My husband, Brian, scattered my ashes on our daughter.

In a torrential downpour!

My daughter, Lily, held my lifeless body, heartbroken.

I looked at my mangled limbs, full of regret.

Just moments ago, Brian's childhood sweetheart, Winnie, called to tell me he had a heart attack and urgently needed his medication at the office.

Despite being bedridden with a high fever, I couldn't let Lily go out in the heavy rain to deliver the medication.

When I arrived at the office, drenched from head to toe, I saw Winnie clinging to him, acting coy and playful.

"Brian, if your wife doesn't come soon, I'm definitely losing this bet."

Brian had his arm around her waist, looking smug.

"Don't worry! She'd bring anything if I asked."

"So impressive, Brian! You really know how to handle your wife!"

I stood there in shock.

My love for him had become his bragging rights among friends, a game he played for amusement.

Overwhelmed with anger, I dropped the medication and ran into the pouring rain, only to be hit by a speeding truck and killed on the spot.

1

The rain fell harder.

Watching Lily hold my body in utter sorrow tore me apart.

Moments later!

She frantically called Brian with my phone, but received no answer.

Ever since Winnie started working at his company, he'd put my calls and messages on Do Not Disturb.

Unless he contacted me first, I had no way to reach him.

"Dad, please answer the phone!"

It took until the 31st call for Brian to finally pick up.

"What's wrong with you? It's just a game. If you call me again, I'll make sure you can never reach me again."

Before Lily could say anything, all she heard was the busy signal on the other end.

Brian assumed I was calling to pick a fight.

Despite catching him and Winnie being inappropriate, he got angry first.

This time, it wasn't him who would never contact me again.

It was I who would never give him the chance to contact me again.

Lily had no choice but to let the hospital take my body away.

Maybe to let Brian see me one last time, Lily braved the rain to go to his office once more.

She opened the door to find Brian, her father, kissing Winnie.

Their colleagues had long accepted their relationship, clapping and cheering them on.

Lily, perhaps seeing Brian's true face for the first time, looked utterly shocked.

"Lily, why are you here?

"Don't misunderstand. Aunt Winnie and I were just playing a game!"

"Dad, you're not sick?

"If you're not sick, why did you make mom bring the medication? Mom, she..."

Lily didn't want to delve into adult matters; she just wanted to tell Brian about my death.

But Brian interrupted her harshly, pushing her out the door in disgust.

"Your mom sent you, didn't she? Tell her she can die wherever she wants, but stay out of my business.

"Do you know how embarrassing it was for me when your mom showed up looking like that at the office?"

Hearing his words, I felt a deep sense of irony.

I had overstepped my bounds, making him lose face.

I had risked a fever and braved a torrential downpour, to bring him his medication.

He held Winnie, yet blamed me for embarrassing him.

If I could, I'd really like to slap him hard.

Unexpectedly, Lily and I were on the same wavelength.

She stood on tiptoe and delivered a fierce slap to Brian's face.

"Dad, you're a jerk. Mom..."

I was shocked! Brian was even more incredulous.

A daughter slapping her father was considered extremely disrespectful and unfilial.

"Lily, are you crazy? Do you know what you're doing?

"It must be your mom who put you up to this!"

Brian shoved Lily to the ground.

"Go back and tell your mom that I'll divorce her as soon as I get home."

I hadn't done anything, yet in Brian's eyes, I was always the unreasonable one.

Winnie, not expecting things to escalate, hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

"Lily, this is all my fault. I shouldn't have asked your mom to bring the medication.

"We were just playing a game. I didn't expect your mom to actually come.

"But, this is all grown-up stuff. It's wrong of your mom to drag you into this."

As she spoke, she pretended to gently stroke Lily's head.

Her pretentious words made me sick.

This wasn't a game; it was clearly a move to declare her dominance, eager to take my place.

Lily only knew that the person responsible for her mother's death was a woman named Winnie.

So, she bit Winnie hard on the hand.

"That hurts, Brian..."

Brian, already furious, saw Lily biting and became even more enraged.

