Just because my 5-year-old daughter delayed my husband from picking up his old flame from the airport. In a fit of rage, he locked our daughter in an unfinished utility shaft in the villa. A faint cry for help echoed from within the load-bearing wall. I desperately smashed at the wall to save my child, but he shoved me to the ground. The blood from my palm soaked the flowers he’d bought for his old flame, enraging Ethan further: "You're just a glorified nanny in this Grant family! What right do you have to touch anything meant for Chloe and her daughter?" "If you hadn't schemed your way into my bed back then, forcing my hand with the pregnancy, I never would have missed my chance with Chloe. She never would have suffered that horrific assault!" I froze, staring at Ethan in disbelief. He gently took Chloe’s hand, then picked up her daughter, his eyes filled with tenderness: "I'll make up for everything I owe you and your daughter." Later, when Chloe's daughter snuggled into Ethan's arms, calling him "Daddy" with a triumphant look. My own daughter lay cold in my embrace, forever silent. Ethan, as you wished, I’m returning the title of Mrs. Grant to you. … The light above the operating room went out. The doctor shook his head, sighing: "Mrs. Grant, we did everything we could. I'm so sorry for your loss." Lily, so full of life just moments ago, now lay peacefully on the bed, as if asleep. "Lily… don’t sleep yet, sweetie. Mommy bought your favorite strawberry cake. You still need to make a wish." My fingers trembled as I tried to place the cake fork in her small hand, only to touch icy coldness. In that instant, a heart-wrenching pain tore through me. Tears dripped onto my daughter's hand. An hour earlier, when I found her in the narrow space within the concrete wall of the villa, she was already stiff. Lily died from an asthma attack. But why was my usually obedient, sweet Lily inside a concrete wall? Using a cotton swab dipped in saline, I carefully cleaned away the dried cement from between her fingers. When I finally pried open Lily's bluish fingers and saw the crumpled chocolate wrapper clutched in her palm, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. The chocolate wrapper bore the Grant Enterprises logo. Ethan had given her the candy. My hand shook as I dialed his number, a bitter twist on my lips: "Ethan… did you see Lily today?" His voice on the other end was impatient: "Sarah, can't you think of any other way to tie me down besides using the kid?" I was about to explain. A clear, bright "Daddy!" cut through the line, interrupting me: "I love this Mickey Mouse doll, and this sunflower dress, and I love this room! Can I live here?" Daddy? My daughter wasn't even cold yet, and Ethan was already so eager to move Chloe and her daughter in? Six years of bottled-up grievances erupted. I screamed into the phone: "Ethan, that's my daughter's room! I won't let anyone set foot in it! Get Chloe and her daughter out of my house, now!" A moment of silence on the other end. Then, Ethan scoffed and ordered the housekeeper beside him: "Move Lily's things into the guest room. Redecorate this room according to Zoe's preferences." Zoe's cheers followed, along with Chloe's feigned reproachful tone: "Ethan, you can't spoil Zoe like this. She's already so happy just to see her daddy. How can she take Lily's room?" Ethan soothed Chloe: "That Lily is a wild child, just like her mother, no good. It'll be good for her to learn from Zoe how to be a good girl…" Their family-of-three voices weren't loud, but they grated on my ears. So, Ethan could be doting. It was just a shame that warmth never extended to Lily. A bitter taste filled my mouth: "Ethan, today is Lily's birthday. We're waiting for you at Mercy General Hospital." "Sarah, what kind of game are you playing now?" Suppressing my emotions, I took a deep breath and said, word by word: "Come say your last goodbye to Lily." 2 A deathly silence followed. "What do you want now?" Ethan's cold laugh broke the silence. "Teaching your daughter to fake asthma attacks wasn't enough? Now you're even using death to scheme?" His laughter died, his tone chillingly cold: "How could Lily have a mother like you? She's my daughter. You dare curse her, just try it." Chloe's coquettish voice came through: "Zoe and I don't want Sarah to misunderstand. You should go to the hospital and see Lily. We'll wait for you at home." Ethan seemed to have a sudden thought, a flicker of panic in his voice, as he forced out a few words: "Tell Lily to wait for me. I'll be there in half an hour." The call ended abruptly. Putting the phone away, I stroked Lily's face, whispering