The Bitter Taste of Regret: Her Loss, My Gain

The next day, Hollie applied for off-campus accommodation on the grounds of taking the postgraduate entrance examination. She moved in with Pedro.

I went to study in the classroom specifically designed for the postgraduate entrance examination every day. Jessa went out to do part-time work every day. The three of us could only meet each other when we went to bed at night.

We occasionally met Hollie during class. Neither Jessa nor I wanted to sit with her.

She, who had gotten pregnant, talked about the child and the child's father all the time, which was annoying.

Aleah was enthusiastic. She cared about Hollie's baby.

She frequently reminded Hollie to go through the prenatal examination and be in a good mood.

Pedro's mother came from the countryside to take care of Hollie after knowing that she was pregnant.

But there was no mention of a marriage.

Hollie occasionally shares the specific meal made for pregnant women cooked by her mother-in-law on Instagram. The dishes were nothing more than pasta and soup with little nutrition.

Others commented that it was too bland and unappetizing.

She replied, [Per my mother-in-law, during pregnancy, the diet should be light, so that the baby will be small and easy to deliver. Eating too much meat will only make the adults gain weight. The baby can't absorb it.]

Others asked her about the time of getting married and having a wedding.

She replied, [Per my husband, there is no rush to get married. Many people in his hometown only get married after having a child. Now that I am pregnant, I naturally can't have a wedding.]

I secretly laughed in my heart, thinking, "Getting married after having a child means having a son before getting married."

"It's okay. Those who are willing to endure hardships will have endless hardships to endure."

Hollie often shared her daily life in our group chat.

On the surface, they were a loving couple, and she got along with her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She emphasized that she had a peaceful life.

But privately, she often messaged me to complain about her husband and mother-in-law.

In the previous life, right after Pedro hit Hollie, she complained to me.

I advised her that she couldn't be with a man who hit a woman. After all, it was a matter of principle.

But she said and smiled sweetly, [It's normal for couples to have a playful fight. You wouldn't understand us if you weren't in a relationship. I hit him too. Every time he hits me, he kneels and apologizes to me.]

In this life, she complained to me again that Pedro hit her. I replied, [No couple doesn't fight in this world. Fighting at the beginning and making up at the end is a common thing. It shows that there is passion between you.]

She complained to me that Pedro didn't come home every day.

Her mother-in-law said that all men were like this. After all, they were all busy with work to earn money and support the family.

I replied, [Your mother-in-law is right.]

She complained again, saying that she was pregnant, and her mother-in-law made her do housework, laundry, and cooking every day.

When she asked Pedro to do housework, her mother-in-law got angry, saying that these were women's chores. Men doing these things were useless and would be laughed at.

I gave her a thumbs up.

Gradually, she complained more. I would reply to her every two or three days.

I answered her in a perfunctory manner. Then she didn't chat with me much anymore.

"In this life, she can't gain any emotional value from me again."

I kept my distance from Aleah deliberately, fearing that I would be implicated once an accident happened.

I vaguely noticed that Jessa seemed to be distancing herself from Aleah as well.

Normally, she didn't reply to any of Aleah's messages from the group chat.

"It's good for her to stay away from these people who tend to play like saints and who are obsessed with love."

In my previous life, when I was murdered, she was the only one shouting for security, calling the police, and calling 911.

In this life, I just hoped that when these people, who tended to play like saints and who were obsessed with love, died, Jessa and I wouldn't be implicated.