Chapter 4

I knew this Uncle Thompson—he was one of Dad's biggest investors.

After Dad's affair, he'd asked Mom to leave with him.

I remembered him as a gentle, polite man.

But today he was very rude.

Rudely grabbing Vivian, asking her to drink a few glasses with him.

Vivian panicked and kept refusing. Dad stepped in front, politely saying she was pregnant and it wasn't convenient.

But Uncle Thompson seemed enraged and issued a threat:

"If Mr. Hayes won't even give me this face, then our cooperation ends here!"

Seeing Vivian's terrified expression and Dad's awkward face, I felt pleased.

I even silently cheered for Uncle Thompson, hoping he'd help Mom vent more anger.

But the next second, I heard Dad say with a laugh:

"How about this, Mr. Thompson—let my wife drink with you."

"Vivian just has some looks. My wife is a real beauty."

I froze, unable to believe the man saying this was my mom's husband.

Mom didn't move, letting Dad drag her toward Uncle Thompson:

"Just a few drinks... You won't refuse, will you?"

I rushed over to protect Mom:

"My mom is sick! Aunt Rachel said she can't drink! She said it would kill her!"

Dad grabbed me by the collar and tossed me aside, glaring at Mom:

"Look what you've taught Sienna. Lying endlessly."

Uncle Thompson got his wish and pulled Mom over, forcing her to drink with several men.

Mom numbly downed glass after glass. Uncle Thompson seemed to have tears in his eyes.

Finally, after who knows how many glasses, Mom suddenly vomited blood.

"Willow!"

Dad's face changed dramatically and he ran over.

But Vivian cried out.

"So much blood, Dylan. I feel a bit uncomfortable seeing it..."

Dad hesitated for a second, then turned to pick up Vivian:

"The hilltop villa isn't far from here. I'll take you there to rest."

The hilltop villa was his wedding gift to Mom.

Mom treasured it and never let outsiders in.

She stared at Dad intensely:

"No! You can take her anywhere else—don't defile my villa!"

Dad tried to reason with her at first, but this time Mom was immovable.

They argued all the way to the villa. Vivian's deliberate moaning grew louder and louder.

Dad lost his temper and actually slapped Mom:

"Are you crazy? It's just a house!"

"Since you think it's more important than my son, then rot to death in this house!"

With that, he shoved Mom into the villa and locked the door to prevent her from chasing after them.

Uncle Thompson, Aunt Rachel, and Aunt Rachel's police officer boyfriend—

They waited patiently with me outside the villa.

Until Dad's car drove away in a cloud of dust.

Only then did we enter the villa.

Mom was still vomiting blood heavily. Her body and the floor were stained red with blood.

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat from the pain.

But she persisted, having Uncle Thompson set up complex mechanisms.

"Make sure... once they're intimate in bed... my body will drop down."

"Don't forget to lock the door when you leave... Make him think I died from being forced to drink, then locked in with no way to call for help..."

"All traces... must be eliminated with professional forensic methods..."

"The infertility drug... Sienna, you must find a chance to put it in Dad's water after you get home..."

"The report saying Vivian's fetus isn't his biological child—is the forgery good enough? Let me see if it looks real..."

"He must only have Sienna as his heir. He must..."

Her voice trembled with pain.

Finally, with everyone's help, she used her last strength to climb up to the skylight.

She put a white pill in her mouth, finally showing a relieved smile on her face:

"There shouldn't be any flaws."

"Thank you all for your help."

"Sienna, goodbye. Mom loves you, will always love you..."

Her voice grew weaker and weaker until finally, it couldn't be heard anymore.

All the aunts and uncles were sobbing. Uncle Thompson was crying so hard he collapsed to his knees.

Only I didn't cry.

I watched Mom meticulously arrange her own death. My tears had already run dry.

I looked at the sunflowers in the villa's yard.

That snowfall had made the sunflowers wither early.

I sat there quietly, waiting for Dad to come back.

Finally, at midnight, the doorbell rang.