After being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, I begged enough money for a sea burial. But the day before the funeral, my ex-husband Adrian dragged me back to his mansion to take the fall for his precious darling. My daughter cursed me, my brother crushed my medication, and the whole internet waited to watch the “vicious ex-wife” become a joke. They didn’t know about the will in my pocket, or that the blood I coughed up had already stained my burial contract. Only after I died alone in a prison cell and the autopsy report went public did they start clawing for my remains. But it was too late. Two years later, I returned under a new name, backed by billions. This time, I would personally grind everything they cared about most into dust, piece by piece. Vivian’s POV Three months after being diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, I had finally begged enough money for a sea burial. Before I could even reach the funeral home to sign the papers, Adrian dragged me back to the manor. Faced with my foul beggar’s clothes, his eyes filled with disgust as he tossed a black card at me. “Take the money and go clean yourself up. Don’t let Miranda see you looking like a ghost.” The house full of servants and Lorelei all waited to watch the show. After all, in their eyes, after disappearing for three years, I could only be coming back to fight for the inheritance. I walked past the black card and picked up a coin that the bodyguard had knocked from my hands earlier. Without that dollar, even the cheapest sea burial would be beyond my reach, leaving me to rot in some nameless ditch. “Daddy! Throw that dirty thing out!” My daughter Miranda screamed, hands clamped over her nose, her face twisted in horror. “She’s ruining Lorelei’s carpet! My body stiffened. This was my own daughter, who I’d carried for ten months. Now, in her eyes, I was nothing but a foul-smelling rat. Adrian gently covered his daughter’s mouth and nose, his own eyes fixed on me with disgust. “Miranda, come here.” Lorelei gently pulled Miranda over and held her in her arms. The sight made me physically sick. Lorelei was the adopted daughter of my family and Adrian’s precious white moonlight. Five years ago, Adrian was convinced I had schemed to trap him into marriage, tearing him apart from Lorelei. So in his eyes, all the suffering I endured was well-deserved. “Vivian, what happened to your hands?” Lorelei looked at my deformed hands with feigned shock. A leather shoe pressed down hard on the back of my hand. Years ago, to let Lorelei win the championship at a piano competition, my own brother Marcus personally took a hammer and broke all ten of my fingers. We both carried the same family blood, yet in everyone’s eyes, only the adopted daughter Lorelei mattered. Marcus pressed down with his foot, grinding over my finger bones. “Don’t think you can gain sympathy with this pathetic display. Lorelei is the pride of this family.” Adrian watched coldly without stopping him. Only after Marcus had vented did he point to the utility room under the stairs and say: “Since you’re back, you’ll live there from now on. Don’t come out unless necessary.”
Vivian’s POV The next morning I was woken by the sound of pounding on my door. “What time is it and you’re still in bed?” A servant mocked loudly through the door. “This family doesn’t support idle people. Do you still think you’re the heiress you used to be?” I braced myself against the edge of the bed and sat up, a tearing pain suddenly shooting through my chest. The violent coughing made me curl into a ball. A puddle of thick phlegm mixed with stark blood threads appeared in my palm. I walked to the sink in the corner and turned on the faucet to wash it away. The doctor said I had less than three months to live. Now it seemed he was still too optimistic. The dining room was filled with exquisite breakfast foods. “Vivian, you’re awake?” When Lorelei saw me, she immediately showed a sweet smile. “The housekeeper specially made your favorite toast.” She pointed to the seat beside her, her tone sincere: “These years while you were away, I temporarily took care of this home for you. Now that you’re back, I should return things to you.” She had used this move for twenty years and was still so practiced at it. “Since you were taking care of things.” I looked up at her. “When exactly do you plan to return everything to me?” The smile on Lorelei’s face froze for a moment. She clearly hadn’t expected that the fool she once manipulated would now dare to talk back publicly. “I…” She bit her lip and looked toward Adrian. A strong smell of greasy food drifted into my nostrils. I couldn’t hold it in anymore and covered my mouth, dry heaving. Lorelei gasped in surprise, covering her mouth. “You couldn’t be… pregnant, could you?” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly. “These years you’ve been wandering outside, I heard those places can be quite chaotic…” Adrian slammed down his knife and fork. He looked up, his gaze cutting into me like a knife. “Vivian.” He said through gritted teeth. “You disgust me.” “How could a woman like you be worthy of being Miranda’s mother?” I straightened up and wiped the sour liquid from the corner of my mouth. Looking at this man before me, his face full of disgust. Shameless? Who was it that threw me into an underground gambling den to fend for myself, just to force me to give up custody? Who was it that cut off my income, leaving me to fight with stray dogs over a piece of bread? Now the person who pushed me into the abyss stood on the shore criticizing me for having mud on me. “It’s none of your business.” I coldly shot back and turned to leave. “Stop right there!” Adrian roared behind me. “What kind of attitude is this?” I ignored him and walked straight to the kitchen. Behind me came Lorelei’s gentle, comforting voice: “Adrian, don’t be angry. She’s gotten used to running wild outside, she probably can’t change right away…” I turned on the faucet and splashed ice water hard on my face. Reputation? These things were destroyed by their own hands three years ago.
Vivian’s POV Early the next morning I was dragged downstairs. Lorelei sat at the piano with sheet music in her hands. It was the only duet piece she and I had performed together, and also my award-winning debut composition. “Vivian, I can never quite get the rhythm right on this piece.” Lorelei looked sincere as she handed me the sheet music in front of Adrian. “Could you practice it with me? Just to help me find the feeling.” She smiled innocently, as if the shrew who tore up the sheet music and trampled it underfoot last night wasn’t her. I looked at those black and white piano keys. Before I could speak, a small figure suddenly rushed out from the side. “No!” Miranda jumped down from her chair and knocked the sheet music from my hands. She pointed at my hands wrapped in old bandages, her features scrunched up. “Her hands are dirty and smelly! They’ll get Lorelei’s piano dirty!” Adrian sat on the sofa drinking coffee without even looking up, tacitly approving his daughter’s humiliation. Lorelei covered her mouth and glanced at me: “How can Miranda say such things? Her hands may be injured, but it’s just from trying to survive.” I bent down to pick up the sheet music and slowly unwrapped the blackened bandage on my hands. When those deformed and twisted hands were fully exposed to the air, Lorelei dramatically gasped. Miranda screamed and hid in Adrian’s arms. “My hands are already ruined.” I held up those hands, my voice hoarse. “I can’t play.” Five years ago, when Marcus used an iron hammer to break them one by one, Lorelei stood watching nearby, smiling even sweeter than now. Now she was playing the frightened innocent. “Oh my god…” Tears immediately welled up in Lorelei’s eyes, her face full of guilt. “I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy these past two years that I forgot your hands were already…” She trailed off meaningfully, as if mentioning some unspeakable scandal. Adrian finally put down his coffee cup. He hugged the frightened Lorelei tenderly, then looked at me with instantly frozen eyes. “Deliberately showing off your scars for whose benefit?” Adrian sneered. “Vivian, selling sympathy won’t work anymore.” “You ruined your own hands back then with your depraved behavior, and now you have the nerve to bring them out to frighten Miranda and Lorelei?” I slowly lowered my hands, hiding the trembling in my sleeves. In their eyes, these hands were destroyed in brawls and fights. How perfect. You personally broke my wings, and now you blame me for not being able to fly and ruining your fun. Adrian stood up with his arm around Lorelei. “Don’t stand there being an eyesore.” Only I remained in the dining room. My return wasn’t welcome at all, but it wasn’t even my idea to come back-they were the ones who brought me here. The world of the living had no room for me. I might as well prepare a proper resting place for after death. I touched the small cloth pouch hidden close to my body. Inside was the spare change I’d saved over these two years, all wrinkled small bills. This was the money I’d saved for my sea burial.
