My three daughters said they wanted to set up a “family fund” for me, with each of them contributing three thousand dollars monthly. They said, “Mom, you’ve sacrificed so much for us. Now it’s our turn to take care of you.” In my previous life, I was deeply moved, thinking my years of sacrifice had finally paid off. It wasn’t until eight years later, when I was diagnosed with kidney failure, that I discovered the money in that Family Sharing Card couldn’t even cover the deposit for dialysis. Then my eldest daughter Amelia Stewart called me on video, saying she wanted to buy a house in a better school district but was short fifteen thousand dollars, asking if I could lend her some money first. My second daughter Luna Stewart came to the hospital with her husband Daniel Ross and daughter Ella Ross, but they only bragged about Ella winning a piano competition and hinted that they needed fifty thousand dollars to enroll in an international master’s coaching program. My youngest daughter Grace Stewart was even more direct, saying she had her eye on a limited edition handbag and wanted me to sponsor thirty thousand dollars as her birthday gift. When they learned the bank account had insufficient funds, Amelia, Luna, and Grace’s expressions changed instantly. They said, “We each deposited three thousand dollars monthly. After eight years, that’s at least eight hundred thousand dollars. Mom, where did you hide the money?” To force me to reveal where my savings went, they took turns using gentle and harsh methods to pressure me, even telling relatives I had dementia and had been scammed out of my money. Unable to bear the successive blows, I pulled out my IV needle and left the hospital in the middle of the night, only to be hit by a car and die on the spot. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I went to the hospital for my checkup. ***** My body didn’t have that dying feeling, and there were no noisy shouts in my ears. I opened my eyes trembling all over, finding the hallway and harsh white lights strangely familiar. “Isn’t this the hospital where I lived before I died? I’ve actually been reborn?” Suddenly, I heard Amelia’s urgent voice coming through my phone. “Mom, I’m talking to you. Can you hear me? That house in the school district is really popular. If I don’t hurry up and pay, someone else will buy it. I’m just short fifteen thousand dollars. Lend it to me first, and I’ll pay you back later.” Amelia’s voice at this moment was exactly the same as when she pressured me for money in my previous life. I gripped my phone tightly as memories flooded back like a tide. In my previous life, it was on this very day that I held my medical report, having just learned about my health problems. While I was panicking, I received her call. At the time, I honestly told her there wasn’t that much money in the Family Sharing Card. And what happened? Amelia roared, “Not that much? Mom, are you kidding me?” I instantly saw her eyes widening in that video call from my previous life. “The three of us sisters deposit three thousand dollars each month. How much is that after eight years? More than eight hundred thousand dollars. You must be confused and got tricked by some scammer into spending it carelessly. Think hard. Where exactly did you spend the money? Did you give it to your nephew? I knew he had bad intentions. It’s only fifteen thousand dollars. Mom, go to the bank right now and withdraw it. Otherwise, if we lose the house, how will your grandson go to school?” Her words pierced my heart like needles. I’ve been frugal my whole life, wearing the same clothes for ten years and waiting for sales to buy groceries. How could I possibly spend money carelessly? But none of them believed me. Luna soon came to my door with Ella. She held up the trophy and smiled, “Mom, look how amazing Ella is. Her teacher says if she enrolls in a fifty-thousand-dollar international master’s coaching program, she’ll definitely become a pianist. Where’s the money in your card?” Grace was even more direct, sending me pictures of the handbag. Then she sent me a message: [Mom, this bag is all I want for my birthday. It’s only thirty thousand dollars. Just take some money from the Family Sharing Card and that’ll be enough.] When I said there was no money in the card, their expressions changed very quickly. Amelia said, “You must have dementia. Your money was definitely stolen by someone.” Luna said, “We worked so hard to save that money for you. How could you waste it like this?” Grace said, “Hand over the money right now. Otherwise, we’ll get our relatives to judge this for us.” In the end, they really did contact all our relatives, saying I wasn’t thinking clearly and had spent all my retirement money. I was constantly being blamed. At night, unable to bear it anymore, I pulled out my IV needle, wanting to get some fresh air outside. And then… “Mom, can you hear me or not?” Amelia shouted into the phone. This instantly pulled my thoughts back to the present. Her voice carried obvious impatience: “You have to transfer fifteen thousand dollars to me today.” I took a deep breath, my heart still pounding wildly, my palms covered in cold sweat. I won’t let them bully me again in this lifetime. I gritted my teeth and said word by word, “I don’t have any money.” Before Amelia could react, I hung up directly. The moment the phone screen went dark, I seemed to see myself lying under the car wheels from my previous life. Tears welled up in my eyes. I won’t pay attention to these ungrateful people anymore.
