September brought a hint of coolness in the air.

Amanda was nearing her due date, and her whole family, except for Lizzy, was on high alert, treating her like fragile glass, fearing any misstep, almost wanting to put her in a bubble for safety.

Yet Lizzy, in these past few days, stood by, eyes fixed unwaveringly on Amanda's belly several times.

She had a venomous gaze, occasionally revealing a strange smirk on her face.

I started feeling nervous, not for the child in Amanda's belly, but to prevent a repeat of the past.

In my previous life, I didn't understand Amanda well because her boy-preference attitude was akin to my mother's, and I didn't like it.

This inadvertently gave Lizzy an opportunity.

As the time frame mirrored the past, Kadee instructed me to watch over the nutritious soup she was cooking in the kitchen, telling me to take it upstairs once it was ready.

As for why I was still here, it wasn't because my mother still cared about me or preserved my room.

It was merely to have more people looking after Amanda, and I, a university student, was a free babysitter.

Lizzy appeared behind me, catching me off guard, echoing the same words as in the past life, "Auntie, Grandma said to add some walnut oil to the soup to boost the nutrition."

She smiled innocently, like a sweet, obedient little girl, endearing yet unsettling.

In the past, I didn't question her words, and with their urging, I hurriedly followed through, taking the soup to Amanda.

That night, Amanda suffered severe allergic reactions, leading to heavy bleeding and a trip to the hospital.

After treatment, Amanda survived, but the child did not.

The doctors informed us that Amanda's body was no longer fit for successful pregnancies.

Kadee slapped me hard across the face, leaving a clear imprint and blood on my lips.

The searing pain and the ringing in my ears remained unforgettable to this day.

Kadee's eyes glinted with malice as if one slap wasn't enough. She lunged forward to strike me again, only to be stopped by a nurse beside her.

"Madam, please calm down!"

Trembling, my mother pointed at me, shouting, "Claire, what have you done? How could you treat Amanda like this?

"How have we wronged you, Claire, to make you ruin our family line?

"Oh, my precious grandchild! You've deprived me of my beloved grandson!"

I covered my face, feeling bewildered and unsure how to respond.

"I had no idea Amanda is allergic to walnuts!

"And besides, it wasn't you who told Liz to ask me to add walnuts to the soup?"

Suddenly, I realize something.

I froze in disbelief, looking towards Lizzy, who stood silently on the sidelines, watching the drama unfold.

I rushed over and grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"Say it! You were the one who said to add walnut oil to the soup!!"

Lizzy's eyes welled up with tears, her face filled with a sense of injustice.

She furrowed her brow, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Auntie, what are you talking about? I clearly said sesame oil!"

"Auntie, I know you didn't mean it! Apologize to Mom, Grandma, and Dad. They won't blame you! They will forgive you...

"Fine," Lizzy turned to Kadee, saying, "It's all my fault. I misunderstood and passed on the wrong information. If you want to blame someone, blame me! I'm the one who let Mom down, who let my brother down..."

Tomas, who had been suppressing his emotions, forcefully pushed me away.

"That's enough!"

He dragged me back home before I could react.

His fist came down hard on me, not giving me a moment to catch my breath, followed by a swift kick.

With a dull thud, I almost heard the sound of my bones breaking.

Tomas' face turned ashen, his expression fierce.

He yanked my hair viciously, questioning me coldly, "Claire, why would you do this? That was my wife and your nephew! How could you be so heartless!"

I struggled to speak, tasting the metallic tang of blood in my throat.

"Tomas, it wasn't me, I swear it wasn't me..."

Tomas flung me aside, and I fell to the ground, my body sliding until it hit the corner of the wall.

"Claire, if I had known this day would come, I would have drowned you in the river when you were born!"

The door slammed shut forcefully, casting the room into darkness.

My body ached all over as if I had been run over by a truck. I gasped for air, my vision starting to blur.

Suddenly, a faint light shone from the direction of the door.

Even the dim light stung my eyes.

I struggled to open my eyes to see who was approaching.

Lizzy hurried towards me, her voice trembling.

"Auntie! Are you okay? Does it hurt..."

"Auntie, it's all my fault, I got it wrong, blame me..."

As Lizzy spoke, she slapped herself twice.

I, who always doted on her, now looked at her with coldness in my eyes.

"Do... do you truly not know that your mother is allergic to... walnuts?

"Then why didn't you admit your mistake in front of them? Why blame me for everything?"

I coughed violently, almost coughing up blood from my throat.

Despite this, I kept my gaze fixed on her, trying to read something from her face.

Unfortunately, in the pitch-black environment, I couldn't see anything. I missed the fleeting look of schadenfreude on her face.

Lizzy shook her head vigorously.

"Auntie, I'm just a twelve-year-old child, I really didn't know!"

She reached out to hold my hand, but I jerked it away.

"Auntie! Auntie, I'm truly sorry!"

Lizzy covered her face with her hands, trying to stifle her sobs, her shoulders shaking.

"Auntie, if I didn't say this! Dad and Grandma would definitely kill me!

"Auntie, I'm scared, I'm really scared..."

I thought, "So, am I to bear the blame for all of this?

Don't I feel fear too?"

I didn't want to argue anymore and closed my eyes, saying, "Get out!"

Afterwards, I became lost and numb.

No matter how I explained, they refused to believe me.

"Claire, have you no sense of decency? You've already caused the death of my son, and now you want to slander my daughter?"

"Claire, I will hate you for the rest of my life. Even if you were dead, you'd still owe the Danes family a life!"

"Claire, you've ended our family line. I should have beaten you to death back then!"

"Claire..."

The constant repetition of these words, along with the suffocating atmosphere, slowly twisted my mind.

Sometimes, I would blankly wonder if I truly caused all of this.

In the end, they successfully manipulated me, turning me into a puppet, following their every command.

I earned money only to hand it over to them. When they fell ill, it was my duty to care for them.

Because I caused the death of their only son, I was now obligated to care for them for the rest of my life.

In my youth, I had escaped from here with all the courage, enduring all hardships to break free from the shackles of this family. Now, it seemed like nothing but a dream, ultimately just a joke.

Since then, I ignored Lizzy. As I became the target of mistreatment, her life improved significantly.

I worked tirelessly outside, trying to fill the bottomless pit called the Danes family.

One day, a phone call from Tomas disrupted the fragile peace I had managed to maintain.

"Hey, Claire! Lizzy is at the bank of Ringchonk River, threatening to jump!

"She's shouting apologies to you, wanting to see you one last time to apologize! She says if she can't see you, she'll jump!"

He was surrounded by deafening noise, but I could still hear the venom in Tomas' voice.

"Claire, you've already killed my son, do you want to drive my daughter to her death too?"

I stared at the now disconnected screen, chuckling bitterly.

I thought, "She's jumping? But isn't it because Amanda forced her to marry a widower at nineteen?

Aren't they the ones who drove her to this?

But Lizzy, you do owe me an apology."

The chilling wind blew, the river water relentlessly hitting the walls.

This was the infamous treacherous river in the village, deep and surrounded by walls, with hidden currents and whirlpools.

And there was Lizzy, perched on the edge. Although she was holding onto the railing, there was always the possibility of her slipping.