Daniel snorted coldly. "She's a coward who's afraid of pain. There's no way she'd jump off a mountain like this. Jennifer was right—she's a sly one.
"With a personality like that, she needs to learn things the hard way more often. Who's the one in charge here? Bring him over. I want to have a word with him."
Soon, his assistant returned and said, "Mr. Stewart, he quit after Ms. Helen Stewart's suicide. How about we send people down the mountain to search for her body?"
He gave an icy chuckle. "Search? For what? If she did jump, someone would've found the body by now. The police would've contacted us too. She's always been full of lies, thinking she could fool everyone. But I know her too well to fall for it."
He ordered his assistant to stay behind with a search team.
"Turn this place inside out and search every corner. Find her and bring her to me by tonight. She shares a rare blood type with Jennifer and has donated blood to her. Now that Jennifer's giving birth soon, Helen needs to be here, just in case!"
I stood behind him, my entire soul trembling all over.
He had left me here and ignored me since. He only returned now because of his precious lover.
I used to believe I had a place in his heart. After all, he hadn't always been this way. From the time I was seven to 17, he had treated me like I was the most precious thing in the world. I couldn't help but fall for this man who was my uncle in name, but nothing more by blood.
Yet, everything changed the moment his first love, Jennifer, showed up. She was the one who was full of lies. Yet, he only believed her and not me.
At 18, I finally gathered the courage to confess my feelings at my coming-of-age ceremony. Yet, Daniel simply lectured me, reminding me that he was my uncle. He said that it was wrong of me to feel that way toward him.
The next day, he sent me overseas. I didn't have to guess to know that Jennifer had said something to him again, causing him to make that decision.
To avoid any future threats I might cause her, she even spread rumors that I had contracted something filthy. As a result, he locked me in here.
Now, Jennifer was afraid that something might happen during childbirth. She had Daniel bring me back to serve as her blood bank.
However, if my blood were truly dirty, how would she dare use it? The logic was straightforward, yet he never gave much thought to it.
His assistant gazed at him, looking uneasy. "Mr. Stewart, those men claimed that they saw Ms. Helen jump with their own eyes. There's nearly zero chance of survival.
"I know it's hard to believe it, but they sounded very convincing. If we report it to the police and have them search the mountain, we'll certainly know the truth."
Daniel scoffed, saying, "Fooling all of you like that? She's got some skills. I bet she's just hiding somewhere to avoid donating blood to Jennifer. She's probably enjoying life out there right now. Cancel all of her cards. She'll come crawling back on her own once she's out of money!"
With that, he stormed off furiously, rushing back to stay by Jennifer's side as she prepared for labor. Unable to control myself, my soul followed him.
…
As soon as Daniel stepped inside, a heavily pregnant woman rushed over and threw herself into his arms.
"Slow down. Be careful with the baby." He lovingly stroked Jennifer's head as he spoke gently.
He used to treat me that way, too. Yet, ever since she appeared, all of his affection went to her instead. She told him that he had already raised me to adulthood. Hence, it was more proper of him to keep his distance, even if we weren't related by blood.
From then on, everything about me was handed over to Jennifer. She even hid the fact that I was diagnosed with brain cancer overseas. Instead, she claimed that I had fallen in with the wrong crowd and was involved in something dirty.
She locked me away in a secluded villa in the mountains, claiming she was "doing it for my own good". Ironically, not once did she come to see me.
Now that she was going to give birth, she suddenly remembered her blood bank, which was me. Yet, she and Daniel didn't know that I had long since turned into bones, lying alone halfway up that mountain.
"Dan, does Helen still refuse to come back? She still hates me, doesn't she?" she asked, looking aggrieved as tears spilled down her cheeks.
He quickly softened his voice as he comforted her, saying, "Jennifer, you had good intentions when you did that for her. She's the ungrateful one. It's not your fault.
"I've already canceled her cards and sent people to look for her. Don't worry—I'll definitely find her before our child is born!"
Wrapping an arm around her, he walked her to the living room and sat on the couch. He lifted her swollen legs, which were bloated from late-stage pregnancy, onto his lap. He then began gently massaging them.
"Jennifer, did Helen ever mention anything about headaches while she was abroad? Or anything about feeling unwell?" he asked.
Her expression changed, mumbling, "No, of course not. She grew up in the countryside, and she's in good health! Dan, why are you suddenly asking this?"
He seemed deep in thought. "Nothing much. It's just that her room was covered in blood when I went to the villa today. You're probably right, though—she's always been healthy. She hardly ever catches a cold. How would she die of illness just like that?"
Only then did Jennifer breathe out a sigh of relief.
My soul stood by anxiously. I wanted to tell him that she was lying again. Yet, there was nothing I could do now. Even if he could hear me, he wouldn't believe my words.
He would only believe Jennifer. To him, I was nothing but a horrible woman who had been corrupted by jealousy.
Testing the waters, she said, "Dan, if Helen really refuses to come home, we should just let her be. As long as she's happy!"
His face darkened instantly. "No way! I have to make sure everything goes smoothly with your delivery. The baby matters, but you're more important!
"Besides, after all those years I've raised her, it's time she gives me something in return. A bit of blood won't kill her. Even if it did, she should still offer it willingly!"
In that instant, my entire soul trembled. How could Daniel say something so heartless? He once told me that he would always be my family. He swore that he would never let me feel abandoned ever again. Did he forget all of those words?
She lowered her head as she smiled smugly. It was as if she had heard the answer she had been waiting for.
So this is how well she had been living in my absence. I covered my face and sobbed, but a soul couldn't shed tears. I could only wail in grief.
Jennifer has always acted as the kind, considerate one. She would deliberately pull tricks in front of Daniel so that he would misunderstand me. Even now, she was still hiding the truth, trying to turn him completely against me.
"Don't talk about Helen like that, Dan. She'd be heartbroken if she heard you." Even at this moment, she was still pretending to be a saint.
He scoffed icily. Just as he was about to continue ranting, his phone rang.
I saw the screen lit up with the word "Ed". It was my uncle, Edwin Stewart, who was also a cop. Just as he picked up the call, Daniel immediately stood up, looking grim.
Uncle Ed's voice came through. "Helen's dead, Daniel!"
