Before I fell asleep, I heard Felix trying to calm Mandy down from a temper tantrum.

“Daddy, I don’t want that woman to go with us.”

“Mandy, go to sleep. No matter what, she’s your mother.”

Mandy flung Felix’s hand away. “I don’t like her! She’s a bad woman! Ruby should be my mommy instead!”

I felt chills all over my body, and I started trembling.

The next day was the Parent-child Sports Day at Mandy’s kindergarten.

I prepared my sportswear excitedly but did not notice Mandy’s slightly disgusted expression.

When we got out of the car, Mandy jumped into Ruby’s arms, and I looked at Felix in confusion.

He just glanced at my blind right eye and pursed his lips before coolly saying, “You’re the one who’s always pretending to be weak. It only makes sense for you to not participate in the Sports Day.”

Just then, Ruby approached us with Mandy in hand.

She noticed my sad expression but still shed a few crocodile tears. “Liana, you don’t want me here, do you? I’ll leave right now and stop interrupting your time with Mandy.”

However, Mandy held Ruby’s hand tightly, and anger burned in her beautiful eyes. “You’re the one who can’t run and jump. My classmates all say that I have a sick and blind mom, so I’m asking Ruby to come with me. You’ll only embarrass me as my mother!”

I could only watch as they ran the three-legged race and played Pictionary together.

When they got first place, Felix pointed at me. “Take a photo of us.”

A parent who did not know the truth marveled at them, “Your family has such great teamwork. You’re handsome, your wife is beautiful, and your daughter is gorgeous too.”

I forced a smile as I watched Felix gently hug Ruby and Mandy.

The moment the photo was captured and immortalized, I felt as if something had been taken from me.

Suddenly, Felix and Mandy seemed like strangers to me.

That night, I did not make them any herbal soup.

Following their transplants, I had gone to a culinary nutritionist and studied under him for three months. I learned what to cook for them so that they could recover faster.

Not quite used to the sight of an empty dining table, Felix looked around the kitchen and asked in puzzlement, “You didn’t make soup tonight?”

I nodded and said nothing.

Mandy found it strange too, but she sighed in relief. “It doesn’t taste nice anyway. It’s not as good as Ruby’s. You shouldn’t be making such strange soups anyway. It’s gross.”

I hung my head, as though I did not hear her grumbling.

I was not going to make it anymore.

There was no longer anyone worth my care in this house.

The next morning, Ruby came to apologize with a beautiful vase.

With teary eyes, she tried to hold my hand. “Liana, I know that you’re bothered by Mandy being so close to me. But you’re the one who left without a word for half a year, and I was the one who took care of Felix and Mandy.

“They’re like family to me. I’m begging you. Don’t stop me from meeting them, okay?”

She looked pitiful with those tears in her eyes, but I saw malice when she looked at me.

Then, she sank to the floor, and the vase in her hands shattered.

Feeling pity for her, Felix hugged her. “Liana, could you stop being so jealous?! I didn’t even hold it against you when you cheated on me while Mandy and I had our surgeries! I didn’t even say anything about your return after you became blinded in one eye, but you’re bullying Ruby now?!”

He kicked the back of my knees and made me fall on the shards.

Blood flowed out of my kneecaps, and I knew that my skin had been cut open.

However, Felix did not notice my pale face and said coldly, “You’re kneeling here for the night. It’s about time you’re taught a lesson.”

My cornea was in his right eye, but he never looked me in my remaining left eye anymore.

An unknown time passed, and my knees went numb. Even so, the pain from the shards stabbing into my flesh stood stark.

In my daze, I saw the day I celebrated Mandy’s third birthday. I put on a crystal tiara on her head while Felix stared at me lovingly.

At that time, Mandy would still call me her mother sweetly, and Felix’s catchphrase was, “I’ll protect my dearest wife and daughter for life.”

Slap!

A sharp pain on my face abruptly pulled me out of memory lane.

Mandy stood in front of me angrily. She had thrown her art board at my face.

“You evil woman! If you bully Ruby again, I’m asking Daddy to chase you out!”

