Everyone knew that Julian Blackwood, the most prominent man in the city, had married a mute woman. For ten years of marriage, Julian never once acknowledged me as his wife. They all said: “Mr. Blackwood married you; you should be grateful.” I swallowed every mocking word, every scornful glance, simply because I loved him. But the day I found out I was pregnant, I saw him in bed with my half-sister. They pushed me to the brink, cornered me until I had nowhere left to go. I jumped from the high-rise— Yet, Julian’s eyes burned red. He bowed his proud head, begging me, desperate for me to return to him. Pushing open the bedroom door— The overwhelming smell of alcohol and clothes strewn everywhere screamed at me, reminding me just how intense things had been in here. My legs buckled uncontrollably, and tears streamed down my face. Tiffany Miller chuckled as she looked at me. Calmly, she put on her clothes, then sashayed towards me. “Aurora, clean this mess up. Don’t let Julian find out. If you dare utter a single word about what happened today…” Tiffany paused, touching the necklace around her neck, her eyes turning vicious. “I can’t guarantee your mother won’t ‘have an accident.’” I frantically grabbed Tiffany’s arm, my eyes pleading, signaling that I would obey her. Tiffany smirked, glaring at me. “Right. You’re mute. It’s not like you can say anything anyway.” Tiffany left, triumphant. I leaned against the door, sliding down to the floor, powerless. My hands fell limp, and the doctor’s report slipped from my grasp. “Congratulations, your baby is two weeks old.” The doctor had said, flipping through the report. I touched my belly, incredulous. A wave of immense joy washed over me. I’d always had trouble conceiving. I never thought I’d have a baby of my own. On the way home, my heart pounded with anxiety. I wondered if Julian would dislike this child because it was mine, if he would despise it as much as he despised me. But I never imagined I’d come home to find my half-sister and my husband sleeping together. I knew Julian didn’t love me. But he didn’t have to humiliate me like this. My heart felt like it was clutched by an invisible hand, squeezing the breath from me, threatening to suffocate me. Slowly, I cleaned the room, tears dripping onto the floor as I numbly wiped them away. I tore the pregnancy test report into tiny pieces and flushed them down the toilet. I walked to the bed. Julian lay there, eyes closed, brows furrowed. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, still hazy with drunkenness. Julian reached out, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me beneath him. He nuzzled his nose against my face, then whispered in my ear. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t push him away. My eyes stung, and I bit my lip hard, refusing to let the tears fall. Then Julian called out, “Tiffany.” The name plunged me into an icy abyss. My blood froze, and my heart felt pierced by countless shards of glass. Raw and bleeding, tears traced paths down my cheeks, then disappeared into my hair. “Aurora.” Julian’s voice in the morning pulled me back from sleep to reality. He gripped my wrist tightly. Just waking up, he looked annoyed. His eyes were deep, his aura heavy. “Didn’t I tell you not to climb into my bed again?” Julian’s voice was arctic. I shook my head frantically, signing to him. “No, you pulled me in yesterday.” Julian’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “Aurora, I’m not *that* desperate.” I froze for a moment, then lowered my head. Seeing me like that, Julian impatiently brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. He turned, pulled out a checkbook from a drawer, signed a check, tore it off, and flung it at my face. The paper was light, but it struck my heart with brutal force. Julian glanced at me. “Aurora, don’t let this happen again.” My eyes were numb, and I forced out a bitter smile, tears welling up. The scars on my heart felt like they were being ripped open again. Just when they’d started to heal, they were raw and bleeding once more. “Julian Blackwood, I’m not doing this for money.” Tears streamed down my face as I signed.
