking how well my parents had treated me before.

But I didn't have the face to go home. I was an unfilial daughter, and I was so cruel to my parents back then.

Going to the hospital alone, I was so depressed. The doctor told me a piece of good news. "Ms. Xia, congratulations. You are pregnant with twins."

I had twins in my belly. I thought that Joshua Hui would be very happy if he knew. And his mother wouldn't have any reason to make things difficult for me anymore.

Needless to say, I felt very happy and excited.

I planned to surprise Joshua Hui when he got home.

But I didn't expect that I would be the one to receive the most devastating surprise.

I went back home, my heart full of joy. When I opened the door, I saw Joshua Hui sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Wasn't he supposed to be at work? Why was he here so early today? Usually, he went home at around two o'clock in the morning.

What surprised me more was my best friend, Bella Bi, was also there. She was sitting next to him.

Although they were not sitting too close to each other, I still felt a little uncomfortable. I knew that Bella Bi had always liked my husband. Although she never admitted it, my natural instinct as a woman had sensed it.

Fortunately, Joshua Hui didn't show any interest in Bella Bi.

"Did you finish work early today?" I asked as soon as I entered the house.

He just nodded.

When I got closer to them, I noticed that Bella Bi's makeup was smudged. I felt strange. She usually paid much attention to her appearance. She had never gone out of her house looking messy. "Bella, your makeup is smudged. Didn't you check yourself in the mirror before you went out?" I asked.

The expression on her face changed in an instant. She hurried to the bathroom to fix her makeup. When she came out, she said that she had something to deal with and left in a hurry.

I suddenly had a bad feeling. Besides, when I commented on her makeup, I noticed a flash of panic in my husband's eyes.

Moreover, it felt odd that he was at home at this time when he told me earlier that he had to deal with something important in the company.

A gut-wrenching feeling surged up in my heart.

I tried to confront him about it. "Why did you suddenly look nervous when I told Bella that her makeup was smudged?"

He burst out in anger all of a sudden. He picked up the teacup on the table, smashed it on the wall, and shouted at me, "It was all because of you. When did you start to become a shrew? Your only friend came to see you, but then left because you embarrassed her."

Joshua Hui was right. Bella Bi was my only friend now. Since I got married, I also cut tied with the other friends.

Only Bella Bi would come to me and hang around with me from time to time.

His sudden anger startled me. But then, I tried to defend myself. "I didn't mean to embarrass her. We've been friends for five years now and that's how we talk to each other."

He squinted at me and said coldly, "Then, what do you mean? Are you thinking that Bella and I have an affair? Don't forget that I'd already known her before I met you. But I have never fallen in love with her. Now, you're accusing me of having an affair with her? Scarlett Xia, I didn't expect you to be so narrow-minded. You are such a shrew woman!"

He kept on calling me a shrew. Didn't I just ask him gently? He even scolded me a lot in the end.

I wanted to retort, but when I saw him walking out angrily, I got flustered. I was afraid that he would not come back for a few days and nights again. To stop him from leaving, I quickly rushed to him and held his hand. I humbly apologized, although I knew that I didn't do anything wrong.

"Joshua, please don't go. I know I'm wrong. Please forgive me. From now on, I will do whatever you say. Just don't go," I pleaded.

But Joshua Hui just ignored me and shook off my hands. I held his hand again and begged, "Please don't go. I went to the hospital today, and I found out that I'm pregnant with twins. Don't go. Our babies need you."

Finally, he stopped and looked at me.

However, I couldn't see any trace of joy on his face. In fact, he looked even colder. "Scarlett, I thought that you were just a shrew. But I didn't expect you to be cunning too. You even dare to make up a story of getting pregnant with twins just to make me stay?"

He then shook off my hands forcefully and turned around. I almost fell to the floor. Fortunately, I was able to hold onto the shoe cabinet next to me and managed to stabilize myself.

When he slammed the door, my heart shattered into pieces. I gave up everything for him. I turned my back on my family and friends. I even quit my job. But the moment he closed the door, I suddenly realized that he never cared about me at all. He didn't want me in his life.

That evening, my mother-in-law found out that Joshua Hui left because of my bad temper. So, she poked my forehead and scolded me, "My son is so unfortunate marrying a woman like you. You do nothing but annoy him and drive him away."

I didn't dare to talk back to my mother-in-law because I knew for sure that she would complain to him when he came back. Without eating dinner, I went to the bedroom and lay on the bed. Here, I could secretly weep.

But as soon as my head hit the pillow, I smelled something different. It was a scent of perfume that didn't belong to any of us. I immediately got up in shock.

I didn't know why, but I instinctively began to look for some traces.

I searched for a long time but didn't find anything. When I was about to give up, my eyes caught sight of a curly strand of chestnut-colored hair near the headboard.

I felt like my heart was squeezed tightly.

It was so difficult to breathe. My hair was straight and black.

