Just because I mistakenly wore the necklace my daughter had given to my husband's unrequited first love. My daughter flew into a rage on the spot, grabbing me by the neck: "You old hag, keep your hands to yourself, won't you? Are you even worthy of touching this necklace?" "Looks like you won't learn your lesson without a little punishment!" I opened my mouth, but before the words of explanation could come out, she pushed me into the lake. The foul-smelling lake water rushed into my nasal cavity as I struggled to surface. But the next second, she stepped hard on my head. "So you like touching other people's things? Then stay down there until your fingers rot off before coming up!" On the shore, my husband stood with his arms crossed. He watched me struggling in the water with cold, indifferent eyes, until my limbs gave out and I sank to the bottom of the pond. When I was at death's door, they had someone fish me out and hung me up with iron chains to bake under the scorching sun. I begged them to give me a quick death. My husband merely sneered: "Serves you right! Who told you to touch Sierra's things?" "You make a mistake, you take the punishment. Want to die? Nothing comes that easy." After seven full days of torture, I was finally freed. As my consciousness faded, I swore through gritted teeth: "If there is a next life, I absolutely don't want this husband or daughter." When I opened my eyes again, I calmly pushed the divorce agreement in front of my husband. 1 Arthur didn't even glance at it, coldly commanding me, "My head hurts. Come here and massage it." I stood rooted to the spot, not moving. He pressed his temples hard, his tone revealing obvious impatience: "I'm very busy. I have a multinational conference later and no time to play games with you two." "Mia, just apologize this time." Our daughter exploded immediately, screaming hysterically: "Why should I apologize? I saved up my allowance for so long to buy that specifically as a gift for Aunt Sierra, and it got dirtied by this old thing!" "Smashing her is letting her off easy. I wish I could kill her!" "Reckless old trash!" Still unsatisfied after saying this, she picked up a makeup mirror and hurled it at me. Unable to dodge in time, my forehead was smashed, and blood trickled down my cheek. Her eyes were full of hatred for me. Arthur finally glanced at me, his brow furrowing deeper, his tone now carrying a warning: "Chloe, can't you be a little sensible?" "Why touch Mia's things if you have no business doing so?" "You're a mother, for crying out loud. Don't you even have that sense of boundaries?" It was a result I had anticipated. Yet, even though I had given up on expecting anything from this father and daughter long ago, a sharp pain still pierced my heart. I forced down the sourness in my throat and flipped the necklace over. "Look closely. My name is engraved here." "Mia, you're only making a fuss because my necklace looks similar to the one you prepared for Sierra. Are you afraid he might misunderstand?" Exposed on the spot, Mia just let out a contemptuous scoff. "So what if I am?" "What the hell are you? Are you worthy of wearing the same style as Aunt Sierra?" That face of hers really resembled the Sterling family—the exact same mean-spirited coldness. I had poured all my heart and soul into raising her all these years, but just a few months after being taken to the Sterling household, she changed completely. In my previous life, I stubbornly tried to repair our relationship, only realizing how stupid I was right before I died. In this life, she can call whoever she wants "Mom." I don't care anymore. "Remember to sign the divorce agreement." "I'll have my secretary book a time with yours, and we'll go handle the paperwork then." After saying this, I got up and left. There wasn't much belonging to me in this house anyway. I only took my essential documents. Chapter 2 At this moment, my heart was at peace, even feeling a sense of liberation. But Arthur stopped me. His face was pale, clearly still waiting for me to serve him. In the past, whenever he felt slightly unwell, I would immediately bring him tea and water. But now, I didn't want to do this thankless task anymore. "Chloe," Arthur rubbed his temples, his tone exhausted. "Do you really have to be so petty with your own daughter over this?" "She's a child. She doesn't know any better. Are you going to be just as immature?" "I know you felt wronged today. I'll make it up to you later." It seemed like he was mediating, but in reality, he was blaming me. He casually grabbed a tissue and impatiently wiped the blood from my face. "Is that enough?" I knew this was his way of giving me an out. But this time, I didn't want to take it. Stepping back to avoid his hand, I said indifferently, "Don't you have a new person serving you? What do you need me for?" Hearing this, Arthur's face turned frighteningly dark. He grabbed my neck. "Who are you being sarcastic for? My relationship with Sierra is not for you to speculate on!" "As a mother, haggling over every little thing with your own daughter, aren't you afraid of being a laughingstock?" "I tried to reason with you nicely, and you not only ungrateful, but you dare to talk back to me!" The moment my breath was taken away, I gave up struggling. Perhaps the despair in my eyes triggered him, and Arthur finally let go of my neck. Then he slapped me more than a dozen times in a row. "This is my warning to you. If there is a next time, it won't just be slaps." 