In the seventh year of my dad’s affair, my mom was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her first reaction was to kneel and beg the doctor not to tell my dad. Aunt Rachel, who worked at the hospital, cried in frustration: “Willow, why do you have to torture yourself like this? Do you think this will make that scumbag cry and wake up to reality? Using your own death to punish someone else—don’t you have any self-respect?” But Mom just smiled, her gaze falling tenderly on me. “I don’t need his regret.” “I just need to secure a bright future for my Sienna.” When Mom walked me out of the hospital, Dad had already left. He’d only left her a message: [My time is valuable. You were five minutes late, so I left.] Mom stared at her phone, a bit dazed. I remembered how things used to be. I have hemophilia, and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been in and out of hospitals constantly. Dad would always drop everything and wait patiently. Mom would act coy with him: “Aren’t you tired of this?” Dad would take me from her arms and kiss her cheek: “Not tired. Every second I wait for you two, I’m happy.” I’d be sandwiched between them, warm and happy too. Mom’s fingers trembled as she deleted the message. Then she sent a text to Aunt Rachel: [Did you send the forged health certificate to Vivian?] After getting confirmation, she took me home. Mom used to walk lightly—I could barely keep up with her. But now I had to support her just so she could move. When we got home, she immediately rushed to the bathroom and coughed up blood. After vomiting, she looked up and stared blankly at two overlapping handprints on the mirror. The blood was dark red, almost black. I panicked and called Dad. There was a woman’s laughter on the other end. I was used to it by now, so I pretended not to hear. Crying, I told him Mom had late-stage stomach cancer. Dad came home quickly. Seeing the shocking red in the toilet, he scooped Mom up in his arms: “Don’t be scared. We’ll find the best doctor for a second opinion right now.” “I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He’d said before that the other women were just playthings—Mom was the one he loved most. He was a man of his word. But just then, the sharp click of high heels echoed, and that woman in the white dress, Vivian, appeared again. She held her head high and threw a piece of paper at Dad: “Dylan, you’re so stupid! That plain Jane fooled you and you don’t even know it!” “Late-stage stomach cancer? It’s all just her way of getting attention!” “This is from my friend at the hospital—she’s perfectly healthy!” I recognized it—the paper was the forged health certificate Mom had asked Aunt Rachel to make. I opened my mouth to explain, but Mom gripped my hand tightly. I could only watch helplessly as Dad’s face darkened. “Faking illness to get attention, and making Sienna help you lie.” “Willow, you’ve really outdone yourself!” Dad stormed off despite my attempts to stop him. Mom watched him leave with his arm around that woman, a faint smile appearing on her pale face. I sobbed uncontrollably. “Mom, why did you pretend to be healthy?” Mom sighed softly: “Because Vivian is too stupid.” “So stupid she’d never think of framing me for faking an illness on her own.” “So I had to help her create the evidence.” “This is building moral capital. The more I accumulate, the more he’ll feel he owes you…” “Besides, once your dad discovers her report is fake, he won’t believe any report she shows him in the future.” I didn’t understand. All I knew was that Mom was dying, so I cried even harder. Mom wiped my tears, and as she did, she started crying too: “Dylan, you’re so smart—how could you fall in love with an idiot like Vivian?” Mom used to be a coal baron’s mistress. Dad was a poor man groveling for investments. At a banquet, their eyes met—a rose blooming unexpectedly in rotten soil. Mom acted coy with the coal baron and secured Dad a huge investment and massive orders. Later, the coal baron went to prison, and Dad had become a business tycoon. Amid everyone’s mockery, he found Mom, who’d been passed around several times. Without another word, they got married immediately. After marriage, Dad pampered Mom into the most radiant woman. He gave her a French château, shares in his company. When she got pregnant with me, he even spent a fortune to buy her the naming rights to a small asteroid. They could have stayed happy like that forever. Until I was born.
