The Stolen Brother, Swapping Babies with Roommate

I was a medical student at Northport Medical Academy, specializing in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

My roommate, Ria Russo, once contracted a shameful, incurable infection. I was the one who hid it from the school and treated her in secret.

Later, when she got pregnant, I helped her cover that up too.

A month after she gave birth, my own mother went into labor.

It happened right in the ward where Ria and I were interning. My mother gave birth to a baby boy who had a strange, long tail.

To pay for my brother's medical bills, my father worked as an Uber driver day and night. He eventually died in a horrific car crash caused by exhaustion.

My mother couldn't handle the trauma and lost her mind.

For their sake, I dropped out of school. I lived a miserable, pathetic life.

It wasn't until I was on my deathbed that Ria came to mock me.

Only then did I realize she had swapped her baby with my brother all those years ago.

My real brother had been sold to human traffickers for a high price long ago.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment Ria Russo offered to watch over my mother for me.

"Elara, you've helped me so much lately. Let me take your shift for the next few days."

My roommate, Ria, had a strange flicker in her eyes.

Staring at her familiar face, my mind felt hazy for a second.

"Elara? What are you thinking about?"

When I didn't respond, Ria walked over and shook my shoulder twice.

That was when I realized I had been reborn. I was back on the day my mother was about to give birth.

By chance, my father was away on a business trip and couldn't make it back in time.

I was the only one left to take care of her.

In my previous life, when Ria offered to cover for me, I was moved to tears of gratitude.

But now, I simply smiled and agreed.

"It's a deal then."

As soon as I agreed, Ria smiled and walked out of the lounge.

Watching her satisfied figure disappear, a cold light flashed in my eyes.

How did I not notice how fishy this was in my past life?

Ria was so lazy she didn't even want to work her own shifts.

Why would someone like her beg to do extra work for me?

Once Ria left the room, I threw on my white coat and sprinted toward my mother's labor ward.

My mother was an older pregnant woman. Since my father wasn't around, she had been admitted to the hospital early.

"Elara, honey, just focus on your work. You don't need to keep running over here."

"I gave birth to you all by myself back in the day. I'll be fine."

Seeing me rush in, my mother sat up in bed.

She gently peeled an orange and handed a slice to me.

Seeing her safe and sound, I let out a long breath of relief.

My mother had always been a strong and kind woman.

In my last life, even when she thought her baby was a deformed monster, she never thought about giving up on him.

She didn't know that the baby was just a cuckoo in the nest, a sickly parasite.

That child dragged our family into poverty, indirectly killed my father, and drove my mother insane.

And I had dropped out of school with nowhere to go, doing odd jobs just to survive.

In the end, I ended up homeless on the streets because of that sickly boy.

By then, Ria had already become the Chief of Medicine.

Before I died, she told me that my brother had been swapped.

That was when I found out the deformed child was actually the result of her secret affair with the Department Head.

The deformity happened because of their reckless lifestyle. They had caught a nasty infection that reached the fetus in the womb.

The irony was that I was the one who cured her infection.

I was the one who helped her hide her pregnancy from the academy.

Meanwhile, my healthy baby brother had been sold off by her and the Department Head.

They were nothing but a pack of human traffickers.

My poor brother.

He ended up with permanent disabilities, begging for scraps under a bridge.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil.

I will never let that happen again in this life.

"Mom, I'm an adult now."

"Just lie down and rest. Tell me if you need anything."

"Don't worry. I will make sure both you and my brother are safe."

I helped her lie back down and squeezed her hand firmly.

"Elara? How is your mom doing?"

Ria appeared in the room out of nowhere.

She looked at my mother on the bed, pretending to be worried.

"She's fine. Everything is good."

Thinking about the disgusting things that happened in my past life, I blocked her at the door.

This time, I wouldn't give her a single chance to get close.

"Elara, what are you doing?"

Ria's eyes flashed with a hint of malice when I blocked her path.

"Nothing. I just wanted to ask you for some advice on postpartum care."

Seeing her annoyance, I intentionally brought up her one-month-old child.

"I...."

As expected, Ria's expression stiffened for a brief moment.

However, she recovered quickly.

"Elara, you have no idea. Babies are actually very easy to take care of."

"When I have time, I'll bring mine over so you can see."

She grabbed my hand and acted all excited.

I sneered in my head. You have the nerve to say that sickly, deformed creature is easy to raise?

But on the surface, I kept a bright smile.

"I'm so jealous. Having a baby at such a young age is a real blessing, Ria."

"Oh, right. I'll have to trouble you with the night shift. Also, these patient records need to be handed to the Chief tonight."

I shoved a thick stack of paperwork into her hands.

Then, I turned around, went back into the room, and slammed the door shut.

Ria clearly didn't expect me to be so blunt.

She stood frozen at the door.

Back in the room, I realized I couldn't do this alone.

I called my father, who was on a business trip in the neighboring city.

My voice was dead serious.

I told him that even if the sky was falling, he had to drop everything and come home today.

