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《I Saw My Daughter Beg Me Not to Die》全部章節：第 1 章 - 第 10 章

11 章節

Chapter 1

I sent Natalie a message, but I didn't get a reply right away.Feeling anxious, I sent her another one. "Nattie, answer me. Don't jump!"Natalie's feed was empty. The only things there were the few comments she had left.I had created this account with my phone number, and the only person on her friends list was my main account.There was no way that one of my friends had done this as a joke.I turned to look at the crib.Natalie had just finished feeding and rolled over. She clenched her tiny fists and smacked her lips.She was small and delicate. Her rosy face peeked out of the cloud-patterned blanket that I had picked out for her.Everyone said she was a little princess who had been born into a loving family.But someone was convincing her to throw herself down the stairs to get Zane's attention.There were only seven days left until she turned one month old.If the comments were true, then I had to act now.I immediately called my best friend, Yvonne Smith, who was a la

Chapter 2

While I was waiting for Dad, the doorbell rang.Wanda entered the room.She was holding a stack of printed proposals. The cover was embossed with the words "Nattie's Meet-the-Baby Celebration" in gold."Mrs. Graham, Mr. Graham asked me to bring over a few proposals for Nattie's meet-the-baby celebration for you to review," she said in a professional tone. "He was worried the little details would tire you out, so I narrowed it down to a few options. Once you choose the one you like best, I'll finalize everything."She placed the proposals on the coffee table.Then, she began explaining every detail of the celebration. "Mr. Graham specifically requested this pink theme. He said Nattie is a girl, so we should use soft colors."My eyes were focused on the gold lettering on the cover, but all I could hear was a buzzing sound."You jumped because you hated me. Aunt Wanda said that I had to fall down the stairs one more time for Dad to come home."I placed a hand over my pounding ches

Chapter 3

The moment I hung up, my fingertips went numb.There were only seven days left until my death.If my fate was already sealed, then there were things I needed to do.One of them was making sure Natalie was as far away from Zane as possible.I was the only daughter of the Weber family.Once I took Natalie home, she'd be the apple of their eye. No one would ever lay a finger on her.I was still staring blankly at my phone when the door suddenly flew open. Mom rushed in."Simone, why do you suddenly want to come home?"Dad followed close behind. His face was grim as he scanned the room. "Did someone upset you? Tell me. I'll handle it."The nurse who was standing beside me widened her eyes in shock.Everyone else lowered their heads as they were too afraid to say a word."This has nothing to do with anyone else. I just felt like going home," I said, forcing a smile.He studied me for a moment. "Did that punk Zane do something again?"I opened my mouth to answer, but before I co

Chapter 4

I held Natalie in my arms while sitting on the couch at my parents' house. Mom had placed a soft cushion behind my back, but my hands were still cold.Dad placed a cup of coffee next to me and said, "Stay here. I'd like to see if anyone tries to mess with you now."I nodded.I spent the next seven days marking each passing day on the calendar.When Natalie's meet-the-baby celebration arrived, I insisted that we keep it simple and just have dinner as a family.After the meal, my parents gave Natalie so many gifts that their hands were practically full.They even brought out a pair of emerald pendants. "These were passed down from your great-grandmother. Only the eldest daughter in the Weber family gets to have them."Natalie grabbed onto them happily and refused to let go.Zane showed up too. He stood outside the Weber residence, but everyone inside ignored him.Just after midnight, my phone screen lit up.My heart pounded. A new comment appeared on Natalie's account."Mom, i

Chapter 5

"Simone, what is this?"Zane looked up at me. He looked like he was saying, "Are you serious?"I was frozen in place. The knot in my chest made it hard to breathe."I wish it were a prank, but I checked. I registered that account with my phone number, and the only person on the friend list is my main account. No one else could have logged in. No one else could have left those comments or accessed the account."Zane frowned."There's something else, too," I said, taking a step toward him before meeting his eyes. "I had Yvonne look into Wanda."His jaw tightened, and a muscle ticked in his temple.He lowered his gaze to the phone again. "Mom, Dad won't let me come see you.""This is impossible. Nattie is only one month old. She can't even talk yet. How could she have posted something like this?" he said. "Why would I stop Nattie from seeing you, anyway?"He paused to look into my eyes. "Simone, are you sure this isn't postpartum depression? None of this is real, is it?""Then p