Julian grabbed my hand, looking displeased. “Don’t play the innocent woman. Take it, just take it. What’s with all the signing first thing in the morning? It’s irritating.” I opened my mouth weakly, but no sound came out. My face was streaked with tears. Julian stood up, a clear look of disgust in his eyes. The door slammed shut with such force that my body trembled. Downstairs, everyone was already seated at the dining table. Mrs. Blackwood looked at me with disdain, her voice sharp and sarcastic. “My daughter-in-law is even lazier than I am.” I signed an apology to everyone. But not a single person looked at me, not even a glance. I sat down dejectedly, trying to make myself as small as possible. Suddenly, a bowl of hot soup splashed onto my hand. My hand trembled with pain, turning visibly red. “Oops, Aunt Aurora, I’m so sorry.” It was Julian’s niece, Stella. She apologized with her mouth, but her eyes held a sly glint. She winked at me, feigning innocence. “It doesn’t hurt, does it, Aunt Aurora? I thought you’d scream in pain.” I was about to raise my hand to protest. “It’s just a bowl of soup. How hot could it be? Just eat your breakfast. It’s disgusting first thing in the morning.” Mrs. Blackwood looked at me impatiently. I clenched my hands, then looked up at Julian. He was quietly eating, completely unconcerned by what was happening to me. I pressed my lips together, suppressing the bitter ache in my chest. “Don’t let it bother you, Aurora.” Lily Blackwood, Julian’s sister, gently applied medicine to my hand. Looking at this young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Julian, tears involuntarily fell from my eyes. Perhaps she had touched the softest part of my heart. It was a pity such a kind girl had a congenital heart condition. A pang of tenderness flashed in my eyes. She smiled at me, her eyes curving into crescent moons. In the Blackwood family, she was the only one who didn’t look down on me, the mute. “Hello, Mrs. Blackwood.” Tiffany beamed, her smile fawning, as she entered the Blackwood home. The two chatted merrily. Tiffany could talk easily with everyone in the family; she seemed more like a Blackwood daughter-in-law than I ever could. My heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand tiny needles, the pain so intense I could barely breathe. Tiffany pulled me aside. She took out a bottle of pills. “Aurora, find a way to make Lily take these.” Tiffany’s expression was sinister. “No! She can’t take those randomly.” I frantically waved my hands, refusing. Tiffany touched the necklace around her neck. “It seems you don’t care much about your mother after all.” My body stiffened. Tiffany shoved the pills into my hand. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I bit my lip hard, a salty, metallic taste spreading in my mouth. But Lily still didn’t escape that night. I grabbed Tiffany, tears streaming down my face, signing my questions. “Why? I didn’t make her take them! Why?!” Tiffany smirked. “I knew a fool like you couldn’t do it.” She pushed me away violently, then walked off triumphantly. *Smack!* “Aurora, you truly have a cruel heart.” The pills were found in my room, making me undeniably the murderer of Lily Blackwood. Julian was silent, his eyes slightly red. If you looked closely, you could see his hands trembling slightly. Lily was his beloved sister, and now, because of me, he had lost her forever. I crawled to his feet, tears streaming down my face like a broken dam. I signed. “Julian, I’m sorry.” Julian’s eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a fierce rage. He grabbed my throat, his hands tightening.
My face turned crimson from lack of oxygen. My hands fell limp, and the light in my eyes seemed to dim, fading into nothingness in an instant. Tears fell uncontrollably, one by one. Julian’s eyes were dark and cold, the icy stare piercing my heart like an ice pick. It felt as if a sharp knife was twisting repeatedly in my chest. Each turn was enough to send me to hell. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, Julian tossed me aside like trash. I gasped for air. “Aurora, I’ll give you one more chance. Just say you didn’t do it, and I’ll believe you.” A storm of hatred and despair raged in Julian’s eyes, but he suppressed it, burying it deep inside. I shook my head desperately. Tiffany touched her necklace, giving me a warning look. I wanted to tell the truth. But my mother’s life was in Tiffany’s hands. I couldn’t risk it. I sat there, stunned. I couldn’t forgive myself. A huge stone seemed to weigh down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Tiffany rushed over, hugging Julian’s arm. “Julian, the evidence is right in front of us. I never thought my sister would do such a thing.” She shot me a glance, her hand going to the necklace around her neck. Despair flashed in my eyes. The pain inside me was like darkness, slowly devouring me. I collapsed to the floor, like a lifeless puppet. Julian’s eyes grew colder and colder. His deep gaze was like a still, dead pool. “Aurora, you will pay the price for what you’ve done.” Lily Blackwood’s funeral lasted five days, and Julian made me kneel for all five days. During that time, I stayed there, kneeling. The scornful stares and pointing fingers of those around me slowly gnawed at my soul. Tiffany, assuming the air of a hostess, managed everything in the Blackwood household. Tiffany raised her hand and fiercely pinched my chin. “Aurora, Mrs. Blackwood, this position will soon be mine. You’ll end up like your mother, thrown out.” I glared at her, my eyes filled with hatred. Tiffany dug her nails into my flesh. “Aurora, you don’t know, do you? Lily thought of you even as she died, worried you’d be bullied. But I just watched her take her last breath.” I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, wildly flailing my hands. “Why? Why did you kill her?” Tiffany sneered, her eyes sinister. “Everyone who stands in the way of me becoming Mrs. Blackwood has to die.” Her hand went to her abdomen. “Aurora, I’m pregnant.” Tiffany raised an eyebrow, looking at me triumphantly. I clutched my chest. My heart felt pierced by countless shards of glass. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. In that moment, I wanted to die with Tiffany. Then my heart wouldn’t have to suffer so much, and Lily wouldn’t have died in vain. Hatred blinded me. I used all my strength to shove Tiffany. She hit her head on a table, bleeding profusely. “Aurora, what are you doing?!” Julian rushed in, his voice angry, his eyes sharp and filled with rage. Tiffany lay weakly in Julian’s arms. “Julian, my head hurts so much.” I laughed, laughing like a madwoman, the blood at the corner of my mouth making it even more terrifying. I opened my mouth, screaming soundlessly, my chest aching. My lower abdomen cramped, and I had to curl up. I felt something warm leaving my body. I reached out my hand, wanting to call out to Julian. But he just held Tiffany and walked away without a backward glance. Tiffany looked at me, a defiant smile on her face. I collapsed to the floor, completely losing consciousness. In a daze, I felt someone kick me hard. Then I heard Tiffany’s voice. “That slut was actually pregnant. Good thing the baby’s gone now; saves me the trouble.” A man’s voice immediately followed. “Evil woman, you don’t deserve to carry my child.” It was Julian’s voice. I wanted to open my eyes, but I could only see a blurry figure. I wanted to raise my hand, to beg him to save our child, because no matter what, Julian, it was *your* child. But all that waited for me was a long silence and Julian’s inaction. A bucket of cold water was thrown over me, chilling me to the bone. I jolted awake. I found myself naked, with a man lying next to me. A torrent of curses and blows rained down on me. The man knelt on the floor. “Grandma Blackwood, Mr. Blackwood, it’s not my fault! This woman seduced me first.” Julian’s face was livid. He kicked the man. Ignoring everyone, he scooped me up, shoved me into the bedroom, and roughly threw me onto the bed, breathing heavily. “Aurora, you’re utterly depraved!” “Depraved?” I managed a bitter laugh. The thought of my child filled me with hate. I wanted to escape this man, this murderer who had turned a blind eye, who had watched my child die. In my despair, a smile suddenly bloomed on my face. Under his cold gaze, I slowly made a gesture. “Julian, let’s get a divorce.” 4. His expression froze, his eyes filled with shock. But soon, he sneered. “Divorce? Aurora, you’ve disgraced me completely. And now you have the nerve to ask for a divorce?” The pain in my abdomen had long since numbed me. I stared at him with resentment. “Julian, I don’t know anything. I woke up like this.” Julian’s eyes were full of scorn. “Aurora, do you really think I’ll believe that?” Julian restrained me, his eyes showing disappointment and hurt. “Aurora, why?” My heart was dead. I waved my hand. “Julian, you don’t love me. Let’s get a divorce.” He took a deep breath, his eyes hardening with ruthlessness. “Aurora, I won’t let you get rid of me. You’ll never think about divorce for the rest of your life. Not unless you die, or I die.” He threw me onto the floor. The bone-chilling cold enveloped me. Julian locked me up. From then on, I never saw him again. Until— Tiffany and Julian appeared together beside me. Tiffany leaned against Julian, looking frail, her swollen belly stabbing at my eyes. I thought of the child I had lost. My heart felt squeezed by an invisible hand, making it impossible to breathe. My eyes were vacant, but the look of profound grief vanished in an instant. Now, I carried too many burdens. Every night, I dreamt of my lost child and Lily. Guilt and self-reproach filled my heart. Tiffany smiled triumphantly, gently stroking her belly. “Aurora, Julian and I are together now.” I weakly raised my hand, signing. “Congratulations. You got what you wanted.” Tiffany pinched my arm, leaning in to whisper in my ear. “Aurora, you and your mother have bad luck. Oh, by the way, your mother didn’t make it through last night. She died.” Tiffany yanked my mother’s necklace off her neck and threw it to the ground. The necklace shattered into pieces instantly. I pounced on it, carefully gathering the fragments in my hands. A storm instantly swept through my world, leaving behind nothing but ruins. I clutched the fragments tightly to my chest, crying hysterically. My eyes were bloodshot. In that moment, I wanted to die with Tiffany. I pushed her, making her stumble. I bit down hard on her wrist until I tasted blood in my mouth. Julian pushed me away forcefully. “Aurora, what are you doing?!” I laughed, like a lunatic, the blood around my mouth making it even more terrifying. Tiffany cried. “Julian, my sister must be…” Julian raised his hand. Several men in black appeared, restraining me. Julian gently stroked Tiffany’s cheek. “Take it out on her as you wish.” Slap after slap landed on my face. Soon, my face was swollen and unrecognizable, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. My ears buzzed. In a daze, I thought I saw my mother. I saw her smiling gently at me. I missed her so much. Tears flowed from the corners of my eyes. My whole body trembled with pain, but I could only cry silently. Tiffany and I were half-sisters. My mother and father had been married for over a decade, yet Tiffany was only a few months younger than me, which was laughable. My mother’s health deteriorated day by day, and my father divorced her, then turned around and married Tiffany’s mother. My mother was confined to a nursing home, and if I didn’t obey, her medication would be stopped at any moment. So, I had no choice but to listen to Tiffany. I had harmed everyone. My mind was in a haze. I crawled to Julian’s side, humbly grabbing his pant leg. I opened my mouth, wanting to beg him to let me go. But he kicked me away. His disgusted eyes pierced me. I thought of the time Julian’s eyes were injured. Perhaps that was the happiest time of my life. Back then, he would gently hold my hand and promise me—
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