She tried to push me.

My dress was soaked through with blood and stuck to my skin. Any minute movement brought about searing pain.

My heart monitor vibrated; this was the fourth alarm.

The doctor who operated on me told me that after the fifth alarm, I would have to get a new heart in time. Otherwise, my life would be in danger.

Yet, when I saw the disgust on Mandy’s face, I discovered that no one cared about my life.

When Felix noticed the bandages on my knees, his eyes flickered with an emotion I could not decipher. “Ruby has an art exhibition today. She’s always wanted you to see it, so you’re coming with us,” he said.

He sounded so high and mighty about it, as though he was being nice and giving me this opportunity.

Since when did going out with them become a generous reward?

I could feel my heart fighting to work.

Suddenly, I remembered how the three of us had gone to a theme park in the past.

Mandy had fed me some cotton candy with a smile, and Felix had used a fan to blow away the heat.

Unfortunately, times had changed.

“Daddy, why is she coming to the art exhibition with us? She’ll just ruin my mood!” Mandy grumbled in displeasure.

Felix pinched her cheek. “I’m around, and I won’t let her bully Ruby.”

I wanted to avoid conflict with Ruby, but she refused to spare me.

She pretended to be friendly and grabbed my arm as if she did not see me avoiding her. “Liana, look at the painting that won me the International Gold Award. Doesn’t it look familiar?”

I stared at the painting named “Heartbeat” hanging on the wall.

When I was pregnant with Mandy, I painted it as I listened to her heartbeat.

Ruby stared at me smugly and whispered, “You blind, useless piece of trash. When Felix brings you out, people laugh at him and Mandy.

“Your broken body is disgusting. If you have any sense, you’ll get lost.

“You have no right to be so skilled in art and have a happy family. I hate letting you have your way in life.

“Your husband and daughter will belong to me, just like that painting.”

In the past, I pitied Ruby for being an orphan. Since she was also my underclassman, I brought her back home, only to realize later that I had brought back a thief.

Ruby smiled at me ruthlessly.

Out of the blue, she brought out a knife and cut her palm before crying out in pain.

When Felix came over, he saw me panicking while Ruby bled from her hand.

“Felix, don’t blame Liana for this. It’s all my fault. She can’t paint anymore. I shouldn’t have invited her to the art exhibition and triggered her.”

At that, Felix angrily punched me.

I could taste blood with every breath I took. My heart trembled, and the blood that it pumped out rushed to my temple.

“I didn’t hurt her. Ruby—”

Before I could finish defending myself, Felix stomped down on the fingers of my left hand and broke them.

“Damn you, Liana! If anything happens to Ruby’s hand, I’m breaking the tendons in yours!”

He picked up the crying Ruby and ran out of the art exhibition. He did not spare me a single glance, even after I fainted from the pain.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying in the hospital.

“The alarm in your heart monitor has rung for the fifth time. You have to get your family to sign the documents and proceed for an examination,” the doctor sternly said.

I gave him a self-deprecating and dejected smile. I no longer had any family left.

However, this time, Felix was quick to answer his phone. “Liana, what tricks are you playing this time? You hurt Ruby’s hand, and you’re still pretending to be pitiful?”

I sighed and said, “Felix, my heart hurts…”

After a moment’s hesitation, he agreed to come. “Once Ruby’s stitches are done, I’ll accompany you for the examination.”

Yet, even after the sun set, Felix never came.

Instead, I received a message from Ruby.

[Liana, Felix is cooking dinner for me, and Mandy is playing the piano for me.

[Don’t you get it? You could die in front of them, and they wouldn’t care.]

Before my broken fingers could heal, Felix dragged me onto a plane, and we went to Switzerland.

It was all because Ruby said that she wanted to go skiing.

She pretended to be sad and said, “Don’t leave Liana at home alone. Let’s bring her along.”

Felix seemed to have forgotten that I had told him I could no longer do any sports. When I said no, he just scoffed. “Stop joking around. Do you really think you’re that frail?

“Ruby’s showing you respect by inviting you along. Don’t be ungrateful!”

