My half-sister, Edwina Carpenter, miraculously recovered after two years of paralysis. I went to her celebration party, holding flowers in my hand.

But as I walked outside the banquet hall, I overheard Edwina and her sisters chatting and laughing.

"Deana's mother truly lives up to her reputation as a dancer; even in her forties, her legs are still so beautiful."

"Yes, if it were not for Auntie's 'sacrifice' of her legs, how could Edwina have stood up so quickly?"

My mind went blank and my feet froze on the spot.

Edwina sweetly chimed in, "I have to thank Renaldo for this. If it were not for him, I would never have been able to dance in my life."

Through the crack in the door, I saw my fiancé sitting comfortably on the sofa. He pulled Edwina into his arms, his eyes tender, his tone suffocatingly calm, "Edwina is only twenty. These legs are more valuable to you than to anyone else."

"But you faked a car accident for me. What if my sister finds out?"

"The person was burned to ashes. Deana will never find out. I only wanted those legs.”

“Who knew the driver would accidentally kill her?" Renaldo Robbins spoke casually, as if discussing the weather. "Besides, if she had not drugged my drink two years ago, how could I have married a woman more boring than a block of wood?"

Every word was like a poisoned knife, cutting my heart raw.

So, my mother's car accident a month ago was not an accident, but a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by the person I loved most.

So, what I thought was two years of knowing and loving each other was just wishful thinking on my part—drugging him.

Then I'll grant them their wish. 

But I will never let my mother die in vain.

Wiping away my tears, I dialed my uncle's number. "Uncle, Mom's death was not an accident. I want them... to pay for their crimes in blood."

***

"Okay, I'll pick you up in five days." 

After hanging up, I glanced at Edwina in the private room and saw her eyes suddenly redden. 

Her fingers clutched helplessly at the white dress at her chest, her voice choked with sobs, "But Auntie died because of me, Renaldo, I'm so heartbroken." 

Renaldo placed his right hand on the back of her hand, gently rubbing that skin, his eyes full of pity, "Silly girl, I will never stand by and watch you suffer for the rest of your life.” 

“Her death has nothing to do with you, do not think such things."

I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging deep into my flesh.

You could not bear to see her suffer, but my mother deserved to die? 

How noble was your love that you have to use someone else's life as a sacrifice, Renaldo?!

Besides, how exactly did Edwina break her leg?

Two years ago, she and some male classmates went into the mountains late at night for some "wild sex." 

They got carried away and she fell off a cliff, shattering both her legs. Yet Renaldo still firmly believes her lie that she was "heroically injured while saving her classmates."

He pulled her onto his lap, lowered his head and kissed her trembling lips, comforting her gently, as if handling fragile porcelain.

"Mr. Robbins really dotes on Edwina!" one of his girlfriends exclaimed enviously. "Two years ago, it was because Edwina was paralyzed that Mr. Robbins was afraid she could not handle it and could not bear to touch her, which is why he got engaged to Deana."

Another chuckled and added, "Now that Edwina's legs are healed, that bitch who got ahead by drugging him should know better and leave, right?"

A sharp pain shot through my chest, but two years ago I did not drug Renaldo at all.

That night, in the party corridor, I bumped into a disoriented Renaldo. Before I could react, he dragged me into a nearby room.

The Robbins and Carpenter families were old friends and I had long admired this man. When his burning kiss landed, I did not push him away.

The next morning, Renaldo looked at the dark red stain on the sheets, remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I'll go to your house to propose in a couple of days." 

The ecstasy I felt then transformed into the sharpest ice pick, piercing my heart.

It turned out he could not bear to touch the recently paralyzed Edwina, so he chose me as a substitute.

A bitter, rusty taste rose in my throat. I turned to run away, but Edwina's sweet voice drifted over again, "I heard my sister is pregnant again. Are you going to 'dispose' of her this time?" 

My feet froze on the spot.

Renaldo's voice was distant and contemptuous, so cold it chilled me to the bone, "I won't let that kind of woman bear my child. I will compensate her for her mother's death.”

“But to give birth to the Robbins family heir? She doesn’t deserve it."

I covered my mouth tightly, my whole body trembling violently.

Two years of engagement, five miscarriages.

I thought it was my body that was failing me and I cried countless times in the dead of night, feeling so sorry for Renaldo.

