Chapter 3

Chapter 3

That night, the woman who claimed she had no daughter traveled over a thousand miles to come here.

Seven years had turned that sharp, calculating woman into a shell. Her temples were gray, and the weight of time had left its mark.

The wind disheveled her hair. In just seven years, she had aged so much it broke my heart.

She wore her heels, trying to maintain a shred of dignity and grace.

After seeing the remains, a strange, frozen smile touched her lips.

She isn't my daughter.

How could my daughter die out here with no one to look after her?

She had a boyfriend who loved her!

Killian promised me he would take good care of her…

But when the DNA report came out, she couldn't utter another word.

Her hair tie snapped somewhere along the way, and her hair fell in tangles.

One of her heels was missing.

She limped out of the station, staring at the neon lights of the city with hollow, vacant eyes.

Suddenly, she remembered something and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her bag.

There was a phone number written on it, blurred by the years.

She pulled out her phone and started typing, hitting the wrong keys repeatedly.

She kept dialing the wrong number, until the person on the other end snapped, calling her a crazy old woman.

Half an hour later, she finally reached the right number.

Killian, it's… Auntie June.

It took Killian a moment to remember who that was.

Auntie, I've already broken up with Lin Mu.

The villa she lived in is hers, and I've sent another twenty million as a settlement. If you aren't satisfied, talk to my secretary. Lin Mu has his contact info.

Killian, please, that's not what I meant. Mu―

The line went dead.

Don't blame Killian for being cold. When we first got together, the Killian family was billions in debt, and Wynne had dumped him. The double blow had landed Killian in the ICU twice.

My mother never approved of us, not for the money, and certainly not for the man. Plus, I'd dropped out of school to nurse him back to health.

She had cursed us with the cruelest words she could find.

My mother tried to call again, but found she had been blocked.

She received one text from Killian: Wynne has depression. I don't want her to worry.

No guilt, no apology, just a cold statement of fact, warning her to stay away.

I didn't know why my mother was still trying to talk to him.

Maybe she wanted to tell him I was dead.

Maybe she just wanted to know what had happened between us.

Lost and directionless, my mother stood there, letting the late autumn wind turn her lips blue.

Passersby looked at her like she was a lunatic.

Mom, go home…

No matter how many times I whispered it, she couldn't hear me.

For the first time, I regretted never mending things with her while I was alive.

Everyone else in the world might abandon you, but your parents never will.

She suddenly lunged at a stranger, grabbing their sleeve.

Excuse me, do you know where the Killian Group is?

She had lived in a small county her whole life.

She never used maps. A big city like A-City was a labyrinth to her.

She asked again and again, walking block by block, until a kind stranger finally helped her hail a taxi.

My mother seemed to realize taxis were a thing.

Auntie, the Killian Group is closed at this hour. Are you looking for someone?

My mother's expression was becoming dazed.

I'm going to see my son-in-law. He's the CEO of the Killian Group. He's very successful…

The stranger's face twitched; they seemed to regret helping her at all.