Chapter 2Strewn with Stars, Paved with Her Death

I suffered from hemophilia, so Dad hired a secretary with the same rare blood type. Her name was Mandy Smith, a bit clumsy, but quite likable. He said she was my "mobile blood bank."

But gradually, when the blood bank came to give me transfusions, Dad would frown with concern. Once, when I was critically ill, Mandy claimed to be afraid of needles, and Dad actually pulled out my IV line. I almost died that day; thankfully, the hospital contacted a blood bank in another province. When I woke up, I saw Dad holding Mandy's hand, telling Mom: "I'm sorry, Eleanor, I've fallen in love with Mandy. As long as you accept it, you'll still be my wife, and Ariel will still be my only daughter."

Mom calmly accepted the reality. She said, "My Ariel is still sick. If I divorce, I truly can't afford to raise her." Just like that, Mom became the most magnanimous wife in the entire city. So magnanimous that when photos of Dad with various young women from clubs surfaced, she personally handled the fallout. Each time, Dad would apologize to her and then transfer a sum of money to my account. Mom accepted it on my behalf, acting as if nothing had happened.

Until a few days ago, Mandy Smith appeared, heavily pregnant. She said she was carrying Dad's child, a boy. "He was ecstatic then, and I knew that fetus would eventually threaten Ariel's position, so it had to be eliminated." Mom's eyes were hard. "And I'm dying soon anyway… I've been a parasitic vine all my life. In the end, I'll use this life to pave the way for my daughter. I'm content."

As Mom spoke, she took out a brand new diary. A woman who barely finished elementary school, accustomed to a life of luxury, wouldn't have the habit of keeping a diary. So she had to fake it. Her fingers were swollen; she could barely grip the pen. But she meticulously wrote down every detail of her years with Dad, word for word. After finishing, she sent the diary to be aged, then locked it in a safe. She made me memorize the safe's code. "After I die, on the day your father misses me most, you'll guide him to this diary."

Faking the diary took several days. Mom clutched her stomach, sweat pouring down her face from the pain. She gave me a black card and asked me to buy her some painkillers. It was so strange; it was only September, but heavy snow was falling. I didn't have time to think much, falling again and again until I reached the pharmacy.

Buying the medicine, swiping the card. "Beep, beep. This card has been frozen." I froze. This was Dad's secondary card, always with an unlimited credit limit. It couldn't be frozen. I immediately called Dad. But the one who answered was Mandy Smith, her voice lazy. "That's your father's punishment for your mother, you know." She purred. "He also told me to tell your mother to be a good wife and stop playing those manipulative games."

I screamed, "Impossible! It must be you who incited Dad!"

Mandy Smith chuckled softly, then lowered her voice. "Yes, I incited him. So what?" She teased. "After all, I just mentioned that the baby in my belly wanted to see snow, and your father spent tens of thousands of dollars on artificial snow!"

I looked at the bruises on my body, sobbing. So, this heavy snow, which had made me fall so many times, was a gift from Dad to his mistress. By the time I bought the medicine with my piggy bank savings, Mom had already fainted from the pain. I gave her the medicine. Mom's eyes reddened as she looked at my injuries. I heard her call Dr. Evelyn. "He loves her more than I imagined." Her voice was filled with a chilling resolve. "I must accumulate more moral capital for Ariel, and die an even more impactful death."

I don’t know how much time passed, but I woke up in Mom’s bed. Mom was gasping, packing things away. She threw our wedding photo into the fireplace. All her clothes and jewelry were sold off. As she was about to destroy the scarf she had knitted for Dad with her own hands, I rushed over to stop her. But she gently kissed my small face. “Mommy knows Ariel doesn’t want to let go. But Mommy must ensure that you are Mommy’s only relic.”

I opened my mouth, unable to speak. Dad’s assistant called Mom. “Mrs. Chen, Mr. Simon just took Ms. Smith for her prenatal check-up and was photographed by reporters.” The assistant’s voice was neutral. “He asks that you quickly record an apology and clarification video to avoid affecting the company’s stock price.”