My wife, Vanessa Fitzgerald, left me and our six-month-old daughter in my old house to ensure the safety of her first love, Charlie Gomez, who suffered from severe depression and would self-harm at the sight of me. Five years after my brutal assault and death, Charlie was diagnosed with kidney failure. The doctor informed them that a blood relative would have a higher probability of having a kidney match with him, prompting Vanessa to finally remember me, Charlie’s biological elder brother. Vanessa hastily called, demanding I return immediately. My five-year-old daughter, Evelyn Gomez, timidly replied, “Ma’am, my dad… my dad’s been gone for a long time.” Vanessa frowned, her tone dripping with impatience. “Who are you? Where’s Sheldon? Put Sheldon on the phone!” Evelyn stammered, “You… you have to wait a moment.” She put down the phone and hurriedly ran to find the village chief, Howard Douglas. “Mr. Douglas, someone’s looking for my dad.” Howard, hunched over, slowly made his way to the phone and picked it up. “Is this Ms. Fitzgerald? You finally…” As soon as Vanessa heard the old man’s voice, her face darkened immediately. She rubbed her temples forcefully, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, her face showed a hint of simmering irritation. “Where’s Sheldon? Is he scared to answer my call? “He asked a little girl to answer the phone and told me he was dead. Now, he has an old man tell me the same thing, right? “Is this his way of forcing me to come get him myself? “Fine. For Charlie’s sake, I’ll go pick him up myself!” Without waiting for Howard’s response, Vanessa hung up the phone. The next day, Vanessa drove to my old house. Half of the house had collapsed, and the door hung ajar. Inside, there was no furniture, just scattered wooden planks and bricks. Spiderwebs covered both the interior and exterior, and the windows were shattered. Vanessa couldn’t help but frown at the sight. She glanced up at the young man who had brought her here, her eyes filled with impatience. “Where’s Sheldon? Tell him to come see me. “If he’s willing to donate his kidney to Charlie, I’ll take him back.” The young man looked uneasy and hesitated. “Ms. Fitzgerald, well, uh, how about you wait for Mr. Douglas to come?” Vanessa narrowed her eyes, seemingly forcing herself to stay calm. Just then, Howard arrived, leaning on his cane. “Hello, Ms. Fitzgerald.” Vanessa glanced at Howard and said coldly, “Where’s Sheldon?” Howard placed one hand behind his back. “Sheldon can’t come to see you…” Vanessa sneered upon hearing this. “What? Are you going to tell me he’s dead? “Tell him to stop throwing a tantrum. I won’t tolerate it! “He needs to come out and see me now. I’ve come to pick him up in person, so what else does he want?” I thought, “What did I want? I wanted nothing. I just wanted to live and watch my daughter grow up, but I couldn’t even do that.” Now, my soul stood to the side, staring blankly at Vanessa. Five years ago, not long after my half-year-old daughter and I were sent to the old house, Charlie had people track me down. He was jealous that I had married Vanessa, and even more jealous that she had given birth to my child. So, Charlie first sent thugs to destroy my old house, then had them harass me daily, and insulted me, leading to my death. They left my broken body in the mountains, where vultures feasted on it. It was Howard who noticed I was missing. He organized a search, and eventually, my body was found in the mountains and was buried by Howard.
Howard stroked his beard, his eyes filled with sorrow, and let out a deep sigh. “Sheldon has been dead for five years.” A mocking smile appeared on Vanessa’s face, and she grew even more indifferent. “Mr. Douglas, you think I’m easily fooled? “Someone like him would never willingly die.” Vanessa’s sharp gaze swept over the people present. Then, she sternly ordered her bodyguards, “Find him, no matter what it takes!” My soul floated in the air, watching as the bodyguards violently knocked on doors, roughly pushed villagers aside, and went in to search for me. The villagers were so frightened that they all came out. Even as the entire village gathered around, Vanessa still couldn’t find me. She seemed even more irritated as she marched up to Howard, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, “Tell me! Where are you hiding Sheldon? “If you tell me now, I’ll still treat you with respect. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what happens next!” Howard stuck to his story. Vanessa finally lost her patience and winked at the nearest bodyguard. The bodyguard stepped forward and, with a simple twist, broke Howard’s hand. As Howard let out a cry of pain, a little girl rushed out from the crowd. She was neatly dressed, with two braids, and her eyes were filled with fear. But she still ran to Howard, crying, “Mr. Douglas, are you okay?” Vanessa was stunned. She knitted her brows, her eyes sweeping over Evelyn from head to toe. There was something vaguely familiar about the girl that tugged at the back of her mind. Before anyone could blink, Evelyn, seething with rage, darted right up to Vanessa and sank her teeth hard into Vanessa’s leg. Reacting on pure instinct, Vanessa’s leg jerked, sending Evelyn sprawling to the ground. Evelyn fell to the ground but struggled to get back up, glaring fiercely at Vanessa. “You evil woman! Mr. Douglas already told you my dad is dead. Why are you still bullying