softly: "See, sweetie? Daddy cares about you. He's coming to celebrate your birthday soon." Once, he had knelt before his grandfather's sickbed and sworn: "As long as Sarah gives birth to a Grant heir, I will cherish the child as my own." But he broke his promise. From the day Lily was born until now, Ethan had never truly looked at her. Lily had once asked me, crestfallen, why Daddy didn't love her. I had woven lies in Ethan's stead, building up a perfect father figure in Lily's mind. "Ding—" A WeChat notification. It was the security guard, sending the villa's surveillance footage. The footage held the secret of how Lily got into the wall. My fingers trembled as I opened it. Seeing Lily's small form, my eyes welled up again. Ethan had lied. He had seen Lily today. Why did he deny it repeatedly? In the video, the moment Ethan stepped out of the house, Lily clung to his leg, cautiously trying to please him: "Daddy, please, just one minute. Wait for Mommy to get the cake, and you can blow out the candles with me…" Lily desperately wanted a birthday present from her father, but when she spoke, she only dared to ask him to blow out the candles. Ethan’s face was etched with impatience. He pulled a chocolate from his pocket and tossed it into the villa garden: "Daddy's going to play hide-and-seek with Lily." He pried her small hands from his suit jacket, pointing to a dark opening of an unfinished utility shaft: "You go find the chocolate first, then hide. If you're good, Daddy will definitely celebrate your birthday with you." My heart clenched. Lily was only five. She was not only afraid of the dark but also had severe asthma and was allergic to dust mites and particulate matter. "Daddy… I'm scared." The only response Lily got was Ethan's cold, retreating back. She clenched her small fists, mustered her courage, and tiptoed towards the dark opening in the garden… I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to watch anymore, my mind drifting back to three hours ago. When I realized Lily was missing, I immediately tried to call Ethan for help, but his phone was unreachable. In desperation, my phone picked up a signal from Lily's kids' smartwatch. "Lily, where are you?" I followed the signal, tears streaming down my face, my voice trembling and distorted. A faint breathing sound came from the other end, mixed with the rustle of a plastic candy wrapper. "Mommy…" Lily's hoarse voice made my blood run cold. Her voice grew weaker, her breathing more labored, and the signal became intermittent: "I found the chocolate Daddy hid, but… it's so dark in here…" I scanned my surroundings, my gaze locking onto the newly built sunroom in the garden. Grabbing tools, I headed straight for the sunroom. Almost simultaneously, the main gate was pushed open from the outside. Ethan walked in with a pretty woman and a little girl who looked about six. The moment I saw Ethan, my eyes lit up: "Ethan, Lily's missing! Do you know where she went?" 3 Ethan expertly took the woman's coat, set down her luggage, and without looking up, said: "Haven't seen her." The next second, he turned to stare at the tools in my hand, his brow furrowed deeply: "Chloe is a light sleeper and can't stand noise. Keep it down around the house, don't disturb her rest, understand?" I froze, staring at him in confusion. Ethan ignored my reaction. As he passed me, he reminded me in a barely audible whisper: "Sarah, you've gotten more than enough. Don't be greedy. All of this should have been Chloe's." Chloe. Ethan's first love, the unattainable one that got away. The one the housekeeper said Ethan had self-harmed over multiple times after she left. A heavy ache filled my chest, and a mist clouded my vision. Ethan reached for the tools in my hand. I clutched them to my chest: "Lily… I heard Lily's voice… She's here in the villa." I pointed towards the newly built sunroom: "Ethan, Lily's in the sunroom! Please, break down that wall!" Ethan didn't believe me: "Sarah, are you crazy? That's a load-bearing wall, freshly poured concrete!" "Lily is in the wall! Why don't you believe me!" I pushed him, but he didn't budge. I cried, almost in despair: "In your eyes, Lily being missing for a few hours is no big deal because you've never been there for her. But I'm different. Lily has never left my side. She's been gone for three whole hours! Why don't you trust a mother's intuition?" I pounded on Ethan's chest: "It's just a sunroom wall! Why won't you let me break it?" Ethan grabbed my shoulders and shoved me back. Stumbling, I tripped over something, and the back of my head hit a metal scaffold. After a dull thud, warm liquid