: The Seventh Day
2
Elara Sterling and Mr. Crawford registered their marriage, and she began to rest at home during her pregnancy.
The Sterling Family pampered her endlessly, especially Uncle Sterling, who came to visit Elara Sterling every single day.
Mr. Crawford was busy at his company, so Uncle Sterling would take Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford to amusement parks and on shopping sprees at the mall.
As for me, the child of the true but unwelcome lady of the house, I was naturally unwelcome as well.
Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford put on a show for everyone, playing good cop and bad cop to cultivate the image of a kindhearted stepmother.
Thanks entirely to their masterful performance, I didn't have to say a word for the Sterling Family and Mr. Crawford to be convinced that I despised Elara Sterling and Helena Crawford.
My bedroom was quickly moved to the maid's quarters, the room farthest away from them.
I naturally became the lowest-ranking "servant" in the Sterling Family. Even the maids could walk all over me.
I loathed the way these servants fawned over the powerful.
When my mother was still alive, she had worried this day would come. She gave them plenty of gifts and money, asking them to look after me.
But now, with my mother barely in her grave, they had turned right around and started fawning over Elara Sterling.
I knew that any smart person would choose to curry favor with Elara Sterling, but the thought still sent a chill down my spine.
Everyone had forgotten my mother.
Human nature chilled me to the bone.
I was waiting for the right moment—a moment to make everyone remember my mother.
Finally, my chance came.
That night, a thunderstorm raged. Mr. Crawford was away on business, leaving only Elara Sterling, Helena Crawford, and me in the house.
I had observed her for a long time. Every night before bed, Elara Sterling would without fail come downstairs to drink a bottle of milk.
I got everything ready and hid behind the curtains in the hallway, waiting for her to appear.
Her usual bedtime came and went. After what felt like a long time, I finally heard heavy footsteps.
Elara Sterling went to turn on the lights, only to find the power was out. She muttered under her breath.
"The power's out? What a coincidence?"
I was suddenly grateful for all the times my mother and I had waited in the dark for Mr. Crawford to come home. It was thanks to that experience that I could now clearly see Elara Sterling approaching the top of the stairs.
Just as she reached the top of the stairs, I sent a toy car speeding into her foot.
An instant later, Elara Sterling stepped on the car. And then, she tumbled down the stairs!
"AHHH!"
Elara Sterling lay on the floor, screaming and groaning. Before I could even move, her bedroom door was suddenly thrown open!
To my shock, my uncle, Lance Sterling, came rushing out from inside!
My eyes widened, and a cold smile touched my lips.
'So that's how it is! So that's how it is!'
'This so-called "brother and sister" had been carrying on a sordid affair all along!'
'This only strengthened my resolve for what I had to do tonight!'
Just as my mother had taught me, I strapped on a pair of makeshift stilts, draped myself in one of her old nightgowns, and appeared in a flash at the top of the stairs.
It was a skill my mother had learned after being abducted and sold to the mountains. The Sterling Family and Mr. Crawford were ashamed of her past and never knew she could do such a thing.
A flash of lightning illuminated the scene. I looked down at Elara Sterling, groaning in a pool of her own blood, and gave her a wicked smile.
Elara Sterling's lips trembled. She slowly raised a finger, pointing at me as she shrieked.
"You! You..."
Just as Lance Sterling turned to look, I vanished, leaving only a ghostly silhouette behind.
Elara Sterling grabbed Lance Sterling's arm, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"It's her! She's come back to get revenge!"
"She must hate me for stealing her life! She's come back for revenge!"
Lance Sterling had seen the silhouette too, and a cold dread washed over him.
Fighting to control his trembling hands, he quickly dialed 911.
I quickly disassembled the makeshift stilts into simple wooden poles, tossed them into the backyard, and disposed of all the other evidence.
As I watched the ambulance carry Elara Sterling away, I stood in the rain, tears streaming down my face.
Today was the seventh day since my mother's death. 'Mom... did you see that?'
3
The Sterling family rushed to the hospital overnight.
Elara Sterling cowered in Lance Sterling's arms, her face pale.
"Mom, Dad, I saw her last night! She came to kill me!"
"She must not have expected me to be so lucky. My baby took the blow for me... My poor child."
Elara Sterling reached out and stroked her belly. Everyone's heart ached for her, and they rushed forward to comfort her, cursing my mother for not being at peace even in death.
Only Mr. Crawford stood outside the hospital room, his expression dark as he watched Lance Sterling holding Elara.
With so many people watching over her at the hospital, Mr. Crawford stayed for a while before rushing home to investigate who had been impersonating the "mother" Elara mentioned.
The first person Mr. Crawford questioned was me.
"Faye Crawford, tell me the truth. Were you the one who caused Elara's miscarriage last night?!"
He was holding a feather duster, and I cowered back as if I were scared.
"Dad, it wasn't me. It really wasn't."
"If it wasn't you, who else could it be?! You're the only one in this house who can't stand Elara! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Is this what your mother taught you?!"
I immediately shook my head and used my hands to gesture at my height.
"No, Dad. Uncle Sterling said he saw Mom last night. How could Mom be me?"
After hearing this, Mr. Crawford's expression became inscrutable.
He had been away on a business trip, yet Lance Sterling had snuck into the Crawford Family home behind everyone's back. How could he not be furious?
Mr. Crawford hit me directly with the feather duster.
"Even so, you're still responsible! I was on a business trip, and you didn't take good care of your mother! How could you sleep so soundly?!"
'That "mother" wasn't my mother, but I couldn't be bothered to correct him.'
Mr. Crawford scolded me with a clear conscience, but didn't blame Helena Crawford at all, who was still sound asleep.
'But it didn't matter. It would be her turn soon.'
'No one is getting away today!'
Only after he was done scolding me did Mr. Crawford order people to thoroughly search everyone's rooms.
Finally, in Mrs. Bell's room, they discovered a large amount of jewelry, as well as a silk nightgown, still dripping water, that had been shoved to the back of a cabinet.
There was no doubt; it all belonged to my mother.
Furious, Mr. Crawford kicked Mrs. Bell to the ground.
"You old hag! How dare you take her money to set Elara up! She's causing trouble for the Crawford family even in death!"
"I had no idea a dog raised by my Crawford family had gotten so bold!"
No matter how much Mrs. Bell begged, Mr. Crawford completely ignored her.
"You like being a dog, don't you? I'll let you be one for the rest of your life."
Watching Mrs. Bell get dragged away, the remaining servants were scared into silence.
They knew best. When my mother was still alive, Mrs. Bell was the best at pleasing her.
After my mother died, she immediately switched allegiances, giving Elara Sterling bad ideas on how to bully me.
Although they hadn't gone as far as Mrs. Bell, they had all, to some extent, put me down to get ahead.
'From now on, they'll have to think twice before daring to step on me.'
As for the broken, blood-stained toy the servants had placed on the coffee table, Mr. Crawford stared at it, lost in thought.
The toy belonged to Helena Crawford. She didn't allow anyone to touch it, especially me.
Then there was only one possibility: Helena Crawford had left the toy at the top of the stairs, and Elara Sterling had accidentally stepped on it.
After a long moment, Mr. Crawford shot a cold glare at everyone around him.
"Put the toy away. No one is to mention this in front of Elara or Lena."
I let the corners of my lips curl up slightly, then quickly composed my expression and looked at Mr. Crawford, fumbling with my phone.
"Dad..."
Mr. Crawford turned back impatiently, just in time to see the phone call in progress.
And the person on the other end was Elara Sterling.
