Their voices carried on the wind, low with worry and pity.

“That old woman is truly tragic. Apparently, there was a malfunction in the factory machinery and both her hands were crushed. Her daughter was kneeling and begging the hospital director. Her head bleeding from the ground, before they managed to save her life.”

“Who would've thought she'd jump off the building just a few days later?”

“Sigh, she lost both her arms. No one could endure such a blow.”

“And they say she was very kind. She took in over 500 stray cats while she was alive. Guess she tried to take her own life just so her daughter wouldn't be burdened.”

My breath hitched. Heart pounding, I pushed through the crowd.

“Mom!”

I shouted hoarsely, rushing forward to embrace my mother. Her sleeves were empty and she lay motionless in a pool of blood, as still as if she were asleep.

The blood beneath her body was flowing more and more.

“Please, please save my mother! Call a doctor!”

My cries tore through the air as I hugged her chilled body, oblivious to the blood that soaked me, bowing my head to the ground before the onlookers, desperate for help.

People looked at me with sympathy. After what seemed like an eternity, a hand pulled me to my feet.

“Miss Barbara, you have my condolences.”

A doctor in a white coat offered a pained apology. “Your mother has already passed away...”

Watching the doctors rush around cleaning the scene, they covered my mother's face with a white sheet and carried her into the morgue.

On the day my mother died, an online frenzy was underway.

Cecilia used the video slandering my mother, quickly gained followers, breaking the million mark.

Aaron threw a lavish party to celebrate, inviting everyone in the company to attend and proudly posted the event on his social media.

“I knew my little girl could do it. Congratulations on becoming a million-followers. You'll climb even higher in the ranks now.”

I clenched my phone so tightly, feeling a piercing pain in my chest.

Below, Cecilia commented:

[Thank you, dear. If it weren't for you helping me, this little dummy wouldn't have reached a million followers anytime soon. Looking forward to my reward tonight.]

Cecilia was eating the blood-soaked buns made from my mother's flesh and still brazenly flaunting her success.

While my mother's body was still cold in the morgue, they toasted expensive champagne, basking in the glow of her death.

Why should they get to celebrate?

The comments under Aaron's post were flooded with congratulations—except for one starkly different reply:

[Aaron, do you have any shame left? Keeping a mistress is bad enough, but you're publicly posting disgusting things on your social media? Do you even remember you have a wife? Who was it who created the 'wife-obsessed husband' persona for you? Who was the unlucky one who married you.]

Within a minute, the comment was deleted.

Immediately after, Aaron posted another photo of a divorce agreement. My own signature stamp was prominently displayed on the page.

 “Let certain people open their eyes and see clearly. I am now single. My young girlfriend is not a mistress and I will never let anyone question her status.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. It turned out the assistant was right all along.

Two months ago, while I was asleep, Aaron had quietly pressed my seal onto the divorce papers.

I sat outside the morgue all day into the night, before I finally asked the caretaker beside me, “My mother was fine. Why would she want to jump off the building? How could my mom do this? She was always so strong. Even losing both arms, she promised she'd keep living for my sake.”

“She made it through, she said she would never give up—so what could have happened that made her desperate enough to die?”

The caretaker wiped away tears, hesitating before she spoke.

“Miss Barbara, this afternoon, a fashionably dressed girl came looking for your mother with a group of bodyguards.”

“She threatened that if your mother didn't admit on camera that she had intentionally put her arm in the mixer to stage an accident, she would... she would ruin you, Miss Barbara .”

I snapped my head up. “What did you say?”

The caretaker trembled as she pulled a photo from her pocket.

“This is it. The girl left it behind to threaten your mother.”

“She said if your mother didn't admit it, she would ruin your marriage and destroy your life.”

“Your mother, to protect you, humiliated herself by filming that video, admitting she did it for money and then, fearing she'd drag you down, jumped out the window... to end it all.”

My grip tightened on the photo. It was Cecilia who was caught in an embrace and kiss with Aaron. How could she stoop so low as to use such a photo to blackmail my mother?

No wonder my mother believed her and chose to end her life in utter despair.

“But Mom, my marriage was already rotten. It wasn't worth you sacrificing your life to protect it.”

I buried my face in my hands and cried. With red eyes, the nurse brought me a letter from my mother.

