In the cemetery, autumn wind swept through, sending withered leaves dancing through the air.
Lily clutched a bouquet of fresh flowers as she approached the shared headstone of a man and woman. She gazed silently at the photos on the tombstone, lost in thought for a long while.
Only when a fallen leaf drifted onto her shoulder did she finally let out a deep sigh.
Then she playfully turned to look behind her.
“Helen! You guys are walking way too slow! My arms are getting sore from holding this pose!”
Due to my pregnancy making movement difficult, Owen carefully protected me, terrified that something might happen to
- me.
He stayed by my side almost constantly, so much so that the company shareholders frequently complained he was neglecting his duties.
But he turned a deaf ear to those complaints.
Standing before Lyla and Kyson’s headstone, I couldn’t help but recall the sniper’s silhouette on the building above the spaghetti
restaurant.
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12:52
Chapter 9
A single bullet had struck both of them in the head simultaneously.
18 min left
By the time I rushed to the scene, Kyson was already dead, and Lyla was drawing her last breath.
“Helen, why did I lose again…
“I did everything the way Mom taught me to. Why did it turn out like this? Isn’t a woman supposed to find a good man and live peacefully for the rest of her life?”
She’d asked this question so many times that I didn’t even know how to answer anymore.
Initially, she had genuinely treated me like a sister.
But as time passed, influenced by the twisted thoughts around her, she gradually became my enemy.
Still, she was just another pitiful victim sacrificed by her family.
A tear slipped down my check. I had watched helplessly as she walked step by step toward this ending.
She couldn’t blame anyone else–only her own insatiable greed.
Watching her lie in my arms, I reached out to gently pat her shoulder, just like when we were children.
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12:52
Chapter 9
“Sleep now. When you wake up, it’ll be a brand new day.”
18 min left
She whimpered, trying to say something, but the blood surging from her throat prevented her from speaking.
She could only cry silently, gripping my sleeve with all her strength.
Finally, she closed her eyes.
Owen gently patted my shoulder.
“Thinking about sad things again?”
Another Christmas had passed. Some people reunited, others said goodbye forever.
These were all predetermined fates.
At least I didn’t have to live in fear like in my previous life, trapped in the hellish Tran family.
Instead, I could be my true self beside someone who genuinely loved me.
I suppose this was a blessing in disguise.
I squeezed Owen’s hand and smiled.
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12:52
Chapter 9
18 min left
“Just feeling sentimental from the scenery. Don’t worry. We should get going–your parents are flying back tonight, right?”
Lily chimed in cheerfully from the side.
“They’re worried about you, so they’re coming back specifically
to take care of you! My brother is such a clueless guy who doesn’t understand anything!
“Come on, Helen! I’m cooking personally today–let me show you my culinary skills!”
Owen frowned.
“You’re cooking personally? Maybe we should just go to a restaurant instead.”
Lily lunged at him, ready to start swinging.
The three of us playfully bickered as we walked out of the cemetery.
It was a new Christmas once again.
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