Vivian’s POV The family would never give me any financial support. The few tens of dollars I’d hidden in an old shoebox had been pocketed by a servant. The remaining half pain pill had long since lost its effectiveness. My whole body felt like there was a saw going back and forth over my bones. I searched through all my belongings. Finally, in the pocket of my innermost clothing, I felt something hard. It was a silver pendant. The director of the orphanage had given it to me years ago. It was the only decent thing I owned. I tucked the pendant away and tried to slip out the back door to sell it. “Stop right there!” Just as I reached the door, the housekeeper blocked my way. She looked me up and down, her gaze finally settling on my chest. “What are you hiding there? So sneaky.” “Get out of my way.” I didn’t want to waste words with her. “Still so arrogant?” The housekeeper sneered and reached out to grab me. “The house has been missing things lately. I bet it’s you with your sticky fingers who’s been stealing!” Her strength was surprisingly great. She yanked open my collar and pulled out the silver pendant from inside my clothes. “Give it back!” I lunged at her frantically. “I knew it was stolen goods!” The housekeeper held the pendant high, looking triumphant. “This looks like junk. You must have stolen it from a guest room! I’m reporting this to Mr. Hayes!” I opened my mouth and bit down hard on her wrist. “You crazy woman!” The housekeeper screamed. Her hand loosened and the pendant fell to the ground. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth as I threw myself forward and clutched the pendant tightly. “What’s going on?” The commotion attracted Marcus and Adrian. The two men stood on the covered walkway of the back garden, looking down at this scene from above. “Mr. Hayes! Mr. Sterling!” The housekeeper wailed while clutching her wrist. “Vivian was caught stealing and she bit me!” Marcus strode over and without a word, slapped me across the face. I was knocked to the ground, my ears ringing, the taste of blood growing stronger in my mouth. “Disgraceful thing.” Marcus cursed. “You’ve completely humiliated this family.” Adrian slowly walked over. He bent down and forcibly pried the silver pendant from my hand. Looking at the mottled scratches on it, he sneered with contempt. “For this piece of junk worth a few hundred bucks, you made yourself look like a rabid dog?” His eyes were ice cold, as if looking at a pile of garbage. “Are you having withdrawal symptoms, desperate for money?” I ignored the blood at the corner of my mouth and crawled forward a few steps trying to grab it. “Give it back… it’s mine.” “Yours?” Adrian raised an eyebrow. “In this house, even your life belongs to me. What right do you have to talk about private property?” With a flick of his wrist, the pendant fell into the artificial lake beside us, splashing a small spray of water. “Want it? Go fish it out yourself.” Without thinking, I jumped right in. The early winter lake water was ice cold and piercing. The suffocation from lung cancer intensified the moment I entered the water. My lungs felt like they were burning and being stabbed with ice at the same time. On the shore, Adrian and Marcus turned away in disgust. I groped through the mud at the bottom. My fingers were cut by sharp stones, blood threads spreading in the murky water. As long as I could die peacefully, being a drowned dog didn’t matter. Finally, my fingertips touched something cold and hard. I clutched it tightly and surfaced, gasping for air. Soaking wet, I snuck out of the estate. I dragged my body, which felt like it was filled with lead, avoiding crowds until I reached a shop on the street corner. “This necklace is old stuff, not worth much. I’ll give you five hundred bucks at most.” The shop owner glanced at the pendant and tossed it disdainfully on the counter. “Sir, please, add a bit more…” I was shaking all over, my teeth chattering. “Eight hundred dollars, I only need eight hundred dollars.” I was still eight hundred dollars short of being able to purchase the sea burial service. The owner waved his hand impatiently: “Take it or leave it.” I touched my withered yellow hair. “What if I sell my hair too? Can that make up five hundred dollars?” The owner glanced at my grass-like hair, damaged from chemotherapy, and rolled his eyes: “That trash quality wouldn’t even work for wigs.” In the end, I sold the pendant. Then I took off the cashmere coat I was wearing and sold it at a low price. Wearing only a thin inner garment, I stood shivering in the cold wind. In my hand I clutched eight wrinkled hundred-dollar bills. Tomorrow morning, I would go to the funeral company to sign the contract. Then find somewhere with no people and end all this.
