The ten-month-old goldfish died. Thats all it took. Suddenly, my husband and mother-in-law were demanding I get an abortion.
My due date was just seven days away.
I rushed to my parents, desperate for comfort.
But my mom, who had always doted on me, grabbed my arm, her voice sharp with fury.
“Why didn’t you listen? Why come back? Do you want to kill us all?!”
My dad went even further. He snatched a fruit knife from the kitchen and wildly stabbed my belly.
That was it. My baby and I died together.
Then I opened my eyes again. I was back on the day the goldfish died.
“Evelyn, look! My mother-in-law, Carol, beamed as she walked toward me, a pile of baby things in her arms. I went out and bought all these things for our little one. Now we just wait for the baby to arrive!”
My body trembled. I knew, with chilling certainty, that I had been reborn.
In my previous life, Carol and I had always been close.
My body was weak, making pregnancy an uphill battle. Three years of marriage had left my womb barren. When I finally conceived, Carol burst into tears, crushing me in a tearful embrace.
Throughout my pregnancy, she’d cared for me meticulously.
If anyone accidentally bumped my belly, she’d immediately whisk me off to the hospital for a full check-up.
She used to say her greatest wish in life was to see my child born safely and grow up healthy.
But in my past life, the moment our ten-month-old goldfish died, that loving mother-in-law vanished. Her face twisted into something unrecognizable. She became a woman possessed, screaming at me to get an abortion.
“Evelyn, what’s wrong? You look so pale. Are you not feeling well?”
Carol quickly put down her bags, reaching out anxiously to touch my forehead.
I instinctively took a half-step back, shrugging her off.
“I’m fine, Carol. Maybe I just didn’t sleep well last night.”
She looked at me with a pained expression.
“The bigger the baby gets, the tougher it is on the mom. You’re working so hard, sweetie. I’ll go make you some soup.”
With that, she turned and headed into the kitchen, bustling about.
I, however, went straight to the fish tank.
I looked down, and my heart sank.
The goldfish, the one we’d kept for ten months, was floating on the surface, belly-up, utterly lifeless.
Just like last time.
The moment Carol and Dylan found out that fish was dead, my baby and I would be in grave danger!
Just then, Carol’s voice approached. “Evelyn, what are you looking at?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her walking towards me. I spun around, forcing a shaky smile. “Nothing.”
My hand, however, plunged into the water behind my back, deftly grabbing the dead fish and tucking it into my pocket.
I changed the subject. “I’m a little hungry. Is the soup ready yet?”
Carol chuckled. “Silly girl, not that fast! Why don’t you sit on the couch and watch some TV for a bit? I’ll cut you some fruit.”
As she spoke, her gaze instinctively drifted towards the fish tank.
Then, her face instantly fell.
Her eyes fixated on the empty tank.
“Where’s the fish?!”
Carol’s voice was loud, laced with a tremor of fury and outright terror.
She rushed to the tank, pressing her face against the glass, inspecting it meticulously.
After confirming the fish was gone, Carol snapped her head around, her eyes piercing mine.
“Where did the goldfish in the tank go?!”
The woman who, moments ago, had a gentle, loving smile, was now staring at me with a twisted expression.
My heart pounded. I clutched the cold, slimy dead fish in my pocket, forcing myself to stay calm.
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s hiding behind the water plants?”
Carol’s voice was sharp, certain. “No way! I check on it every day; it never hides! Evelyn, you were just by the tank. Didn’t you see where it went?”
Meeting her suspicious gaze, I quickly shook my head. “I didn’t see it. It’s just a fish, right? We can just buy another one. Why are you so worked up about it?”
“You don’t understand!” Carol suddenly snapped, her voice tight. “This fish…”
She cut herself off mid-sentence, saying no more.
But my heart still gave a sharp jolt.
This fish is problematic, just as I suspected!
In my previous life, my in-laws, Dylan, and even my own parents’ attitudes had changed so quickly that I was trapped in shock and fear, unable to properly think about the strangeness of it all.
Now, thinking back, their insane obsession with making me abort the baby was all because of this goldfish, wasn’t it?
Dylan had bought this fish specifically when I first got pregnant.
He said it was to keep me entertained, but he and Carol were utterly devoted to it.