Bella Bi had curly chestnut-dyed hair. My stomach suddenly churned, so I rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

I was certain that the hair belonged to Bella Bi. How dare they had sex on my bed! She must have left her hair strand deliberately to disgust me.

It was already late, but Joshua Hui hadn't come back yet.

The pain I felt seemed so much to bear. But still, I tried to comfort myself. Perhaps I just misunderstood. A strand of hair was not enough evidence. After all, he always said that he didn't like Bella Bi at all.

I must have gone crazy. It was late at night, but I still ran to the convenience store downstairs to call Bella Bi through the public phone.

"Hello?" I couldn't be mistaken. It was Joshua Hui's voice.

The receiver in my hand fell on the table with a thud.

I was trembling all over. I was so furious that I wanted to rush to Bella Bi's place and kill them both.

But eventually, I didn't do it. I quietly went back home and pretended that nothing had happened.

I had twins in my belly. I couldn't let them grow up fatherless. Besides, I didn't have a job now. I had used up all of my savings to buy this house where we currently lived. If I tried to look for a job, who would hire a pregnant woman like me?

Obviously, I was left with no choice.

I just wished that Joshua Hui would go home as usual after his anger dissipated. I tried to make myself believe that he still considered me as a wife. I told myself that he didn't like Bella Bi, and he was only forced to sleep with her because I was pregnant and he couldn't touch me.

It never occurred to me that a spoiled and willful woman like me who grew up in a wealthy family would step down to the lowest level until losing the bottom line. I could even tolerate my husband's cheating by making up excuses for him.

Perhaps people with no bottom lines would have no place to stand in this world and could never survive at all.

After two days, Joshua Hui came back home. But he was not alone. Bella Bi was with him.

A smug smile appeared on her face as she held his hand. I felt like I was squeezed between heaven and earth.

Bella Bi came to me and said, "Scarlett, I'm pregnant with Joshua's child now. You'd better divorce him, so we can get married. After all, I am the one that he loves the most."

I flared up with rage in an instant. "Liar! Joshua never likes you. I am the one that he loves the most."

I wasn't sure if I really saw a trace of pain in her eyes because it vanished in an instant.

But a glimmer of hope lit up in me. I walked up to Joshua Hui and said, "Joshua, tell Bella that you never liked her."

Bella Bi also turned to look at him expectantly.

To my surprise, he pushed me away and said coldly, "Scarlett, you're so stupid. In fact, you're the one that I never liked. I have always liked Bella ever since."

He then handed me a document and added, "Sign this immediately."

Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't take the document from him. "You are lying. You promise me that you will love me for life, right? And I've already told you the last time, I'm really pregnant with twins. If you want-"

Before I could finish my words, Bella Bi pushed me to the floor. She then said in a victorious tone, "Scarlett, shame on you. Joshua said that he never loved you. Just accept the truth. He loves me, so don't bother him anymore."

Maybe because I fell hard on the floor, I suddenly felt cramps in my belly. I broke out into a cold sweat when I saw the blood gushing out between my thighs.

When I felt that something was coming out of me slowly, I got so scared that I reached out to them for help. But none of them moved a bit. They just watched me almost twisting in pain. Thinking about my babies, I endured the sharp pain, crawled to his feet, and begged, "Joshua, please help me. Please save our babies."

Finally, he squatted down. I thought that he still cared for me, and he would take me to the hospital.

But to my horror, he just handed me the divorce agreement again.

He was such a beast!

No, he was worse than a beast!

I didn't expect that he was a cold-blooded and ruthless man.

Tears streamed down my face because of pain.

But I couldn't lose my babies, so I needed to do something. When I looked around, I saw my phone on the floor not far away. It must have slipped from my pocket when I fell.

I gathered all my remaining strength and crawled towards my phone bit by bit. But just when I was about to reach for it, Joshua Hui suddenly kicked it away.

Unfortunately, I was not able to reach for my phone, so I lay on the floor helplessly. Joshua, who was still standing in front of me, squatted down and said coldly, "Sign this now."

All of a sudden, the man who I used to love all my life became the most hateful man in my eyes. I could never forgive him even in my next life.

At this time, the door was pushed open from the outside, and my mother-in-law came in. Although I knew that she disliked me, I still hoped that she would help me for the sake of her grandchildren.

So, I pleaded, "Mom, please call an ambulance now. I am pregnant with twins. Please save your grandchildren in my belly."

However, Joshua said coldly, "Mom, don't help her. I am divorcing her now. She has a miscarriage, so the twins have long been gone."

I felt so disappointed with Joshua that I couldn't help condemning him bitterly, "Joshua, are you still a human?"

My mother-in-law looked at us with a frown for a while. She then ran into her room without saying a word. When she came back, she was already holding another document in her hand.