2 "Oh my, what happened here?" Sierra ran over, her face full of concern, but the smugness in the depth of her eyes was unconcealable. She looked at Arthur, pretending to reprimand him: "Arthur, this is your fault." "A fight between a married couple is one thing, but how can you get physical? Look at Sister Chloe's face, it's swollen like a pig's head." She immediately grabbed an ice pack from the fridge and pressed it hard against my face. A piercing pain shot through me, and I reflexively waved my hand to block her. Stumbling back two steps, I knocked over the vase behind me. Before I could react, I was kicked hard, falling entirely onto the broken porcelain pieces. The sharp shards pierced my flesh, and blood instantly gushed out. I looked up to meet Arthur's furious eyes. He stepped on my lower abdomen, grinding his foot down hard, his voice as cold as ice: "Who gave you the audacity to hurt Sierra?" Following his gaze, I noticed that Sierra was aggrievedly staring at a shallow scratch on her arm, her eyes red. "Arthur, it hurts so much. I wonder if it will leave a scar? If it does, it'll be too ugly. I might as well die..." Saying this, she made as if to bang her head against the wall, but Arthur grabbed her. "What nonsense are you talking about!" There was an unprecedented panic in his voice. "The doctor will be here right away. Don't be afraid." Only then did Sierra stop crying. The look she gave me was full of provocation. Turning her head, she buried it in Arthur's chest, her voice choked with sobs. "Arthur, I don't blame Sister Chloe. It's only right for her to hate me. From now on, I'll just leave you." Arthur's eyes turned red with heartache. The usually aloof and unapproachable CEO of Sterling Group was now softly coaxing Sierra. "I'm sorry, I didn't protect you well." When his gaze swept towards me, he looked like he wanted to tear me apart on the spot. In less than ten minutes, specialists from various departments filed in. Chapter 3 Their gazes shifted back and forth between me and Sierra, their expressions subtle. I was covered in blood, while the shallow scratch on Sierra's arm was almost invisible. Sierra sniffled, her voice low: "Arthur, don't worry about me anymore. I won't be able to face anyone in the future. Just let me die." "Nonsense." Arthur tapped the tip of Sierra's nose. Turning his head, he coldly commanded the doctors: "What are you staring for? Hurry up and treat Sierra." He glanced at me, his tone filled with disgust: "As for her? A piece of trash, she won't die from losing a little blood." Enduring the soreness, I slowly climbed up from the floor and stumbled outward. "Stop right there!" A sharp reprimand rang out as Mia rushed over furiously and grabbed my neck. A fifteen-year-old girl, yet her strength was surprisingly immense. Covered in injuries, I was completely powerless to resist. "You knew Aunt Sierra's hands are for playing the piano, yet you still hurt her!" "You piece of trash, if you don't kneel down and kowtow to apologize to Aunt Sierra today, I'll strangle you!" She gritted her teeth, her fingers tightening their grip. As my breath was slowly stripped away, my vision started to go black. Even though I was already disappointed in her, my heart still twisted like it was being cut by a knife when my own biological daughter wanted my life for someone else. I couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. I thought returning through rebirth would grant me a new life. Yet, I still couldn't escape dying at the hands of this father and daughter. Mia was frightened by my manic behavior and abruptly let go. I collapsed to the floor like a dead dog, laughing and crying at the same time. Through my blurred vision, I saw the hatred in my daughter's eyes and Arthur's face full of indifference. And Sierra, leaning on Arthur's shoulder, giving me a smug smirk. Standing together, they looked exactly like a family of three. While I was the eyesore, the "outsider." "Is that really necessary? Your daughter is still so young, did she really almost strangle you to death?" 