They bought the most expensive tank, the top-tier fish food, all just for this one fish!
Even my parents, who had never kept fish in their lives, paid it endless attention.
Every time they came to visit, they’d stare at that fish for ages.
Last time, I thought they were just curious and entertained. I never imagined that this fish would lead them to try and kill me and my baby!
But I still couldn’t figure it out. What was so special about this goldfish?
Why could it turn my parents, who had loved me since childhood, and my husband and mother-in-law, who had desperately wanted this child, into completely different people?
I looked at Carol, who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, “Carol, what about the fish?”
She avoided my gaze, her face darkening as she waved a dismissive hand.
“It’s nothing.”
With that, Carol forgot all about me and anxiously began searching the house for the fish.
I felt the fish in my pocket, my mind in a chaotic mess.
I just couldn’t understand. What was the problem with this fish?
And what did my baby have to do with it?
Why, if it died, couldn’t my baby be born either?
And right now, what should I do?
Throw it away? Destroy it?
Or keep it, as a clue to uncover the truth?
Forget it. First, I need to see what the big mystery with this fish is!
Having made up my mind, I quickly slipped into the bathroom, locked the door, and cautiously pulled the fish from my pocket.
I was just about to examine the goldfish closely for anything unusual when the bathroom door suddenly unlocked from the outside.
I looked up, only to see Dylan, who I hadn’t realized was home, staring at me with a dark, ominous expression.
I jumped, quickly stuffing the fish back into my pocket.
“Dylan, when… when did you get back?”
Dylan’s eyes were fixed on me. He didn’t answer my question, only asked coldly.
“What are you doing?”
Meeting his chilling gaze, my heart raced, but I kept my face impassive.
“Morning sickness.”
“You know my pregnancy symptoms are pretty bad.”
Dylan gave me a long, hard look, then glanced towards the fish tank in the living room, and asked,
“Evelyn, do you feel unwell anywhere today? Stomach pain? Or anything else unusual?”
Seeing that he didn’t ask about the goldfish, I was slightly taken aback, then replied,
“No, nothing’s wrong.”
Carol suddenly squeezed into the bathroom doorway, her face pale, tugging at Dylan’s sleeve.
“Dylan, what do we do? The fish is gone. What if…”
“It won’t happen, Carol.”
Dylan cut her off, his eyes fixed on my belly. He said deeply, “There’s still time.”
My heart tightened.
Time for what? To get rid of the baby?
I instinctively stepped back, but Dylan grabbed my hand, soothingly.
“Evelyn, you don’t look so good. I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.”
Taking me to the hospital again!
Even though they hadn’t explicitly mentioned abortion, I knew that if I went to the hospital with them, my baby would be in danger!
I quickly shook my head. “No, I don’t need to. I’m fine, just need some rest.”
But Dylan, without a word, put his arm around my shoulder and started guiding me towards the door.
“Better to get checked, just to be safe.”
Carol also squeezed in. “Yes, Evelyn, the baby in your belly is our precious little one, we need to protect it carefully.”
They flanked me, pulling me towards the front door with terrifying strength.
I struggled, shouting in confusion.
“Let go of me!”
“Why do you insist on taking me to the hospital?!”
They ignored my questions, just pulling me harder towards the door.
But as Dylan opened the door, we ran straight into my parents, who were just about to knock.
Seeing me being roughly dragged by Carol and Dylan, looking so disheveled, my mom instantly panicked.
She rushed forward, pushed Dylan and Carol aside, and pulled me tightly into her arms.
“What are you doing?! Can’t you see my daughter is pregnant? How can you treat her so roughly?!”
My dad also stepped in front of me, his face grim.
“Dylan, when you married Evelyn, I explicitly told you that my daughter is more precious to me than my own life. How dare you treat her this way?!”
I was an only child.
My parents had always treasured me, never even saying a harsh word.
On my wedding day, they cried for a long time, reluctant to let me go, afraid I wouldn’t be happy with my in-laws. They’d visit me every few days.
Now, seeing me treated so roughly, they were furious.
Carol quickly explained. “Richard, Diane, you’ve misunderstood.”
“It’s… it’s just that our goldfish went missing!”
I clearly saw both my parents’ bodies stiffen simultaneously.
But just as quickly, they returned to normal.
