Life is like wild grass, unyielding and tenacious
Chapter 1
My husband, Peter Spencer, his first love, was kidnapped.
When she was found, she was pregnant with another man’s child.
Peter, despite my impending labor, forced me to sign divorce papers.
“The doctor said, Chloe’s uterine lining is thin. If she has an abortion, it’ll be difficult for her to conceive again.”
“I’ll continue to support you and the child, but I can only be the father of Chloe’s baby.”
I looked at the man who once promised to grow old with me and agreed without hesitation.
Peter didn’t know this was my third time being reborn.
This time, I just wanted to protect my child and live well.
1.
Peter seemed surprised that I agreed so readily. He’d clearly prepared for a fight.
He paused, then warned me with a dark look.
“You better not try to play any games. If this gets out and affects Chloe, I won’t let you off the hook.”
My fingernails dug into my palms. The painful memories of my past two lives were still vivid.
After a moment of silence, I took the opportunity to make a request.
“Divorce is fine, but you also have to put in writing that you’re giving up custody.”
Peter agreed without a second thought.
The lawyer quickly revised the agreement.
After confirming the details, I signed my name.
The next second, Peter snatched the agreement, a bright smile on his face.
He eagerly pulled out his phone, wanting to call Chloe.
At the door, he suddenly turned around and instructed me.
“Move out of the house as soon as possible so Chloe doesn’t get upset and risk the baby.”
I watched his resolute back, a bitter smile following a pang of irony.
In my first life, I held onto the illusion that once our child was born, our marriage could be salvaged.
With my crying and pleading, Chloe didn’t get her wish of marrying Peter.
Instead, everyone knew she was trying to steal someone else’s husband for the sake of the bastard child she carried.
Unable to bear the gossip, she jumped from a high-rise building.
Peter’s reaction was indifferent. After attending her funeral, he never mentioned it again.
Until the day our child turned one month old, kidnappers took us and demanded a hefty ransom from Peter.
On the phone, he not only refused their demands but listened coldly to my torture.
At that moment, I realized he wanted me and our child to pay for Chloe’s death.
In my second life, to survive with my child, I agreed to the divorce and left with the settlement money.
But when Chloe lost her baby, he still allowed her to take her anger out on me.
My newborn and I were locked in a dark stable.
In the end, we were trampled to death by a startled horse.
I gently caressed my swollen belly.
No matter what, this time I would stay away from these two.
Suddenly, there was a rough knock at the door.
Before I could react, several maids, led by Mrs. Olsen, barged in.
They glared at me.
“Ms. Hayes, we need to clean the room. Please leave immediately.”
The divorce wasn’t even finalized, and I wasn’t even worthy of being called “Mrs.” anymore.
I took a deep breath and turned to pack my things.
I had just picked up a few baby clothes when someone snatched them away.
“These were bought with the Spencer family’s money. You have no right to take them.”
Mrs. Olsen roughly stuffed the clothes into a garbage bag.
At her gesture, a younger maid dragged a tattered suitcase and threw it at me.
“These are the only things you can take. Get out now.”
As I fell, the zipper broke.
A few dirty, worn-out clothes tumbled out, sliding down the stairs into the hall.
A faint sour smell emanated from them.
“Eww, Peter, what is that? It’s so gross!”
2.
The woman’s exclamation startled Mrs. Olsen and the other maids.
But she quickly regained her composure and said loudly, “Ms. Hayes, you have such a dark heart. You deliberately kicked the suitcase over to scare my lady, didn’t you?”
I trembled with anger, wanting to argue.
But then I saw Chloe’s eyes redden as she nestled in Peter’s arms.
“If you don’t welcome me, just say so. I’ll leave.”
“What if these clothes carry germs and infect someone?”
She dry heaved a few times.
Peter patted her back comfortingly and helped her to a distant sofa.
Then he glared at me. “Helen Hayes, apologize to Chloe right now.”
Peter’s attitude hurt me more than Mrs. Olsen’s false accusations.
I stood there weakly, muttering, “Believe it or not, this wasn’t me.”
His face darkened. With a single look, Mrs. Olsen and the other maids immediately dragged me down the stairs.
Near the bottom, I lost my footing and fell.
A dull pain shot through my stomach.
It felt like the horse’s hooves crushing me in my past life.
Fearing something might happen to my baby, I curled up on the floor, tears welling up.
“Peter, my stomach hurts so bad. Please call an ambulance, okay?”
A flicker of compassion crossed Peter’s eyes, but Chloe grabbed his hand.
“The carpet is so thick, how could it hurt to fall?”
“Since Helen would rather fake a fall than apologize, let it go.”
Peter’s face hardened again.
“Since you like lying on the floor, kneel and apologize to Chloe. If you don’t apologize, you’re not going anywhere.”
I gritted my teeth and fumbled for my phone.
But before I could call 911, a high-heeled shoe stepped directly on my hand.
My phone was crushed under another foot.
A light voice came from above.
“Peter, I’ve been thinking. Let’s have Helen stay and keep me company.”
“She’s further along than I am, so she should be more experienced in caring for pregnant women. What do you think?”
I looked up at Chloe in pain.
The moment our eyes met, I saw a flash of coldness in her eyes.
My heart sank, and a strong sense of unease washed over me.
I immediately refused.
“My due date is approaching. I can’t take care of you.”
“I was wrong just now. I shouldn’t have offended you. I’ll leave now.”
But Peter’s voice boomed. “Who allowed you to disregard Chloe’s kindness? You will stay at the Spencer residence and take care of Chloe, except on the day you give birth.”
