Reborn, I Let His “Fairness” Kill the Right One

The entire preschool was under lockdown, held by kidnappers. “No cops! We release children based on who pays the most!” a voice roared through a megaphone. In my previous life, I paid double the ransom, desperate for my daughter, Lily, to be the first one safe. But my husband, David, the leader of the rescue team, insisted on “fairness,” placing her last on the list. Lily died. After I was reborn, one of David’s teammates stopped me, bowing deeply. “Sarah, you’re truly selfless, agreeing to swap your child with the one at the very end of the list.” I cried, yelling, “Don’t you dare switch them!” But David slapped me hard. “As the team leader, I can’t let people think I’m playing favorites and deliberately saving my own child first!”

I was on the verge of a breakdown. “What if something happens to Lily?” David remained unmoved. “Nothing will happen. Don’t be a jinx.” My body trembled with rage. “David, you don’t deserve to be Lily’s dad!” “Lily is only five! Watching all the other kids get rescued one by one, leaving her alone at the end, how terrified she must be!” “What if the kidnappers get agitated? Have you even thought about what could happen to our daughter?!” The memory of her pleading eyes just before she died in my previous life made my heart ache, stealing my breath. David was still unyielding. “I’m the rescue team leader. Lily might be my daughter, but she has to be treated fairly.” “What would people say if Lily was released first?” “David!” I tore my hand from his grip and slapped him across the face. “Our daughter’s life is hanging by a thread, and you’re still thinking about your reputation? Are you even human?” The slap echoed sharply, making David’s teammates turn their heads. That blow ignited David’s fury. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the ground. “You have no sense of the bigger picture!” “What about my reputation if Lily is saved first?” I froze. For the first time, I saw his true colors. Turns out, from beginning to end, in his eyes, Lily’s life was never worth as much as his ridiculous reputation! I struggled, crawling towards the other team members, my voice choked with sobs, but every word was clear. “I paid double the ransom precisely so my daughter could be out of danger sooner!” “But my husband secretly changed the list! He swapped Lily with the little boy whose family paid the least!” Everyone froze. After a brief silence, an older team member, John, spoke first, his voice filled with disappointment. “Sarah, we truly overestimated you.” “Captain David is doing this for the greater good!” Another teammate, Kevin, immediately chimed in, his brows furrowed tightly. “He’s sacrificing his own daughter for the rescue team’s reputation. How selfless is that? Why can’t you understand, Sarah?” “Exactly, Sarah,” a younger team member muttered, his tone dismissive. “If you keep making a scene, you might anger the kidnappers. Not only will Lily be in danger, but all the other kids will be affected too! How can you be so selfish?!” “Selfish?” I looked at them in disbelief, shaking with anger. “So I’m supposed to be ‘great’ enough to sacrifice my daughter’s life to uphold your reputation?!” “Enough!” David roared. “Take her to the back. Don’t let her cause trouble here and hinder the rescue!” The teammates immediately responded. Several of them surrounded me, ready to grab me.