Watching all the life-saving medicine flushed down the toilet, Merlin's eyes widened in fury.
"Even tigers don't eat their cubs! Dave, how could you bear to treat your own son like this?”
“How could you bear to watch him die? How could you be so heartless?!" Her desperate roar was no match for Lily's rushing figure.
"Dave, my lower body is itchy. The doctor said I should hand-wash my underwear, but these servants' hands are too rough." Her eyes pointedly fixed on Merlin, she sighed softly.
"My sister's hands have been pampered for years, so they're delicate. Unfortunately, in my sister's eyes, I'm just someone unworthy of being presented to the public..."
A pampered, free nanny?
Watching him clutch the last half of the special medicine, she sneered coldly.
"You should know what to do." Merlin slumped to the ground, never having hated anyone so much.
The child's heart-wrenching cries and the child's vomiting of blood were nothing to him; Lily washing her underwear was his top priority.
Did not being loved mean even living became a luxury?
The underwear had a large patch of yellowish, sticky discharge at the crotch, with a single hair still attached.
If Dave had never been serious about her, it would be one thing, but he had once been passionate and devoted; how could he now be even more depraved than others?
She washed it in humiliation, enduring the nausea, painstakingly scraping away the filth with her fingernails, losing even the last shred of dignity, thinking this would buy Luther's life-saving medicine, but he treated Luther's life like a game.
"Kneel down, apologize, repent for what you've done." He glanced at them coldly, then quickly looked away, as if not worth a second longer.
Everyone expected Merlin to throw a tantrum, to become hysterical. But this time, she was quiet, silent and didn't utter a single unnecessary word.
She knelt down, kneeling in repentance. "It was my fault."
"My fault was handing out flyers on the freezing streets, my hands covered in chilblains, just to buy you your favorite birthday cake."
"My fault was risking my life to give birth to Luther just because you said the child was cute."
"My biggest fault was willingly sacrificing for you all these years, never causing you any trouble, thinking you could see all my goodness, only to become the funniest joke in the world!" Her smile remained, but her eyes had long lost their liveliness, filled only with endless hatred.
"Dave, either save Luther, or kill me now, otherwise, I will make you pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold price!!"
On the last day, Luther finally recovered. The ward was piled with small cakes and paper airplanes that Dave had sent, as if in apology.
"That day, thankfully, Mr. Carlson contacted Mr. Vincent, otherwise the child would have been in danger." Merlin's hand trembled as she fed Luther porridge, her head turning away blankly.
"Who did you say?"
The nurse, after taking her temperature.
"Mr. Carlson, the top-ranked of Frostvale City's Ten Outstanding Youths."
Her heart suddenly ached and she instinctively gripped her spoon tightly, only to hear the nurse teasingly say, "You two are truly blessed. You're complete strangers to Mr. Carlson, yet he's so kind as to rescue you simply because you live next door to his beloved wife."
"This kind of fortune is something most people couldn't accumulate in several lifetimes."
"What?" Her breath caught in her throat, her heart nearly stopping.
She ran next door, overwhelmed with bitterness, only to find Dave and Lily, mother and son, enjoying a harmonious family meal of an eighteen-layer cake.
The room was filled with paper airplanes he had folded himself, beautiful and neat, a stark contrast to the ones he made for Luther.
She stood there dumbfounded outside the door, like an alien.
"Mr. Carlson really dotes on his wife. I heard that his wife and child only sneezed and he immediately called in the top asthma doctor overnight, afraid that anything might happen to them."
The nurse said enviously, but Merlin smiled numbly and said through the glass window, "That's nice." Then she turned and left.
Yes, they were the real family; she and Luther were just a tool for practice.
The child was still young and didn't know what a bonus was; he only knew that this little cake was exceptionally exquisite.
"Mommy, did Daddy make up for his loss, so he gave me a little cake as a reward?"
Merlin couldn't bear to dampen the child's joy, so she forced a smile and asked softly, "Luther, how about we get a different daddy?"
The current Dave was just another person wearing the same skin; he was no longer the one who cherished them so much.
"Was Luther naughty and made Daddy angry? Mommy, Luther was wrong, I will change everything. So, Mommy, please don't divorce Daddy, okay?"
Like Dave, he had long, thick eyelashes that framed his large, watery eyes, making them appear misty and evoking pity.
"Divorce? Who said anything about divorce?"
Dave appeared at the door, keenly catching the key words.
"Aren't you just trying to threaten me by saying these things?"
He reacted extremely strongly, grabbing Merlin's wrist fiercely and glaring at her.
"Don't try to play tricks. We're already married. You're not leaving for the rest of your life."
He slammed the door and left, his expression terrifying.
That night, Luther detected that Dave's company had been hacked by a virus again. This time, Merlin raised her hand to stop Luther from cracking the virus, instead preserving the evidence.
"Dave, if you have even a shred of sense, you should see what Lily has done."
Even the IP address showed it was Lily's computer, but faced with irrefutable evidence, Dave was dismissive.
"A three-year-old can do this? Merlin, you should at least come up with a better excuse." The gaze directed at them was cold and distant, unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Luther was admitted to a private school through a special admission process; surely he must have some extraordinary talent?
Why would he rather believe Luther's lie about sending Joel to an orphanage than believe her and Luther!
"Fine, Dave, you'll regret this."
The sharp words stung him and Dave abruptly stood up, pulling Merlin into his arms.
"Why are you always so cold-hearted, always as hard as a rock? Can't you learn to be gentle and kind like Lily?"
And like Lily, feigning affection, treating him like a fool?
If he wanted to coax someone, he should ask Lily, why was he dragging her along?
