Chapter 1

On New Year's Eve, my sister-in-law Rachel's son threw a firecracker into the manhole cover behind my son.

After a deafening explosion, my son collapsed on the ground, not breathing.

I rushed forward, demanding her son pay with his life.

Rachel said it was just an accident.

She tossed me fifty thousand dollars and told me not to ruin everyone's holiday mood.

The whole family urged me to be magnanimous, forcing me to sign a settlement agreement.

In the end, I was completely exhausted and committed suicide on my son's death anniversary.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back one second before the firecracker was lit.

I immediately yanked my son into my arms.

A loud explosion rang out, followed by a scream behind me.

I turned around and saw a child lying beside the manhole cover.

Rachel screamed and rushed over.

Her son was gone.

The air reeked of sulfur as a lighter clicked.

My nephew Logan crouched by the manhole cover, holding a lit firecracker that was sparking.

My son Daniel faced away from the manhole, crouched a meter away playing with firecrackers.

This scene overlapped with the image from my past life when my son was blown to death.

"Daniel!"

I yelled and lunged forward.

I grabbed my son's collar and yanked him into my arms, simultaneously kicking out with my right leg.

Logan was just about to throw the firecracker when my foot connected with his rear.

"Ow!"

He screamed, lost his balance, and fell forward onto the manhole cover.

The firecracker that had burned down to the end slipped through the hole.

BOOM---!!!

The earth shook.

The shockwave mixed with sewer gas and sludge shot into the sky.

I pressed Daniel firmly beneath me. My back was struck painfully by flying debris, my ears ringing.

"Mom... scared..."

Daniel in my arms trembled all over, his little hands clutching my clothes.

Still alive.

The smoke cleared.

Rachel, holding a bag of snacks, rushed into the yard.

A large crater had been blown in the concrete, the cast iron manhole cover was gone.

A figure lay at the crater's edge.

The child was covered in sludge, his clothes indistinguishable, his head and face smeared with blood and mud, motionless.

Rachel froze for a moment.

Then she saw me hiding behind the flower bed.

My back was toward her, my coat covering Daniel, only showing a pair of dust-covered shoes.

Rachel spat out some shells.

"Oh my God! I told you to watch your Daniel, but you wouldn't listen!"

She scurried in front of the child and began lecturing, pointing at the body on the ground.

"I said it during dinner---manhole covers are dangerous. My Logan is so well-behaved, he never goes near those places! Your Daniel is the wild one. Now he's gotten what he deserves, hasn't he?"

She turned and shouted toward the house.

"Mom! Derek! Come out and see! Nina's gotten her son killed!"

I straightened up, holding Daniel against me, not letting him look.

I just watched Rachel.

In my past life, when Daniel was blown up, she wore this exact same expression.

Back then she said: "Kids fooling around, who knew the manhole would explode? It's fate!"

Now, watching her gesticulate over that body, even kicking the rubble on the ground with her foot, I said nothing.

Since you think this is karma, then let it be karma.

The people inside ran out.

My mother-in-law Martha, wrapped in a cotton coat, leaning on her cane.

"What happened? Are you trying to tear down the house?"

Rachel pointed at the child on the ground and shouted.

"Mom, look! I told you Nina was bad luck! On New Year's Eve she just had to play with fireworks, and now she's blown herself into this state. Isn't it unlucky?"

My mother-in-law squinted through her reading glasses and frowned.

"Oh my heavens! Is... is this Daniel?"

"Really a cursed short-lived child! Seeing blood on New Year's---how unlucky!"

My mother-in-law poked at the child's leg with her cane.

"Why aren't you getting up? What are you pretending to be dead for? Don't embarrass the Miller family here!"

Logan on the ground made gurgling sounds in his throat, his body curling up.

Rachel jumped back a step, covering her nose.

"Pretending! Still pretending! That noise was so loud just now, I bet he's just trying to scare us! Covered in this stinking mud---hurry up and drag him away, don't dirty the ground in front of my house!"

Neighbors gathered around.

Someone spoke up: "Rachel, this child doesn't look right. So much blood---I'm afraid his internal organs are injured. Call 911 quickly!"

"Yeah, look at that leg, it's deformed."