A few days ago, I found out I was pregnant again. Seeing the shock flash across his face, I foolishly thought it was a happy surprise.

But it turned out he never intended for me to keep his child. Yet he never used contraception. 

Once, I cautiously brought it up, but he frowned and said it would be uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to let him be.

Renaldo had already carried Edwina into the private room within the VIP suite, their laughter continuing.

"Ugh, they cannot even wait a night at a hotel."

"Mr. Robbins is so passionate and Edwina's leg has just healed. They're like dry wood meeting a raging fire; they won't stop until the whole night."

"Who told Deana to only have such a pretty face? She has not satisfied Mr. Robbins in the past two years."

My phone rang. It was a message from Renaldo, [I'm entertaining clients tonight and I don’t want to disturb your rest by getting home too late, so I'll stay at the company.]

My stomach churned. I collapsed into a corner and gagged violently, but nothing came up; only bile burned my throat.

Suddenly, some scenes I once considered "warm" resurfaced like a nightmare.

###Chapter 2

Every time before I miscarried, Renaldo would bring me a bowl of brown "pregnancy-stabilizing medicine," personally feeding it to me with eyes full of pity.

"Be good, drink it, so the baby can grow properly."

I always obediently drank it all and smiled at him.

Those medicines were not for preventing miscarriage at all.

I stumbled out of the club and took a taxi back to collect my mother's belongings.

Pushing open the door, I saw a pile of baby toys neatly folded on the bed, along with a half-finished, pale yellow sweater.

My mother was preparing a gift for her grandson, whom she had never met, until her death.

That afternoon, she held my hand, her eyes shining with anticipation, "This time, my precious grandson will definitely be born healthy. Then I'll quit dancing, retire and become his nanny."

She handed me a bank card, "The Robbins Family is wealthy, but Renaldo works hard to support them. This is my life savings; give it to him for help, but don’t let him know."

Such a good mother, killed two days later by the driver Renaldo hired.

He even amputated her legs and gave them to someone else, lying to me that her legs were mangled beyond recognition.

I drifted off to sleep on my mother's bed and when I woke up at dawn, I clutched the unfinished sweater, tears streaming down my face.

"Mom... I'll make them pay for this in blood."

"Pay for what?" Renaldo's voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

He strode in and pulled me into his arms. "I've already dealt with the driver who caused the accident. Deana, you're pregnant; you can not be so agitated, it'll hurt your health."

This embrace, which I once cherished so dearly, now reeked of a nauseating perfume. I used all my strength to barely manage to pull myself out of his arms.

"Honey, I'm so tired... I want to be alone for a while."

He looked at me silently for a moment, his gaze falling on my swollen eyes, then turned and gestured towards the door.

A maid came in carrying a bowl.

The moment I saw that brownish hue, I involuntarily shrank back.

Renaldo's arms wrapped around my waist like iron hoops, immobilizing me. 

He ignored the fear spreading in my eyes, his voice cruelly calm, "Deana, drink your medicine to prevent miscarriage, then get some sleep."

"I won't drink it." I heard my voice tremble. "Please... Renaldo!"

The doctor warned me that another miscarriage might mean I could never get pregnant again. He knew better than anyone how much I longed to be a mother.

But he simply held the rim of the bowl to my lips, "Drink it, be good." 

Fear overwhelmed me and I screamed like a dying beast, "Renaldo, are you going to kill my child again?!"

He paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.

But the next second, with a single glance from Renaldo, two servants forced me down onto the bed.

He gripped my chin, prying open my tightly clenched teeth.

"Don’t be afraid," his breath brushed against my ear, his words icy and chilling, "No matter what happens, I will take care of you for the rest of my life."

The bitter liquid was forced down my throat.

The girl who had been completely devoted to him since she was fifteen was finally, in this moment, strangled to death by his own hands.

I vomited up the medicine and with my last breath screamed, "No, I will definitely leave you!"

His hand, which was wiping the medicine stains from the corner of my lips, suddenly froze. 

He looked at me with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something. Just then, his phone rang.

On the other end came Edwina's tearful cry, "Renaldo, my leg hurts so much, is something wrong? I'm so scared."

He glanced at the phone, then looked up at me and finally just tucked the blanket around me.

