###Chapter 4

But when I found the forensic pathologist in charge of my mother's case, the autopsy report he presented stated outright that my mother's car accident was an accident.

"Accident? But my mother's legs were both severed! Are you sure you have not made a mistake?"

I knelt down before the forensic pathologist, Dr. Smith, with a thud.

Dr. Smith avoided my gaze and awkwardly beckoned towards the door. Two security guards immediately stepped forward.

"Madam, please calm down. You say both legs were amputated, do you have any evidence?"

I was stunned. Renaldo had arranged my mother's funeral. 

He used the excuse that "the body was severely damaged and we could not bear to cause you any more distress" to prevent me from seeing her one last time. 

In the end, all I brought home was a cold urn of ashes.

Where was I supposed to find evidence? 

I clung to Dr. Smith's leg, kowtowing frantically, "You must have taken photos of the body, right? I beg you, only you can give my mother the truth."

"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Smith. A small token of my appreciation has been transferred to your account."

A cold voice enveloped me from behind.

Renaldo.

My blood seemed to freeze instantly.

Had he already bribed everyone?

Seeing the still-damp bloodstains on my forehead and my deathly pale face, the man's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He was about to say something when I swayed and stood up.

Pointing at each of them, I yelled, "You're all disregarding human life, turning black into white!"

Renaldo's eyes suddenly turned cold, "The forensic report is right here. It was clearly an accident. How long are you going to keep this up?"

"I'm not being unreasonable. Renaldo, don’t think you can cover everything up!"

Edwina timidly approached, her eyes slightly red. "Sister, I'm also very sorry about Auntie. How about this, I'll pay for Auntie's funeral expenses. Will that make you feel better?"

She feigned closeness, whispering with a soft laugh in a voice only we could hear, "One hundred dollars, is that enough to buy that old bastard's life?"

"You beast, give me back my mother's legs!" 

My reason completely collapsed. I lunged at her like a madman, but before my hand could even touch her clothes, she screamed, covered her face and fell into Renaldo's arms.

Renaldo, however, kicked me in the stomach.

I fell heavily to the ground, a tearing pain shooting through my lower abdomen, a warm liquid soaking through my pants.

I trembled uncontrollably in pain, but he would not even look at me, his attention fixed on the person in his arms, "Edwina, does it hurt?"

Edwina seemed to have swallowed a tremendous grievance, sobbing incessantly.

Suddenly, she pointed to the bloodstains spreading beneath me, her voice shrill, "Sister, why are you bleeding? It's disgusting, Renaldo, I'm scared."

Renaldo immediately covered her eyes with his hands, as if they were something filthy. 

He frowned and coldly ordered the bodyguard beside him, "Take her back. She's still restless after just having a miscarriage."

I was shoved into the car by the bodyguard and forcibly taken back.

After washing off the bloodstains, I staggered towards the glass house by the sea in the backyard, clutching the urn containing the ashes of my sixth child.

That was the house Renaldo had built especially for me. He said, "When you miss the children, come here and sit for a while, talk to them. This will always be their home."

Pushing open the door, as if possessed, I walked to the row of exquisite urns and randomly opened one.

There were no ashes inside.

There was only one thick notebook, every page filled with Renaldo's fervent love for Edwina.

I opened the second box with trembling hands; inside was a thick stack of receipts. 

Every time he lied to me about going on a business trip, he was actually taking her to the movies, to see the aurora borealis, on a cruise…

The third box, with a velvet lining, contained the princess crown he had custom-made for Edwina's coming-of-age ceremony.

In the fourth box lay the Robbins Family heirloom jade necklace I had longed for. It turned out he had already reserved it for another woman.

The fifth box contained a copy of a will. All of Renaldo's real estate was designated to be inherited by Edwina. The signing date was a week after our engagement.

Opening the newest urn, I found a pregnancy test inside; the two red lines stung my eyes. 

Underneath was a note, "Thank you for keeping it safe, sister. My baby should, of course, be placed where his brothers 'live,' it'll be more lively." 

