My girlfriend Nancy and her friends threw a watch into the swimming pool and let my mother pick it up, betting on how long it would take her to retrieve it.

But my mother never came up after going down.

She was still tightly holding the watch when she died.

I called Nancy crying and questioned her. She excitedly asked, "Did your mother retrieve the watch? I bet 160 thousand dollars with them. You can't let me lose."

I was so angry that my whole body trembled.

After finishing my mother's funeral, I left without looking back, while she begged me like crazy to forgive her.

But I would never turn back.

——

After my mom's funeral, three days had passed.

After that call, Nancy never called again and completely forgot about me and my mother.

In the early morning, I dragged my weary body back to the villa. As I reached the door, I saw the house was as bright as daytime.

When I opened the door, the deafening music and raucous shouting filled the entire house.

Nancy sat on York's lap, while they were kissing each other passionately.

I watched the scene coldly with icy detachment.

As if on cue, someone looked up and saw me just as the music stopped.

A hush fell over the room, and everyone's expressions were a mix of shock and disbelief.

Nancy seemed to sense something and glanced at me, still sitting on York's lap without any intention of getting off.

She casually said, "Oh, you're back."

Her tone was calm, as if she was not kissing another man in front of her boyfriend.

York hugged her and looked at me with a smile, "Simon, it's just a game. You wouldn't mind, right?"

"Just for fun?

Do they think everything was a game,

including my mom's life?"

I remained silent, my gaze searing into them. My eyes red-rimmed with pent-up fury.

Seeing my expression, Nancy was somewhat displeased and frowned.

Since the atmosphere was a bit awkward, everyone quickly changed the topic, "Simon, did your mom retrieve the watch?

It's a worldwide limited edition. I bet a sports car on it. If I lose, I'm screwed.

This game was proposed by York. He always knows how to have fun."

Those words triggered a wave of laughter.

"Was it fun?"

My voice was hoarse, as if clawing its way out of a deep, dark well of sorrow. I scanned the room, my eyes heavy with contempt.

Nancy didn't hear clearly, "What did you say?"

With every ounce of composure I could muster, I enunciated each word, laden with bitterness, "I asked if it was fun to play with my mom's feelings, and to watch her scramble like a fool?"

They had watched, cackling by the swimming pool, as my mom jumped into the water, clueless and desperate. They withheld the location of the fallen watch, amused by her frantic search. When she didn't come up for a long time, their interest waned, and they deserted her.

Unbeknownst to them, a few minutes later, her leg cramped violently. Struggling briefly, my mother succumbed to the depths.

When I received a call from John, the housekeeper, who worked for my girlfriend's villa, and rushed over. My mother's face was pale. I felt coldness all over her body. But she still tightly held the watch that Nancy ordered her to pick up.

I cried my heart out, but she was gone forever.

Being with Nancy for three years, I knew that she was a social butterfly. And when she went wild, she could do anything. But I never thought that one day she would be so crazy as to gamble with my mother's life.

"What are my mother and I in her eyes?"

If she really cared about and respected me, how could she let them play with my mother's life?

When I questioned her, Nancy's face darkened, "Simon, what's wrong with you?"

York hugged her and innocently blinked his eyes, "Come on, Simon. Is your mother that precious? We can't even play a trick on her."

"Exactly, she's just a nanny. But she doesn't see herself as Nancy's mother-in-law, does she?"

Anger surged in my chest, and with red eyes, I shouted, "Who do you think you are playing with? My mother is a human being, not a tool for your entertainment!"

All of the people at present grew up as a pampered young master or young lady. I had always felt inferior in front of them, let alone shouting. I hadn't even said a harsh word.

So when they suddenly saw me explode with such anger, they were all stunned for a moment.

Nancy's eyes flashed with anger, "Simon, who do you think you're talking to? Have I spoiled you too much?"

"Spoiled me?"

I laughed in anger, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

"I can't bear to accept Miss Zane's spoil."

In the past three years, she would come to me when she was happy and ignore me when she was not.

If it weren't for opposing her mother back then, how could Miss Zane have found someone like me as her boyfriend?

She called me her boyfriend, but in the eyes of her friends, I was kind of like her pet.

Finally, Nancy noticed that something was wrong with me. She stared at me for a while and was stunned.

For the past three days, I hadn't eaten or drunk. My eyes were already red and swollen from crying, and I had lost weight as if I could collapse with a gust of wind.

Nancy's eyes showed a momentary change.

After a long time, she pushed away York and softened her tone, "Alright, this time I admit that I was wrong. I can apologize to your mother. Is that enough?"

"Apologize? You should apologize to her.

And all of you!"

My gaze swept over them one by one. "You are all murderers. You should apologize to her before you go to hell!"

Everyone was stunned by my word 'murderers'.

Nancy saw that she was offering an olive branch, but I still refused to back down. Her face turned dark again, "Simon, stop making a scene here! Is it fun to make everyone unhappy over such a trivial matter?

Besides, I said I would apologize to your mother. What else do you want?"

What did I want?

I wanted them all to pay for my mother's death.

After being pushed away by Nancy, York angrily glared at me and walked to my side with a mocking expression. "If it's not enough, count me in too. I will personally apologize to her. Is that sincere enough for you?"