If he didn't, he shouldn't bother coming back to this family ever again.

After he repeatedly promised he would arrive by the afternoon, I finally hung up.

Time flew by.

Fortunately, my father arrived just seconds before my mother was wheeled into the delivery room.

Seeing him panting and exhausted, I finally felt like I could breathe again.

In this life, I wasn't alone. My father was here too.

The tragedy of the past wouldn't repeat itself.

"Elara, Mr. Sterling, why don't you two go get some rest? I'll keep an eye on things here."

"I'll call you the second the baby is born."

Ria's voice rang in my ear again.

I turned around and saw her looking at me with a sincere face.

But there was a desperate hunger in her eyes.

I knew this was the exact moment she had lured me away in my previous life.

She had taken advantage of my mother's exhaustion to swap the babies.

Looking at her impatient face, I let out a cold smirk.

"It's okay. We've waited this long; a few more minutes won't hurt."

"My father and I want to be the first ones to see my brother. Right, Dad?"

"Absolutely!"

My father nodded nervously from his seat.

A dark shadow crossed Ria's face before she forced a fake smile.

"Right, right. You should definitely be the first to see him."

"It's your brother, after all. Elara, let me know if you need anything."

Seeing that neither of us had any intention of leaving, Ria made some small talk and left.

"Yeah."

I dismissed her and turned my focus back to the delivery room.

I would not allow any mistakes this time.

"Waaa!"

A moment later, the sound of a baby crying echoed from inside.

The sound made both my father and me sigh in relief.

I was so shaken with emotion that I almost collapsed to the floor.

Inside the room, I looked at my chubby, healthy little brother.

In this life, he wasn't sickly, and he didn't have that horrific tail-like deformity.

This was my real brother.

I picked him up gently, feeling my heart melt for this tiny life.

My brother seemed to feel it too, as he started sucking on his thumb in my arms.

My mother laughed weakly from the bed.

"Look at you. You're more excited than I am. You're going to spoil him rotten."

At our insistence, my mother was moved to a high-end private suite.

As we left the delivery ward, I spotted Ria on the phone. She sounded incredibly agitated.

When she saw me, she hung up instantly.

She asked how the baby was.

I gave her a few vague answers, but a sense of unease began to creep into my heart.

After my mother and brother were settled, I pulled my father aside.

"What's wrong, Elara?"

My father looked at my frantic face with concern.

"Dad! No matter what happens today, you have to protect Mom and the baby."

"Honey, what are you talking about? This isn't my first time being a dad. Of course I'll protect them."

"No, you have to promise me!"

"Okay, okay! I promise!"

While I was lecturing my father, Ria somehow found us again.

"Elara, Mr. Sterling! Congratulations!"

She waved and walked quickly toward us.

"Thanks!"

I blocked the door immediately as she tried to peer inside.

"Ria, if I remember correctly, you're on shift right now. Aren't you afraid the Head Nurse will catch you?"

"It's fine for a few minutes. I just wanted to see the baby."

Ria didn't look like she was planning to leave. She kept trying to look past me into the room.

"Ria, you're at a critical point in your internship."

"Don't let this distract you. You can see him after your shift is over."

My father, who was about to open the door for her, nodded after hearing my words.

"She's right, Ria. Elara has told me so much about you. Thank you for caring."

"But work comes first for young people. Come visit after you clock out!"

"Fine. I'll come by first thing after my shift."

Realizing she had no chance to get in, Ria gave us a chilling look before walking away.

"Elara, why were you so blunt with her?"

"Dad, just watch Mom and the baby!"

I didn't give him an explanation, only a stern warning.

"Alright..."

That night, even though my mother and brother were sleeping soundly, I couldn't relax.

The trauma from my past life was too deep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those horrific scenes.

"Elara, if you're tired, go to sleep."

My father spoke softly from the bedside chair.

"Your mother is fine, and the baby is healthy. I'm right here watching them."

I looked at him and nodded.

"Dad, I'm going to wash my face. You must stay here. Do not leave this room for any reason!"

He nodded seriously and gave me his word.

I ran to the restroom and splashed cold water on my face. It woke me up instantly.

With my father on guard, nothing should go wrong.

But as I stepped out of the restroom, I saw a familiar figure darting toward the stairwell.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

I sprinted back to the room. My father was sitting right where I left him.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," I whispered to myself.

"Dad, I'm back."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"You're being way too cautious," my father teased.

"Hospital security is great these days. What could happen?"

"Besides, your friend Ria already stopped by to check on the baby. She said all his vitals were perfect."

"Ria?" My heart skipped a beat.

"Dad, have you been in the room the whole time?"

"Mostly. I just stepped out for a quick smoke while Ria was doing the check-up."

"Don't worry, I aired myself out before coming back in."

Hearing that he had stepped out, and remembering the figure I saw at the stairs, my body began to tremble.

I lunged toward the bassinet.

Sure enough, my brother was gone. In his place lay the deformed monster from my nightmares!

"Help! Someone stole my baby!"