"You're not welcome here! Get out now!" yelled the girl.

As Yvonne looked at the girl, her expression instantly turned grim, and her emotions flared up. She bit her lip tightly.

"Devin is your dad?"

Michael quickly shielded the girl behind him. "Lulu was originally an orphan in our town. Mr. Hoffman took pity on her and adopted her. Please don't take your anger out on a child."

"I'm taking it out on her?"

Yvonne grabbed the collar of the 60-year-old Michael. Her voice was filled with intense anger, and her eyes, which were full of heartbreak, reddened instantly.

"He abandoned our daughter and is indirectly responsible for our other daughter's death, yet here he is, adopting someone else's child! How could he do this to me?

"Alright, fine! Tell him our daughter's bone marrow transplant is in one week. If he has even a shred of conscience left, he will show up immediately!

"If he dares to keep pretending to be dead, then don't blame me for tearing this hut down and leaving the girl he adopted homeless!"

Under Michael's horrified gaze, Yvonne added coldly, "Even if Devin really is dead, I wouldn't mind digging up his corpse to get the marrow for my daughter. Do you understand me?"

Michael thought she was being utterly unreasonable. He held Lucy tightly as his lips quivered, unable to utter a word.

Just then, Yvonne's phone suddenly rang. The familiar ringtone indicated it was a call from someone special.

Her previously fierce gaze gradually softened. Before leaving, she glanced at Lucy and said in an icy tone, "Make sure you relay my message. Don't leave out a single word. I'll be waiting for his response."

As I watched her retreating back that was filled with rage, it felt like a heavy blow to my heart. The pain spread throughout my entire being.

I watched as Lucy picked up my funeral portrait, crying. She held it tightly against her chest as she sobbed heart-wrenchingly. My own heart felt unbearably heavy, as if it was blocked.

I wasn't deliberately hiding from Yvonne. I desperately wanted to save our daughter too.

But… I really was no longer among the living.

…

For some reason, my soul left the place I once guarded and followed Yvonne.

After she left the town, her tears didn't stop. However, she had always been stubborn, wearing sunglasses to shield her eyes from anyone's searching gaze.

Only I knew how her hands were gripping her own thighs as she suppressed her anger toward me.

"What an absolute bastard! How dare he use death to trick me! A leopard can't change its spots!"

She frantically dialed my phone number, but each time she only heard the message that the number was out of service, which made her even more frustrated.

"Devin, I'd better not catch you around!"

After the plane landed, a tall and handsome figure holding a bouquet of flowers waved at Yvonne from the arrivals gate.

I was all too familiar with that figure—it was Louis Floyd, Yvonne's childhood sweetheart.

The moment they met, Louis eagerly asked, "Did you find Devin? Is he willing to donate bone marrow for Selene?"

Yvonne let out a snort, her emotions having stabilized somewhat. "He's always been selfish. He probably got wind of it from somewhere, because the moment I arrived, he pretended to be dead and went into hiding.

"He doesn't even care how bad an omen it is. He even prepared a funeral portrait in advance."

Louis' eyes flickered slightly as he tentatively asked, "What if it's true? What if Devin really is dead?"

"Impossible! How could he be dead? He's so young!" Yvonne immediately denied it. "Even if he is dead, he still has to donate his bone marrow to my daughter!"

Upon hearing these words, my ears buzzed as if I had been suddenly pricked by a sharp needle.

I never imagined that Yvonne's hatred for me had grown so deep. But now that I was truly dead, would she be happy if she knew?

Yvonne drove Louis home. Louis lowered his head and gently kissed the corner of her lips, tenderly stroking her long hair as he whispered, "Once Selene recovers, let's get married."

Yvonne looked at the man who had stayed by her side through the most difficult times, her gaze somewhat stunned. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Okay, it's a promise."

"Should we invite Devin then?" Louis asked.

Yvonne's eyes filled with hatred. "Of course, we should invite him! He has to come! I was once his wife, and I'm the one he wronged the most. Shouldn't he come and witness me being happy?"

Louis pressed his lips together and tried to lean in to kiss her again, but she hugged him instead. "Thankfully, you were by my side during these tough years. Thank you."

My face instantly turned deathly pale when I saw this. Even though I was already dead, the anger in my heart hadn't diminished in the slightest. I rushed over recklessly, wanting to pull them apart.

No, Louis couldn't be with my wife! He was the one who caused our daughter harm! He's the one Yvonne should hate the most!

How could she bear it if she ever found out the truth?

Unfortunately, I was now just a transparent spirit. No matter how I screamed or tried to pull at them, it was useless.

I was filled with regret and hate for my own powerlessness.

As she got out of the car, Louis asked casually, "What if Devin still doesn't show up when the time comes?"

"He adopted a child. If he doesn't show up, don't blame me for taking action against the girl named Lucy."

