“Mm! Very nice!”
“I made your favorite dishes today.”
Jason helped her back to the living room, placing several soft cushions on her chair.
Olivia had little strength left now.
Jason gently took the chopsticks from her hand.
“Here, try this.”
Olivia chewed slowly with little energy: “Delicious.”
Jason took a bite himself and was stunned.
He had forgotten to add salt.
Jason turned his head to wipe the tears from the corner of his eye.
“After we eat, let’s go set off fireworks. I bought a lot.”
“Okay…”
Jason pushed Olivia in her wheelchair to watch the fireworks.
Although not as grand as she had seen before,
She felt these were the most beautiful fireworks she had ever seen.
More beautiful than any she had seen returning to the Hayes house.
The next day, Olivia woke up very early.
She felt quite energetic.
When she opened the door, she saw Jason sleeping on the sofa.
Jason always slept in the living room so he could hear if Olivia called.
Olivia walked over and gently nudged him.
Jason opened his eyes and was startled.
“Olivia, why are you up?”
Olivia pointed at the faint light of dawn outside the window.
D
10:19 AM
<
univia pointed at the tam nym w outside the window.
“Jason, shall we go see the white dolphins?”
Looking at Olivia’s slightly rosy cheeks and clear eyes,
Jason bit his lip hard, taking a long time to answer.
“Okay.”
The two rode a motorcycle to the beach where dolphins could be seen.
Smelling the salty sea breeze, Olivia spread her arms.
Like a free seabird.
Jason stood to the side, watching her intently.
Though he didn’t understand much, he knew about something called a “death rally“.
His mother had been the same way.
After being sick for a long time, she suddenly recovered.
Then left him forever.
The sun was slowly rising in the distance.
Olivia tugged on Jason’s arm.
“Look, aren’t those dolphins over there?”
Several dolphins were leaping joyfully out of the water.
But they weren’t white.
Olivia looked somewhat disappointed.
“The ocean told me there would be white dolphins today.”
“It’s okay, I can wait a little longer…”
Olivia suddenly went limp, falling into Jason’s arms.
Jason held her in panic.
Tears fell on Olivia’s face.
Olivia reached up to wipe his tears, smiling.
“Silly child, why are you crying?”
“…Don’t die.”
Jason choked out, his throat only able to repeat those words.
“Don’t die…”
Olivia took a light breath, gazing at the blurry scenery in the distance.
In this life, she had too little love.
For that illusory love, she mistook a street lamp for the moon.
10:19 AM
<
In this life, she had too little love.
For that illusory love, she mistook a street lamp for the moon.
She hoped in her next life, she wouldn’t suffer so much.
“Everyone dies eventually. These past two months, I’ve already made up for many regrets.”
“Jason, thank you. I’m very happy…”
“I’m just sorry we couldn’t see the white dolphins together. I apologize…”
Olivia’s lips curved in a smile as she slowly closed her eyes.
In the distance, the dolphins all leapt up.
A white dolphin flipped once in the air before falling back into the sea.
Its call rang out.
Mournful yet determined.
Jason held the lifeless Olivia, crying louder and louder.
He held a funeral for Olivia.
Olivia had left him a will, voluntarily donating all her assets.
But Jason didn’t want the money.
He spent it all on Olivia’s funeral.
Along with his own wages.
When Olivia entered the crematorium, Jason clung to a pillar and cried until he could barely breathe.
In the end, he fulfilled Olivia’s final wish.
He scattered Olivia’s ashes into the sea.
The rare white dolphins appeared again.
Jason wiped his tears, forcing a smile.
“Olivia, look, the white dolphins have come to welcome you.”
“From now on, you’ll never be sad again.”
“You must remember to visit me in my dreams sometimes.”
20
On New Year’s Eve, the Hayes family still had no news of Olivia.
The family sat silently at the dinner table.
Linda looked at Sophia beside her, feeling disgusted.
“Frank, why did you invite her?”
Sophia’s body stiffened, her eyes filling with tears.
“Mom…”
D
10:19 AM
<
Frank sighed: “Linda, Sophia is our daughter. Where else would she go for New Year’s if not home?”
Linda didn’t give Frank any face.
“We still haven’t heard from Olivia, yet you all can celebrate the New Year just fine.”
Frank said: “Didn’t we all agree? We’ll get tested as bone marrow donors when Olivia comes back.”
Hearing his words, Linda slammed down her chopsticks.
