Tiffany held my hand and said, "Celeste, I'm glad you realize your mistakes. However, since the doctor has said that Dylan is in the final stages, we should let him go with dignity."

Phineas scoffed and said sarcastically, "Do you know better than the doctor? Stop making a fuss!"

I forced out a couple of tears.

"Dylan is still so young. I don't want him to die an early death. I've already contacted a specialist in Ebonas. It just so happens that they have a suitable liver donor. As soon as he's transferred, they can schedule a transplant surgery."

Of course, I was making all of this up just to scare them.

Sure enough, Mandy's face went pale, and she exclaimed, "No!"

My in-laws also strongly opposed the idea.

I shot a cold glance at Mandy.

"I've never seen a doctor stop a patient from seeking treatment. Or are you suggesting your diagnosis was wrong?"

Mandy's eyes flickered, but she stubbornly insisted there was no way she could have misdiagnosed Dylan.

Tiffany scolded me, accusing me of trying to kill her son.

She argued that flying to Ebonas would be too much strain on her precious son and that she was worried something might happen to him on the way.

Phineas went to block the door, refusing to let me take Dylan away.

I pulled out my phone and threatened them, "Fine. If we're not going to Ebonas, I'll invite the experts over here for a consultation instead. Dylan will surely get better!"

As soon as Mandy heard the word "consultation", she panicked even more.

Tiffany cleared her throat and shot Mandy a glance. She then pretended to compromise.

"Since Celeste has already contacted the specialists, let's proceed with that. Celeste, why don't you go home and rest first? Phineas and I will wait here until the nurse arrives."

It was clear that they were trying to get rid of me.

I nodded, pretending to be deeply worried as I left the room.

As soon as I was out of the hospital, I disguised myself and went to claim my lottery prize. This billion-dollar jackpot was my ultimate secret. I hid the money away, didn't make any immediate purchases, and even sold my car to avoid drawing any attention.

When I got home, I checked the account Dylan and I had agreed not to touch. I was shocked to see that the balance was zero.

Every month, we each transferred part of our salaries into this joint account for our small family and future education fund for our kids.

A wave of dread washed over me as I realized that the jerk had secretly withdrawn it all.

I immediately made a few phone calls, asking some friends to look into some things for me.

I couldn't sleep at all.

Since Dylan had planned to fake his death and run off with Mandy, he must have covered all his bases by now.

Fortunately, the house and car were in my name, so he wouldn't be able to sell them behind my back.

However, I still couldn't shake off this feeling of unease.

Just as I had drifted off to sleep, my phone buzzed incessantly.

It was 3 AM, and Mandy's sorrowful voice came through the line.

"Ms. Harper, Dylan's condition suddenly worsened. Despite our best efforts, he has passed away. Please accept our condolences."

Pretending to be shocked, I croaked, "What?! No way! I'll be there right away!"

I hung up, but the smile on my face wouldn't disappear.

I wouldn't let him off that easily.

I grabbed something from the drawer and rushed to the hospital.

In the room, Dylan was already covered by a white sheet.

I removed the sheet and stared at his peaceful face. This was probably the healthiest-looking liver cancer patient I'd ever seen.

Weren't they usually pale and scrawny? What an act.

Smack!

Without warning, I slapped Dylan twice across the face, but Dylan didn't even flinch.

Hmm, looks like they had given him a heavy dose of sedation.

Just as Tiffany approached to stop me, I threw myself on top of Dylan.

"Dylan, you heartless jerk! How could you leave me like this?!" I wailed, using this opportunity to check something.

His body was warm, and I could still feel a heartbeat.

This confirmed my suspicions.

Tiffany put on a show of pulling me up, feigning sympathy. "Celeste, the dead can't come back to life. We need to move forward."

Phineas handed me a document and said, "This is Dylan's will. You're his sole beneficiary."

I wiped away a tear and straightened up.

So, not only had they staged a fake death, but they had even prepared a will?

How suspicious.

I quickly skimmed through the document.

"All debts incurred during my lifetime will be assumed by Ms. Celeste Harper."

I scoffed and pointed at that line. "What does this mean?"

Phineas looked away, muttering in disdain.

He said that since I would be inheriting everything Dylan left behind, I should be responsible for his debts too.

They were playing this game now.

The family fund was drained, and Dylan was surely hiding something from me.

Suppressing my anger for the time being, I pulled out the card I had brought with me and informed them, "Dylan had signed up as an organ donor. I've already notified the donation center, and they'll be here soon."

My in-laws and Mandy turned deathly pale.

Tiffany was so furious she tried to slap me, but I dodged her easily. Phineas started shouting at me, accusing me of being cruel and not letting his son rest in peace.

Mandy stammered for a moment and made an excuse. "Dylan's cancer had spread and metastasized, so the rest of his organs might not work well."

I sighed and responded, "I've already checked. They said it's fine. We should respect Dylan's wishes, shouldn't we? I'm his only beneficiary. Don't I have the right to make this decision?"

The expressions on their faces were priceless.

Mandy looked like she was in a dilemma.

She suddenly turned and went to pour us some water.

