Chapter 4

Little did she know, her favorite daughter, Mia, was the one who ruined her future.

As luck would have it, the accident was not fatal.

After surgery, Mom managed to escape without becoming disabled. However, it also meant she was no longer fit to wield a scalpel and had to give up on her career as a surgeon.

Fortunately, the Medical Director of the hospital was just about to retire at the time and decided to let Mom, who had the right qualifications, take over the position.

However, her dream was to become a world-class surgeon. She could not possibly be content with settling down as Medical Director at such an early point in her career.

Since then, she became prone to depression and would have violent fits from time to time. During these fits, she would smash everything in sight in the house, including the cookware, the refrigerator, and the television. Nothing was safe from her wrath.

When Dad tried to reason with her, she refused to listen and would even attack him at times.

Dad was covered in scratches from his attempts at consoling Mom. At first, he believed that he could help Mom get through this with enough patience.

That was until a certain episode when Mom went rabid and stabbed him in the wrist with a knife, nearly killing him.

At last, he decided he had had enough and filed for divorce, yielding full custody of me and Mia to Mom.

Since then, Mom struggled with juggling between taking care of her daughters and her work.

After Dad left, her resentment for me grew. She blamed me for ruining what was once a perfect life. She often remarked that I looked like Dad, though it was not said with affection but with growing resentment.

Gradually, Mia became the only thing keeping her going. She would often state, "I don’t know how long I would have kept self-sabotaging if it wasn’t for Mia. I’m so glad I have an angel like her by my side."

Little did she know, I was the one who cooked at home every day after school since Dad left us. Since I knew Mom resented me, I had Mia tell her to join us for dinner instead.

I was also the one who cleaned the house and did the laundry every day by perching myself on a stool. I was the one who bought her Mother's Day presents, the occasional surprise gift, as well as the endless stalks of flowers in the vase with the pocket money I saved since I was a child.

The reason she ended up crediting all of these to Mia was that I had never been good at being vocal about these gestures.

Whenever I tried to tell her the truth behind the accident, she would crossly cut me off, "Drop the innocent act and quit blaming Mia!"

After several attempts, she accused me of being painfully stubborn and began to beat me to teach me a lesson.

Since then, I grew wary of trying to explain.

Mia eventually recognized how much Mom favored her. She learned to play the role of the golden child in front of Mom and would badmouth me. I received many beatings because of her.

Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes and jerked me back into the present. She turned to Mom sheepishly and apologized, "Sorry, I almost missed the turn."

Mom, who was usually unreasonably grumpy, was too preoccupied with Mia to tell the driver off. She grabbed the luggage and stepped out of the car.

Upon a closer glance, I realized this was the luxury seaside manor I once mentioned to her.

I had spent several years saving up money and was only waiting for her to take time off work so I could bring her and Mia here for a vacation.

Alas, I was here with them, but in the form of a spirit.

Even Mia, in all her self-centredness, was captivated by the view. She reached for her phone and began taking countless selfies so she could post them on social media.

After arriving in Markeif, they seemed to have completely forgotten about me, their family member who had just undergone surgery.

They spent their days either sunbathing on the beach or indulging in food and drinks, never bothering to call to check on me, let alone bring up my name at all.

I was endlessly frustrated but had nowhere to vent. At this point, Dr. Videu somehow appeared on the island.

Mom was perplexed to meet Dr. Videu in a foreign country. "What brings you here?"

Dr. Videu's eyes were red as he spoke, "Mrs. Barlowe, you haven't been to the hospital in a few days. Willow is…"

Mom seemed to have anticipated what he was about to say and cut him off before he could begin, "You’re going to tell me that she’s dead, right? I’ve heard that enough times already. Why don’t you come up with something new for a change?"

Dr. Videu did not know how he could possibly convince Mom he was telling the truth. He anxiously tried to explain over and over again, "Mrs. Barlowe, will you please believe me? Her body has already been waiting for collection in the morgue for a week."

Mom laughed sardonically. "Oh, forget about that! If she is dead, I would much rather throw a grand party to celebrate it!"

Just as Dr. Videu tried to reason with her again, she grew solemn and cut him off, "That's enough! I can deal with her constant lying, but why are you playing along with her?

"What did she do to convince you to come all this way to lie to me? You’re not in love with her, are you? Ha! I can’t believe anyone would ever be blind enough to fall for her!"

Mia, who was listening nearby, approached them, "Isn’t this Dr. Videu? Did Willow lace you with some kind of drug to make you fall for her? I know you've always had feelings for her, but frightening Mom for her sake is going too far."

Dr. Videu was so vexed by Mia and Mom’s scornful remarks that he turned red. At this point, his tone switched from mild to confrontational. "I’m telling you that Willow’s body is in the morgue right now! If you don’t believe me, go on and have a look yourself! Just don’t regret it later!"