The forged evidence was complete, and Sylvia also invested a significant amount of money to establish connections at every level.

So, there was almost no doubt that my father would be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The day the verdict came out, my mother fainted by the stands from anger.

From that day onward, she began running around to clear up my father’s tarnished name.

However, she underestimated how capable Sylvia was. Sylvia had already forbidden every lawyer from taking over her case.

No one was willing to offend Woods Group for such a lost cause.

My mother cried and had nowhere to air her grievances. She could only seek Sylvia again and beg her for mercy.

In the Woods household, Sylvia looked down at her with condescension. She was incredibly satisfied with how dejected my mother was.

“If you’re here to tell me Charles’s whereabouts, I’m sorry to tell you that I don’t care anymore.

“I figured, why should I forgive him? He hurt me so deeply at that time. Why should I write things off with him?

“So, it’s useless to say anything now. No one in your family can run away!”

Sylvia’s eyes were full of cruelty. I stepped closer to look at her and found only resentment, nothing else.

The day I insisted on breaking up with her, she stopped loving me. So many years had passed since then.

I still remembered Sylvia lying in a hospital bed. Her eyes were full of disbelief when she heard me say I wanted to break up with her.

I had always known that she had a serious congenital disease. But I never treated her differently because of it.

Instead, when everyone laughed at her, I was the first to stand up for her.

This was precisely why those words hurt even more when I said them.

“Sylvia, I’ve been putting this off because I didn’t want to upset you. But the truth is, I’ve wanted to break up with you for a long time.

“You won’t be any help to me in the future. You’re just a burden to me, and you could die at any time!

“I’m tired of being with you for so many years. So, can you please let me go? I’m begging you. Stop pestering me!”

Sylvia’s face turned pale, but I ignored it and hurt her completely in one breath. But no one knew that my own heart hurt so much that I wanted to die too.

I had loved her for three years. How could I ever want to see her sad?

At that time, Sylvia was about to fall into a coma. Yet, she still held my hand in her half-conscious state.

“Don’t leave me, Charles… I promise you that I’ll take good care of myself and be cured…

“Please don’t leave me. I’ll be good in the future... I can be cured. I’ll try my best to be normal. Don’t break up with me, okay…?”

Right before she lost consciousness, I tried to break free from her grip. She saw me leave with a cold and determined expression.

It was the same expression she was showing my mother in the present.

My mother’s voice was destroyed. She could only bow and move her hands stiffly to communicate with Sylvia through sign language.

However, Sylvia had no patience. She frowned and told her bodyguard to try to drive my mother away.

“Listen. My parents are coming to see me later, so I don’t have time to waste with you.”

“Take my advice and get out of here! How dare you pollute my parents’ eyes? Don’t blame me if I drive your family to its end!”

This was a blatant threat, and everyone knew that Sylvia would do it.

My mother no longer dared to fight back on her own. She had to remain alive and wait for my father to come out.

I looked at her haggard figure and felt unspeakable sadness in my heart.

It was also the first time that I had regrets about saving Sylvia.

Unexpectedly, as soon as my mother’s hand landed on the handle, someone else opened the door first.

It was Sylvia’s parents.

Both of them froze at the sight of her. It had been years since they last met. They never thought this once kind and cheerful woman would end up looking so destroyed.

Mrs. Woods took my mother’s hand and started asking about her well-being. Her voice was filled with a strong sense of gratitude.

However, she soon found that my mother had become mute.

“Damona, what’s wrong with your voice?!”

“Mom, don’t care about her! She’s like that because she was punished!”

Sylvia pushed my mother aside with malicious intent and caused her to stumble. Then, she grabbed her mother’s hand and pulled her into the house.

“Charles cruelly abandoned me back then. If I don’t punish his family, I won’t be able to let go of my hatred!”

She spoke with righteous indignation, and she was completely oblivious to Mrs. Woods’s shock.

“Damona’s voice... You did this?”

“Yes. Who does she think she is? She’s always bringing up the person I hate the most in front of me! And what an idiot his dad is. I pulled a little trick and sent him straight to jail.

“Charles is next. Every last one of them. I won’t let a single one off the hook—”

The sudden, sharp sound of a slap cut off Sylvia’s boastful rant.

Mrs. Woods’ hand trembled as it froze mid-air in the motion of delivering the slap.

Stunned by the force, Sylvia clutched her face and stammered. “M-Mom... You hit me?!”

“Yes, I hit you! All these years, I’ve never asked you to be brilliant or outstanding. I’ve only wished that you stay safe and kind.

“I never imagined that the child I raised with such care would turn into a ruthless demon who torments others without a second thought!”

In all the years that I had known Mrs. Woods, she had always been gentle and resilient. She rarely lost her temper, let alone speak with such intensity.

Sylvia had not anticipated her mother’s reaction either. Her eyes darted around nervously, but she defended herself stubbornly.

“I only wanted Charles to regret his actions! What did I do wrong? I didn’t want to go this far, but I’ve given him many chances. He keeps avoiding me and refusing to meet me. That’s why I did this!”

“But Charles is dead! How could he meet you?!” Mrs. Woods screamed through her tears.

It mirrored her grief on the day I was wheeled into surgery.

With tears streaming down her face, she took a deep breath and slowly revealed the long-buried truth.

“He died seven years ago to donate his organs to you...

“He was afraid that you would be devastated and be in denial. So, he begged us never to tell you.

“With him being such a devoted son, how do you think he could stand idly by while his parents suffered like this?

“Had we known you’d do such a heartless thing, we would’ve let you die on the operating table instead!”