I was dragged to the ski resort, and Ruby simply sneered when she saw my pale lips.

She pointed at Felix, who was helping Mandy put on her protective gear.

“I heard that Felix taught you how to ski, but he won’t even touch you now.”

She deliberately slowed down to compete against me. Then, she hit my right leg with her ski pole.

“Say, if we get into trouble, who do you think Felix will save first? Me or you?”

I could only panic as I rammed into a pine tree.

However, Felix anxiously ran to Ruby, who crashed into a pile of snow.

He helped the completely uninjured Ruby and left without even looking at me.

When the emergency team arrived and put me on a stretcher, I realized that my right leg was bent at an odd angle.

Once I returned to the holiday villa, I found Felix blow-drying Ruby’s hair, while Mandy had made her a cup of orange juice.

“You must’ve been so scared, Ruby. It’s all that horrible woman’s fault for not protecting you!”

Ruby feigned weakness as she leaned into Felix’s arms. “Don’t blame her. I know that Liana doesn’t like me.

“Let’s stop contacting each other once we’re back. I don’t want things to be hostile between all of you because of me. No matter what, you’re family.”

She had always loved to put on a pitiful act. She would appear to step back to push her plans along, but Felix and Mandy would always fall for it.

Perhaps I was an unforgivable person in their eyes.

Just as I had expected, Felix ignored the cast on my leg and snapped at me. “You must’ve caused Ruby to fall today! You’re pretending to have a broken leg to escape punishment, aren’t you?! Don’t you know that she’s so scared she can’t even sleep?!

“Apologize to her!”

Ruby wiggled her eyebrows at me as if to declare her victory over me.

I shut my eyes and swallowed all of my negative emotions.

“Sorry, it’s my fault.”

My heart was beating in a really awkward fashion. I no longer had any strength to argue with them.

However, Felix was surprised by my submissive attitude. At the sight of my pale face, he hesitantly asked, “Did you really hurt your leg? Should I bring you back to have the doctor take a look?”

I shook my head and missed the chilly gaze in Ruby’s eyes.

The next day, she suggested that they go look at the aurora.

Soon after they left, Ruby came running back in a panic.

“Liana, is Mandy back? She went missing while I was taking photos!”

Her anxious voice rang in my ears. Before I could even register her words, I was already running in the direction she had pointed.

I dragged my broken right leg behind me. When the bone pierced through my skin, I gritted my teeth through the pain and continued onward.

Snow continued to fall, and I could only call out to Mandy helplessly.

At the next second, I crashed into the snow.

Ruby raised her leg and stomped on me with her ice skate. “How dare you still try to get Felix to care for you?! Die!”

The chilling blade stabbed into my body, and when she pulled it out, red blood gushed out.

I coughed up blood and could only watch as she left with a sneer.

My monitor showed that my heartbeat was close to flatlining.

I tried my best to take my phone out and called Felix. “Did you find Mandy?”

He was stunned, and he said in confusion, “What on earth are you saying? Mandy’s in the RV.”

I sighed in relief and whispered, “My heart hurts. Could you come for me—”

Before I could finish speaking, he snapped impatiently. “Liana, you’ve pretended to be sick plenty of times before. It’s time for you to switch tactics.

“I’ve known you since high school, and you’ve never had any problems with your heart.

“You just don’t want us to see the aurora with Ruby. You’re so evil that you disgust me.”

He hung up callously and blocked my number. It was as if he was worried that I would continue interrupting their sweet time together.

The temperature outside was negative thirty degrees Fahrenheit. My heart slowly stopped beating due to the loss of heat.

Suddenly, my phone rang, and I struggled to unlock my screen.

What I saw was a photo that Ruby had sent over.

They were in the warm RV, and Felix was watching Ruby, as well as Mandy, with a doting look in his eyes.

Before them was a warm meal.

I smiled wanly and allowed my body to be buried under the snow.

While I counted the last few beats of my heart before it stopped forever, I shut my eyes.

“Felix, Mandy, I won’t be able to keep you two company anymore.”