him?” For a moment, Vanessa looked shocked, her eyes darkening as she stared at Evelyn. Afraid she would hurt my daughter, my soul instinctively floated in front of Evelyn, blocking Vanessa. I was nothing but a disembodied spirit, so Vanessa passed right through me and approached Evelyn. She picked Evelyn up and perused her carefully, as if trying to read her thoughts from her face. As Evelyn dangled in the air, she kicked her legs, struggling. Staring at Evelyn’s face, which bore a resemblance to mine, Vanessa gritted her teeth. “You’re that bastard!” In an instant, Vanessa grabbed Evelyn by the throat, her voice filled with rage. “Tell Sheldon to come out, or I’ll strangle her!” Watching Evelyn struggle, I shouted, “Vanessa, I’m here! I’m right here. Let go of Eve!” Nevertheless, nobody heard a peep. Evelyn’s face turned red, her breathing becoming more labored. In my panic, I even forgot I was already dead. I rushed at Vanessa, trying to bite the hand choking Evelyn, but I passed through her, biting only air. Seeing Evelyn on the verge of losing consciousness, Howard, despite his pain, managed to shout, “Ms. Fitzgerald, Eve is your…” Before he could finish, a bodyguard kicked him to the ground. He lay there, groaning in pain. Vanessa suddenly released Evelyn and coldly glanced around, threatening, “Sheldon, if you don’t show up in three days, I’ll kill that bastard!” Looking at Howard curled up in agony on the ground and my daughter’s bruised and purple neck, the hatred I felt for Vanessa boiled over. At the same time, a bitter taste of regret filled my mouth for ever having loved her. Unfortunately, my soul was numb to all these emotions.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. This time, Vanessa brought Charlie with her. Though Charlie had been arrogant when he came to the old house five years ago, he was now frail and weak. Vanessa looked at him tenderly, helping him out of the car and into a wheelchair. She even carefully draped a thin blanket over him, her eyes filled with concern. Vanessa reserved all her gentleness for Charlie. In contrast, all she ever showed me was coldness and impatience. Howard and I waited at the entrance early, though no one could see me. When Vanessa saw that no one was behind Howard, she suppressed her anger and said, “Seeing Charlie so weak, how can Sheldon be so heartless as to not help his own brother? “Mr. Douglas, if you just let Sheldon come out, and he’s willing to match with Charlie, I’ll build roads for your village and improve the villagers’ living conditions. “Also, I’ll take Sheldon back and let him continue living a life of luxury as my husband. “As for that bastard, I’ll treat her as my own daughter.” Vanessa thought she had made a huge concession. If we didn’t toe the line, she wouldn’t let it slide. However, Howard still didn’t give her the answer she wanted. “Ms. Fitzgerald, after Sheldon returned to the old house five years ago, he was constantly harassed by local thugs. “I’m not sure exactly how he died. “When I realized he was missing, I mobilized the whole village to search for him. We found his battered body in the mountains. “I buried his body and laid him to rest at the back of the mountain. If you don’t believe me, go and take a look.” Vanessa let out a bitter laugh, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Are you still lying to me? “If he were truly dead, how could that little bastard have grown up?” Howard looked embarrassed and let out a deep sigh. “Even if Sheldon suddenly died, we couldn’t just ignore Evelyn, could we?” Upon hearing this, a flash of surprise and viciousness passed through Charlie’s eyes. Charlie knew exactly how I had died. That day, I asked my daughter to stay at Howard’s place. I planned to go out and look for a job to support myself and my daughter. As soon as I stepped outside, Charlie arrived with three men. Before I could react, Charlie had them cover my mouth and nose, drag me into the house, and pin me down. Charlie began punching and kicking me relentlessly. Still unsatisfied, he stomped on my fingers with his foot. I cried out in pain. “Sheldon, you scum! “Why did you get to marry Vanessa just because you were born first? “Vanessa loves me more!” I struggled to look up at Charlie, wanting to say something. But Charlie seemed determined to vent all his rage on me. He slammed my head against the wall repeatedly. I tried to protect myself, but my arms were pinned down by his men. Finally, I lay on the ground, barely alive. Charlie leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Just the thought of you sleeping with Vanessa and her giving birth to a child for you makes me hate you to the core, my brother! “Since you dared to steal my woman, even if you’re my brother, you must die! “Sheldon, weren’t you so arrogant before? People said you had a thing for guys. Let me give you a gift, and you’ll like it.” As soon as Charlie finished speaking, the three men began to roughly tear at my clothes and brutally humiliate me. I had no idea how many times they did it before I lost my breath. After I died, I watched helplessly as Charlie ordered the others to throw me into the mountains. The wheel of justice might turn slowly, but it would turn. So, five years after my death, Charlie’s retribution arrived. The only brother who could save him was killed by his own hands. He knew that no matter what Vanessa did, it was futile. I could never come back to see her.
