A Death Too Cruel, a Mother Unbound

Martin surveyed the neighborhood surroundings and couldn't help but remind Mom, "These burial sites are all close to Ellie's place. You should probably give her a heads-up and tell her to stay careful while she's at home."

Disgust flashed in Mom's eyes at the mention of my name, and her grip around me tightened. "Don't bring her up in front of me! Nothing can possibly happen to her!"

Martin paused while lighting a cigarette and sighed. "It has been so many years since the accident, so you should have let go by now.

"Regardless of what happened, Ellie is your biological daughter. Even as an outsider, I feel bad seeing how you've treated her all these years."

Mom's eyes immediately reddened at the mention of the past. "If she hadn't lied about having a stomachache, Julian Hawthorne wouldn't have died, and neither would Juniper's parents!

"She's a liar who got them killed. Unless she dies, I'll never forgive her for the rest of my life!"

Even after 12 years, she clung to the stubborn belief that I was the culprit, no matter how I tried to explain. She was convinced I'd lied, and I'd caused the deaths of Dad and Juniper Hawthorne's parents.

She abandoned me in the countryside, adopted Juniper, and poured all her love into her. If it weren't for Grandma and Dad's friends secretly helping me all these years, I would have died long ago.

Although she held me in her arms, I couldn't stop shaking.

Now that I was dead, could Mom forgive me?

When she noticed my trembling, she immediately tried to soothe me. "Easy, kitty. I wasn't talking about you."

My skull was covered in maggots, so the reconstruction work had to wait. Mom took me back to the car.

As soon as she got in, her phone rang. It was a call from Grandma, whose voice was full of worry and anxiety.

"Amelia, has Ellie been in touch with you lately? I haven't heard from her in days, and I can't reach her on her phone either. Something might've happened to her!"

Mom frowned tightly at that. "How would I know? That brat is never gonna die that easily! Don't bother me with her nonsense unless she's dead!"

Grandma tried to say more, but Mom abruptly hung up.

Standing beside the car, Martin worriedly chimed in, "Ellie's not that kind of kid. Why don't you try calling her?"

Mom scoffed. "Only the good die young, while she's a wicked kid. Anyone else might be in danger, but not her!"

With that, she opened her WhatsApp and sent several voice messages in our chat.

"Eloise Hawthorne! Are you seriously ghosting us? Call your grandma back right now, or get out of the house!"

She was oblivious to the fact that, as someone who used to text her daily, I hadn't sent her a single message in days.

A special ringtone chimed, and Mom's annoyed expression immediately melted away. "Juniper! Don't worry, sweetie. I'm on my way."

She continued, "You're hungry? Order takeout for now. I'll be back in a while."

She drove to a florist's and picked up a giant bouquet of sunflowers. After grabbing a strawberry cake from a nearby bakery, she happily returned to the car.

A cake… I wanted cake, too, but I'd never had any again ever since the accident.

When we got home, Mom pushed open the door with one hand full of flowers and the other holding the cake.

Juniper immediately ran over in delight, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go. Mom showed no impatience and coaxed her dotingly.

Their intimacy sent a wave of bitterness surging through me.

Before I turned six, I had also been Mom's most precious treasure. She bought me pretty princess dresses, baked me tiny cakes, and stayed up all night when I was sick. When I was bullied, she stood up for me.

Unfortunately, all of that ended on my sixth birthday.