My name is Harley Bennet. The girl I adopted, Malia, is an ungrateful person. She competes with me in everything, seduces my husband David Hayes, even gets pregnant with his child, and teams up to kill me, taking all my property. When I opened my eyes again, I was reborn to the day I first met her at the orphanage. ***** “This girl is adorable, well-behaved, and obedient. You’ll definitely like her.” The orphanage director, Freya Perkins, stood beside me, pointing at a little girl with pigtails, introducing her with a bright smile. “Hello,” she said with a smile, revealing sweet dimples. I stared at that hauntingly familiar face, my eyes filled with hatred. She is Malia. In my past life, because I couldn’t have children and desperately wanted one, I discussed with David about adopting from an orphanage. I originally wanted to adopt a four- or five-year-old child, but seeing Malia’s innocence and charm, I instantly liked her and adopted her at twelve. But unexpectedly, her nature was truly vile. In the first six months at my home, she behaved very well, studied diligently, and occasionally helped with chores. By the time she started middle school, she completely changed. She stopped studying seriously, refused to do homework, and her exam scores gradually fell behind. She came home very late at night and spent weekends going to bars to drink, sing, and dance with her friends from outside. She smashed the birthday gift I gave her, put dead mice in my drawer, broke my lipstick, and added lemon juice to my milk. She would even make up lies to drive a wedge between me and my family. She started caring whether David spent weekends with her or me, and whether the dishes David cooked were her favorites or mine. She barely paid attention to me and often stuck to David. I once thought it was just teenage rebellion and patiently guided and educated her. Until one time, when I entered the room to bring her fruit, I found her straddling David’s lap. I questioned them about what they were doing. She said, “We didn’t do anything.” David also complained, “Why are you so worked up? I’m just helping her with homework.” I was half-convinced but unwilling to think the worst of people. I just told her she’s no longer a child and should maintain boundaries when interacting with the opposite sex. Later, while I was busy working to support the family, Malia was busy seducing David. Less than a year later, I found out Malia was pregnant. It turned out David hadn’t failed to maintain boundaries; they had been involved all along. I broke down and demanded a divorce from David. But before the divorce, they conspired to kill me, claiming I accidentally fell to my death. The truth was they tricked me into going near the window and pushed me down. David’s mother, Sophia Hayes, was involved too. She despised me for not being able to have children, but Malia could, so Malia was more qualified to be David’s wife. Afterward, they received a huge insurance payout and inherited my assets. I can’t rest in peace. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn. I returned to the day in my past life when I first met Malia at the orphanage. She still flattered me, warmly saying I was young and beautiful. But this time, I ignored her kindness and pointed at the quiet little boy standing in the corner, watching me from afar, saying, “I want him.”
Malia was stunned, and Freya was also stunned. Freya quickly came to her senses. She said, “Him? Sure. His name is Charlie, and he doesn’t talk much. I’m getting old and forgetful, almost forgot about him.” “Charlie, come here, this is Ms. Bennet.” Freya cleared her throat, looking calm, then waved Charlie over. I know this orphanage will be closed in three years because Freya committed child molestation. In my previous life, she recommended Malia to me, saying she liked me and persuaded me to adopt her. But it wasn’t because of Malia’s outstanding behavior; it was because of their improper dealings. They made a deal: as long as Freya could help Malia find a wealthy family, Malia wouldn’t report Freya. And Charlie once rejected Freya. That’s why Freya always ignored him. “Ms. Bennet, hello,” Charlie said timidly. I reached out and ruffled his messy hair, softly saying, “Hello, Charlie. Ms. Perkins, I’ll take him.” Hearing this, Malia’s face changed drastically. She almost blurted out, “Why didn’t you choose me?” People around cast surprised glances. I narrowed my eyes slightly. Normally, if not chosen by a preferred parent, she would at most feel sad and disappointed, not angrily question. I thought, “Could it be that she was reborn too?” “If that’s the case, even better.” Originally, I felt a trace of guilt toward this Malia who hadn’t done anything wrong yet, but now, my burden is completely gone. The evil she committed in her past life can be settled all at once in this life. I turned my head and asked, “Julia, didn’t