Chapter 1

My husband cheated on me and tried to leave me with nothing. Heartbroken, I was about to jump into the river when the baby in my belly suddenly spoke.

“Mom, don’t do it! I’ve been reborn. In my past life, my scumbag father kicked us out for his mistress and then won an $11 million lottery.”

I was even more desperate and about to let go when the voice spoke again.

“I know the winning lottery numbers. We can take them. Please don’t die. More importantly, my scumbag father’s hidden money is in the bedroom ceiling. Take it first, then divorce him.”

My legs stopped shaking and I finally calmed down. When I got home, I borrowed a ladder and started tearing open the ceiling.

——

Since I had run back in tears, the housekeeper didn’t dare stop me.

I locked the bedroom door, set up the ladder and took off my shoes. I glanced at my slightly rounded belly.

“Son, are you sure it’s here? Your dad will be back soon. If we tear down the wrong spot, we’ll lose our chance.”

A childish yet cocky voice came from my belly. “Mom, trust me! In my past life, that scumbag dad hid his gold bars here. Third panel from the left; push hard!”

I took a deep breath and climbed the ladder. My hands were shaking; not from fear, but from excitement.

Scott froze all my cards to force me into a divorce. He called it “letting me calm down,” but in truth, he was cutting off my money to make me submit.

He wanted me to leave with nothing? Dream on. I shoved the patterned ceiling panel open. Dust fell and blurred my vision, but I didn’t wipe my eyes. I had already touched the heavy black cloth bag. It was so heavy that I nearly fell off the ladder while pulling it out.

“Be careful, Mom! If you fall, we’ll both die!”

“Don’t jinx it.”

My hands shook as I opened the bag. Golden light flashed before my eyes; it was filled with gold bars. I had never seen so much gold in my life.

I rummaged through it and found stacks of U.S. dollars underneath. “How much money is this?”

“About $5 million. That scumbag dad secretly siphoned it from the company behind his partners’ backs. It was meant as startup money for him and his mistress to enjoy life overseas. In your past life, you jumped into the river and let them get away. They used this money to go abroad, get credentials and return as famous entrepreneurs; completely forgetting you.”

Hearing this, my anger exploded. Scott, you bastard. I built everything with you from nothing and now that you were rich, you cheated on me, hid money from me and even tried to drive me to death?

I took the gold bars out one by one and packed them into the suitcase I’d prepared earlier. “What if Scott finds out when he gets back?”

I stared at the dark opening, worried. If he found out, I might not even make it out of this house, let alone get a divorce.

“Mom, are you silly? Just stuff some old books into the box next to it so it looks full, then put the ceiling panels back. They haven’t been opened in years. By the time he notices, we’ll be long gone!”

I suddenly understood. I grabbed a few of Scott’s showpiece books from the top shelf, stuffed them into the black bag and put it back in the ceiling. Then I carefully secured the panels.