Vivian’s POV Early the next morning, I hid the money close to my body and was just about to go out when Adrian blocked me at the door. He was about to leave, followed by a group of PR team members. Seeing me wearing only a thin inner garment, he frowned. In his eyes, I was probably having another episode trying to get attention. “Stay home obediently these next few days.” Adrian coldly issued his command. “Lorelei is doing a clarification livestream today. You need to stay home and cooperate as background scenery. Don’t go anywhere.” I instinctively protected my pocket. “I have something to do. I must go out.” The funeral company’s sea burial service discount only lasted a few more days. Adrian stopped and turned around, his eyes calculating. “Vivian, do you think I can’t control you?” He took out his phone, pulled up a document, and held it in front of me. It was a purchase proposal for the west side orphanage property. “That old director isn’t in good health. She probably couldn’t handle the stress of relocation, right?” Adrian’s voice was casual, but it precisely targeted my weak spot. “If you dare run, I’ll have the bulldozers roll into the orphanage tomorrow.” My fingers dug hard into my palms. My body shook uncontrollably. Director Hayes was my last vulnerability. He always knew how to hurt me most deeply. Even though I had nothing left, he wouldn’t let me go. “I won’t run.” I lowered my head, my voice trembling. “I’ll listen to you.” Adrian put away his phone with satisfaction and got in the car to leave. After he left, the surveillance at home became much more relaxed. To save every penny, I stopped going to the kitchen for food. When thirsty, I went to the bathroom to drink tap water to fill my stomach. I endured until afternoon. Taking advantage of the housekeeper’s nap, I climbed out through the first-floor guest room window. This was my last chance. I took a three-hour bus ride, bumping along to a funeral company in the suburbs. “Right in this sea area.” I pointed to the cheapest location on the diagram, my hands shaking. “Alright, as long as the money’s right, everything’s good.” The agent pushed the contract toward me. Trembling, I pulled out a handful of small bills from my pocket. Eight wrinkled hundred-dollar bills and a large amount of loose change. I counted three times before solemnly handing it over. Just as the pen tip was about to touch the contract paper, the door was kicked open. Adrian stood in the doorway with two police officers, his face frosty. He glanced at the contract on the table. From too far away, he couldn’t see the content clearly, only that I was signing some transaction. “Vivian, you really never learn.” Adrian’s eyes were ice cold. “For money, you actually dare to sell the family’s trade secrets?” I was stunned. Selling trade secrets at a funeral company? Before I could explain, the police had already stepped forward and produced a detention warrant. “Vivian Sterling, you’re suspected of major commercial fraud and copyright infringement. Please come with us.” Marcus walked out from behind, looking pained and disappointed. “Vivian, for money you actually sold Lorelei’s composition to competitors, and then turned around and accused Lorelei of plagiarizing you? You’ve disappointed us so much.” My head buzzed. So that was it. This was the scapegoat script the family had prepared all along to whitewash Lorelei. Arrest me, pin the charges of plagiarism and fraud on me, and Lorelei’s position as a genius would be completely secure. “I didn’t…” I tried to defend myself but couldn’t make a sound. Adrian looked at me and said quietly: “A few days inside to reflect would be good. Keep you from going crazy outside.” Under the huge shock, something sweet and metallic surged up my throat. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed onto the burial contract I hadn’t had time to sign. The bright red blood instantly soaked through the paper, covering the sea burial location I had chosen. How ridiculous. My vision went black and I completely lost consciousness. When I woke again, I was already lying in a cold detention cell. All my personal belongings had been confiscated. That blood-stained burial contract had probably already been thrown in the trash as waste paper. The illness, freed from medication’s suppression, came in waves like a tide. I curled up in the corner, my whole body as cold as ice.
