Before My Last Breath, I Was Her Reflection

Farewell, My Dearest Mother

Yunice's face was covered in blood.

Maria was held down firmly by Spencer and Jeremy. She didn't cry out in pain. Instead, a bitter laugh escaped her lips.

"If it weren't for you, Bethany would still be alive. You're the real wretch!"

Yunice was disfigured. Her rage grew even more at Maria's words. She slapped Maria ten times, hard enough to leave her struggling to speak and spewing blood. Even her teeth fell out, along with the blood.

Covering her own face, Yunice looked at Maria with a dark, twisted smile. "You were given a chance, but you threw it away. Now, you're putting on quite a show of courage."

Spencer was furious as well. Even though Yunice only suffered a small cut, he tended to her as though it were a grave wound, applying alcohol to disinfect the wound over and over again.

It seemed he had completely forgotten the countless cuts and scars that once lined my face, all because he wanted me to look like the only woman he ever loved.

He held her hand and promised that he would seek justice for her.

Then he ordered all my belongings to be brought out. They were gathered into heaps like piles of trash before Maria. The collection formed a small mound, with a few sweaters at the top. It was a mix of adult and children's sweaters.

Some of these sweaters were from the time I carried Spencer's first child, though it wasn't the only one. After the miscarriage, he lit a cigarette, exhaling slowly as he muttered, "What's gone is gone. Even if the child had been born, it wouldn't have looked much like her anyway."

I shivered, terror gripping me. I knew I shouldn't think this way, but I was terrified our child might end up as another stand-in. What if the child was forced to endure the same fate as me and have multiple plastic surgeries just to resemble his beloved first love?

It was at that moment that the thought of leaving him first crossed my mind. However, Maria was ill at that time and needed expensive treatment, so in the end, I abandoned the idea.

Among the pile was a sweater that belonged to Maria.

I haven't finished knitting it yet, but alas, I wouldn't have the chance to finish knitting it anymore.

When I was working on it, Maria held onto the yarn, her pale face lighting up with a warm smile.

"Bethany, when I die, bury me in this sweater," she said.

But now, she would never have the chance to wear it.

Summoning a strength I didn't know she had, Maria lunged forward, screaming as she tried to grab the half-knitted sweater back from the pile.

A malicious grin spread across Yunice's face. "Is this really so important to you?" she sneered. "Then, let's burn it."

Flames surged instantly, leaping high.

Maria looked at Spencer with pleading eyes, her voice raw with desperation. "This is the last thing Bethany left for me. Please… don't…"

Spencer remained unmoved, replying coldly, "Didn't you say she was dead? A dead person's belongings are meant to be burned, after all. It's fitting to give her something to wear when she's in hell."

In moments, everything that belonged to me was turned to ashes, as though I had never existed. There was not a single trace of my short and tragic life.

Maria's anguished screams filled the air. She struggled wildly, some blood seeping through her clothes. She threw herself at the fire and tried to extinguish the flames with her hands, only to see her flesh burn. She gasped for breath, looking like a trapped animal that was helplessly struggling.

"No! Please don't! That's the last memory I have of Bethany…"

Eventually, she collapsed, lying amidst the ashes, her eyes closed.

…

I reached out, trying to touch Maria, but my transparent hands passed through her again and again. I repeatedly begged Spencer to help her.

He couldn't hear me. Instead, he sat nearby and clicked his tongue impatiently.

Yunice sneered. "Like mother, like daughter. Both of you have a knack for playing dead."

No, that wasn't it! My mother wasn't pretending!

She had cancer. Her days were already numbered, and now she was suffering because of me, her unworthy daughter. Guilt and regret flooded me, and I began to regret meeting Spencer when I was 14.

If I could turn back time, I would kill him the day that I met him.

Spencer kicked Maria's limp body. "Hey, wake up! You haven't even barked like a dog yet!"

Laughter echoed around us, but Spencer quickly realized that something was amiss and paused. "Wait… Did she actually pass out?"

With the exception of Yunice, who snorted dismissively, everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks. "She's just faking it again."

Spencer's brow creased slightly. The moment he rose to his feet, he ordered, "Call 911 and get her to a hospital."

He turned around and dialed the plastic surgery hospital's number. "Bethany is still hospitalized, correct? Inform her that her mother has fainted. Tell her to get to the hospital immediately and take care of her mother. She shouldn't expect us to play the role of a dutiful family."

On the other end of the line, the nurse hesitated before replying carefully, "Mr. Legrine, haven't you heard? Miss Frodo passed away two days ago. During surgery, she had severe bleeding and a vascular embolism, which led to facial nerve necrosis. We did everything we could, but we couldn't save her.

"She's already been taken by her mother. I believe she's been cremated."

Spencer was rooted to the spot, and a momentary daze flickered in his eyes.