I have hemophilia. Dad hired a girl with the same rare blood type as a secretary. Her name was Vivian. She was a bit dim-witted, but likable enough. He said she was my walking blood bag. But gradually, when the blood bag came to give me transfusions, Dad would frown with concern. Even when I was critical, if Vivian said she was afraid of needles, Dad would pull out my IV. I nearly died that day. Thankfully, the hospital contacted a blood bank in another state. When I woke up, I saw Dad holding Vivian’s hand, saying to Mom: “I’m sorry, Willow. I’ve fallen in love with Vivian.” “As long as you accept this, you’re still my wife, and Sienna is still my only daughter.” Mom calmly accepted reality. She said, my Sienna is still sick—if we divorce, I really can’t afford to raise her. Just like that, Mom became the most magnanimous wife in the entire city. So magnanimous that when photos of Dad in bed with club girls leaked, she personally handled it herself. Whenever that happened, Dad would apologize to her, then transfer money into my account. Mom would accept it on my behalf and act like nothing happened. Until a few days ago, when Vivian showed up with a pregnant belly. She said she was carrying Dad’s child—a boy. “He was ecstatic. I knew right then that this fetus would eventually threaten Sienna’s position. It had to be eliminated.” “And I’m dying anyway… After being a parasite my whole life, using this life to pave the way for my daughter—I’m satisfied.” As Mom spoke, she pulled out a brand-new diary. A gold-digger with only an elementary school education naturally had no habit of keeping a diary. So she had to forge one. Her fingers were swollen, barely able to grip the pen. But she still wrote about all these years with Dad, word by word. After finishing, she sent the diary to be aged, then locked it in a safe. She made me memorize the combination: “After I die, on the day your dad misses me most, guide him to find this diary.” Forging the diary took several days. Mom clutched her stomach, sweat pouring down from the pain. She gave me a black card and told me to buy her painkillers. How strange—it was only September, but snow was falling from the sky. I didn’t have time to think about it. I fell several times running to the pharmacy. Buy medicine. Swipe card. “Beep beep. This card has been frozen.” I froze. This was Dad’s supplementary card, always with unlimited credit. It couldn’t be frozen. I immediately called Dad. But the person who answered was Vivian, her voice lazy. “That’s your dad’s punishment for your mom.” “He also told me to tell your mom to be a good wife and stop playing those manipulative games.” I screamed: “Impossible! You must have provoked Dad!” Vivian laughed softly, lowering her voice: “Yes, I provoked him. So what?” “After all, with one sentence about the baby brother in my belly wanting to see snow, your dad spent tens of millions on artificial snow!” I looked at the bruises on my body and sobbed. So this snow that made me fall so many times was Dad’s gift to his mistress. By the time I bought medicine with my piggy bank savings, Mom had already fainted from pain. I fed her the medicine. Mom looked at my injuries, her eyes reddening. I heard her call Aunt Rachel: “He loves her more than I imagined.” “I need to accumulate more moral capital for Sienna. I need to die more tragically.” I don’t know how long passed before I woke up in Mom’s bed. Mom was panting as she packed things. She threw wedding photos into the fireplace, sold all her clothes and jewelry. Just as she was about to destroy the scarf she’d knitted for Dad herself— I rushed over to stop her. But she kissed my cheek: “Mom knows Sienna can’t bear to part with it.” “But Mom has to make sure you’re Mom’s only keepsake.” I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak. Dad’s assistant called Mom. “Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Hayes just took Miss Vivian for a prenatal checkup and was photographed by reporters.” “He wants you to film an apology and clarification video as soon as possible to avoid affecting the company’s stock price.”
Mom responded coolly and skillfully set up the camera. I shouted angrily: “Dad’s mistake—why should Mom bear the consequences!” “I don’t want Mom to be the one who’s humiliated anymore!” I knocked over the camera. Mom set it back up. “Sienna, be good. The company will be yours eventually.” “Mom protecting the company’s stock price now is also protecting your interests.” I still didn’t understand, but Mom’s eyes looked so sad. In the camera, she was gracious and poised: “It’s all a misunderstanding. Miss Vivian is our company employee. Since no one was around to look after her, Dylan kindly took her to the hospital.” After the video was posted, the internet was full of mockery. Everyone said Mom was acting like a dog as the legitimate wife. But Dad was very satisfied. He finally came home. As soon as he walked in, he spun me around in a circle and put a jade bracelet on my wrist. Then he kissed Mom and gave her a jade peace pendant. “This is my magnanimous Willow,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ve unfrozen the card.” “I wasn’t angry because you faked illness and played games. I was angry because you cursed yourself.” “We’re going to grow old together. Please don’t say such unlucky things again, okay?” Dad was so gentle. He still loved Mom and me, didn’t he? I stared at them dreamily, suddenly feeling like the injuries on my legs didn’t hurt anymore. After Dad left, I happily moved closer to Mom, wanting to touch the peace pendant. But Mom sneered and took it off. She patted my little head and showed me a news article. [Billionaire Dylan Hayes’ True Love: Ten Million Dollar Jade Bracelet!] I looked at the photo of the full-green jade bracelet on Vivian’s wrist. Suddenly I realized. My bracelet, fitted with Mom’s peace pendant—they were just scraps from the custom bracelet made for Vivian. I wanted to confront Dad angrily. But Mom calmly contacted Aunt Rachel to confirm the date for taking the euthanasia medication. She chose the date to be her and Dad’s wedding anniversary. “This way, whenever he gets married, he’ll remember my death.” “Only by remembering me for a long time will it benefit my Sienna more.” I didn’t dare cry in front of Mom. I could only hide in my room counting the days. I was about to lose my mom. Although Mom held me and said she’d become a star in the sky— I was already seven years old. I knew those were all lies. I couldn’t expose Mom’s lie. I didn’t want her to be sadder before she died. Mom was very busy over the next few days. She contacted an uncle surnamed Thompson and whispered with him for a long time. Then she carefully selected a dress because Dad was taking her to a charity gala. Just her—not that mistress. She even helped Dad placate Vivian. But when she turned around, she taught me how to provoke the placated Vivian: “Hehe, so what if he made it snow for you? You’re still just my dad’s plaything.” “At formal occasions like charity galas, the only one who can appear hand-in-hand with my dad is my mom!” Vivian was so easy to bait. She got angry immediately and took action. On the night of the charity gala, our family of three had just sat down. Vivian, disguised as staff, appeared. She didn’t say anything, just looked at Dad with red-rimmed eyes. I clearly saw Dad’s Adam’s apple bob. “Dylan,” Mom pleaded, “this is a big occasion. Give me some face…” But under everyone’s gaze, Dad still patted Mom’s hand: “There are so many people here. Vivian is pregnant—I’m afraid she’ll get hurt.” He went to sit with his mistress. The whole room buzzed with whispers. Mom lowered her head as if embarrassed, but secretly gave Uncle Thompson a look.