Charlie weakly raised his hand, trying to grasp the hem of Vanessa’s dress. Vanessa, who had been seething with anger just moments ago, instantly softened. She quickly bent down, taking Charlie’s hand in hers, and asked gently, “Charlie, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?” Charlie gave a faint smile and shook his head slightly. “Vanessa, is Sheldon refusing to save me because he’s still mad at me? “I’ll apologize to Sheldon. I… I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have bothered you… “But… but I want to live. I want to be with you forever.” Vanessa gently kissed Charlie’s forehead and reassured him, “Charlie, don’t worry. I will save you.” A flicker of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes. My heart suddenly raced, and a suspicion began to form. I shouted, “You can’t do that! Eve is your daughter. Don’t hurt her!” But, of course, my voice from beyond the grave couldn’t reach the living. Vanessa’s bodyguards dragged Evelyn out of the root cellar and brought her to the rooftop. The two-story rural house stood over twenty feet tall. Howard stood up in a panic, his voice trembling. “Ms. Fitzgerald, what are you doing? “Let Eve go! She’s your child!” Vanessa looked cold, her eyes hiding a trace of hatred. “Well, my child? Did Sheldon tell you that? “We never crossed that line, so how could we have a child? “He cheated on me and fathered a bastard. “If it weren’t for Charlie pleading back then, I would have killed her. She shouldn’t even be alive now!” Seeing the hatred in Vanessa’s eyes, my memories were instantly pulled back to that night six years ago. It was Vanessa’s birthday party. Charlie had drugged my drink, trying to set me up with another woman to ruin my reputation and force Vanessa to divorce me. Fortunately, I noticed it in time and left. However, the drugs he put in still took effect on me. When I woke up the next day, I clearly saw Vanessa lying beside me. Watching Evelyn cry out “Mr. Douglas” in fear, my soul floated desperately in front of Vanessa. I asked her, “Vanessa, if you never loved me, why would you marry me? “You never forgot Charlie, so why didn’t you go abroad to find him? “He didn’t leave the planet. You could have taken a plane to find him!” Vanessa suddenly looked up, her eyes meeting mine. If my soul could feel emotions, I might have already become a vengeful ghost. Just as I thought she could see me, she said indifferently, “Sheldon, I’ll give you ten minutes. If you don’t come out, I’ll drop your daughter to her death!” My eyes widened in horror. “No! “I’m here. I’m right here! “Don’t hurt my daughter!” Still, no one responded. My soul floated up, trying to save Evelyn, but no matter how many times I reached for her, my hands passed right through her. Howard crouched down abjectly at Vanessa’s feet, begging her to let Evelyn go. Vanessa, as if she were deaf, kept her head down, watching the time on her watch. I screamed in desperation. Meanwhile, Charlie, unnoticed in the corner, smirked, his eyes filled with triumph and disdain. I rushed at Vanessa, punching and kicking, but it was futile. “Ten, nine, eight, seven…” Vanessa began the countdown mercilessly. I slumped down on the ground in despair, watching helplessly as Vanessa ordered the bodyguards to throw Evelyn from the rooftop. My soul flew to catch her, but her body passed right through me. At the last moment, Howard scrambled forward, trying to catch Evelyn, but just as he reached out, a bodyguard kicked him to the ground. He spat blood, lying there barely alive. I stared blankly as Howard’s eyes slowly closed. With a thud, Evelyn hit the ground. I watched as blood spilled from her mouth, and she murmured in pain, “Mr. Douglas… My dad…” In that instant, I screamed in agony, “Eve! Mr. Douglas!” At this moment, a young man from the village rushed over with a paternity test report, shouting, “Ms. Fitzgerald, Eve is your daughter. Please take a look…” Simultaneously, a bodyguard yelled, “Ms. Fitzgerald, we found Mr. Sheldon Gomez’s…” Vanessa’s brow furrowed as she watched Evelyn’s breathing grow shallow, her small body barely clinging to life. She suddenly sneered, mocking, “Sheldon, you’re truly heartless, watching your own daughter fall to her death right in front of you. I underestimated your cruelty!”
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