I noticed she had set two cups close together, which she handed to my in-laws, while a separate cup was placed further away—for me.

I was just about to take a sip when I caught sight of some powder on the rim of the cup.

At that moment, the organ donation staff arrived.

My in-laws threw a tantrum, threatening to commit suicide, and Mandy worked hard to dissuade them.

Since the immediate family strongly opposed the donation, the donation center couldn't force the issue even if the deceased had signed up to be a donor.

After they had left, Phineas glared at me.

"Hey! Hurry up and call John! Why isn't he here yet? We need to take Dylan back to our hometown!"

So, they were trying to run off, huh?

"You're going to bury Dylan?" I acted surprised. "The drive back home takes seven or eight hours. You'll need to book a proper freezer coffin and a hearse with a refrigerating system from the funeral home, right?"

My in-laws exchanged guilty glances, too scared to respond.

I pretended to go along with it. "We should also notify all the relatives back home so that they can come and mourn Dylan. Isn't it custom to hold a three-day vigil?"

Let's see how you keep Dylan sedated with all those eyes watching. It would be truly satisfying if I could witness him being buried alive.

Phineas was sweating profusely as he stammered, "We're not so old-fashioned… we don't have to follow our hometown customs. We just want Dylan to return to his roots and rest in peace."

I nearly burst out laughing. Why did they insist on a burial if they weren't old-fashioned?

Mandy squeezed Tiffany's hand and reassured her, "Mrs. Lovell, it's more common to have simple funerals these days. How about cremation? You can still take the ashes home for burial. I'll contact the funeral home right away."

Tiffany relaxed, realizing there was still a way to fix things.

Mandy must have another scheme up her sleeve.

While they weren't paying attention, I discreetly tampered with the cups of water.

"Dad, Mom, let's have some water first."

My in-laws, suspecting nothing, drank the cup that Mandy had prepared for me.

Whatever was in that cup worked fast. Within moments, they both began to feel dizzy.

Mandy returned and was flabbergasted.

I didn't give her a second to think.

"Dr. Spears, my in-laws seem to be unwell. Could you please take them for a check-up while I get my husband to the funeral home?"

I had just taken Dylan's death certificate from Tiffany's hands. With this, there was nothing that could stop me from burning him alive.

Mandy turned pale. "I'm more familiar with the funeral home's procedures, maybe I should—"

Before she could finish, I cut her off sternly, "Dr. Spears, only the immediate family of the dead are allowed to handle the funeral home procedures. Who are you to Dylan? And are you the one who issued the death certificate?"

Mandy was at a loss for words.

Under my piercing gaze, she looked extremely nervous.

It was ridiculous for a mistress to want to sign official paperwork.

Without wasting any more time, I got into the car with the funeral home staff.

As we drove over a speed bump, I noticed Dylan's eyebrows twitch.

Uh-oh. Was this guy waking up?

Just then, my in-laws began calling me non-stop. I didn't answer, and right away, Tiffany started texting me.

"Celeste! You'll regret it if you dare cremate my son!"

"Celeste! We're on our way to the funeral home. Wait until we get there before doing anything!"

Text after text, filled with exclamation marks. They were freaking out.

This was my chance. I couldn't let them ruin it.

I pleaded with the driver, "Sir, my in-laws couldn't accept the fact that their son had passed away and was rushed to the hospital. I need to finish the funeral quickly so I can get back to them."

The driver nodded in understanding and floored the gas pedal.

I felt complicated as I looked at Dylan's face.

In my past life, I had given him everything—only for him to betray me. Not only did he break my heart, but he had even tried to take my life. This time, I wouldn't show any mercy. I would send him to hell personally.

The thirty-minute drive was shaved down to just twenty, thanks to the driver.

Luckily, the funeral home wasn't too busy.

I quickly finished the paperwork and sent Dylan to the cremation chamber.

My phone was buzzing like crazy. Phineas and Tiffany had already called several times, and even an unknown number was blowing up my phone.

Without a second thought, I turned it off, cutting off all contact.

As Dylan was wheeled toward the cremator, I thought I saw his fingers twitch.

I was so anxious that my palms were sweating.

I was so close to getting my revenge. I couldn't let things fall apart now!

"Sir, our family has chosen a favorable time for the burial. We're in a hurry to take his ashes home. Could you do us a favor and speed things up?" I spoke sincerely, and the staff member kindly agreed.

The other families waiting in line were understanding, allowing me to skip ahead.

I silently prayed for them to hurry.

As the staff member wheeled Dylan toward the furnace, he felt puzzled.

"Huh, he still feels kinda soft. Never seen one like this before."

I was worried that he would notice something.

From the corner of my eye, I saw several figures rushing toward us—it was my in-laws and Mandy.

They were fast!

Fearing I was about to lose my chance, I quickly said, "Everyone's different, right? The hospital has already issued the death certificate, and all the paperwork is in order. No mistakes here, trust me!"

The staff member nodded and pushed Dylan into the furnace.

As the staff member pressed the button to start the incinerator, Tiffany's anguished scream echoed through the room, "Wait!!!"