He had only just given her my mother's leg and he was already impatiently getting her pregnant.

The only sound in the glass greenhouse was my own suppressed, broken breathing.

Suppressing the burning pain in my chest, I limped back to my room.

###Chapter 5

Just as I reached the bedroom door, Edwina's feigned concern came from inside, "I see my sister has suffered a series of blows and her mental state is deteriorating. It's dangerous if this continues… I happen to know a very authoritative psychiatrist; perhaps we should send her for systematic treatment." 

In an instant, a flood of horrific memories rushed back.

As a child, I was locked up in a mental hospital by my father for refusing to accept a mistress and her daughter. Later, my mother went to great lengths to get me out.

The daily electric shocks, the kicks and insults from fellow patients, even being forced to swallow swill by the caregivers—I never wanted to experience that again.

I staggered to Renaldo, clutching his sleeve tightly. 

I looked up, tears welling in my eyes, my voice filled with pleading, "Renaldo, please don’t send me there, I beg you. It's no place for a human being..." 

If we could just delay for two more days, my uncle would be here soon.

Renaldo saw my trembling face and a part of his heart inexplicably softened.

He raised his hand, then stopped mid-air, "We're doing this for your own good. If word gets out that you're acting like this, what will become of the Robbins family's reputation?"

Seeing Renaldo waver, Edwina immediately added fuel to the fire, "Renaldo, if my sister delays treatment, she'll only become more insane. I'm scared."

I shook my head frantically, clutching his collar tightly, "No, Renaldo, I swear I'll listen to you!"

Renaldo's gaze swept over my face with complex emotions. Finally, he sighed almost inaudibly and wiped away my tears.

“Remember your words. If I find you hurting Edwina again, even just once, I will not let you off easily.”

I bit my lip tightly and obediently nodded. Seeing this, Renaldo told the unwilling Edwina to go back to her room to rest.

Only the two of us remained in the room.

He suddenly reached out and pulled me into his arms, his arms inexplicably tightening, “You’ve been tired lately. I’ll stay with you tonight. Get a good night’s sleep.” 

Extreme exhaustion and mental exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave and I actually lost consciousness in his arms.

In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up from a disturbing nightmare. From the sofa came suppressed noises and the sound of water splashing.

"I should probably abort the child, so my sister won't hate me even more if she finds out."

"I told you, the only heir to the Robbins family is this one in your belly." Renaldo's voice was full of restraint, tinged with hesitation. "But she just lost her child and mother. Let's wait and see about dissolving the engagement later..."

"These legs, thanks to Auntie, are so flexible. I really want to cling to you like this forever." 

My heart felt like it was being torn apart by an invisible hand. I could not believe he was having an affair with someone else right in front of me.

The obscene words mixed with unbearable sounds pierced my eardrums.

"You don’t need to dissolve it. We're no longer engaged!"

"Deana?" Renaldo suddenly noticed the slight movement on the bed. 

He abruptly pried open Edwina's legs and explained towards my bed, "Edwina suddenly had severe stomach pains and just came over to ask me to rub it for her."

He thought the room was so dark that I could not see anything.

But the room was filled with a disgusting smell of perfume mixed with the pungent stench of lust. He was still trying to deceive me.

The burning hatred in my chest, the icy chill spreading through my limbs, intertwined into an impulse powerful enough to destroy everything. 

I threw off the covers and jumped barefoot off the bed. “Renaldo, let’s break off the engagement. Congratulations, you no longer have to sneak around.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” 

Hearing my footsteps towards the door, his tone suddenly filled with offended anger. “Deana, listen to me clearly, in this lifetime, unless I say it’s over, you have no right to utter the words ‘break up’!”

“We’ll see.” I gripped the cold doorknob.

“Where are you going?!” His voice suddenly sharpened, carrying an undeniable pressure.

I turned around, a cold smile appearing in the dim light filtering into the hallway, “To the police station to report you and your murderous mistress.”

