When the housekeeper’s daughter was suddenly attacked by a deranged man waving a machete on the street, my brother rushed forward without a second thought to save her. I, on the other hand, suggested we hide in a safe place and call 911 immediately. The police arrived in time, but the housekeeper’s daughter, Chloe, had her face slashed and ruined, eventually falling into severe depression. Chloe blamed me for her disfigurement and set a fire trying to burn me alive. I discovered it in time and escaped, but Chloe died in the blaze. My parents kicked me out of the house. They looked at me with cold, disgusted eyes: "You selfish sociopath. You should have paid for Chloe's life with your own." My brother threw me out onto the street: "You already deserved to die for letting Chloe get disfigured, and now you've taken her life. You deserve to rot." The housekeeper then posted a heavily exaggerated version of events online, and I was cyberbullied to death by the entire internet. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Chloe was attacked. I sneered and nudged my brother beside me: "Liam, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and save Chloe!" 1. The deranged man swung the massive machete right at my brother. Liam instinctively raised his arms to block it. Then came a bloodcurdling scream. I watched helplessly as my brother’s hands were hacked at, slash after slash, fingers flying into the air. And I just stood on the sidelines, watching it all coldly. I looked completely unbothered, as if that man wasn't my brother, but someone less than a stranger. No one knew that at this very moment, I truly wished my brother would just be hacked to death by this maniac. It would be a release for me. Unfortunately, his life was cheap, and the Grim Reaper didn't want to take him that early. When the police finally arrived, Liam only had one breath left. His white button-down shirt was dyed completely crimson. There were also several deep machete gashes on his thighs. I threw myself down next to my brother, my voice trembling. "Liam, you have to hold on! You can't fall asleep, or what will Mom and Dad do?!" No one knew that I was viciously pinching the open wounds on my brother’s body. When no one was looking, I even rubbed handfuls of dirt deep into his gashes. He was already so weak he couldn't even tell where the pain was coming from, so naturally, he didn't notice what I was doing. "Where's Chloe? Is she okay?" Liam's voice was barely a whisper. To still be thinking of the housekeeper’s daughter at a time like this... it must be true love. It's a pity he had no idea that the person he protected with his life had long since bolted. She had run all the way home, not caring whether he lived or died. This was the person he had always loved. Just like my brother—an ungrateful, selfish backstabber! "Don't worry, she's perfectly fine. The housekeeper said she's already safely at home. You don't need to worry about her." The moment I finished speaking, my brother let out a sigh of relief and then passed out cold. When Mom and Dad rushed to the hospital, they only saw me sitting outside the operating room. "What exactly happened?! How could something like this happen?!" My parents were panting heavily, their eyes red with tears. I told them the story, adding plenty of fuel to the fire, and heavily exaggerated my own actions. I told them how I tried so hard to hold him back, but just couldn't stop him. "I thought Chloe would at least yell for help, or at the very least call 911. I never imagined she'd just abandon my brother and run away." The sound of my sobbing filled the hallway. But it was just sound—there were no tears. Hearing me say this, my parents' impression of Chloe instantly plummeted. "Where is Chloe now?!" When my mom heard that my brother had thrown himself into danger entirely for Chloe, her tone turned venomous. You have to understand, she usually treated Chloe better than she treated me, her own biological daughter. Now, hearing that Chloe had indirectly caused her son's severe injuries, where was all that previous affection? I, of course, told the absolute truth. When my mom learned that Chloe had actually just gone home, she was furious beyond words. "What a lack of upbringing! Truly fitting for a housekeeper’s daughter." "My Liam, if it weren't for her, wouldn't be in emergency surgery right now. If anything happens to my son, I will never let her off the hook!" I lowered my eyes and said softly. "Liam is blessed; he will definitely pull through." "What Chloe did was indeed too much, but if we go confront her now, Liam will definitely blame us when he wakes up." "For his mental and physical recovery, let's not bring this up for now." Only then did my mom notice me. Perhaps because she was too fragile right now, she pulled me into a tight hug and burst into tears. "Emma, thank God I still have you." "You're right. Bringing up that little bitch right now won't do any good. The most important thing is for your brother to wake up soon." This long-absent maternal love didn't cause a single ripple in my heart. I could never forget the look of disgust in my parents' eyes when they looked at me in my past life. I remembered how they personally said they regretted ever giving birth to me. Only then did I learn that I wasn't even supposed to be born. It was my dad who said they should keep me so they could marry me off for a hefty dowry later. No wonder when I was driven into a corner, my parents didn't care at all. They even told me