“Miss Barbara , this is what your mother dictated to me to write. At first, I thought she was just bored and wanted to say something to you, but I never imagined it would be her last words.”

My hand trembled as I took the letter.

“Barbara, my dear daughter, though I won't be by your side anymore. You must eat well and sleep well. Please don't trouble yourself trying to seek justice for me. This is the way the world is now. Losing two arms is just the price I pay for your life.”

“You must live well and be happy…”

She didn't need justice, nor did she need to be saved.

She even feared dragging me into this, so she wrote that letter before she left, hoping to ease my heart.

“But Mom, as long as I'm still alive, how can I just stand by and watch those people slander you?”

After handling my mother's funeral arrangements at the crematorium, I quickly regained my composure and contacted a lawyer to file a lawsuit.

“I want to sue Cecilia for intentional homicide.”

For this, I took out a 50-million-dollar check and selected an unbeatable top-tier lawyer to handle my mother's case.

As I left the crematorium carrying my mother's ashes, I was blocked by Aaron.

“Barbara.”

Aaron's expression was dark and menacing as he coldly threatened me.

“I already told you, I'll give you 50 million dollar to keep you from meddling in this?”

“Why won't you listen? Why go through legal proceedings? Do you really want to see Cecilia suffer a major setback in this matter before you'll be satisfied? “

His brows were furrowed with displeasure as he gripped my wrist tightly.

“Withdraw the lawsuit immediately, or I'll make sure your mother never sees the light of day again.”

I laughed bitterly. “My mother is dead.”

“Aaron, your threats won't work on me anymore.”

I hugged my mother's ashes. I tried to leave.

Then Cecilia suddenly smiled and walked out from behind him.

“Miss Barbara, your mother is lying comfortably in the hospital, isn't she? Now, to get sympathy, you can even put on this kind of performance.”

I stared intently at Cecilia. It was she who had driven my mother to her death at the hospital.

“Cecilia, how dare you mention my mother like that?”

“What are you trying to hide in that broken jar?” She snatched the urn from my hands and smashed it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“No!”

My head spun and I felt a surge of anger. I rushed forward and slapped her across the face.

“Cecilia!”

Aaron's expression changed instantly.

He stepped forward to protect Cecilia, turning back with a cold glare. “Barbara, have you lost your mind?”

He immediately ordered the bodyguards to hold me down.

“You just hit Cecilia. Now I want you to pay back tenfold.”

I was pinned against the wall by the bodyguards, who restrained my hands as slaps rained down on me.

Aaron counted loudly, “One, two, three... nine, ten. Ten slaps are done.”

The bodyguards roughly pushed me away. My face was swollen and covered in blood and tears. I collapsed into the dirt on the floor.

Aaron's voice echoed down from above.

“All the tens of thousands you spend daily on your mother's medical bills—those are on me, Barbara. Don't you dare be ungrateful.”

“I don't want to hear a single word that could tarnish Cecilia's reputation.”

He crouched down, forcefully grabbed my chin and coldly threatened.

“Barbara, I'm making this clear today. Even if you offer more money, no one will dare to take your case.”

As the heir of the MacBricc Family, his connections were extensive everywhere. With him having made arrangements, no matter how high the price I offered, no one dared to take the case.

Even the lawyer who was close to me frowned and advised me, “Miss Barbara, when the MacBricc Family woos you like this, anyone defending your mother will find themselves blacklisted in the legal world. I'm sorry, I can't help you this time.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

That afternoon, I packed my bags and headed to the airport.

I bought a ticket and left the country. Since no lawyers here dared take my case, there must be someone abroad who would.

Someone would definitely take it.

Seeing that I hadn't made a move for several days, Aaron casually asked his assistant, “How's it going? Has Barbara dropped the charges?”

The assistant shook his head. “Mr. Aaron, as per your instructions, we've already made arrangements with the legal community. No one dares to take Miss Barbara's case.”

Aaron nodded satisfactorily. “She must be heartbroken. Go buy her some luxury items to cheer her up.”

“But Mr. Aaron, there's one more thing—”

The assistant frowned and interrupted him, hesitating to speak.

“I looked into it. Miss Barbara wasn't lying. Her mother truly did pass away in the hospital a week ago.”