I opened the door. But as soon as I stepped out, a sharp pain shot through my neck.

Turning around in disbelief, Renaldo plunged a syringe into my skin, "Looks like I have no choice but to send you to a mental hospital."

"You can not...do this to me..."

"I can, Deana, I can." Boundless darkness swallowed everything.

###Chapter 6

"Miss... wake up..."

I was shaken awake, a wrinkled face etched with worry before my eyes. It was my mother's old maid, Matilda Stevens, who had watched me grow up.

Seeing me awake, Matilda urged, "I've bribed the doctor on duty, Miss, you must call the police. They'll be changing shifts soon."

It turned out Matilda had followed me all the way to the mental hospital and after Renaldo left, she used every means to pull strings and find this isolation ward.

I jumped up and ran through the silent corridor, not stopping until I reached the door and saw the car Matilda had called. Only then did I breathe in relief.

My mother had connections at the police station; I did not believe Renaldo could control everything.

Before my tense nerves could relax, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.

"Where did you take Edwina? Tell me!" Renaldo's ferocious face appeared before me, his eyes bloodshot, his grip so strong it almost crushed my bones.

I struggled in pain.

"I don’t know what you're talking about. Now let me go, it hurts so much..."

Like an enraged beast, he roared and slapped me hard across the face, "Do you know how important she is to me? She's pregnant! If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay with your life!"

My ears were ringing from the blow, my forehead slammed against the car, reopening my old scar.

Seeing my bloodied face and my dejected state, Renaldo seemed to snap out of his daze.

His heart skipped a beat and he reached out, as if trying to wipe away the glaring blood.

Then the phone rang.

Listening to what was being said on the other end, his expression turned even more grim, his eyes dark and menacing. 

He stopped looking at me and roughly shoved me into the car as he roared, "Edwina is your own sister. How could you be so cruel?!"

"If my men had not rescued her in time, I don’t even want to think what those beasts would have done to her." 

He sped to Robbins’ Hospital and dragged me to a VIP ward.

Edwina, pale-faced, huddled on the bed. The moment she saw me, she screamed shrilly, "I'll never do it again. I promise I'll give Renaldo back to you!”

“This, this child, I don’t want it anymore. So, please, please, tell them to let me go, sister!"

She climbed off the bed and knelt before me, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Renaldo rushed over and gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her, "Do not be afraid, Edwina. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you. I'll get justice for you."

Justice? I stared blankly as Edwina nestled in his arms, a smug smirk playing on her lips. I realized it was all a charade.

But what about justice for my mother? Who would get it for her?

“I did not do anything.” My voice was dry and hoarse. “If you do not believe me, you can check the surveillance footage, check the call records.” 

Several men with bruised and swollen faces were thrown in by the bodyguards. As soon as they saw me, they shouted, “It was indeed Miss Deana who gave us money to kidnap her sister, Miss Edwina!”

“She said… she said if we broke her sister’s leg again and aborted the child, she would give us double the money!” 

Renaldo’s face was extremely ugly. He turned to me, his eyes seeming to pierce through me, “Deana, what else do you have to say?”

I had never done any of these accusations, but in his heart, he had already sentenced me to death.

“Since you don’t believe me, I have nothing to say.”

“If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences.” He gritted his teeth. “Kneel down and apologize to Edwina!”

I stubbornly raised my head, “I will never apologize to the beast who killed my mother!”

Renaldo walked over, staring down at me. Every word was chilling to the bone.

"Kneel down, or I'll dig up your mother's grave."

I stared in disbelief at his heartless face, finally swallowing all my grievances, grief and hatred and knelt before Edwina with a thud.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

I repeated mechanically, my forehead slamming against the ground.

I did not know how long I kowtowed, until Renaldo roared angrily and roughly pulled me up.

"Enough! Who are you trying to fool with this act?!"

I held back my tears, looking at his distorted and blurred face through the hazy blood.

I swear, all this humiliation and pain would be repaid to you.

The next day, my uncle would come.