Chapter 3
For three straight days, Richard was leaving early and getting home late.
He wouldn't even look at Lily, but at least he didn't kick her out.
She kept quiet around the house, and Richard never said a word to her.
Between chores, Emily would chat with her when she could.
Lily only answered when spoken to, always polite but careful.
Still, I could tell she was clinging to Emily in that big, cold house.
Lily's eyes always wandered around this vast place.
Everything here was new to her—she'd never seen a place this huge, way bigger than her little village school.
Even though she didn't know the stuff here, she seemed to get how fancy everything was.
Now, she was all curled up into a ball on the sofa, her fingers all stiff and tense.
She was still scared, like a baby bird that wouldn't dare peek out.
Gradually, she dozed off.
In her sleep, she whispered, "Mommy, Lily's been good... Lily misses Mommy..."
I was crying—not that spirits could really cry or something. Just these pale wisps of sadness were coming out of my eyes.
Spirits weren't supposed to have hearts, but mine hurt.
*****
At Sterling Tower.
After reviewing the documents, Richard handed them to Samuel.
He glanced at the calendar next to him and snapped his pen shut with a sharp click.
"Two weeks already, and that woman still ain't showing up?" Richard snorted.
Was he talking about me?
Yeah, it'd been two weeks since Lily found him.
After saying that, Richard seemed even angrier.
"Did she just dump the kid here and then vanish? Only she could pull a stunt like that. Samuel, tell me, what kinda damn game is she playing at?" Richard snapped.
After a moment's thought, Samuel asked quietly, "Mr. Sterling, should I call Mrs... Should I call your ex-wife? See what's going on with her?"
Richard narrowed his eyes.
"No. She wants to play dead? Let her.
"She thinks having my kid in secret and dumping her here will make me feel something? That I'll get attached, change my mind, and let her back into the Sterling family? She's definitely dreaming."
He let out a cold sneer.
"I'll raise the kid if I have to, but love her? Hell no. That woman's way too full of herself. My responsibility stops at blood. As for her mother? She's never stepping foot in this house again."
That was funny.
I was already dead, and Richard didn't know.
He never even asked Lily about me. He didn't give a damn.
Two weeks had passed, and he had hardly said a word to Lily.
He hated me, so he hated our child too.
*****
When I realized my time was running out, I took Lily back to Joracity and brought her to the entrance of Sterling Tower.
That day, Richard showed up with Charlotte. Her belly was noticeably bigger.
He opened the car door and gently helped her inside.
I froze there.
Was Charlotte pregnant with Richard's child?
Actually, when Richard made me sign those divorce papers, I knew he'd marry Charlotte sooner or later.
In the big city of Joracity, Richard was like ice to almost everyone, except Charlotte.
With her, he was all sweet and charming.
It was clear they were a perfect match.
I used to be the spoiled heiress of a wealthy family, surrounded by luxury and known for my fiery temper.
My love for Richard was an obsession.
I just couldn't stand seeing him treat anyone else like they mattered.
At the Shaw family's birthday party, I spotted Charlotte and Richard on the balcony. She was leaning on his shoulder, her tears rolling down her cheeks onto his pristine white suit. She looked completely heartbroken.
That sight was a knife in my heart.
I marched over and slapped Richard—hard.
The whole party fell silent.
That slap shattered my marriage for good.
At the party, Richard stayed quiet for the Shaw family's sake.
But the ride home was thick with tension.
Once we got back, he tossed the divorce papers at me, and I was totally blindsided.
I never imagined it would come to this.
I knew he'd be angry, but I never thought he'd actually want a divorce.
Looking back, I really regretted losing my cool at the party.
Richard wasn't just anybody.
He was the sole heir to Joracity's elite aristocracy, a billionaire CEO.
Just brushing against him could lead to trouble for anyone.
But me? I actually slapped him right across the face in front of everyone.
The party hall had even fallen into stunned silence after that. Not a single person dared to breathe.
Everyone knew Richard and Charlotte were childhood sweethearts, the ultimate couple in everyone's eyes.
That day, Charlotte was upset about her grandpa passing away and just leaned on Richard's shoulder to cry. It was totally innocent.
And yet, I had the nerve to slap him.
I slapped Richard himself.
That slap let out all my anger.
But it also marked the start of my miserable downfall.