I was already panting as I was still lying in a pool of blood. I felt like I had already lost half of my life. My mother-in-law handed the document to me. And for the first time, she spoke to me in a gentle voice. "Sign this property transfer certificate first to transfer this house to Joshua. I will then call an ambulance."

I had used up all my money to buy this house for us because I thought that we could build a family here and raise our children. I didn't expect that my mother-in-law had prepared such a document for me to sign. Perhaps she had already planned to take my house a long time ago, and she was just waiting for the right opportunity.

I looked up at them. Despite my blurred vision, I still saw the triumphant smile on Bella's face and the anticipation on Joshua's. It seemed that he was so eager to see my signature on the document.

Never did I think that I had lived with a family of beasts for so long. No, they were not just beasts. They were evil.

I shouldn't die in the hands of these people. It was they who should die first.

Left with no choice, I took the pen and signed the document with my trembling hand.

But I was still afraid that they would go back on their words. Fortunately, my mother-in-law had a little softness left in her. She called the ambulance after I signed the transfer certificate. Joshua and Bella just stood there, waiting for my death.

Finally, the ambulance arrived. But before I was put in there, Bella whispered to me, "Scarlett, did you really think that Joshua loved you? The truth is, he only wanted to become the son-in-law of the Xia family. He wanted to use you so he could step up and climb to the top with the help of your family's influence. But I didn't expect you to be so stupid. You even abandoned your parents for him. So, Scarlett, you couldn't blame me for this. Your stupidity led you to this fate."

I was dying, and I was too weak to say anything to her. But her words were enough to turn me in my grave.

Her bright smile was the last thing I saw before I finally lost my consciousness.

A few moments later, I was in a daze when I saw myself lying in the hospital bed with a deathly pale face. I even saw my mother fall at the bedside, holding my hand and shedding tears.

Standing next to her was Joshua, who looked very sad. He said, "I'm so sorry, Auntie. It was all my fault. I should have watched her when she was taking a shower. If I was there, this shouldn't have happened to her. Auntie, please be strong."

He was a liar. I wanted to tear his mouth apart for making up such a story in front of my mother. I called out my mother's name many times, but she couldn't hear me.

I couldn't do anything but helplessly watched my mom crying until she passed out.

Before long, I saw that my body was transported to the mortuary.

After my funeral, my parents fell ill one after another. My mother, who was seriously ill, died first. And since my father was left alone and lonely, he also died from depression.

On the other hand, Joshua and Bella were happily married. He was also promoted, and he was the vice-president of the company now.

I felt so sick looking at them. I wondered why they hadn't gotten their retribution yet after the cruel things they did to me. Instead, they were enjoying such a good life.

Because I got too immersed in my pain, I didn't notice the changes around me. Before I knew it, I was already sucked by a giant whirlpool. I struggled with all my strength, but I failed to escape.

When I opened my eyes, I felt so dizzy.

The pungent smell of disinfectants reached my nostrils. As I checked myself, I noticed that I was still wearing the hospital gown. But my left leg was wrapped with a thick bandage.

I didn't know what was going on.

As far as I could remember, I had a miscarriage, and I died.

But why was my left leg wrapped with bandages?

Suddenly, I heard my phone ringing under the pillow. I groped for it and checked. Bella sent me a message on WeChat.

"Scarlett, I heard that you fought with your parents. Was it really that bad that you ended up cutting ties with them? I know you're feeling bad right now. Do you want to go shopping with me and have some fun?"

The message made me more confused. In my memory, this happened two years ago.

That was the time when I had a fight with my parents because they didn't want me to marry Joshua. I lost my temper, so I drove away with my Audi A8. But since I was not in my right mind, I hit a barrier on the road and broke my leg.

When Joshua found out about what happened, he told me that I shouldn't have offended my parents. They raised me well, so I should be filial to them.

Now I had realized, he just pretended to be high-sounding and noble at that time. The truth was, he didn't want me to break off with my parents because he wanted their money.

Another realization occurred to me. When I had a fight with my parents, I didn't tell Bella about it. Only Joshua knew. But why did she know?

I was so angry that I couldn't breathe.

But what was puzzling me more was that I died. But I was alive now, and I went back to two years ago.

I suddenly remembered the word that I often heard before-rebirth. Some people said that a dead person might come back to life after death. I never believed in it. For me, it was nonsense. But, did it happen to me now? Was I reborn?

If that was the case, God only allowed me to avenge myself. It didn't matter which part of my past life I went back. What was important now was, I shouldn't be naive anymore.

I swore that the new Scarlett would be much wiser and smarter. My scumbag husband Joshua, my bitch best friend Bella, and my wicked mother-in-law needed to pay a hefty price for what they did to me. I wouldn't let any of them get away.

For me, the happiest part of going back to two years ago was that my parents were still alive.

In the past, I was so thoughtless that I even cut all ties with them. I remembered that they once told me that they would consider me dead. I thought they didn't love me at all. But I didn't expect that they would weep when I really died.