Seeing my pale face, he added condescendingly, “If you take good care of her, I’ll consider letting your child have imported formula too.”
Behind Peter’s back, Chloe smirked and mouthed, “I won’t let you off the hook.”
My heart plummeted.
She was reborn too.
In my previous life, as I lay dying in the stable, I clearly heard Chloe’s venomous words.
“Helen Hayes, it’s because of you that I was forced to jump to my death.”
“You think I’ll let you go just because you gave Peter to me? Give me the amulet!”
Only then did I realize that she, like me, had been reborn.
But she had already killed me once.
This time, I just wanted to run away with my child.
Yet she still wouldn’t let me go!
3.
“Mrs. Olsen, get her into a maid’s uniform and have her make Chloe some porridge.”
Peter scooped Chloe up in his arms, a look of adoration on his face. “I’ll take you upstairs to rest.”
The maids surrounded me.
Seeing no escape, I resigned myself and followed them to the kitchen.
When I arrived at their room with the hot porridge, Chloe had already changed into a thin nightgown. Her figure was alluring, and her flat belly showed no signs of pregnancy.
Peter was patiently massaging her legs.
I stood silently, my sore and swollen legs trembling.
Chloe suddenly lifted her foot and gently rubbed it against Peter’s crotch.
He gasped and let out a suppressed groan. He grabbed her foot and glanced at me.
“The porridge is getting cold. Do you want to eat something first?”
Chloe, rejected by Peter, teared up. “Peter, do you not like me anymore?”
Peter couldn’t stand seeing her sad, so he softened his tone and embraced her, whispering, “Chloe, how could I not like you? I’m just afraid of hurting…”
Before he finished, Chloe silenced him with a kiss.
Soon, the sounds of their passion filled the room. Even then, they still didn’t let me go.
Around three or four in the morning, the room finally quieted down. The porridge had congealed, just like my heart.
Mrs. Olsen, who had been watching me, finally released me. But my room was locked.
She led me to a small storage room downstairs, like I was trash.
After she locked the door and left, I leaned against the wall, exhausted.
I numbly ate the cold porridge.
No matter what, I would protect this child. He was my only blood relative in this world.
Having been an orphan since childhood, I’d always yearned for family.
Peter, in high school, was like a warm ray of sunshine in winter.
Feeling unworthy of him, I always paid attention to him from afar.
After learning of his family’s bankruptcy and his parents’ suicide, I found the courage to approach him.
Using the excuse that I had once received financial aid from his family, I took him in.
I took care of his meals and gave him all my savings to encourage him to start over.
Later, in that dim, rented apartment, he proposed, promising to give me a complete family.
But after Chloe returned, everything became a bubble. Years of devotion couldn’t compete with a youthful obsession.
Lost in thought, I suddenly remembered selling the jade pendant my family had left me to raise startup funds for Peter.
The director of the orphanage where I grew up said that when they found me, I couldn’t remember anything but clutched the jade pendant tightly.
They had tried to find my family, but there were no leads.
Could this be the amulet Chloe mentioned in my past life? Maybe my family wasn’t dead. Maybe I still had relatives in this world.
4.
This thought rekindled a spark of hope in me.
Did Chloe want to use the amulet to steal my identity?
Considering this possibility, I recalled more details about selling the pendant.
The pawnbroker had asked a lot about my past.
When he asked for my address, I lied, just in case.
After receiving the money, the pawnbroker stopped me.
“Child, let me give you some advice. Don’t fully trust a man’s words. Money in your own hands is the truth.”
“This jade pendant is worth more than $10,000, but since you insist on raising this money for your boyfriend, I’ll give you $10,000 for now.”
“Keep this gold locket. If you’re not doing well in the future, bring it back to me, and I’ll give you the rest of the money. But don’t tell your boyfriend about this.”
At the time, I hadn’t thought much about his words. But when Peter asked about it, I heeded the pawnbroker’s advice and didn’t tell him the truth.
Now, it was my only lifeline.
The gold locket was in the safe in my room. I needed to find a way to take it with me before I left.
Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep.
In my dream, I felt someone searching me. I woke with a start and found Chloe standing over me.
The next second, she had her hands around my throat, squeezing.
“Helen Hayes, what right do you have to fight me for anything? If you want a quick death, tell me where the jade pendant is!”
“I could kill you in my last life, and I can do it again!”
Her eagerness to attack me reinforced my suspicion.
But I hadn’t done anything wrong. Why did I have to die?
Thinking of the children I couldn’t protect in my past lives, the resentment accumulated over two lifetimes erupted. I reached behind her and yanked her hair.
Taking advantage of her cry of surprise, I kicked her hard in the shin.
“Chloe Parker, you want the pendant to steal my identity? You’ll never get it!”
“Don’t think I don’t know. You weren’t kidnapped at all! The bastard in your belly is from the man you ran off with!”
“But he didn’t want to admit it, so for the sake of maximizing profits, you found Peter as your backup plan, right?”
The last part was a bluff. But seeing her horrified expression, I knew I’d guessed right.
Exposed, Chloe grabbed a pair of scissors from the cabinet, a murderous look in her eyes. I quickly backed away.
But Chloe didn’t rush at me. Instead, she screamed and stabbed herself in the arm.
When Peter rushed in, he saw Chloe fall to the ground, bleeding.
His eyes turned bloodshot as he shoved me hard.
“Helen Hayes, what are you doing?!”