“Frank, don’t act like you’re doing Olivia some great favor. She’s your daughter, this is what you should do!”
Frank lost face.
“Linda! It’s New Year’s Eve, can’t we have a peaceful New Year?”
“A peaceful New Year? My Olivia is suffering who knows where, how can I celebrate?”
She glanced around at everyone, gritting her teeth.
“Mom, don’t be like this…”
Sophia went to hold Linda’s hand, thinking Linda would give in like before.
As long as she acted coy, Linda would do whatever she wanted.
Linda shook off Sophia’s hand.
J
“Don’t call me Mom. You think you’re some prize? If it weren’t for that bastard in your belly, my Olivia wouldn’t have left heartbroken. You’re the
root of ali evil!”
The words “bastard” made Sophia’s expression turn very ugly.
She shouldn’t have come for this New Year’s Eve dinner.
Frank angrily pointed at Linda: “Linda, Sophia is at least carrying on the Lewis family line. Don’t go too far!”
Linda stood up with reddened eyes.
“I’m going too far? Frank, think carefully, am I really the one going too far? How much have I given up for your so–called war buddy’s debt? What did I get in the end? I only found out my daughter has cancer!”
Ryan couldn’t help speaking up.
“Mom, don’t be like this. We’ll get Olivia proper treatment when she comes back. Sophia didn’t mean any harm.”
“Ryan!” Linda glared at him, her voice rising.
“Even if you like Sophia, Olivia is your real sister! How can you still be speaking up for Sophia now?!”
Ryan had liked Sophia for many years.
He thought he was no less than Ethan.
But Sophia would act hot and cold towards him.
Yet Sophia would tell him secrets only the two of them knew.
So he felt Sophia had feelings for him.
But having his own mother openly say this,
Ryan felt very embarrassed.
<
So he felt Sophia had feelings for him.
But having his own mother openly say this,
Ryan felt very embarrassed.
He stopped talking, lowering his head to play with his phone.
Frank angrily gulped down some tea.
“Linda, I have to ask you, did I force you? When we agreed to take care of Sophia back then, didn’t I ask you over and over? After Sophia came home, weren’t you even nicer to her than me? How dare you blame it all on me? Aren’t you at fault too!”
Linda was somewhat distraught.
“Yes! I’m at fault. My biggest mistake was marrying you with my eyes closed! Frank, I want a divorce!”
With those words, even though Frank was fuming, he fell silent.
Linda had never threatened him with divorce before.
So he chose to stay quiet.
Planning to let the matter blow over.
Once Olivia was able to get a bone marrow transplant, Linda wouldn’t be so agitated anymore.
Ethan looked at the Hayes family before him, feeling exhausted.
How had he never realized before how terrible and unreasonable the Hayes family was?
In the awkward atmosphere, Ryan’s phone dinged with a blog notification.
He looked at the trending list and his eyes widened.
He called out to Linda in a trembling voice.
“Mom…”
Linda was still angry.
“Don’t call me Mom!”
“Olivia…”
Ryan put his phone on the table, showing a picture with a lit candle.
“Olivia is gone.”
21
Ethan stared at the phone in disbelief.
It really was Olivia’s obituary.
“Illustrator Olivia Hayes passed away in the early hours of this morning at age 29.
Olivia’s illustrations were beloved during her lifetime.
According to netizens, Olivia had also been serializing a comic online…”
Ethan couldn’t bear to read further.
10:20 AM
<
Ethan couldn’t bear to read further.
He felt something lodged in his chest, slowly eating away at his blood.
Making his whole body go cold.
He seemed to hear Olivia’s voice.
Calling his name happily yet cautiously.
“Ethan.”
Olivia was dead.
Olivia was dead?
Olivia was dead!
Ethan murmured.
“Impossible…”
Comments mourning Olivia scrolled across the phone screen in real time.
All pitying Olivia.
“Oh no, isn’t this the artist who drew ‘Me‘? I was wondering why there were no updates lately. She passed away!”
“The artist had already announced she was stopping updates. She was in the terminal stages of cancer then.”
“Help, this is too sad. What could have happened to make the artist give up on treatment?”
Ethan’s heart clenched.
Olivia’s despairing eyes flashed in his mind.
“Who else could it be but the artist’s awful family?”
“Does anyone not know that the female lead in the comic was based on the artist herself?”
