The next day, Calvin showed up like he said he would. He had Jenna with him—the woman who'd taken everything from me.

But the ward was empty. The bed was made, and all the clothes were packed. It was like no one had ever been there. He asked the caregiver, but she had no idea where Margaret had gone.

Calvin quickly tracked her down using his phone's GPS and found her on the street. She was dragging her weak body, holding onto a worn-out bag, trying to pin something to a public bulletin board.

He stepped up to take a look—it was a notice about searching for a dead body. He let out a frustrated laugh and pulled Margaret away. "Impressive acting, Mom. A notice for a dead body? You've really lost it."

Margaret gripped the flyer, her hand shaking. "Clare's missing. I need to find her body. She'll be scared if I'm not there with her."

"For what? She was cold enough to let you die in the streets, and you're still searching for her? I can't believe she came up with all kinds of schemes just to avoid helping Jenna." Calvin sneered.

Then, he added, "Tell me where she is, unless you want me to cut ties with you for good in the last years of your life."

I watched as Margaret's eyes welled up when she heard Calvin's threat. "I'm your dad's wife—how could you do this to me?"

Calvin's anger flared. "How dare you bring up Dad? It's because of you that Clarissa became a murderer three years ago!"

My heart broke as I watched. Did Calvin even have a shred of humanity left?

Jenna saw how angry Calvin was and held onto his arm, her tears welling up. "Calvin, don't say things like that to your mom. You're going to hurt her feelings.

"I don't mind if Clarissa doesn't help. Losing an eye doesn't bother me. Nothing else matters as long as I'm with you."

I saw right through it all. With just a few words, she had Calvin completely convinced I was hiding on purpose. It was like my absence made me the one at fault, like I was the worst person ever.

Calvin's heart shattered at the sight of Jenna's tears. He quickly wiped them away. "Jenna, you're too kind. Why do you always put others before yourself? It would be a privilege for Clarissa to help you. Don't worry. I'll find her, dead or alive."

Jenna shot a nervous look at Margaret. "But… do you think your stepmom's mentally unwell? I'm so scared… Should we take her to see a doctor? Letting her roam the streets could be a danger to everyone."

People on the street couldn't help but stare in fear when they saw Margaret with her disheveled hair.

"Alright, babe. Don't be afraid. I'm with you." Calvin turned and grabbed Margaret's hand. "I'll get you to the police station right now!"

My soul lingered beside Margaret, watching helplessly while Calvin yanked her frail body along.

It was only a few days ago that I was in a terrible car crash, lying in a pool of blood, barely holding on. I dialed his number desperately, trying more than ten times.

He finally answered my last call. He told me he was with Jenna, who was modeling at a fashion show, and couldn't make it.

"Calvin, are you seriously just going to watch me die?"

He sneered from the other end. "Oh, really? Go ahead, die then. Let's see if you're really in a car accident or pretending."

I missed the critical window for treatment because of this. By the time they got me to the operating room, I was already dead.

Margaret dragged her frail body to where mine lay, covered by a white sheet, and knelt by it. She cried so hard she almost fainted.

She called Calvin to take my body, but he mocked her without mercy. "Cut the act. How pathetic are you to use such lame tricks? You want me to collect her body? Let's save that for when she's really dead. I'll definitely be there then."

After all those years of marriage to Calvin, where we respected each other, all I got was his cruel curse.

My tears poured uncontrollably, vanishing into the air as soon as they fell. I finally gave up on him. I guess he never really loved me after all.

How would he react when he found out I was already gone?

My body vanished in the blink of an eye. They combed the entire hospital, but it was nowhere to be found.

Margaret was devastated, and her condition worsened quickly. She tried several times to search for me, but the hospital wouldn't let her.

Now, Calvin was pulling Margaret down a bustling street.

"I can't go. Please, don't make me…" she cried desperately. "I haven't found Clare. She's alone and lost."

My eyes burned with unexpected tears. It was so foolish of Margaret to still care about me. All I could hope for was that she'd be okay.

Margaret shakily pulled out the remaining flyers about my missing body from her bag and tried handing them to people on the street. But they avoided her as if afraid to get caught up with a madwoman.

Calvin snatched the flyers from her and flung them to the ground. In the chaos, Margaret's bag fell, spilling her pills and everything else. Among the mess was a photo.

Calvin's expression suddenly tightened.

Jenna was terrified. She jumped into his arms, shrieking. "What's that?"

Calvin took a closer look, his fury rising when he saw it was a black-and-white photo of me. "I can't believe you two are going this far to avoid helping Jenna. Making a photo of a dead person, really? What's next? How much longer is Clarissa going to keep this up?"

He stomped on my photo, the glass breaking and tearing through the picture, completely ruining it.

"No! Don't!" Margaret shrieked. She bent down to grab it, but Calvin stepped right on her hand.

"Oh? Feel free to pick it up," he said flippantly, as if Margaret were nothing more than an enemy.

Calvin then stomped on the pills a few more times, crushing them into a fine dust.

My heart twisted in pain. Those were the medicines Margaret relied on to stay alive!

The shards of glass cut into Margaret's hand. Her frail frame shook as tears fell like rain. "Clare, I've let you down. I can't find your body, and now I can't even keep your photo…"