As she spoke, intense loathing surfaced on Yvonne's face again. She said with a snort, "How ironic. He caused his own daughter's demise, yet he ran off to adopt an orphan."

Watching her hate-filled eyes felt like a knife twisting in my heart, and those painful memories from the past made me feel suffocated.

I remember how deeply Yvonne used to love me, and how she was willing to give me everything she had.

Back when I got injured saving her, I was immobile and had to rest at home.

Yvonne was busy with work, but she was so worried that she put her work aside and stayed home with me every day. She would hold me tenderly in her arms.

"Honey, I love you so much. I can't bear to be without you for a single moment. If I'm ever in danger again, please don't risk yourself so desperately to save me. You can't live without me, so how could I live without you? Thank goodness it was just your leg this time, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."

I kissed her cheek. "You and our daughter are my most precious treasures. If there is a next time, I will protect you without hesitation."

"You're so annoying," Yvonne said as she lightly punched my arm and coyly buried her face in my chest.

I stroked her four-month pregnant belly, feeling my heart swell with sweetness.

It was then that Louis offered to take care of me, preparing nutritious meals for me and Yvonne every day.

At first, I was full of gratitude toward him. But gradually, I started to notice something was wrong.

My health was deteriorating—I often had headaches, and my memory was gradually failing.

A fracture shouldn't have caused symptoms like this, and I became suspicious. One day, I took some leftover food to Ava Hill—a friend who was a doctor—for testing.

The results showed that the food contained large amounts of chloramphenicol.

Ava called me into her office. She handed me a form and asked me to sign it in preparation to perform an abortion on Yvonne.

I looked at that form, but I couldn't bring myself to sign it.

That was the daughter Yvonne had been longing for. She had been almost desperate to have a second child. If I told her we had to abort this baby, could she accept it? She would surely have a breakdown, wouldn't she?

"Devin, what are you thinking? Such a high dose of chloramphenicol will definitely cause fetal deformities! You can be stubborn about other things, but Yvonne is five months pregnant! The further along she is, the greater the harm to her and the baby!" Ava exclaimed.

That day, I called Yvonne countless times, but no one answered.

Louis then sent me a text. "Devin, stop calling. Ms. Larson's phone is with me."

The moment I looked up, I saw Louis standing there as he watched me with a triumphant smile.

Furious, I charged at him. "I'm calling the police! I'll have you arrested!"

"Oh?" Louis smiled contemptuously.

"What crime have I actually committed? What serious consequences have occurred? Besides, even if I get arrested, I'll be out before long.

"Also, your daughter really likes me. When I get out and pick her up from school, do you think she'll come with me? Devin, do you think your daughter can withstand the turmoil?"

He was actually threatening me using my young daughter.

I was filled with rage and resentment, but in the end, I gave in. I knew deep down that I couldn't confront such a madman head-on.

That was the first time in my life I felt so powerless and pathetic.

Moreover, Yvonne's physical condition was critical and couldn't be delayed. Ava said that if we delayed any further, her life would be in danger.

Left with no choice, I gave Yvonne sleeping pills, and the surgery was scheduled for that afternoon. With trembling hands, I personally signed the form and chose to give up our daughter.

From the moment I learned of her existence to the moment I lost her forever, only five months had passed.

When the doctors wheeled Yvonne out of the operating room, she gradually regained some consciousness. Her gaze was filled with pain and hatred.

Her face was pale as she asked me in a trembling voice, "Where is the baby?"

Yvonne's hand slowly moved to her now-flat stomach. "You killed our child! Why?"

I was about to explain when I caught a glimpse of Louis standing behind her, watching me coldly.

Under pressure, I could only say, "The fetus had serious developmental issues. We had no choice but to terminate the pregnancy."

At that moment, Yvonne, who was always so composed, completely lost it.

"Devin! How could my daughter have had problems? I went for my prenatal check-ups on time every month! She was always fine! How dare you make this decision on your own? Was she only your child?

"What did I ever do to you for you to treat me like this?"

From that day on, the love in her eyes when she looked at me was gone, replaced entirely by loathing. No matter how I tried to explain Louis' schemes, she would either respond with a cold laugh, slap me, or simply not listen. She dragged her suitcase with her and moved into her company.

Our relationship ultimately fell apart.

…

After Louis left, I saw Yvonne frown, her expression full of concern. In the end, she still took out her phone and made a call.

"Help me investigate where Devin has been all these years. I need to find him as soon as possible!"

I looked at her haggard, pale face. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and a bitter feeling filled my heart.

However, Yvonne's investigations came up with nothing—because, by then, I was already no longer among the living. My body lay buried underground.

The next morning, Louis called Yvonne.

"I heard you were investigating Devin's whereabouts, so I checked things out. I didn't find his specific location, but it seems Ava might know something…"

When she heard Ava's name, Yvonne's gaze instantly turned dark and sinister.

I didn't get it. Ava was once her closest friend, but from some point on, Yvonne had come to despise her intensely.