Chapter 6

I let out a mocking laugh.

"Did you forget? Rule eighty-eight of the Foster family says that if a son-in-law dies without children under his name, he cannot be buried in the Foster family graveyard."

"You've put both my children under Charles's name. If I die today, I won't be buried with your family."

"Once I'm dead, I won't be one of you anymore."

After hearing that, Evelyn looked like she'd finally figured something out.

"So after all this, what you really want is to raise a child yourself?"

Her slender hand steadied my shoulder as she half-pulled me into her arms.

In a rare show of gentleness, she tried to soothe me. "Samuel and Lily were the ones Charlie poured his heart into raising. They aren't close to you, so I can't give them to you."

"If you really want a child, I can have another one with you. This time, you can raise it."

A chill spread through me from head to toe.

Did Evelyn really think children were some kind of gift to me?

I hadn't even gotten to properly look at my son before Evelyn took him away and handed him to Charles.

She said I wasn't as educated as Charles and couldn't raise a child well.

I cried. I begged. All she did was comfort me by saying we'd have more children.

The night she conceived Lily, she was drunk. She wanted me all night long, but all night long, the name she cried out was Charlie's...

And after my daughter was born, she was taken away too.

After that, every time we shared a bed, I secretly took contraceptives beforehand.

I pulled my hand away and refused her coldly.

"If you want a child so badly, go have one with Charles. He drinks all those tonics every day. Maybe by now he can give you one himself."

Evelyn's hand fell empty. She clearly hadn't expected me to reject her.

Rubbing her brow tiredly, she said, "This is between us. Don't drag Charlie into it."

"If you don't want a child, then what do you want?"

I looked at her face and finally said the words I'd buried for far too long.

"I just want to leave this place as soon as possible."

"These seven years of copying your family's rules make me sick. I hate it. If I'd had a choice, I would've rather never met you."

When the words fell, the room went deathly silent.

Evelyn held herself back so hard the veins in her forehead stood out.

But this time, she didn't keep scolding me, and she didn't punish me by making me copy the house rules either.

She only said, "You need to calm down. Get some rest first."

"I promised the children I'd go hang blessing charms under the prayer tree. I'll come see you later."

Then she left, looking oddly like someone fleeing in disarray.

When I used to humble myself and tiptoe around her, Evelyn never gave me a kind look. Now that I was the one turning cold, her attitude actually softened?

Was Evelyn seriously the type who only respected someone when they pushed back?

The system suddenly spoke up: [When humans get told 'I hate you' by someone they like, they get hurt, right?]

[Maybe Evelyn Foster was upset because you said that to her.]

I answered flatly, "Then she's pretty fragile."

The system teased: [Evelyn's not like you. She's always been loved and admired. You said you hated her so directly, so maybe she can't handle the sudden drop.]

I couldn't really understand that.

Maybe because in this world, no one had ever truly loved me even once.

For seven years, everyone laughed at me and looked down on me, and I still made it through.

Because I wanted to see what the warm, loving life the system talked about was really like...

The moon climbed high into the sky.

Evelyn left the estate with Charles and the children. Hardly anyone ever came to my little courtyard to begin with, and at night it was even quieter.

No one coming to interrupt my departure was probably for the best.

I changed into the bright red wedding robe from my marriage. It was the finest thing in my wardrobe.

When I came into this world, I was a beggar for most of my life, filthy and miserable from the very start.

But I wanted to leave looking a little better than that.

Enduring the pain in my body, I straightened my hairpiece and listened to the soft rustle of snow falling outside.

"The snow's really heavy tonight..."

I stepped into the snow and raised my hand to catch a snowflake, but what I caught first was the blood spilling from my lips.

Then the system suddenly prompted: [Host, please be ready. In 5 seconds, I will take you out of this world!]

5, 4, 3...