During an interview, my ex-husband Jacob was asked, "A man like you—surely you have few regrets?" He gazed into the camera. "My only mistake," he said smoothly, "was loving the wrong woman—a viper who bore me a heartless daughter." Then, smiling, he added, "But fate gave me Vera and the child she carries." That night, as Jacob dined with Vera, a news bulletin interrupted: "Police found two bodies in East Mountain—a woman, 25-30, and a child under five. Both were brutally murdered..." Vera’s fork froze. Jacob dismissed the TV. I stood before them, gripping my daughter’s hand, coldly smiling. She stared at the dark screen, then asked, "Mommy, why were we on TV?" 01 Vera’s lips trembled, and a fine sheen of sweat broke out on her forehead. Jacob’s handsome brows furrowed in concern. "What's wrong, Vera? Are you feeling unwell? Is the baby kicking up a fuss again?" Vera took a deep breath, put down her fork, and forced a smile. "No… no, I'm fine. That news report just… startled me." Jacob let out a sigh of relief, gently placing his hand over hers. "It's alright. I had Mrs. Gable turn it off. We won't watch news like that anymore. It’s not good for you to get stressed while you're pregnant." He stroked her hand. "My Vera. Still so kind-hearted." Kind-hearted? I stared at Vera's ashen face and wanted to laugh. Jacob was my ex-husband. We met in college, a whirlwind romance that led to marriage right after graduation. And Vera… Vera was my best friend from the orphanage where we grew up. When Vera couldn't find a job after college, I asked Jacob to give her a position at his company. I never imagined that one act of kindness would ultimately lead to my own death, and my daughter's. Our daughter, Bella, was three when she was kidnapped. The kidnappers called our home, but Jacob was working late and wasn't answering his phone. I had no choice but to take the ransom money and go to the location they gave me. When I arrived at the abandoned warehouse on East Mountain, I found Bella's small body covered in bruises. The moment she saw me, she burst into tears, crying out for her mommy. My heart shattered. I scrambled forward and wrapped her in my arms, then bowed my head to the kidnappers, begging. "Please, I didn't call the police. I brought the money. Please, just don't hurt my daughter. I'm begging you." But they didn't want money that day. They wanted our lives. They tore my fingernails out, one by one. They doused me in acid, bottle after agonizing bottle. The last one, they forced down my throat. Bella screamed and pleaded beside me, her voice raw and heartbreaking, but the searing fire in my own throat kept me from making a sound. By the end, there wasn't an unblemished piece of flesh left on my body. As I lay dying, Vera stepped out from the shadows. She stood over me, arms crossed, her eyes filled with a chilling disgust. "If you have to blame someone, blame your own good luck," she sneered. "What makes you so much better than me? Why did you get to marry the great Jacob Brodie while I was stuck as a secretary at his company? So what if I slept with him? Do you know what he told me? He said he would never marry me. Hah! How pathetic." "Eleanor, weren't we best friends?" she continued, her voice dripping with venom. "You've had your good life. It's time you made way for me." She turned to the kidnappers. "Get rid of them. Take them up the mountain. And be careful. Don't let anyone find them." When Jacob discovered we were missing, he searched for us like a man possessed. But Vera was ready. She presented him with a collection of forged photographs and faked chat logs, even fabricated records of large withdrawals from the company accounts. She told him I had been in love with someone else for years, that I'd only married him for his money. She told him I hadn't been kidnapped—I'd run off with my lover, taking the company's money and our daughter with me. Vera was my only friend. I had told her everything. Jacob believed her without question. He called off the search. He fell into a deep depression, and Vera became his constant companion, the comforting presence who saw him through his darkest days. They fell in love. They got married. And now, Vera was pregnant. And my body, and my daughter's, had finally been found. 02 Vera pushed her bowl away. "Jacob, I can't eat anymore. I'm tired. I think I'll head to bed early." He suspected nothing. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom. "Alright, let's get some rest. I don't have much on at the office tomorrow, so I can spend the day with you." My daughter and I were pulled along with them, two invisible specters floating into their room. Ever since our deaths, we'd been bound to Jacob, unable to leave his side no matter how hard I tried. I had no choice but to watch, day after day, as he and Vera played out their sickeningly sweet love story. Vera was six months pregnant now, the curve of her belly prominent as she lay on the bed. Jacob carefully pressed his ear to her stomach. "Hey there, little one. It's Daddy. Mommy's not feeling well today, so you be a good baby, okay? No mischief." The tender scene made my spectral eyes burn. I thought death was supposed to end the pain, but for three years, every time I witnessed a moment like this, my heart still ached with an agony that left me breathless. Bella tugged on my hand, her soft voice choked with tears. "Mommy, is Daddy going to have another baby?" Her lip quivered. "Daddy's a liar. He promised he only wanted me. He lied." I knelt and pulled her into a tight embrace. I wanted to comfort her, but the words wouldn't come. How could I comfort my three-year-old daughter when I couldn't even comfort myself? The next day, Vera slept until noon. Jacob stayed home with her, forgoing work. When she finally woke, his handsome eyes crinkled with a smile. "You're awake. How about we go out for a bit? The nursery isn't finished yet. We can pick out a few more things." Bella and I were forced to follow them out the door. At the city's largest department store, Vera was instantly captivated by the adorable baby items, her mood lifting as she browsed. Jacob stood beside her, his arm around her waist, commenting on each of her choices. To any onlooker, they were the perfect couple. A sales assistant smiled at them. "You two make such a lovely pair. