Afterwards, I became lost and numb.

No matter how I explained, they refused to believe me.

"Claire, have you no sense of decency? You've already caused the death of my son, and now you want to slander my daughter?"

"Claire, I will hate you for the rest of my life. Even if you were dead, you'd still owe the Danes family a life!"

"Claire, you've ended our family line. I should have beaten you to death back then!"

"Claire..."

The constant repetition of these words, along with the suffocating atmosphere, slowly twisted my mind.

Sometimes, I would blankly wonder if I truly caused all of this.

In the end, they successfully manipulated me, turning me into a puppet, following their every command.

I earned money only to hand it over to them. When they fell ill, it was my duty to care for them.

Because I caused the death of their only son, I was now obligated to care for them for the rest of my life.

In my youth, I had escaped from here with all the courage, enduring all hardships to break free from the shackles of this family. Now, it seemed like nothing but a dream, ultimately just a joke.

Since then, I ignored Lizzy. As I became the target of mistreatment, her life improved significantly.

I worked tirelessly outside, trying to fill the bottomless pit called the Danes family.

One day, a phone call from Tomas disrupted the fragile peace I had managed to maintain.

"Hey, Claire! Lizzy is at the bank of Ringchonk River, threatening to jump!

"She's shouting apologies to you, wanting to see you one last time to apologize! She says if she can't see you, she'll jump!"

He was surrounded by deafening noise, but I could still hear the venom in Tomas' voice.

"Claire, you've already killed my son, do you want to drive my daughter to her death too?"

I stared at the now disconnected screen, chuckling bitterly.

I thought, "She's jumping? But isn't it because Amanda forced her to marry a widower at nineteen?

Aren't they the ones who drove her to this?

But Lizzy, you do owe me an apology."

The chilling wind blew, the river water relentlessly hitting the walls.

This was the infamous treacherous river in the village, deep and surrounded by walls, with hidden currents and whirlpools.

And there was Lizzy, perched on the edge. Although she was holding onto the railing, there was always the possibility of her slipping.

Surrounded by a crowd, Lizzy shouted loudly, "Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll jump!"

Amanda's face showed signs of worry as she pleaded, "Lizzy, come down, let's talk things out!"

Amanda didn't seem too concerned for her daughter. She was just afraid that Lizzy might actually jump.

The villager would drown her, a mother who drove her own daughter to death, in spit.

I remained silent, tightening my coat as I walked over.

"I heard you were looking for me. What's the matter?"

Life had drained all my energy, giving my normally bland and even indifferent tone a jarring effect in this situation.

Lizzy smiled, "Auntie, you've come.

"Auntie, you look so thin."

She seemed to be genuinely feeling sorry for me.

I stared at her, asking, "Weren't you going to apologize to me?"

Blinking her eyes, Lizzy looked on the verge of tears.

"Auntie, you used to be so kind to me..."

With that, Lizzy reached out her hand as if asking me to help her up.

Seeing an opportunity to save her, Amanda forcefully pushed me from behind.

Caught off guard, I stumbled forward.

Before I could react, those hands pulled me forward abruptly.

Panicking, I tried to retreat to the shore, but Lizzy held on tightly.

"Auntie, why should you be able to escape? Why didn't you take me with you!

"The road to the underworld is too lonely. Since you love me so much, auntie, you must be willing to accompany me. Let's die together..."

Suddenly, I snapped back to reality, the bowl slipping from my hands and crashing to the floor.

Broken pieces were scattered everywhere.

I wore an awkward smile, saying, "Oops, clumsy me.

"There are a lot of shards here. It's dangerous. Lizzy, you should go play in the living room."

Lizzy wanted to say something, but I cut her off sharply.

"Walnut oil, right? I got it."

Lizzy obediently left, but she stood not too far away, watching my every move through the kitchen window.

Nonchalantly, I picked up a broom to clean up the mess.

Only when I used my body to shield myself and took a bottle of oil from the cupboard did the watchful gaze behind me suddenly disappear.