to go die, to die far away, so I wouldn't drag them down. Just then, the operating room doors swung open. The doctor sighed. "The patient sustained multiple deep lacerations. He is currently out of the woods regarding imminent death, but as for the rest... we've done everything we could." Liam was wheeled out. Looking at him wrapped up like a mummy, I found out that his right hand had been amputated. His left hand was still there, but only two fingers remained. He looked absolutely horrifying. Not to mention the machete gashes all over his body. After my dad went to speak with the doctor, I overheard the rest of the grim news. There were several deep cuts near his upper thighs, which had severely impacted his reproductive capabilities. Hearing this, my mom's world collapsed. Unable to bear the shock, she fainted dead away. 2. A few days passed, and Liam's condition began to stabilize. He finally woke from his coma. But he found it incredibly difficult to accept his physical mutilation, constantly throwing massive tantrums. "My hand! Where is my hand?! Why didn't you save my hand?!" "I was just starting my career! How am I supposed to be a dentist without a hand?! How am I supposed to hold the tools?!" "Is my life just ruined?!" In my past life, I had thought about his future, but he hadn't appreciated it. In this life, his future was crystal clear. He screamed, he roared. The entire hospital room was filled with his impotent rage. My mom was streaming tears, only able to comfort him softly. "There was nothing we could do. The doctor said when you were brought in, everything was hacked to pieces." "If they didn't operate immediately, I would have lost you entirely." "You are my son. I couldn't accept that." Hearing this, Liam didn't calm down at all. "But what about me?! Aren't I just a cripple now?!" Just then, my dad walked in after paying the hospital bills. Seeing Liam throwing a fit, rage surged to his head, and he slapped Liam across the face. Even though a look of regret flashed across my dad's face immediately after, his tone remained harsh. "What else could we do?! Didn't you choose this yourself?!" "You insisted on saving the housekeeper’s daughter! Shouldn't you have thought clearly if you could bear the consequences?!" "You charged in there acting like a hero. Did you ever think about me and your mother, and this whole family?!" "If you died, did you think your mother could survive it?!" "The damage is already done. Focus on recovering your body first, and don't worry about anything else." Perhaps the slap woke him up, or perhaps it was because Dad had spoken, but Liam finally backed down. He was forced to calm himself. But seeing the dark gloom in his eyes, I knew this was far from over. To reinforce my brother's resentment, I had to guide him. I would purposefully scroll through Instagram when I had nothing else to do, showing Liam every single update regarding Chloe. "Liam, look, Chloe posted again. Her dress is so pretty." "It looks like she went to Malibu to eat King Crab. I want to eat that too." "Wow, Chloe's bag is so sparkly. It must have diamonds encrusted on it, right? I'm so jealous!" Liam's face grew uglier and uglier. Of course it did. He was severely injured, lying in a hospital bed unable to move. Meanwhile, the woman he saved with his life was out in Malibu eating King Crab and buying new dresses and designer bags. Anyone would have a problem with that. And everything I did was to ensure he had a problem with it, to drive a wedge between him and Chloe. Although time alone would eventually achieve this effect, my adding fuel to the fire would speed up the process significantly. Liam, I'm doing this for your own good. I'm helping you see clearly exactly what kind of trash you sacrificed yourself for. Don't worry, I'll collect my consultation fee later. Days passed, and Liam constantly stared at the door of his room. Every time the door opened, his eyes would light up. But when he saw it was just a nurse or our parents, the light would instantly die. I knew exactly who he was waiting for. Even on the days Chloe didn't actually go out, I would use Photoshop to seamlessly edit photos of her. I made her look like she was happily enjoying beautiful scenery, angering Liam so much his heart rate monitor would start beeping rapidly. After doing this several times, his mood became incredibly volatile. Just then, the person he had been yearning for day and night finally showed up. She was carrying a basket of apples to see him. "Chloe!" Seeing Chloe, Liam showed his first smile in over half a month. "Are you okay? As long as you're okay, everything is fine." I was sitting to the side, looking down and peeling an apple. Chloe very naturally tossed her coat right into my lap. It was always like this in the past. If you didn't know better, you'd think I was the housekeeper’s daughter. She acted exactly like a spoiled heiress. "I'm fine. Oh, Liam, how did you end up like this? Does it hurt a lot?" Chloe timed her expression of heartache perfectly. "Your... your hand..." His hand was like a forbidden zone for my brother right now. It could not be mentioned. Sure enough, I saw Liam's face instantly darken. But perhaps because the person in front of him was Chloe, he forcefully suppressed his displeasure. "My hand... is going to be like this forever. Chloe, you won't despise me, right?" Liam stared intently at Chloe, terrified of missing a single micro-expression. "What are you saying, Liam? If it weren't for you, the person lying