After hanging up on Amelia, I stared at the medical report in my hands, my lips trembling uncontrollably. In my previous life, I was too soft-hearted, which allowed Amelia, Luna, and Grace to drain every last bit of value from me. In this life, I, Matilda Stewart, won’t give them a single cent. That very day, I contacted a real estate agent to sell the old house I’d lived in for thirty years. It was the only memento my husband and I had left. But now it seemed this house was far more reliable than those three ungrateful people. The agent worked quickly and found a buyer that same day, paying me $1.73 million in cash. The moment I got the money, I went straight to the hospital to check myself in, choosing a private room. I’d barely been lying in the hospital bed for two hours when the door was pushed open. Luna walked in carrying a designer handbag, followed by Daniel and Ella. She said, “Mom, I heard you were hospitalized, so we came to see you.” Luna glanced around the room and said with disgust, “Mom, how can you stay in a room like this? This is so cramped. Why don’t I get you transferred to a VIP room?” She paced around the room like a tenant, criticizing the furnishings. But in reality, she didn’t even glance at the IV needle in my hand. Daniel chimed in from the side, “Luna’s right, Matilda. Luna’s doing well with her sales now, she can afford it.” They claimed to care about me and said money wasn’t an issue, but weren’t they really here just to get some money out of me? I knew exactly what they were up to, so I simply ignored both of them. Seeing that I wasn’t as enthusiastic as usual, Luna thought for a moment, then looked at Daniel. Then she pushed Ella toward me. Luna said, “Mom, Ella won a gold medal in a piano competition last week. The judges all said she’s a genius.” Ella looked up at me, holding the trophy close to my face. She smiled and said, “Grandma, look. My teacher said if I enroll in that $50,000 international master class, I’ll definitely become a pianist someday. Grandma, you’ll help me achieve my dream, won’t you?” I thought coldly to myself, “Fifty thousand dollars?” In my previous life, the three of them eventually moved to France and completely cut ties with me. If I gave them money knowing how it would end, I’d be a complete fool. So I glanced at the trophy indifferently, then looked out the window. I said, “That’s nice.” Luna’s smile froze for a moment, clearly not expecting this kind of response from me. She sat down beside me with a puzzled look, then continued trying to coax me with unrealistic promises. Luna wanted me to use my retirement savings to pay for that $50,000 course. She also said that when Ella became successful, she would never forget me. But I didn’t respond to her intentions. Luna couldn’t keep up the act anymore and nudged Daniel with her finger. She said, “Take Ella downstairs to buy some juice. I need to talk to Mom about something.” Daniel immediately understood and left with Ella. As soon as the door closed, Luna’s expression completely changed. She sat on the edge of my bed and said coldly, “Mom, you heard about Ella’s situation. Fifty thousand dollars is nothing to you.” I looked directly at her. “I don’t have money.” Luna immediately raised her voice, “No money? How could you not have money? That Family Sharing Card where the three of us deposit $3,000 every month—after eight years, there’s over $800,000. Ella is your only granddaughter. If you don’t love her, who will you love?” I didn’t want to look at her fake expression anymore, so I turned my head and closed my eyes. I said, “Whatever. I told you, I don’t have money. Don’t come to me.” My sudden coldness left Luna unsure of what to do. Finally, she suddenly grabbed my hand. She cried and said to me, “Mom, can you really bear to watch Ella waste her talent? That’s an international master class—not everyone qualifies to enter. If you don’t help her now and she can’t become a pianist later, you’ll regret it. You raised the three of us and put us through school. Now it’s Ella’s turn, and you won’t help? If you don’t give the money, you’re ruining Ella’s future. If she hates you for the rest of her life, you won’t even have time to cry. Besides, fifty thousand dollars for Ella’s bright future is worth it. Your money can’t just sit there—spending it on Ella is putting it where it’s needed most.” Listening to Luna’s excuses, I almost laughed from anger. This was my dear daughter, who had learned to emotionally blackmail her own mother. I yanked my hand back and looked at her coldly. I said, “Who I spend my money on and how I spend it is my business. As for Ella’s future, figure it out yourselves. Don’t try to use me.” Seeing my firm attitude, Luna became completely furious. She stood up, pointed at me, and scolded, “Matilda, you’re really something. You’re sure you want to be this heartless, right? We put money into that family fund for you, not so you could be a miser. It’s just fifty thousand dollars—do you have to be so stingy? I think you’ve just lost your mind. You don’t care about us daughters at all. Fine, you won’t give money, right? Don’t expect me to take care of you when you’re old.” With that, Luna grabbed her bag and stormed toward the door, her high heels practically drilling holes in the floor tiles.