My mom even hugged me tighter.
“It’s just a fish! If it’s gone, it’s gone. You still have no right to lay hands on my daughter!”
“Evelyn, you must have been so scared, right?”
“Come on, let’s go home with Mom and Dad for a few days. I’ll make you your favorite sweet and sour ribs.”
My dad chimed in. “Yes, go home. With Dad here, no one can bully you!”
My parents’ words were flawless.
When they looked at me, their faces even wore loving smiles.
But I couldn’t help but feel a shiver of dread.
Something was wrong!
They were wrong!
Everything was wrong!
If I went home with my parents, what awaited me would probably be death.
Almost instantaneously, I used all my strength to shove my mom away, then dashed out the door like a madwoman!
“Stop her!”
“Evelyn!”
I ignored their shouts, protecting my belly, desperately running down the stairs.
In that moment, only one thought consumed me.
Don’t get caught!
I ran downstairs, straight towards the lake by the community entrance.
That’s where the most people were, walking and fishing!
“Help! Help me!”
I yelled at the top of my lungs as I ran.
“They’re trying to kill my baby!”
“Please, someone call the police!”
Heavily pregnant, running and screaming for help, I made everyone at the lake look my way.
Dylan was hot on my heels, shouting.
“She’s my wife!”
“She’s having a breakdown! She’s not making sense!”
But a young couple with a child stepped in front of me, blocking Dylan’s path.
“Don’t you dare come any closer! We’ve already called the police!”
Immediately, more people gathered around me, confronting Dylan and my parents.
“Yeah, we’ve all called the police!”
“No one is touching this pregnant woman until the police get here!”
I was protected in the center of the crowd, panting heavily.
My parents and Dylan looked furious, but they didn’t dare advance.
Soon, several police officers arrived.
Detective Miller, the one leading them, scanned the scene and asked. “What’s going on here? Who called the police?”
Dylan quickly stepped forward, a friendly smile on his face.
“Officer, it’s a misunderstanding!”
“This is my wife. She’s emotionally unstable due to her pregnancy, and my mother and I were just trying to take her for a prenatal check-up.”
My parents also nodded in agreement.
“Yes, Officer. We’re her parents. Our daughter isn’t herself today; we were all just concerned for her.”
I immediately retorted.
“No, that’s not true!”
“They want to kill my baby!”
“All because a goldfish went missing at home!”
“They’re all forcing me to get an abortion!”
“When I refused, they even tried to kill me!”
Though they hadn’t done that in this timeline, the situation was urgent. This was the only way to make the police take me seriously.
Sure enough, faced with my horrifying accusation, Detective Miller’s brows furrowed.
“Abortion and murder over a goldfish? What are you talking about?”
Dylan didn’t even flinch.
“Officer, she’s really distressed and talking nonsense.”
“How could we possibly cause a death over a goldfish?”
“That fish was hers, she’d kept it for a long time. She’s very upset it’s gone, which is why she’s imagining things.”
Carol also nodded.
“That’s right, my daughter-in-law normally loves keeping fish. Today, after the fish went missing, she’s just been completely out of sorts.”
“We were worried her mental state was affected, so we wanted to take her for a check-up at the hospital. We never imagined she’d hallucinate something so absurd.”
Detective Miller eyed us all with a complex expression for a while, then said gravely.
“All of you, come with me to the precinct. We need to clear this up.”
At his words, my parents, Carol, and Dylan’s faces instantly turned ashen.
“Officer, is that really necessary? It’s just a family matter, we can resolve it ourselves.”
My mom spoke up, looking troubled, clearly not wanting to go to the police station.
But Detective Miller said sternly. “Please cooperate with our investigation.”
Just as they were about to be led away, Dylan suddenly walked up to me, speaking softly, in a voice only we could hear.
“You’re curious why we insisted on taking you to the hospital, aren’t you?”
He then glanced at my pocket, his voice serious.
“The fish is in your pocket, right? Look closely at it, and you’ll understand everything!”
My entire body shuddered. I instinctively pulled out the fish and looked at it closely.
Just one look, and my scalp prickled with horror!
In that moment, I finally understood why they were so desperate to force an abortion after the goldfish died!
Understanding everything, I leaped into the nearby lake in front of everyone, as if my life meant nothing…
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