Chapter 1Strewn with Stars, Paved with Her Death

My mother kept a "Mistress Diary," filled with photos of countless beautiful women.

"When I was dating the billionaire, the competition was fierce," she'd say, her eyes twinkling with a smile. "At one point, three women showed up at my doorstep to confront me simultaneously." She’d laugh, her eyes crinkling. "Later, when I married your father, this diary was never updated."

That sweet smile vanished the day my father's young secretary, heavily pregnant, arrived to provoke her. My mother added the secretary's photo to her diary and sighed.

"She's so foolish," she murmured. "How could your father, such a clever man, fall for such a simpleton?"

My mother's eyes welled up, and she couldn't suppress a sudden cough, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. She hid her cancer diagnosis report and then instructed Dr. Evelyn to falsify a clean bill of health. Dr. Evelyn cried, her voice choked with anger.

"Eleanor Maxwell, do you really think this will make that scoundrel weep, make him see the error of his ways?" Dr. Evelyn cried. "Punishing others with your own death, aren't you being pathetic?"

But my mother just smiled, her gaze gently falling upon me. "The clean bill of health is for his secretary, Mandy Smith. What good is his regret to me?" She smiled softly. "I want to secure a future for my Ariel."

* * *

When Mom and I left the hospital, Dad had already gone. He’d only left her a message:

[My time is precious. You’re five minutes late, I’ve left.]

Mom clutched her phone, looking dazed. I remembered the past too. I had hemophilia; since I could remember, I’d been in and out of hospitals frequently. Dad would always put down his work, waiting patiently. Mom would playfully tease him, "Aren't you annoyed?" Dad would take me from her arms, kissing her cheek. "No, not at all. Every second I wait for you both, I'm happy." I was nestled between them, feeling warm and happy too.

Mom’s trembling fingers swiped away the message. She texted: [Did you send the falsified health certificate to Mandy Smith?]

After receiving an affirmative reply, she led me back home. Mom used to walk lightly, and I often couldn’t keep up. But now, I had to support her to move. At home, she immediately rushed into the bathroom, throwing up a mouthful of blood. Afterwards, she looked up, staring blankly at the two overlapping handprints on the mirror. The blood was dark red, and I, terrified, quickly called Dad.

On the other end of the line, I heard a woman’s laughter, but I was used to it and pretended not to hear. I cried, telling him that Mom had late-stage stomach cancer. Dad came home quickly. Seeing the stark red in the toilet, he immediately scooped Mom into his arms. "Don't be afraid. We'll find the best doctors for a second opinion right away. With me here, nothing will happen to you." He had always said that the other women were just dalliances; Mom would always be his true love. He was a man of his word.

But just then, the sharp click of high heels sounded, and Mandy Smith, in her white dress, appeared again. She held her head high, slamming a piece of paper onto Dad’s chest. "Darling, you're such a fool, you don't even know your plain wife is deceiving you!" she sneered. "Late-stage stomach cancer? It's all a ploy to get attention!" She waved the paper. "This is from my friend at the hospital. She's perfectly healthy!"

I saw it clearly: that paper was indeed the falsified health report Mom had asked Dr. Evelyn to create. I opened my mouth to explain, but Mom held me back tightly. I could only watch as Dad’s face darkened. "Faking illness for attention, and even making Ariel lie for you." He glared at Mom. "Eleanor Maxwell, you've really outdone yourself!" Dad, ignoring my protests, stormed out. Mom watched him leave with the woman, a faint smile on her pale face.

I cried, my body wracked with sobs. "Mom, why did you pretend to be healthy?"

Mom sighed softly. "Because Mandy Smith is too foolish. Too foolish to even think of accusing me of faking illness. So, I had to help her create the evidence." She paused, her voice soft. "This is accumulating moral capital. The more I accumulate, the more he feels he owes Ariel…" She smiled faintly. "Besides, once your father discovers her report is fake, he won't believe any report she presents in the future."

I didn't understand. I only knew that Mom was dying, so I cried even harder. Mom wiped my tears, and as she did, she started crying too. "Simon Chen, you're so smart, how could you fall in love with a simpleton like Mandy Smith?"

Mom had once been a billionaire's mistress, and Dad was a struggling man, humbly seeking investments. A glance across a banquet hall, and roses unexpectedly bloomed on decaying ground. Mom charmed the billionaire, securing a huge investment and numerous orders for Dad. Later, the billionaire went to jail, and Dad had become a titan in the business world. Amidst everyone's mockery, he found Mom, who had been passed around several times. Without a word, they immediately married.

After their marriage, Mom was pampered by Dad, becoming the most vibrant woman. Dad bought her a French chateau, gave her shares in his company. Even after she became pregnant with me, he spent a fortune to buy her the naming rights to a small asteroid. They could have been happy forever. Until my birth.