Just as Luna reached the door, it swung open. Grace walked in carrying a bag of fruit. She glanced at Luna’s red-rimmed eyes, then at me, and immediately covered her mouth dramatically. Grace said with a laugh, “Luna, what’s wrong with you? Your face is as red as a cooked shrimp. Who made you angry?” Luna glared at her furiously. “This has nothing to do with you.” Grace said, “Did you fight with Mom again?” She placed the fruit on the bedside table, then deliberately raised her voice. “Are you here asking for money again? Luna, you’ve gone too far. Mom just got hospitalized, and instead of thinking about taking care of her, all you do is ask her for money. You’re such an ungrateful brat.” Luna was furious. “Stop pretending to be the good guy here. I’m asking for Ella’s tuition, which is perfectly reasonable. That’s better than some people who only know how to buy bags and clothes all day. Some people are like bottomless pits.” Grace said, “So what? I spend my own money. I’m not like you, always wanting to spend Mom’s money. That Family Sharing Card is for Mom’s retirement, not for your daughter’s tutoring classes.” Luna said, “What do you know? That’s an investment. If Ella becomes successful in the future, she won’t forget her grandmother. That’s better than you buying those useless bags.” Grace said, “You’re the one who doesn’t understand. What Mom needs most right now is peace of mind to recover, not listening to your empty words and promises.” The two started arguing, their voices getting louder and louder. My head was pounding. Just as I was about to speak, a nurse came in to change my medication. She frowned and scolded, “What are you arguing about in the hospital room? The patient needs quiet rest. If you want to fight, go outside.” The room finally fell silent. Luna snorted coldly, glared fiercely at Grace, then left. After Luna left, Grace immediately put on a smile and handed the nurse a bottle of water. She said, “Sorry, it’s just family business.” The nurse didn’t take the water. She finished changing my medication and left. Once the room was quiet, Grace immediately came to my bedside. She tucked in my blanket and started peeling an apple. She said, “Mom, don’t be angry with Luna. She’s just like that, only cares about money.” Grace asked again, “Are you thirsty? Let me pour you some water.” Looking at Grace’s smiling face, I felt a chill in my heart. I had originally thought Grace was different from her two sisters, that she genuinely cared about me and treated me like a mother. It wasn’t until the end that I realized she first put on a filial act to gain sympathy, then made huge demands. All of this was just her strategy. Sure enough, for the next two days, Grace came every day. She brought me milk in the morning and stayed with me at night. She called me “Mom” so affectionately, performing “filial piety” flawlessly. Even the caregiver told me privately, “Grace is so thoughtful, much better than her sisters.” I just smiled and said nothing. A few days later, while peeling an apple, Grace casually said, “Mom, I saw a really beautiful bag while shopping yesterday. It’s a limited edition, thirty thousand dollars.” I didn’t respond. Grace handed me the apple and pointed at the picture on her phone to show me. She said, “Look, this color suits me so well. All my colleagues have one, only I don’t. I feel pretty embarrassed.” I took a bite of the apple and still said nothing. Grace put down her phone and took my hand, acting coquettish. She said, “Mom, please buy it for me. Consider it a birthday gift from you. Thirty thousand dollars is nothing to you, right?” Looking at her expectant eyes, I suddenly smiled. I said, “Luna wants fifty thousand dollars, you want thirty thousand dollars. Did you two plan this together?” The smile on Grace’s face instantly froze. She said, “Mom, what do you mean by that? I’m nothing like her. I just think that bag is beautiful.” “I don’t have money,” I withdrew my hand and said calmly. “There’s no money left in that Family Sharing Card.” Grace’s face instantly turned pale. She stood up abruptly. “Gone? How could hundreds of thousands of dollars suddenly be gone? You…” Grace pointed at me, unable to speak for a long time. Finally, she slammed the apple on the table. She said, “Fine, so you had it all planned out. No wonder you wouldn’t give Luna money. Taking care of you for two days was useless. You just don’t want to give us a single cent.” Seeing her drop the act, I actually felt relieved. I said, “Yes, my money is mine to spend. None of you will get another cent.” Grace was shaking with anger. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She said coldly, “Fine, Matilda, you’re really ruthless. When you’re old and can’t move anymore, don’t expect me to take care of you.” The door slammed shut, and the room finally fell completely silent. I stared at the ceiling as tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. These were the daughters I had loved my whole life. Each one of them was just waiting to drain me of every bit of value I had. Ever since I had that heart-to-heart with Amelia, Luna, and Grace, my hospital room had been quiet for several days straight. I actually felt pretty relaxed and didn’t bother reaching out to them either. Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long. My phone suddenly rang. It was my former neighbor Naomi Perez, who used to live across the hall from me. She sounded frantic on the phone: “Matilda, you need to get back to your old place right now. Your three daughters are having a screaming match downstairs.” I was stunned, thinking to myself: “Didn’t I already sell the old house? What are they doing there causing a scene?” I quickly had the nurse inform my doctor, then hailed a taxi and rushed to the old neighborhood. The closer I got to the building, the louder the women’s screaming became. Before the taxi even came to a complete stop, I could see a crowd gathered around the building entrance—all my former neighbors. In the middle of the crowd, Amelia, Luna, and Grace were pulling each other’s hair and hurling insults. Their hair was a complete mess, like bird’s nests, and their clothes were all twisted and disheveled—nothing like their usual put-together appearance. Luna was pointing right at Amelia’s nose, spitting as she yelled. She said: “Amelia, cut the crap. You were the one who badmouthed me to Mom first, telling her not to give me any money.” Amelia shoved her away hard, saying: “What are you talking about? When did I ever say that? You’re the one who’s been crying poor to Mom every day, then scamming all her money away, and you won’t even admit it.” Luna shot back: “I scammed her money? What about the money in that Family Sharing Card? You definitely took it to buy that house in the school district.” Amelia retorted: “You took it to pay for your daughter’s tutoring classes.” Grace suddenly burst into tears. She wiped her eyes while saying angrily: “You two are both terrible. When I was taking care of Mom the other day, I heard her say with my own ears that you two had scammed all her money away.” After a pause, she continued: “Mom even said I was the most considerate one and told me not to argue with you two. And what did I get? Not a single penny.” Luna and Amelia shouted in unison: “That’s bullshit!” Grace cried even harder, saying: “That’s exactly what happened. Mom also told me not to tell you two that she had money, said you two were too much—taking her money and still complaining it wasn’t enough. Now she’s pretending to be broke, and you two are the ones fighting.” After hearing this, both Amelia and Luna were stunned, then immediately started pointing fingers and cursing at each other again. Amelia said: “You must have badmouthed me to Mom.” Luna said: “You’re the one who told Mom to hide the money.” The neighbors around us kept shaking their heads, and their judgmental comments reached my ears. One woman said: “What’s wrong with them? Their mother is still in the hospital, and they’re here making such a scene. But it’s definitely about money. Matilda must have savings, otherwise why would they act like this?” Another woman chimed in: “You’re absolutely right. When children don’t get along, it’s usually because the parent has bad character. Matilda must be playing favorites and being stingy, which drove them to this point.” A man said: “I always said, what’s the point of having three daughters? Sons would be better—at least sons wouldn’t be this embarrassing. But Matilda’s gone too far. If she has money, she should divide it among the kids. Why is she hiding it?” These words pierced my heart like needles. I was shaking with rage as I pushed through the crowd and charged in. I shouted: “All of you shut up!” Amelia, Luna, and Grace jumped, turned to see me, and froze. Amelia was the first to react, rushing over to grab my arm. She said: “Mom, you’re finally here. Tell them—Luna was the first one to ask you for money, right? And she badmouthed me to you, didn’t she?” Luna also pushed her way over. She said: “Mom, don’t listen to her. Amelia was the first one to ask for your money, wanting to buy that house in the school district.” “Enough!” I shook off their hands, my voice hoarse with anger. “Are you done fighting? Have you completely lost all shame over money?” My outburst silenced them, and they just stared at me with wide eyes. The murmuring around us grew louder. Someone deliberately said: “Matilda, perfect timing. Just divide up the money already and stop letting your daughters embarrass themselves like this.” I took a deep breath and stared hard at Amelia, Luna, and Grace. Then, word by word, I said: “You all suspect each other of taking the money, suspect me of playing favorites, right? Fine, stop all this guessing and speculation.” I raised my hand and pointed toward the nearby bank. Then I said: “There’s the bank right over there. I have that Family Sharing Card with me. Let’s go print out the statements right now and get to the bottom of this. Let’s see if I actually have any money, let’s see whose pockets this money ended up in, and let’s see if I’ve been favoring anyone.”
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