A loud slap sent Lily sprawling on the ground.

Her face bore five bright red finger marks.

"Are you crazy? Just as insane as your mom."

I felt heartbroken for Lily!

I wanted to avenge Lily, but my hand passed right through Brian's face.

What did Lily do wrong?

She only wanted to tell that scoundrel Brian about my death, yet she was harshly shoved out by her own father.

Brian, looking worried, gently rubbed and caressed Winnie's hand.

"Are you okay, Winnie? It's my fault for not raising my daughter properly."

Such a gentle tone—something he hadn't used since courting me.

"This must be Whitney's doing, instructing Lily to act up. I'll divorce her as soon as I get home."

Divorce? It seemed he couldn't wait to be with Winnie.

I was his lawful wife.

And she's just a home-wrecking mistress.

How could he treat his wife and daughter this way?

Winnie deliberately rubbed the bite mark, crying pitifully.

"Brian, don't blame Lily. Blame me for calling Whitney to bring the medication.

"It's all my fault. I caused Lily to hate me so much!

"I never expected Lily to bite me. It's all my fault, all my fault!"

"Hurry and apologize to Auntie Winnie!

"You're so young, yet already misbehaving!"

Lily wiped the blood from her mouth and stared coldly at Brian, her eyes full of disappointment.

"I won't! She's the one who should apologize!"

I got hit by a truck and was torn to pieces because of a prank call.

Brian made her apologize to Winnie!

Was this really her father?

At that moment, only Lily and I could truly understand each other's feelings.

Only the person who wronged you knew how deeply you'd been wronged.

Seeing Lily's stubborn temper, Brian raised his hand to hit her again.

Our colleagues nearby quickly stepped in to stop him.

"Mr. Mason, this is an issue between adults; there's no need to involve the child."

"Exactly! If it really can't be resolved, you should just divorce your wife."

Everyone in the company knew that Brian liked Winnie and that our divorce was inevitable.

They were openly suggesting Brian get a divorce just to please him.

Brian didn't want to make a further scene and solemnly said to Lily, "Lily, this is the last time, Aunt Winnie and I are just playing a game.

"Your mother is so dumb. If I had a heart attack, wouldn't I go to the hospital?

"She's just moved by her own emotions.

"No, she's purposely coming to the company to check up on me, always suspicious!"

I couldn't believe these words were coming from Brian.

I was dumb.

I was moved by my own emotions.

I went to the company to check on him.

I must have been blind back then to fall for his sweet talk.

"Shut up! I won't let you insult my mom like this!" Lily couldn't take it anymore.

"Brian, my mom was torn apart by a truck while delivering medicine to you. Come with me now to see her one last time.

"After that, you'll no longer be my father!"

2

"Your mom told you to say this, right?

"Tell her to die sooner and stop bothering me!"

Brian had completely lost his patience, or maybe he had never had any patience for my affairs.

I was also shocked.

The first thing he thought upon hearing news of my death was that I was playing a trick on him.

He thought I was lying.

It seemed like he didn't care about my life or death at all.

The other colleagues chimed in.

"This time, she's really gone too far. We just closed a big deal and were celebrating, but she had to ruin everyone's mood."

"They say behind every successful man, there's a woman, but it seems like the woman behind Mr. Mason isn't his wife."

"Having a child cause such a scene is indeed over the top."

From their words, it was clear they credited Winnie for closing the deal.

I had become the person holding Brian back.

Lily didn't expect her father to say such things either.

Soon, my body would be sent for cremation.

By then, Brian wouldn't even get to see me one last time.

She was so anxious that tears almost fell from her eyes.

"This isn't something my mom told me to say. She's really in the hospital, I'm not joking with you.

"Dad, why don't you believe me?

"Dad, come see mom one last time. If you wait any longer, you won't even see her body."

At that moment, only I knew how wronged Lily felt.

Brian didn't believe it at all and dragged my daughter out of the company.

"Your mom just called me dozens of times. She's alive and well. There's no way something happened to her.

"If it were your mom instead of you, I would have kicked her already."

I knew he would do it.