"There's an emergency at the company, I have to go. You get some rest."

I closed my eyes tightly and turned my back to him.

His footsteps faded away without hesitation.

I did not know how much time passed, but a sudden, excruciating pain, like my internal organs were being torn apart, surged from deep within my lower abdomen, more intense than ever before.

Before my consciousness was swallowed by darkness, I instinctively dialed his number.

"Renaldo... my stomach hurts so much... please... come back..."

His answer was so resolute, "The company is too busy, I can not leave. Have the driver take you to the hospital." 

Before I completely lost consciousness, a woman's short, soft moans on the other end of the phone were muffled by a hand.

###Chapter 3

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was the stark white light of Robbins’ Hospital.

The doctor's pitying gaze fell on my face, "You were unconscious all day, finally awake. Luckily, the maid brought you in time, otherwise your life might have been in danger."

I struggled to sit up, desperately grabbing the doctor's white coat, "Doctor, how is my baby?"

He shook his head regretfully, "I'm sorry, the baby was gone when it arrived."

Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt excruciating pain, barely able to breathe.

The doctor sighed and left. Outside the quiet ward, the hushed but clear laughter of the nurses drifted in from the corridor.

"Miss Carpenter only twisted her wrist, but Mr. Robbins arranged for a helicopter to fly her over in the middle of the night. All the specialists in the hospital were called in for a consultation; the pain must have been excruciating."

"I heard that once Miss Edwina's leg is fully healed, they're going to hold their wedding on the Robbins Family's private island. The engagement ring alone is worth hundreds of millions; it's truly enviable..."

Lying in my hospital bed, listening to these words, I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen, the place that had just become empty.

Now she had recovered; they were finally going to be together.

What have I been to her these past two years?

"How pitiful you are, sister. Even after six pregnancies, they're all gone, aren't they?"

Edwina walked in, her high heels clicking. She deliberately pulled open her loose hospital gown, revealing mottled hickeys and stopped provocatively in front of the bed.

“I never expected him to be so ‘thirsty.’ We just spent the whole night together last night and he could not resist again today…”

She casually stroked her bitten red lips, “Honestly, everyone says their backs are going to break and he still keeps wanting more.”

My nails dug deep into my palms and I turned my face away, not wanting to acknowledge her.

Edwina’s voice was sweet yet cruel, “By the way, you don’t know yet if your mother’s death was not an accident, was it?”

“That driver who caused the accident was my simp. I casually said I disliked you and your mother and he actually ignored Renaldo’s order to only knock her unconscious and floored the accelerator… Hahaha!” 

My heart felt like it was being torn apart by an invisible hand. My eyes turned bloodshot and I lunged at Edwina.

“You bitch! Give me back my mother!”

But my wrist, which was swinging in mid-air, was suddenly grabbed. The next second, Renaldo, who had entered from outside, threw me aside.

I fell off the bed, my forehead slamming heavily onto the floor. In an instant, a sharp pain flashed through my vision.

Seeing me fall, Renaldo instinctively reached out, but before he could touch me, Edwina threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Renaldo, I'm so scared! My sister...she suddenly tried to kill me..." 

Renaldo tightened his arms around her, protecting her tightly. 

When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with warning and impatience, "Deana, haven't you made enough of a scene! Edwina came to see you, not to be bullied by you.”

“How could you treat her so badly? Where is your upbringing?"

"My upbringing?" I felt it was all so absurd. 

I lay on the ground, pointing at Edwina, each word dripping with blood, "She killed my mother. What kind of upbringing do you expect me to have with a murderer?!"

"And you! My mother was so good to you, yet you had someone run her over and cut off her legs. Didn’t you think she would die with her eyes open?!" 

A flicker of panic crossed Renaldo's eyes, then he frowned impatiently, "Enough! You're just talking nonsense because you're overwhelmed with grief. If you continue to act unreasonably, do not blame me for being ruthless."

With that, he picked up Edwina and strode past me.

Blood from my forehead, mixed with tears, flowed into the corner of my mouth, a salty, metallic taste. I wiped the tears away violently with the back of my hand and slowly got up. “You took everything from me; you'll have to pay the price.”

I took a taxi to find the forensic pathologist who performed my mother's autopsy.

Once I got the autopsy report, the truth would come out.