Chapter 6

My question stopped Zane in his tracks. "What are you trying to say, Simone?""Are you sure you don't get it?"I took a step toward him and looked him straight in the eye. "Nattie said, 'Dad won't let me see you.' Wherever she is, you're keeping her away from me. She can't even see her own mother."And what are you doing instead? Playing happy family with your secretary? Buying her an apartment? Handing her every opportunity? Were you too busy being Father of the Year over there?"The color drained from his face. His fingers trembled around his phone."Do you actually believe those comments?" he shot back through gritted teeth. "They're supposedly from a five-year-old child. Maybe she misunderstood something. Maybe none of this means what you think it does. You divorced me without even giving me the chance to explain.""Explain?" I scoffed. "I've been trying to explain myself to you for three years. Back when you were courting me, you promised that you'd spend the rest of your li

Chapter 7

A crowd had gathered outside the Weber residence. Dad stood at the front door in his pajamas with Natalie wrapped in her cloud-patterned blanket in his arms. His face was grim.I jumped out of the car and rushed toward him. Natalie shifted in his arms. She was still clutching the corner of the blanket, fast asleep.All I could see was the five-year-old Natalie, who had been crying in fear. The little girl who was crying for her mother to save her."Simone, we've searched the entire house. Nothing's out of the ordinary," Dad said, frowning. "What happened?"I opened my mouth, but I had no idea where to begin. Zane was issuing orders to the security team in a low, controlled voice behind me."I want someone monitoring every camera around the clock. Every floor, every elevator, the garage, and the living room have to be monitored. I don't want a single blind spot," he commanded."One more thing—find out where Wanda is today. Pull her phone records, bank statements, and social medi

Chapter 8

Zane stayed silent for a long time. Then, he slowly bent down and placed his hand over mine. I was still holding the pen.His palm was warm. It was trembling ever so slightly."Let's leave a message for our future selves," he said in a hoarse voice. "We'll tell your future self to check on that house at a specific time. Or my future parents. Anyone. If someone can get there at the right moment, maybe they can save Nattie.""Do you actually believe that'll work?" I asked, staring up at him.A bitter smile crossed his face, splitting the dry skin at the corners of his lips. "At this point, I'll believe anything. If there's a chance it'll keep Nattie safe, I'll believe it."We tried Zane's idea.I picked up my phone and slowly typed into the chat window."To Natalie Graham: If you see this message, then on the day strangers break into your house when you're five years old, run to a neighbor's house or hide in a closet. Whatever you do, don't make a sound. I'm trying to save you."

Chapter 9

Zane took a deep breath before finally saying, "Back then, the hospital told us that Rowan didn't make it. When I went to identify the body, his face was so badly swollen that it was almost entirely wrapped in bandages. All I could recognize were his build and clothes."Wanda told me it was her brother as she sobbed, and I believe her. I couldn't bring myself to go to his funeral because of guilt, so Wanda handled everything. Later on, she told me that he had been buried.""Have you never questioned it?" I asked.Zane's face went pale. He swallowed hard and shook his head.I let go of his arm and took a step back until my shoulders met the cold wall. The dull ache on the back of my head helped me think.Rowan wasn't dead. He had spent all these years hiding in the shadows.Using Zane's guilt over his supposed death, he had Wanda pose as his grieving little sister to secure financial support, special treatment, and even an apartment.Everything Wanda had done to Natalie—from conv

Chapter 10

Zane sounded as weary as if he'd just run a marathon. Beneath the exhaustion, however, was a hard edge. "We found Rowan hiding in the basement. The walls were covered with photos of you. There was also a copy of Nattie's meet-the-baby celebration. He circled the date in red and underlined the word 'balcony'."We found rope, duct tape, sleeping pills, and an unsigned threatening letter addressed to Nattie in a corner of the basement."I could hear Wanda sobbing in the background. She sounded completely broken even over the phone."I'm sorry, Mr. Graham. My brother made me do it. He said that if Simone died, you'd marry me. He said I'd finally have the life I deserved. I lost my mind and—""Enough."Zane's voice was cold enough to cut glass.The sobbing stopped instantly. Silence followed.I ended the call and sat on the couch for a very long time.Mom had to call my name twice and rest her hand on my shoulder before I finally came back to myself.Natalie had woken up.She scan

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