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. Your baby will be absolutely gorgeous." I looked away, unable to watch anymore. But as I lowered my gaze, I saw my daughter standing forlornly in the toy section, her eyes fixed on a Barbie doll. She reached for it again and again, her small, translucent hand passing straight through the plastic. Finally, her hand dropped to her side, and fat, silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Just then, Jacob's voice rang out. "This one, that one, and all the others we looked at. Wrap them up and have them delivered to the Brodie residence." Vera laughed playfully. "Why are you buying so many toys? The baby won't be able to play with them for ages. You're just wasting money." Jacob’s gentle gaze fell to Vera's stomach. "My child deserves the best of everything in the world. He doesn't have to play with them, but I have to buy them." I quickly turned to my daughter. She had seen it too. She stared at her father, then at the sales assistants busily packing up the toys. Her little head drooped. I couldn't see her face, only her small shoulders, shaking with silent sobs. I rushed to her side and heard her whispering to herself. "Daddy doesn't love Bella anymore… Daddy doesn't love Bella anymore…" She repeated the phrase over and over, the brokenness in her voice squeezing my heart like a vise. The hatred I felt for Vera surged, becoming a tidal wave of pure rage. Thief! That's what Vera was. A thief. She didn't just steal my life and my husband. She stole my daughter's life. She stole my daughter's father. Suddenly, Jacob's phone rang. As he listened, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "Hello, is this Mr. Jacob Brodie? This is the East District police precinct. We've discovered two bodies on East Mountain, and we have strong reason to believe they are your ex-wife, Eleanor Vance, and your daughter." "Sir, are you available to come down to the station?" 03 Jacob didn't speak for a long moment, his brow knitted in confusion, as if he couldn't process what he'd just heard. Vera looked at him, concerned. "Jacob? What is it?" He seemed to snap back to reality, his voice turning cold as he spoke into the phone. "Scammers are getting creative these days. Don't you know who you're calling?" "You have the wrong number. I don't know anyone named Eleanor Vance." With that, he hung up. Perhaps connecting the call to last night's news report, Vera’s face went pale. "Jacob, who was that? Why would they mention Eleanor?" He locked his phone, his tone breezy. "Nobody. Just a spam call. Ignore it." He probably didn't even notice the tightness in his own voice, or the slight tremor in the hand holding his phone. Vera tried again. "But—" He cut her off. "Enough. Let's not talk about such unpleasant things." He forced a smile. "Come on. I've booked dinner on a luxury cruise tonight. We won't go home. I'll take you out, clear your head." Vera hid her unease and managed a weak nod. After dinner in the ship's top-deck restaurant, Jacob led Vera out onto the deck. She leaned against the railing, tilting her head back to feel the cool night sea breeze. "Jacob, I feel so happy," she murmured. "When I was a little girl in the orphanage, I was bullied all the time. I used to wish a prince would come and rescue me. I'd marry him, and we'd have a home of our own." She looked at him, her eyes shining. "I feel like my dream has come true. I have you, and our baby. I finally have a family." Jacob stood behind her and wrapped his arms gently around her waist. The sight burned my eyes. Through a blur of tears, I saw Jacob as he was when he first confessed his love for me. Back then, he was the sole heir to the Brodie Corporation, and I was a parentless orphan paying my tuition with student loans. Yet, for six months, he pursued me relentlessly. Faced with my repeated rejections, the eighteen-year-old boy had stood before me, his face flushed. "Ellie, I know you have walls up. But can you please, just once, trust me? I'll cherish you. I'll give you a home." His voice cracked with emotion. "You're not alone anymore. You have me." The stars were so bright that night, just as bright as they were now. But the boy's eyes, full of a nervous, anxious hope, burned even brighter. I don't know if it was the starlight in his eyes or the sincerity in his voice that finally broke through. But on that day, I nodded. Vera's voice pulled me back to the present. "Jacob, thank you for giving me a home." The arms around her waist suddenly went rigid. When he didn't respond, Vera turned in confusion to look at him. Jacob was staring at her face, his expression unreadable. After a long silence, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "Vera… did Ellie really run off with another man?"
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