3 Arthur took a few steps closer, his leather shoe kicking hard against my injured calf. His tone was full of impatience: "Stop pretending. Go apologize to Sierra, and we'll consider this matter closed..." I slowly raised my head. His gaze happened to fall on the bruised finger marks on my neck, and he suddenly froze. He thought our daughter was just putting on a show, but didn't expect she had actually intended to kill me. Arthur's fingers tensed, trembling as he tried to touch my injury. But, considering Sierra behind him, he hastily lowered his hand. "After all, she is your biological daughter. She acted a bit heavy-handedly on impulse. As a mother, you need to be more magnanimous." He lowered his voice and whispered in my ear: "When I'm done with work, I'll reward you well tonight. Be good and wait for me." I used all my remaining strength to push him away. 5 He stumbled on his leather shoes and seemed to have twisted his ankle. But this time, he surprisingly didn't get angry, only saying coldly: "Don't cook today. Get a good rest, and I'll bring you some good food later." With that, he took Sierra's arm and patted our daughter's shoulder. "Let's go." The physical pain was nothing compared to a fraction of the pain in my heart. I closed my eyes to recover for a moment. The doctor beside me looked at me, hesitating to speak. I forced a smile, my mouth tasting bitter: "I'm fine. I won't die. I've made a fool of myself in front of you all." Seeing my insistence, they left iodine and cotton swabs before turning and leaving. I wandered to the riverside, my gaze vacant as I looked into the distance. Just then, the large screen nearby suddenly switched feeds. Chapter 4 Arthur was attending the press conference for Sierra's music tour, and they were accepting interviews arm-in-arm. During the photo op, my daughter affectionately draped her arm around Sierra's shoulder, smiling brightly. The sound of camera shutters clicking echoed in my ears, along with the chatter of passersby: "The romance between the tender CEO and the pianist is really too sweet." "And they have such a beautiful daughter. The deep affection of their family of three is enviable." "I heard Mr. Sterling fell in love with Miss Sierra at first sight in a piano room back then. It's as romantic as an idol drama!" "Miss Sierra is incredibly good at composing. She's a rare musical genius. All the soundtracks for Sterling Pictures' movies are her creations. She's truly talented!" I couldn't help but sneer continuously. The past between Arthur and me was just assigned to Sierra like that. It felt like I had dreamt of a beautiful romance and marriage with Arthur. Now, I seemed more like a creep coveting their beautiful love from the shadows. Those sweet memories had all dissipated with the wind. 4 Suppressing my emotions, I made a phone call and then took a taxi to the airport. Just as I was about to go through security, a group of bodyguards suddenly appeared and surrounded me. Before I could react, fists rained down on me like a downpour. When the crowd dispersed, a pair of high heels appeared in my line of sight. "Slut!" "I said long ago that a cheap piece of trash like you was completely unreliable." "You fucking ate my family's food and used my family's money all these years, and you dare to cheat?" "I must have been blind to let you marry my son. You animal!" It was Arthur's mother. Rustling whispers rose from the surroundings: "She looks decent enough; turns out she's a serial cheater. How disgusting." "Is she the woman in that short video trending online? Played real kinky. I heard her daughter is already a teenager, yet she's still so indecent. She needs to be taught a lesson!" I hadn't even figured out what was happening yet. With a dull thud, my mother-in-law's cane smashed hard against my body. The agonizing pain made me violently cough up a mouthful of blood. Right at that moment, Arthur suddenly rushed over. He pulled me into his arms, his eyes revealing heartache. "Mom, don't blame her. I've been too busy and couldn't give her the tenderness she wanted." He gently wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, a long-absent tenderness appearing in his eyes. "You just made a mistake that any woman in the world would make. As long as you're willing to return to me and our daughter, I don't mind. Mom will forgive you too." The crowd immediately erupted, some feeling indignant on his behalf: "Mr. Sterling, you're so handsome and come from such a good family. What kind of woman can't you find? Why do you need such cheap trash!" "Don't be blinded by love! A scumbag like her probably has who knows how many bad intentions!" I tried to break free from Arthur's embrace, but he held me down firmly. In the eyes of the onlookers, it looked like I didn't know what was good for me. "Sierra's private video was leaked when her phone was being repaired. Her tour is coming up, and she can't have any negative press, so I had someone deepfake your face onto hers." "You hurt her before; consider this your apology to her." "As long as you take the blame for this, our family of three will definitely live a good life." I suddenly felt utterly exhausted. Seeing I was no longer resisting, he finally let me go. I struggled to climb up and stand steady. Suppressing the dizziness, I suddenly curled the corner of my mouth: "Since it's so lively today, why don't I drop a bombshell for everyone." I looked at the ring of phone cameras surrounding us and spoke unhurriedly.
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