I heard the sizzling sound of burning flesh, and my whole body collapsed like mud on the ground. I could only stare blankly as Sophia ordered those men to dump my body deep in the mountains.

It was Ms. Anderson and several staff who searched tirelessly day and night until they finally found me and arranged my burial.

Ms. Anderson’s face was full of sorrow as tears rolled down.

After a long pause, she sighed deeply and said,

“Grace passed away six years ago.”

Daniel studied her for a while before sneering,

“Dead?”

“How could Grace bear to die? What did she promise you to make you lie for her?”

He swept his gaze over the orphans and suddenly raised his voice:

“Grace, let’s play a game.”

“There are fifteen people here, including the director. From now on, every ten minutes, one of them will lose a hand or a foot—until you show up.”

Ms. Anderson panicked and rushed forward, saying,

“Grace really is dead, I’m not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to her grave.”

Daniel simply glanced at his watch. Ten minutes later, he casually twisted Ms. Anderson’s hand, breaking it.

Lily, witnessing this, bit down on the bodyguard’s hand and, taking advantage of his pain, crashed hard into Daniel, knocking him off balance. Daniel reflexively kicked Lily.

Ms. Anderson hurried over to support Lily, but Lily steadied herself and pulled Ms. Anderson behind her, shouting,

“You’re a bad man! Ms. Anderson already said my mom died six years ago. If you keep bullying us, my mom will punish you from the sky!”

Daniel froze for a moment, then studied Lily closely.

I instinctively moved in front of my daughter, but Daniel’s hand passed right through me as he grabbed her, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“So you’re the little bastard from back then.”

He ordered the bodyguards to restrain her, his voice filled with fury:

“Grace, if you don’t come out right now, I’ll break this brat’s legs.”

I looked at Lily’s reddened face, floated to Daniel’s side, and pleaded desperately,

“Daniel, I’m right here. Don’t hurt Lily or Ms. Anderson.”

But he couldn’t hear me.

At that moment, Ms. Anderson forced herself forward despite the pain and said,

“Mr. Harris, Lily is your—”

Before she could finish, Daniel gestured to his men. I threw myself over my daughter, only to hear her muffled cry of pain.

Daniel glanced coldly at those around him and said,

“I’ll give Grace five more days.”

“If she doesn’t show up, you won’t want to know the consequences.”

I lunged at him in fury, biting and clawing, but only met empty air, collapsing weakly to the ground.

As I prayed daily for some miracle to let me appear again, Daniel returned with Sophia.

I saw the necklace on Sophia’s neck—the very one Daniel had once commissioned from a jeweler for me, symbolizing eternal love. Now it hung on Sophia instead.

Daniel carefully supported her, his voice cold:

“Five days are up. Where is Grace?”

Ms. Anderson trembled as she answered,

“Mr. Harris, Ms. Miller really is dead. Here, this is her death certificate.”

Sophia leaned coyly against him, feigning concern.

“Mr. Harris, is Ms. Miller really dead?

Or is she just angry with you?”

Daniel sneered,

“Grace was always promiscuous. She could mix a drink for anyone, and someone would happily forge a death certificate for her.”

“Ms. Anderson, tell Grace that if she donates her liver to Sophia, I’ll renovate this orphanage and donate thirty million dollars. That brat can also come live at the Harris Estate.”

Hearing Daniel’s words, I felt dizzy. So, all those times I mixed drinks for his business partners to save his company during crises—in his eyes, it became nothing but debauchery.

Ms. Anderson swallowed her anger and said,

“Mr. Harris, Grace died six years ago.

When we found her, she was lying naked in a pit in the mountains, her face destroyed.

If not for her bracelet, we wouldn’t have recognized her.

We laid her to rest in the cemetery.”

Daniel fiddled with his cufflinks, speaking coldly,

“Do you think I have endless patience to listen to your lies?”

At his signal, the bodyguards began violently searching every room. The orphans burst out crying, clinging to Ms. Anderson.

My eyes burned as I watched. I could hardly believe that the man who once gave money to every beggar he passed had turned into this monster for Sophia’s sake.

Ms. Anderson rushed to block them, shouting,

“Mr. Harris, what are you doing? Grace really is dead. If you don’t believe me, we can go to the cemetery.”

Daniel sneered,

“I checked Grace’s bank records. She sends money to this orphanage every month.

What, do you think dead people can operate a bank account?”

My nails dug into my palms. I never expected that the auto-transfer I had set up before my death would become the very reason Daniel refused to believe I was gone.

Sophia suddenly interjected,

“Mr. Harris, look at that child’s bright eyes.

My poor sister is blind—wouldn’t her eyes be just as beautiful if only she had them?”