trickled down the back of my head. In a daze, I felt Chloe's daughter step on the back of my hand: "Bad auntie! The sunroom is my mommy's! You can't touch it!" As she spoke, a doll's button fell near my feet. I slowly looked up, my eyes fixing on the doll in the little girl's arms. She was holding the limited-edition Barbie doll I had flown to Japan specifically to buy. It was the birthday present Lily had been begging for for three months. In that instant, everything clicked. Why Ethan insisted on building a sunroom, even though I was allergic to pollen; Why Ethan had a gift box with him when he left the house earlier… So that was it. It was all for Chloe and her daughter. I gave a bitter laugh, gritted my teeth against the pain, and struggled to my feet, inching towards the garden. Chloe's voice drifted over, laced with insinuation: "Sarah, darling, surely you didn't hide the child just to get Ethan's attention?" My steps faltered. I looked up and met Ethan's furious gaze. He ground his teeth, his words dripping with contempt: "You're just a glorified nanny in this Grant family! What right do you have to touch anything meant for Chloe and her daughter?" 4 My phone alarm blared, jolting me from my memories. Thirty minutes had passed, and still no sign of Ethan. It was too late; Lily was about to be taken to the morgue. I started a video call with Ethan, hoping only to fulfill Lily's birthday wish. When the video connected, Zoe's face appeared. She was wearing Lily's favorite sunflower dress. The phone camera pointed towards the guest bedroom, and she pushed the door open: "Daddy, we're going to be late for the art competition!" As the door opened, Chloe, flustered, clutched the blanket to her shoulders, her face flushed as she Say angrily as if pretending : "Zoe!" Ethan smirked, tying a black bow tie around his neck, adjusting his shirt cuffs as he said: "If you can't get out of bed, just rest at home. I'll take Zoe to the competition." The phone camera panned across the messy carpet. Amidst the scattered clothes, two used condoms lay in a corner. I numbly ended the video call, a wave of nausea washing over me. My daughter and I had waited for him in the morgue for 30 minutes. And him? He was entangled with his lover, taking their illegitimate daughter to a competition. Ethan, he didn't deserve to be a father! Putting the phone away, I accompanied Lily on her final journey. Everyone said I married up by wedding Ethan, but this wealthy family felt more like a cage to me. I once believed that feelings could be cultivated, but I never imagined Ethan had never felt anything for me. Later, we had Lily. She was so bright for her age. Because of her, my mother-in-law, who had previously made things difficult for me, started to praise me more. Apart from coming home three times a month on a fixed schedule, Ethan was mostly absent. Lily was my constant companion. She would wrap her small arms around me and vow to take me traveling around the world when she grew up. She would also kiss my cheek after Ethan belittled me, sweetly saying, "Don't be scared, Mommy, Lily loves you…" With Lily, I had a home. With Lily gone, the home should fall apart. After leaving Lily's grave, I made up my mind to leave Ethan for good. "Mr. Vance, I've signed the divorce papers. As for Ethan… I'll get him to sign as soon as possible." The divorce agreement, which had been lying in the nightstand drawer for five years, finally had a use. On our wedding night, five years ago, Ethan, reeking of alcohol, had taken out his anger on my body while simultaneously slamming the divorce papers onto my face: "Give birth to the child in your belly, take the money, and get lost!" After sobering up, he never brought up divorce again. But I had kept those papers hidden in the nightstand. My thoughts snapped back to the present. The lawyer tentatively asked: "Ma'am, how should the assets be divided?" Ethan was generous enough; the agreement gave me forty percent of Grant Enterprises' shares. But now, money meant nothing to me. "I voluntarily waive…" "Boom!" A sudden burst of fireworks and the sight of a drone near the seaside cemetery cut me off. I was drawn to the fireworks. Because next to the dazzling display, a drone formation spelled out a message: 【CONGRATULATIONS TO MY DARLING ZOE FOR WINNING THE GOLD MEDAL IN PAINTING】 As the fireworks exploded across the sky, I recognized Ethan. He was leaning down, kissing away a tear from the corner of Chloe's eye. In that instant, I changed my mind: 【We'll stick to the agreement. I want what's mine.】 5 As the fireworks faded, I called Ethan, demanding to know where he was. He