in this hospital bed right now would be me." "How could I ever despise you?" I caught a glimpse of Chloe's fingernails digging tightly into her palms. It seemed that even though her words sounded nice, her small physical reactions betrayed her true feelings. You can fake it for a moment, but no one can fake it for a lifetime. A person who could turn tail and run straight home, and then wait over half a month before even visiting the hospital... How long could she possibly keep up the act? 3. At that moment, Liam shifted slightly on the bed. I had heard the doctor say patients needed to be turned frequently, otherwise they would develop bedsores over time. But Liam was covered in wounds. Even when Mom and Dad turned him, they would accidentally brush against his injuries, causing him to gasp in agonizing pain. His emotional state was already highly unstable. Especially when facing close family, his words were incredibly harsh and unpleasant. His tone was absolutely awful. Over time, Dad started using "company business" as an excuse to visit less and less. Mom couldn't take it either, always claiming there were things to do at home and arriving late. Even though I stayed behind to take care of him, I was no longer the punching bag I used to be. Seeing Liam in such discomfort, I proactively and thoughtfully spoke up. "Chloe, Liam needs to be turned over every day, otherwise he might get bedsores." "Since you and Liam are so close, why don't you help turn him?" "Liam would definitely be so happy!" I looked at Liam, and he gave me an appreciative glance. Chloe hesitated heavily. You could tell just by looking at her that she was reluctant. But I did it on purpose. The more she didn't want to, the more she hesitated, the deeper the conflict with Liam would become. "Does Chloe not want to? I guess I'll have to do it then." I reached out toward Liam, but he refused me with a dark expression. "What, I saved your life, and you aren't even willing to help turn me over?" "Does your gratitude for saving your life even exist?" Liam's voice was devoid of emotion, scaring Chloe so much she shrank back visibly. Reluctantly, she moved to help turn Liam. And I, very "accidentally," tripped Chloe. Caught off guard, she fell forward, landing her entire body weight directly on top of Liam. The crushing weight made Liam let out a bloodcurdling scream. Fresh blood immediately seeped through his bandages. "You... why did you trip me on purpose?!" Chloe shrieked, pointing the finger directly at me. I put on my most innocent face. "Chloe, what are you talking about? I've been standing right here the whole time." "Is it because you didn't want to turn Liam, so you did this on purpose so you wouldn't have to come back anymore?" I fired right back at her. Liam finally caught his breath, his face looking absolutely ghastly. I continued forcing Chloe to do the work. "Look at what you did, look at how badly you crushed Liam!" "Can't you be a little more gentle? I remember you always being so soft-spoken and gentle!" I watched Chloe take a deep breath before touching my brother again. But she had no control over her strength. Several times she moved him so roughly that Liam sucked in cold air through his teeth. "Can't you use a lighter touch?! I'm a human being, not a slab of dead meat!" "Can you even do this right?! You're pressing right on my wound!" After tossing and turning for a while, a specific spot on Liam's white bandages began seeping fresh blood again. His face turned extremely pale, especially his lips, which lost all their color. But I waited a good while longer. Only when I estimated it was about time for Mom to arrive with food did I scream in panic. "Liam! You're bleeding! What do we do?!" "Chloe, if you didn't want to help, you could have just let me do it!" Chloe was terrified. She waved her hands frantically, opening her mouth to argue back. But before she could get a word out, Mom pushed the door open and walked in. Mom's face was thunderous as she glared viciously at Chloe. "A housekeeper’s daughter who doesn't even know how to serve people! What are you even good for?!" "My son ended up like this because he saved you, and you can't even look after him properly?!" "Are you only good for eating?!" Chloe didn't dare say a word. All she could do was let her tears fall, pat, pat, pat. I quickly started adding fuel to the fire, never missing an opportunity to drive a wedge between Chloe and our family members. "It's all my fault. I thought since Liam is in this condition, he'd be so happy if Chloe helped him." "I didn't expect it to turn out like this." "If I had known, I would have let Chloe rest and continued serving Liam myself." My statement seemed to be defending Chloe, but it actually intensified the conflict between her and my mom. Sure enough, my mom's resentment toward Chloe grew even stronger. "Emma, don't say that. She's a housekeeper’s daughter to begin with; she should be doing these things." "If she can't even do this right and makes you do it..." "Does this cheap little tramp really think she's some high-society lady?!" My mom was always cruel when she insulted people. Chloe couldn't bear to listen to it, just standing to the side crying. The more she cried, the more annoyed my mom became. I knew deeply that I had to take things one step at a time and not push too far. I caught a glimpse of heartache in Liam's eyes as he looked at Chloe, so I quickly found an excuse to leave the battlefield.
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