Vivian’s POV As soon as I coughed once, someone kicked me hard in the lower back. “If you’re gonna die, go die somewhere else! Don’t spread your tuberculosis to us!” I was kicked into the iron bars, my bones making a teeth-grinding crisp sound. The detention cell was cold and damp with no blankets, only a large communal bunk that reeked of mildew. Because I was classified as a serious offender, I was assigned to the high-security unit where the wind blew hardest. I curled up on the cement floor. Cold sweat soaked through my thin prison uniform, then quickly formed cold, damp patches stuck to my skin. “Help…” I desperately pounded on the iron door, my fingernails scraping harsh sounds against the door panel. “I need a doctor… I have lung cancer… give me medicine…” The on-duty prison doctor slowly walked over. He looked at me through the bars, holding a file in his hand. “Stop acting.” The doctor closed the file, his eyes full of contempt. “It says clearly in your file: long-term substance abuse, suspected drug withdrawal.” “I don’t do drugs… I have cancer…” Trembling, I reached through the bars, fingers straining for his white coat. “Please… just give me the pills” “Everyone in here claiming to be terminally ill is just fishing for drugs.” The doctor stepped back, avoiding my hand as if it were contaminated. He casually pulled two white fever pills from his pocket and tossed them through the bars. The pills rolled across the dusty cement floor. “Take them and sleep quietly. Make any more noise and we’ll put you in restraints.” The doctor turned and walked away, his leather shoes making hollow, cold sounds on the floor. I stared at those two useless fever pills on the ground. So in Adrian’s eyes, even my dying cries for help were just drug withdrawal symptoms seeking sympathy. He not only sent me to prison but also sealed off all my paths to survival. I picked up the pills and swallowed them dry. Even if they were foul, even if they were spoiled, they were all I could get to eat. The wall-mounted TV at the end of the corridor flickered on. It was the seven o’clock legal news program, the only entertainment allowed for inmates. The screen cut to a ballroom inside the manor. Dazzling lights. A towering champagne fountain. Lorelei stood in a haute couture gown under the spotlight, every inch a princess. A caption scrolled beneath: Charity Gala Headlined by Piano Prodigy Lorelei. Adrian stood beside her in a black suit, noble and aloof. “Regarding this recent controversy,” Lorelei spoke into countless microphones, her eyes reddening. “I’m truly heartbroken. I never imagined my sister Vivian would sell my score to competitors for money, then turn around and accuse me of plagiarism.” She wiped away nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes. “But I’m still willing to forgive her. After all, she’s my sister.” Camera flashes went crazy. A reporter shoved a microphone in front of Adrian: “Mr. Hayes, we heard you personally reported your ex-wife to the police. Does this represent the Hayes Group’s position on this matter?” Adrian faced the cameras, his expression carved from ice. “Hayes Group absolutely will not tolerate any commercial fraud, regardless of who the suspect is.” He paused, his voice drilling into my frozen ears through the TV speakers. “Sending her in is for her own good. To sober up. To break habits she never should have formed.” The venue erupted in applause. The screen flooded with comments: “Mr. Hayes is a man of principle.” “Lorelei deserves everything.” I stared at that man on the screen. He probably thought that locking me up for a week, letting me suffer a little… Would make me fall back in line like before, kneeling at his feet begging for mercy. He was wrong about one thing. Dead people don’t beg for mercy. Lights out sounded. I leaned against the cold wall. Something warm trickled from my nostrils and the corners of my mouth, dripping onto the collar of my prison uniform. I could feel life slowly draining from this broken shell. I wasn’t afraid of death. I was only afraid I wouldn’t rest in the sea after I died.
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