you also want to adopt a child?” I didn’t come to the orphanage alone; I came with my colleague Julia Lakin. Julia is my subordinate. She is in her forties, believes in staying single and childless, and had adopted a girl in her early years, but sadly, the child passed away due to illness. Today, she came to the orphanage with me because she wants to adopt another child. In her past life, she chose Charlie. Charlie is quiet, sensible, filial, and excels in academics. However, Julia, who appears honest and simple on the surface, is actually a psychologically twisted sadist. In her past life, Charlie couldn’t bear her torment and committed suicide two years later. I suspect the cause of that previous girl’s death was most likely also due to Julia’s abuse. In this life, I will protect Charlie. As for Malia, let her and Julia torment each other. Julia was already interested in Malia under Freya’s strong recommendation. Previously, since I was her boss, she didn’t dare compete with me. Now that she sees I didn’t choose Malia, she immediately agrees with delight. “Alright, then I’ll take Malia!” Malia’s expression was complex, with a hint of confusion in her eyes. In my past life, I was afraid she couldn’t handle it, so I never told her about Charlie’s suicide. She naturally doesn’t know now either. She saw that although Julia was older, her family was fairly well-off, so she reluctantly nodded in agreement. Before leaving, she still glanced at me several times, unwilling to let it go. I smiled and waved goodbye to her. Wasn’t enjoying all my wealth in her past life enough? She wants to do it again in this life? Dream on!
When I brought Charlie home, David, as usual, lost his temper with me. “Didn’t we agree to adopt a four or five-year-old? Why did you adopt such an older child?” “I agreed to you adopting a child, but I never said a teenager! What are you doing? Do you think my life isn’t chaotic enough?” I ignored him and went straight to the room to start packing. He followed me, continuing to yell, “Didn’t you hear me? Playing deaf? What are you trying to do? You’ve got some nerve!” I stopped what I was doing and looked at him calmly. “Let’s get a divorce.” David’s job is easier than mine, his salary is lower, yet he leaves early and comes home late, then just lies in bed playing on his phone, never doing any housework. Whenever work frustrates him, the first thing he does after coming home is take it out on me. I wanted a child and suggested visiting the orphanage on the weekend, but he made an excuse about working overtime and told me to go alone. Since we got married, he’s been avoiding all troubles like this. In my past life, I silently endured it, fearing gossip from relatives and neighbors, until I discovered his affair with Malia and finally decided to divorce. Now reborn, I will no longer endure. My salary is four times his, and I cover almost all the household expenses. This marriage is already meaningless. If we divorce, I can take good care of the child on my own. “What did you say?” David widened his eyes, unable to believe that I, always submissive, would say such a thing. I repeated, “I said, I want a divorce!” At first, he disagreed, but Sophia was thrilled. “David, she hasn’t been able to have a child for so long, she’s useless! You should’ve divorced her ages ago! She’s finally letting you go!” “She can leave if she wants! Anyway, the house is ours, and where she lives afterward is none of our business.” “Hurry up and find a virtuous wife, and have a child quickly!” “By the way, that colleague Jasmin you mentioned before, isn’t she interested in you? She hasn’t been married, right? Is there a chance for you two?” David blushed and retorted, “Mom, don’t talk nonsense. We’re just ordinary colleagues.” I do have some impression of Jasmin Griffin. In my past life, I found their chat history on David’s phone. David cried and promised me he would never do it again, begging for my forgiveness. At that time, I was in the prime of my career, so I didn’t pursue it further and didn’t know what happened afterward. Sophia smiled brightly and unilaterally confirmed their relationship. “I think she’s great, let’s go with her!” With her help, David and I quickly got divorced. Not long after, David and Jasmin quickly registered their marriage. Sophia specifically messaged me, asking me to see how happy David was after leaving me. I completely ignored it. She was waiting to see me end up on the streets, but I turned around and bought a detached villa in full. She assumed I’d be exhausted taking care of the child alone. But Charlie is obedient, independent, and eager to learn, leaving me nothing to worry about. My good days are just beginning. And their happy life is about to end. Because they don’t know that the one with fertility issues isn’t me, but David.
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