I froze as Daniel turned to Lily with disgust, then spoke gently to Sophia,

“That’s nothing hard. We can just take the girl’s eyes and give them to your sister.”

Horrified, I rushed to shield Lily, but Daniel had already taken the knife from his bodyguard and advanced toward her.

Ms. Anderson stumbled forward and shoved him away, shouting,

“Daniel Harris, do you even have a heart?

This is Grace’s daughter!”

Daniel waved, and two bodyguards pinned Ms. Anderson down. Lily struggled desperately, but couldn’t escape Daniel’s knife.

Daniel slowly wiped the blood from his hands and said coldly,

“Grace, if you don’t come out now, your daughter can kiss her arms goodbye too.”

I could only watch helplessly as Lily writhed in agony on the floor, hatred boiling inside me. I lunged, biting at Daniel’s hand, but it was like biting smoke.

Sophia suddenly collapsed into her wheelchair, and Daniel hurriedly lifted her into his arms.

“I’ll give you one more day. If Grace doesn’t show up, everyone here will be sold to an organ trafficking ring.”

I hated myself for ever getting involved with such a cruel man, and hated even more that I had once loved him.

Another day passed.

Daniel gently carried Sophia and set her down in her wheelchair.

Watching him, I remembered the times I had cried from stomach pains, only to be brushed off with,

“Men are naturally careless. If you don’t say it, how would I know what you need?”

Now, he was tenderly covering Sophia with a blanket.

It turned out he wasn’t incapable of being gentle—he simply chose not to be with me.

Ms. Anderson and I waited at the orphanage gates early, though no one else could see me.

Daniel Harris saw only the director waiting and forced down his anger as he asked,

“Where is Grace Miller?”

Ms. Anderson trembled as she replied,

“Mr. Harris, Grace is truly dead.”

Daniel sneered,

“Then what, that brat was conceived out of thin air? Lies have their limits.”

“Same as before—if Grace doesn’t show herself within ten minutes, I’ll gouge out an orphan’s eyes and throw him from the rooftop.”

Hearing this, Ms. Anderson dropped to her knees, begging,

“Mr. Harris, I’m not lying. Lily was born through an emergency C-section after Grace passed away. Please, spare these children.”

At those words, Sophia Lee’s eyes flashed with cruelty and satisfaction.

I remembered how, years ago, when she disfigured my body and dumped me in the mountains, she had whispered,

“This way, not even God could recognize you.

If you carry that child to term, how could I ever become Mrs. Harris?”

Daniel raised his eyes, and at his signal, a bodyguard dragged out a random orphan and blinded him.

I cried out desperately,

“I’m right here, Daniel, I’m right in front of you!

Don’t do this to these children—they are innocent!”

Ms. Anderson rushed forward to stop him but was kicked to the ground. She could only watch as the blinded orphan was thrown from the rooftop.

I tried again and again to catch the child as he fell, but my hands grasped only air. I could only watch in horror as his body hit the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

Ms. Anderson crawled to the boy, holding him in her arms, and pointed at Daniel:

“No wonder Grace never let Lily acknowledge you. A man like you will get what’s coming sooner or later!”

Daniel stepped forward, breaking her finger with a snap, and wiped his hands as he said coldly,

“This was only the first. If Grace refuses to show herself, I’ll keep throwing more.

It’s just a liver donation for Sophia—yet she clings so tightly to her life.”

Sophia stood weakly, pretending to collapse into Daniel’s arms. She whispered,

“Mr. Harris, maybe Ms. Miller just doesn’t want to see me.

Why don’t we leave? I can’t bear to see so many children die because of her…

Even though I truly want to stay by your side forever.”

Daniel gently wiped away her tears.

“You really are kindhearted. Don’t worry—Grace’s liver will be yours.”

Then he motioned for his bodyguards to seize the orphans one by one, dragging them out of their rooms. Dusting his sleeves, he said to Ms. Anderson,

“I’ll give you ten more minutes to reach Grace.

If she doesn’t show up, you know what will happen to these six children.”

Ms. Anderson threw my death certificate at him, her voice panicked,

“What more do you want? I already told you, Grace is dead.

Why can’t you understand plain words?

You can check this certificate yourself if you don’t believe me.”

I stood in front of the children, but Daniel’s men passed right through me, dragging the orphans out one by one. Cries of agony filled the orphanage as their limbs were broken.

Their blood stained my vision red. I tried to grab a shovel to fight Daniel, but my hands passed through it again and again.

Sophia watched, her eyes brimming with triumph, pretending to faint into Daniel’s embrace.

He quickly caught her, speaking softly—