glanced at Chloe and Zoe, then lowered his voice to explain: "Sarah, just give me another 30 minutes. I'll be there soon." "Don't bother." I hung up and appeared before Ethan. "I didn't mean to interrupt your family gathering, but please give me back Lily's clothes." Ethan's face darkened: "Sarah, are you ever going to stop? Can you not project your own filthy thoughts onto others?" I had no intention of arguing with him. I walked straight up to Zoe and gently touched the dress: "This was Lily's favorite dress. You've stained it with your paint. She'll be upset." Before the words were even out, I reached out to pull the dress off Zoe. "Waaah!" Zoe burst into tears: "This dress is mine! I'm not giving it to you, no! Everything in the house is mine – the house, the cars, even Daddy! They're all mine!" Chloe, standing nearby, pulled Zoe behind her: "Didn't you hear? This is Zoe's dress!" "Smack!" I raised my hand and slapped Chloe across the face: "It's not just Ethan that's yours. The word 'shameless' belongs to you and your daughter too." She froze for a moment, instantly silenced. "Sarah, do you have to pick today to cause a scene?" Ethan said, pulling Zoe into his arms protectively. "It's Zoe's birthday. Can't this wait until we get home?" I stared at Ethan's face and laughed. As I laughed, tears started to fall. Today was also the anniversary of Lily's death. But Ethan, you didn't deserve to know. The sea breeze tugged at my collar. As I turned to leave, Chloe blocked my path. She grabbed my sleeve, yanking at the black armband I wore, her eyes wide with anger: "Sarah, you're a mother too! How could you do something so malicious?" She ripped off the black band, tears streaming down her face: "Today is Zoe's birthday, and the day she won her award! It was supposed to be a happy occasion! What do you mean by wearing a black armband? Are you here to curse my Zoe?" Her tears fell like broken pearls, her voice rising in a sob: "Your child went missing because you were negligent! You're using these twisted methods to curse my child! I'm not done with you today!" The black armband, a tribute to Lily, was torn to shreds by Chloe, scattering in the wind. "Sarah, apologize to Zoe!" Ethan stepped forward to support the swaying Chloe, who promptly collapsed against him. "Today is Zoe's 6th birthday. Her only birthday wish was for a fireworks display…" "Ethan, do you know what Lily's birthday wish was?" I cut him off with a bitter laugh. Ethan's eyes darkened: "..." "Zoe's wish was a fireworks display. But do you know, my Lily never dared to hope for a grand fireworks show. Yesterday was Lily's 5th birthday. Her only wish was for her daddy to blow out her candles with her." Ethan stared intently at me. I gave a wry smile. I pressed the chocolate wrapper Lily had clutched in her hand into Ethan's. His pupils contracted, his lips moved: "Lily…" "She has something to say to her daddy." As I finished speaking, I played the last voice recording Lily made before she died: "Mommy, I want Daddy to celebrate my birthday with us. He promised he'd come back for me. Please don't blame Daddy…" Hearing this, Ethan's face turned deathly pale. He gripped my shoulders, his voice filled with extreme terror: "Tell me, Lily… where is she?" "She's at…" My eyes were unreadable as I pointed towards the seaside cemetery. "Zoe, don't scare Mommy! Ethan! Quick, take Zoe to the hospital!" Before I could finish, Chloe shrieked from behind me. Without a moment's hesitation, Ethan scooped up the fainted Zoe and ran off. As he passed me, I grabbed his arm, trying to contain my anger as I reminded him: "There's a document you need to sign. It concerns Lily and me…" "What time is it to be worrying about that! Are you still thinking about your allowance!" He actually thought the document was a contract for me to demand living expenses from him. I let out a bitter laugh and played along: "Yes. As long as you sign it, I'll never stop you from taking care of Chloe and her daughter again." The look Ethan gave me was utterly cold. "Fine!" He clenched his jaw, pulled out his phone, and without any hesitation, signed the divorce agreement before leaving with Zoe in his arms. The lawyer was extremely efficient. By the time I was on the plane to Japan, fifty million had been deposited into my bank account. Before turning off my phone, I scheduled Lily's memorial photo to be sent to Ethan in three days. Then, I threw away my SIM card. Looking out the window at the shrinking city of Seaview, I felt a wave of emotions. This nightmare was finally over. I was about to start a new life.
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