After saying that, he leaned close to my ear, with a malicious smile. "It's a pity you weren't there that day. Your mother struggled in the water for a long time, panting like a dog. It was really fun."

I knew he was deliberately provoking me.

But I couldn't help it and shouted in anger, landing a heavy punch on his face.

No one expected that I would take action.

They stood still for a few seconds, then rushed up and pulled me away, pressing my face hard against the floor.

They had disliked me for a long time, and finally seized the opportunity to kick me while I was down.

"Are you crazy? York said he would apologize to your mom. Why did you still hit him?"

"You are really rude and have no manners at all!"

"Nancy, say something. Are you just going to watch York being punched?"

"Nancy, I can't bear to watch this anymore. Even though Simon is your boyfriend, we must have an explanation for today's incident."

Nancy didn't disappoint them.

She walked slowly towards me, with a bone-chilling coldness in her eyes.

Nancy walked up to me and suddenly laughed.

Before I could understand what her laughter meant, she kicked me hard in the stomach.

My face instantly turned pale. I curled up in a ball, and felt a piercing pain in my stomach. I clenched my teeth tightly to prevent myself from crying out in front of her.

Seeing me curled up on the ground in pain, Nancy showed no tenderness in her eyes. Her voice was as cold as ice when she spoke, "I've been too nice to you. Do you really think yourself is something?

You and your mother are kind like my pet dogs. If I'm happy, I'll give you a bone. If not, you better keep your tail between your legs and behave. Understand?"

My whole body was in so much pain that I couldn't speak, but a deep sadness rose in my heart.

This was the woman I had loved for ten years.

I was only seventeen when I first met Nancy.

My mother worked as a house worker in the Zane family. The first time I met her, I almost got hit by an arrow she threw.

She ran towards me with an apologetic face. When the sunlight shone on her beautiful and charming face, I was stunned.

With just one glance, I fell in love with her.

After that, I followed her silently like a voyeur.

I thought this affection could only be hidden in my heart. And I would never be able to confess my love for her.

When she was an sophomore, she was forced by her family to go on a blind date. She came to me, asking me to be her boyfriend.

I would never forget that day. I was surrounded by a huge joy, unable to believe what I had heard.

Even though I knew she didn't like me and just wanted to defy her family, I still stayed with her.

Her mother, Mrs. Fiona was very angry, so she kicked me and my mother out. Then Nancy brought us to her villa.

I thought one day she would be moved and fall in love with me.

Later, she met that blind date, York. Their similar backgrounds brought them closer rapidly.

She introduced York to all her friends, and they were inseparable, openly hugging and kissing, completely ignoring me, her boyfriend.

In their circle, I was a joke.

No one believed that she and I could make it a nice couple.

Our beginning was a mistake, and at this point, it was time to end it up!

I was in so much pain that I couldn't get up, looking up at the ceiling in despair, "Nancy, I want to break up with you!

From now on, I don't want to see you anymore."

Nancy hesitated for a moment.

Then she said coldly, "We can break up, but since you hit York, I want you to apologize to him on your knees."

I just looked at her, and the refusal in my eyes was obvious.

York's face was already swollen, and Nancy looked at him with even more anger. "I'll give you one last chance. Will you apologize or not?"

I still looked at her, a mocking smile playing at the corner of my mouth.

My attitude completely infuriated her.

Nancy narrowed her eyes, "It seems that if I don't teach you a lesson today, you will forget your identity."

After saying that, she gave a signal with her eyes, and her friends rushed up and beat me up.

York hugged Nancy and stood aside, looking at me with cold eyes.

It hurt so much!

For a moment, it seemed like I saw my mother. She came to pick me up.

It wasn't until I vomited blood that the force applied on me was released.

Nancy squatted in front of me with an arrogant look, and said as if granting a favor, "You've learned a lesson, have you?"

I forced out a smile uglier than crying. "The biggest mistake in my life is falling in love with you!"

Nancy's face darkened, "Who do you think you are? I don't need or care about your love!

If you're not dead, get up quickly and get out of my house with your mother!"

"Don't bother. I'm leaving now!"

I struggled to get up. My whole body felt like it had been run over by a car, and my arms hurt so much that I couldn't lift them.

"Stop right there!"

After a few steps, Nancy suddenly called me.

"Didn't you hear me? I said, take your mother together and leave."

I hesitated for a moment, suppressing the urge to cry. "Don't worry. My mother is already dead. You won't see her again from now on."

York disdainfully rolled his eyes, "Come on. Even if you don't want to leave, you don't have to resort to such tricks. Maybe if you beg Nancy, she can let you stay."

I sneered and didn't want to say anything more to them.

Today I just wanted to tidy up my mother's belongings, but I didn't expect to encounter this group of mean people.

Nancy saw that I didn't even look back, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "No matter what tricks you want to play, today you and your mother must leave."

I had said what I needed to say, whether she believed it or not.

Nancy didn't say anything more. She picked up her phone and made a call to her housekeeper, "John, ask Marie to pack up and leave today. She's fired."

John on the other end of the line was silent for a while before sighing, "Miss Zane, Marie passed away three days ago."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"