I knew this Uncle Thompson—he was one of Dad’s biggest investors. After Dad’s affair, he’d asked Mom to leave with him. I remembered him as a gentle, polite man. But today he was very rude. Rudely grabbing Vivian, asking her to drink a few glasses with him. Vivian panicked and kept refusing. Dad stepped in front, politely saying she was pregnant and it wasn’t convenient. But Uncle Thompson seemed enraged and issued a threat: “If Mr. Hayes won’t even give me this face, then our cooperation ends here!” Seeing Vivian’s terrified expression and Dad’s awkward face, I felt pleased. I even silently cheered for Uncle Thompson, hoping he’d help Mom vent more anger. But the next second, I heard Dad say with a laugh: “How about this, Mr. Thompson—let my wife drink with you.” “Vivian just has some looks. My wife is a real beauty.” I froze, unable to believe the man saying this was my mom’s husband. Mom didn’t move, letting Dad drag her toward Uncle Thompson: “Just a few drinks… You won’t refuse, will you?” I rushed over to protect Mom: “My mom is sick! Aunt Rachel said she can’t drink! She said it would kill her!” Dad grabbed me by the collar and tossed me aside, glaring at Mom: “Look what you’ve taught Sienna. Lying endlessly.” Uncle Thompson got his wish and pulled Mom over, forcing her to drink with several men. Mom numbly downed glass after glass. Uncle Thompson seemed to have tears in his eyes. Finally, after who knows how many glasses, Mom suddenly vomited blood. “Willow!” Dad’s face changed dramatically and he ran over. But Vivian cried out. “So much blood, Dylan. I feel a bit uncomfortable seeing it…” Dad hesitated for a second, then turned to pick up Vivian: “The hilltop villa isn’t far from here. I’ll take you there to rest.” The hilltop villa was his wedding gift to Mom. Mom treasured it and never let outsiders in. She stared at Dad intensely: “No! You can take her anywhere else—don’t defile my villa!” Dad tried to reason with her at first, but this time Mom was immovable. They argued all the way to the villa. Vivian’s deliberate moaning grew louder and louder. Dad lost his temper and actually slapped Mom: “Are you crazy? It’s just a house!” “Since you think it’s more important than my son, then rot to death in this house!” With that, he shoved Mom into the villa and locked the door to prevent her from chasing after them. Uncle Thompson, Aunt Rachel, and Aunt Rachel’s police officer boyfriend— They waited patiently with me outside the villa. Until Dad’s car drove away in a cloud of dust. Only then did we enter the villa. Mom was still vomiting blood heavily. Her body and the floor were stained red with blood. Her forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain. But she persisted, having Uncle Thompson set up complex mechanisms. “Make sure… once they’re intimate in bed… my body will drop down.” “Don’t forget to lock the door when you leave… Make him think I died from being forced to drink, then locked in with no way to call for help…” “All traces… must be eliminated with professional forensic methods…” “The infertility drug… Sienna, you must find a chance to put it in Dad’s water after you get home…” “The report saying Vivian’s fetus isn’t his biological child—is the forgery good enough? Let me see if it looks real…” “He must only have Sienna as his heir. He must…” Her voice trembled with pain. Finally, with everyone’s help, she used her last strength to climb up to the skylight. She put a white pill in her mouth, finally showing a relieved smile on her face: “There shouldn’t be any flaws.” “Thank you all for your help.” “Sienna, goodbye. Mom loves you, will always love you…” Her voice grew weaker and weaker until finally, it couldn’t be heard anymore. All the aunts and uncles were sobbing. Uncle Thompson was crying so hard he collapsed to his knees. Only I didn’t cry. I watched Mom meticulously arrange her own death. My tears had already run dry. I looked at the sunflowers in the villa’s yard. That snowfall had made the sunflowers wither early. I sat there quietly, waiting for Dad to come back. Finally, at midnight, the doorbell rang.
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