Chapter 4

By the time I finished tidying the bed, Serena was already gone.

My tense body finally relaxed, but the metallic taste in my throat could no longer be suppressed. I bent over and coughed up a mouthful of blood, then collapsed onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

'Mother, I'll be with you soon.'

Two days passed.

I stayed in my room the entire time, and Serena did not come to torment me.

That day, a servant came at Serena's orders to show off to me.

"Miss Serena's fiancé has arrived. He's taking her out. That's why she has no time for you."

The servant continued, "He has taken Miss Serena out shopping. They're buying every single piece of clothing and every bag from the latest collection.

"Then he took her to an elite club to drink and play games with his friends."

I listened quietly. My mind was calm and as still as water.

***

It was the fifth day, and my life was drawing to an end.

Coincidentally, it was also my mother's death anniversary.

At dawn, I rose to prepare myself. I put on the clothes my mother had custom-made for me and applied a touch of powder to make myself look less pale.

As soon as I stepped outside, the butler said, "Mr. Jones and Miss Serena have already left."

Only five years had passed, and my brother had already forgotten that I, too, was his sister.

I nodded silently and walked out of the villa alone.

The village doctor's diagnosis was correct. My body was deteriorating rapidly.

Days ago, I could walk half a day against the cold wind.

Today, it took only minutes for my body to shiver uncontrollably and my vision to blur.

I could not fall. I had to see my mother.

I spat out the blood in my mouth and followed the path toward my mother's tomb from memory.

Rain began to fall.

Large, heavy drops pelted my body, cold and unrelenting.

The rain blurred my vision, and I stepped on a loose stone, falling hard to the ground.

The downpour drenched my hair and clothes, as though it was trying to swallow me whole.

I could not breathe. I wondered if I died like this, would Mother cry when I met her in the afterlife?

Still, I had no strength left. Every attempt to rise grew smaller and weaker.

After I closed my eyes, a car behind me suddenly screeched to a halt.

Nathan stepped out, holding an umbrella, and approached me.

"Get in."

The rain seemed to stop for a moment.

I forced my eyes open and saw a pitch-black umbrella above me, and Nathan looking down at me, towering and calm.

"No, I'm dirty."

After refusing, I took a shaky breath and got to my feet, trying to walk past him.

Nathan grabbed my arm and forced me into the car.

When he met my calm, distant gaze, he instinctively looked away.

"Regardless, we know each other. I can't just stand by and watch you drown in the rain."

I stopped looking at him and curled quietly into the back seat, pressing against the window, afraid that he might throw me out of the car if I touched him by accident.

My body could no longer carry me any further.

Nathan did not look at me again after getting in. He only told the driver to turn up the heat. Warm air filled the car, making it cozy inside.

When we reached the tomb, I prepared to get out as soon as the car stopped.

However, the moment I opened the door, Seth grabbed me by the collar and yanked me back.

Throughout the entire journey, my pale cheeks were flushed red by the warm wind.

Seth's brows furrowed, and his eyes burned with anger when he saw that.

"Who told you to come with Serena's fiancé?

"I thought those five years in the countryside would make you obedient and well-behaved, but you're still so shameless!

"Sylvie, you truly disappoint me!"

Serena held her umbrella and stood beside him with red-rimmed eyes, quietly trying to convince him.

"What did I do wrong, Seth? Please don't scold her. She didn't do it on purpose…"

A passerby nearby heard his words and shot me a look of disdain.

Everyone hated me.

I collapsed onto the ground, staring at my mother's tomb a few meters ahead. I opened my mouth, ready to explain.

Before I could even speak, a dull pain shot through my chest.

The metallic, bloody taste surged up my throat, and the world twisted and spun before my eyes.

I could feel it. My life was reaching its end.

After Serena's words failed to calm him, Seth's fury grew even more. He raised his leg and kicked me square in the chest.

Dark red blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, tinted a faint pink by the rain.

I had no time to explain. I quickly wiped the rain from my face, struggled to my feet, and made my way toward my mother's grave.

'Mother, Mother…

'I missed you so much. Please let me see you just once more.'

Seth, seeing that I ignored him and refused to explain, grew even angrier. He shoved me to the ground again.

Then, he kicked me several more times.

The rain was icy and merciless, and the pain coursing through my body cut straight to my soul.

I summoned every last ounce of strength, crawling toward my mother's tomb. Finally, I saw her photo engraved on the gravestone.

'Mother, I can finally see you.'

A satisfied smile crossed my lips.

Seth yanked me up and demanded, "Syvlie, you won't even explain a single word to me?"

The instant he lifted me, he finally noticed the large streaks of blood at the corner of my mouth.

His heart jolted. "Sylvie!"

Nathan stepped out of the car, holding his umbrella, and froze when he saw my condition.

After Seth hurriedly carried me in his arms past him, Nathan finally came back to his senses.

"I was the one who saw her walking and forced her into the car.

"She never once tried to get close to me."