Chapter 4

Fred suddenly stopped talking.

He stared at me in disbelief as an indescribable sense of fear crept up on him.

He felt that I was like a feather that would soon drift away with the wind, where he could never find me.

I slowly got up. I leaned against the wall and wiped the blood from my face. I looked at my mother and said, “Fred and I didn’t get legally married anyway.

“So, he can get married to Diane directly.”

My mother was surprised. She asked, “You didn’t sign the papers?”

Fred’s face fell. He frowned and said, “I was too busy. After a while, I might have forgotten about it.”

My mother clapped her hands. “That’s great news!”

Sammy glanced at me cautiously and asked, “Then, would Aunt Diane be my mommy?”

I nodded and said with a smile, “Are you happy?”

Sammy jumped in joy. “Yay! Aunt Diane is my mommy!”

It seemed he had realized I might be displeased. He said, “Mommy… No… Aunt Daphne, as long as you promise you won’t bully Aunt Diane, I’ll still like you.”

I looked down and said in a soft voice, “Alright.”

Diane burst into tears of joy. She asked, “Are you really willing to let Fred marry me?”

I said calmly, “Yes, he’ll be your husband.”

Diane glanced at Fred shyly.

She initially thought Fred would be happy, but Fred was only staring at me. She fisted her sleeves and looked down to hide her jealousy.

When she looked up again, she composed herself to look innocent. She said sincerely, “Thank you, Daphne.”

I shook my head and said indifferently, “We’re a family. You don’t have to thank me for that.

“Besides, you’ll be taking care of me too in the future.”

Diane did not know that I had already signed the consent form to donate my body to her current research lab. She thought that I was just being polite, so she smiled and said, “We’re sisters. Of course, I’ll take care of you!”

My mother saw us make up and nodded in satisfaction. “That’s right. When you handle things so maturely, how could your father and I stay mad at you?”

I looked at her. I really wanted to ask her if I had really ever been immature.

I was the rightful daughter of the Bishop family, but everyone thought that I was adopted.

Fred was the one who wanted to marry me, but everyone thought that I was the mistress.

I was the one who took care of Fred and Sammy without any complaints and without a rightful status, but everyone thought that I was unruly and cruel.

I slowly shut my eyes and held back my tears.

I no longer wanted to cry before them.

It was because I knew that if I cried, Diane would cry harder.

At this time, even my tears had become my flaws.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt as though my heart had gone numb.

It was like an old clock that had stopped working.

I looked at Fred and noticed that he was looking at me with pity.

I felt that it was ridiculous. I whispered, “Can I go back and rest now?”

Fred nodded and said, “Yes, go and get some rest.”

I let out a sigh of relief and slowly walked toward the basement.

My mother said, “Get your things and come home with us.

“The house is surrounded by reporters now. If everyone finds out that you’re staying at your brother-in-law’s place, they might suspect something.”

I nodded obediently and said, “Alright.”

My mother instructed Fred to take me home. After we walked out, he suddenly grabbed my wrist and said, “I’ll come with you for your surgery next week.

“Once your surgery is done, let’s talk properly.

“Diane and I… It’s not what you think.”

I saw Diane’s face fall, and I smiled at Fred. “Alright.”

Fred looked at me strangely, as though the person standing in front of him was an emotionless rock.

He felt a bit frustrated. “Let’s go.”

After we got into the car, we were silent.

A few times, Fred seemed like he wanted to say something. But after he looked at my blood-stained face, he lost the urge to speak.

Halfway through the journey, my mother called him.

The next second, he stopped the car on the side of the road and said anxiously, “Diane has suddenly fainted. Maybe she’s experiencing a serious rejection.

“I have to rush back. You should take a taxi home.”

I glanced at time on the dashboard. It was three in the morning.

We were on an elevated highway in an isolated area. How was I supposed to get a taxi?

However, I did not speak. I just got out of the car.

Before I could even stand upright, Fred had already sped away.

The rumbling sound of the sports car echoed the pain in my heart.

I pressed my hand against my chest. After a long while, the pain finally subsided a little.

It had just gotten better when I heard thunder. It was as if the universe could not stand my weakness and wanted to roar at me.

After a while, it started raining heavily. The chilly rain made my pain worsen.

From the sound, I realized that a hailstorm was coming.

I covered my head and started to walk. The hard hail hit my arms and face.

It was too painful.

I could not help but burst into tears.

I did not want to cry, but it was painful getting pelted by hail.

I suddenly lost consciousness and fell to the ground after walking a while.

After a really long time, I heard the ambulance sirens. Then, I heard my doctor’s familiar voice.

It sounded like he was crying. He asked, “What happened? She had a week to live! How… how could this be?”

My ribs hurt. It felt like the doctor was pressing on them too hard.

Was he trying to resuscitate me? But… it was too painful.

Life was painful…

I just wanted to let go…

Beep…

A patient had died at five in the morning on the first of June after rescue efforts failed. She was only 28 years old.

At the same time, the famous research lab, Artisan of Heart, took in her body and preserved it using cryonics.