"Sorry, I can't learn."
She struggled free, cold as an iceberg, just as Lily, returning home, witnessed it.
Lily pouted, tears welling in her eyes.
"I thought my sister was really going to divorce Dave, making me search the whole city for you to reconcile us. I never expected my sister to say one thing and do another, manipulating us like a fool. Are you happy now?"
"Dave, you also think I'm a used woman from a previous marriage, that's why you despise me, right?"
"Then my sister and I should just die, so we won't get in your way!"
She pretended to bang her head against the wall, but her movements were slow and deliberate, perfectly timed before Dave could strike.
The little girl was quick to react, kneeling down and slapping herself.
"Brother, please don't hit me anymore, okay? I'll never dare to steal your father again. You're right, I'm a bastard, an unwanted wild child, I don't deserve to fight you for him."
"Please, please don't sell me to human traffickers again, okay? I'll go to school obediently for you, I'll bring you money obediently."
Dave's anger erupted.
"Merlin, is this the good son you raised?!"
The greatest sorrow was a broken heart, while the greatest grief was silence.
Perhaps Dave had never changed; he simply stopped pretending.
Merlin stopped explaining, a calm ruthlessness flashing in her eyes.
“Want to be obedient? I'll grant your wish.”
That night, she obediently packed her bags and left, obediently made her son call him uncle and even obediently signed the divorce papers he handed her.
“I’m leaving.”
She had never spoken to him in such a cold tone. Dave gripped the table so tightly his knuckles turned white from the force.
“You always say you’re leaving, but I’ve never seen you actually leave. Try leaving and see if Dave goes after you or comes looking for me.” Lily mocked smugly, while Dave snorted coldly and turned his back on her.
Merlin gave a self-deprecating bitter smile.
She had said she was leaving many times, but this time was different. The Franco Family’s car was already waiting at the door.
It was over.
She walked with light steps, like a gust of wind, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Dave suddenly shifted restlessly in his chair, even forgetting to chew the apple Lily had put in his mouth.
"I haven't even signed it. Who are you trying to scare with an invalid divorce agreement?"
He tapped his knuckles lightly on the agreement, one tap after another, completely confident and oblivious to the problem with the "guarantee" he had casually signed two days earlier.
Watching Merlin get into the car without looking back, Dave was still inexplicably irritated, throwing his coat angrily onto the sofa.
“If you have the guts to leave, then never come back!” His voice echoed throughout the building.
Her expression went blank for a second, then she looked up and urged the driver to leave without hesitation.
“Mr. Carlson, Miss Olson… she really left.”
Dave’s face darkened and he abruptly stopped. “Which direction did she go?”
“South of the city.”
That was his nemesis Isaac’s territory.
That hypocritical woman, speaking so coldly one minute and then eagerly going to his nemesis to side with him the next.
He glanced at her disdainfully with his narrow eyes, arrogantly saying, “Lily just gave Isaac a big gift a few days ago, there’s no need for Merlin to embarrass herself again.”
Although he didn’t know what the gift was, Lily had assured him that Isaac would not cause him any more trouble in the near future.
"If she gets kicked out or harassed, I won't go to save her," he said this, yet paced back and forth in the study, oblivious to the overflowing teacup spilling onto the floor.
That evening, when Dave inquired about Merlin's movements for the sixth time, Lily, as delicate as a willow in the breeze, pushed open the door.
Thinking it was Merlin finally returning to beg him, Dave's lips curled into a smug smile.
"I told you you'd come begging me sooner or later, I was right."
"Luckily, she's with someone as good as me, letting her be. If it were someone else..." Turning around and seeing it was Lily, his face instantly fell.
"Dave... If you're worried about Sister Merlin, go ahead. Anyway, Joel and I just have a bad case of the flu, at most we'll faint, it's nothing serious."
Usually, Lily feigned magnanimity, making Dave feel incredibly sorry for her, wishing he could stay with her 24/7.
This time, he turned and ran, only realizing his rudeness at the door. He hurriedly waved, signaling her to take care of herself.
The moment he burst out the door, even the wind felt free.
Dave was like a warrior cutting through thorns to rescue a princess trapped in a castle, full of vigor and high spirits. But the next moment, he was stopped in his tracks by a servant's terrified scream.
"Mr. Carlson, something terrible has happened! Miss Franco and her child have both vomited blood and gone into shock. They're dying!"
He froze on the spot, not moving.
"Before Miss Franco fainted, she said that the 50 million investments would be transferred to the company immediately and that you shouldn't worry about her life or death, just go find Miss Olson."
He raised his hand to his temples, the pent-up frustration in his chest turning into a long sigh and he had no choice but to turn away.
But the tension and worry in his eyes were gone. He mechanically repeated the action of covering himself with the blanket all night, looking extremely unwilling yet having no choice but to comply.
The next morning, Dave received news of Isaac's engagement. The bride's face was deliberately blurred, but her figure looked strangely familiar.
Dave didn't pay much attention and quietly slipped out, intending to check if Merlin was dead.
If she were smart enough to reveal her relationship with him, Isaac probably wouldn't make things too difficult.
"Mr. Carlson! Lily planted a virus on the company computer and transferred all our confidential documents and investment funds!"
At the entrance of the manor, Dave stumbled, almost bumping into a life-sized engagement display board.
"How is that possible? She just transferred the investment funds."
In the sunlight, the bride's face was bathed in a golden glow. He didn't care to look, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if something of the most important thing in his life was slowly slipping away.
"The finance department just discovered that the investment funds were transferred anonymously under Miss Merlin's name."
Dave's eyes widened in astonishment.