“The female lead was sent to the countryside by her parents as a child, just so they could give their adopted daughter a better life. Then as an adult she didn’t get a cent for living expenses, and was still scolded by her dad for being ungrateful. Is this dad even her real father?”
“It’s all fake!”
Frank spoke up first after reading it.
“This is all fake. I gave her so much money for living expenses every month, how could she not have enough to eat?”
“Do you know why the female lead didn’t have enough to eat? Her brother took all her money and gave it to her stepsister. The female lead silently endured it all just to please her brother. When I read that chapter, it broke my heart!”
A flood of crying emoji comments followed.
Frank looked at Ryan in shock, smashing the bowl in his hand on Ryan’s head.
“Unfilial son!”
Because Sophia needed money, Ryan had found ways to give her money.
Due to his extravagant spending, his parents refused to give him more.
So he had pocketed Olivia’s living expenses.
<
But he thought Olivia would just ask their parents for more!
He never meant for Olivia to go hungry.
Ryan wanted to argue.
But he remembered how little Olivia used to follow him around.
Back then Olivia was only 3 or 4 years old, chubby and fair–skinned.
She loved trailing after Ryan.
Ryan also loved teasing her.
He would often pretend to be dead to scare Olivia.
This trick never failed to work on Olivia.
She would always hold his hand and cry loudly.
“Big brother don’t die, big brother don’t die.”
And he would suddenly jump up and say: “Big brother won’t die!”
But now…
0
Olivia was dead.
Whether he meant to or not in the past, he had wronged Olivia.
Linda clutched her chest, but saw an even more heartbreaking comment.
“The female lead’s mom wasn’t a good person either. She always tried to smooth things over!”
“One time after the female lead was bullied by her stepsister, she brought the milk the stepsister wouldn’t drink to comfort the female lead, telling her to endure it. She didn’t even know the female lead was lactose intolerant! Is this caring? This is disgusting! It pisses me off, netizens‘ mammary glands are mammary glands too!”
Had she really been that bad to Olivia?
Linda didn’t want to admit it.
But that was the reality.
She knew she hadn’t been good to Olivia.
She didn’t even know Olivia was lactose intolerant.
Yet Olivia would drink the milk she gave her every time.
All along, it was Olivia who had been considerate of her.
She enjoyed Olivia’s devotion.
But never thought to give back to Olivia.
Hearing this, Sophia couldn’t help but smile.
She never intended for the child in her belly to really be a bastard.
Now that Olivia was dead, everything was turning out well.
then could no longer remarry the deceased Clivia.
<
Now that Olivia was dead, everything was turning out well.
Ethan could no longer remarry the deceased Olivia.
Once Ethan forgot about Olivia,
She could marry Ethan.
Have the child legitimately.
Her smiling expression happened to be seen by Linda.
Linda immediately lunged at Sophia.
Sophia was knocked to the ground by her sudden attack.
Her belly slammed hard against the table corner.
Linda’s eyes were red as she tightly gripped Sophia’s neck.
“You bitch! You’re the one who killed my Olivia-”
22
Sophia’s tears were squeezed out as she was choked.
She reached towards Ethan, but couldn’t say a word.
Ethan completely ignored her.
In the end, Linda was pulled away by Frank and Ryan.
Sophia’s cheongsam was already stained with blood.
By the time the ambulance arrived, the Hayes house was in chaos.
Sophia was carried into the ambulance on a stretcher.
Sophia lost the baby.
Just over three months along, it had just developed a heartbeat.
When Linda woke up and found out, she broke free from Frank and ran to Sophia’s hospital room.
Sophia hid behind Ryan, looking at her fearfully.
She didn’t lunge at Sophia, but started laughing instead.
“Hahahahaha! You bitch, I want you to suffer the same pain as my Olivia!”
“Serves you right! Serves you right!”
Then she went into a frenzy and pounced on Ethan.
She grabbed his collar, slapping him hard across the face several times.
Slapping Ethan’s face until it was swollen.
“You shameless man!”
“If you hadn’t treated Olivia badly, if you hadn’t slept with that bitch, how could Olivia have miscarried? How could she have gotten sick? How could she have died!”
“It’s your fault, it’s all your fault…”
10:20 AM
<
དཔས་ ་་་་་་
Ethan let her hit him without backing away an inch.
Linda released Ethan, suddenly covering her face and crying.
“Olivia, I’m sorry.”
“Mommy is sorry.”
