Before the college entrance exam, Henry Stone secretly took me to a hotel and took my virginity in that cheap, dimly lit room.
I endured the pain, yet a secret joy bloomed inside me for the entire night, thinking that my years-long crush had finally become a reality.
Until the day the results came, Henry Stone threw my pregnancy test report in front of my mother:
“Teacher Lin, didn’t you say that early romance with a delinquent is the most disgusting thing? Now your daughter is one of those disgusting girls who got herself pregnant by me.”
“Too bad, her child, like her, will grow up fatherless—a wild brat with no responsibility.”
Then he left without another word, leaving behind only a sum of money, as if it were payment for… what had happened.
The next time I saw him, he was the untouchable kingpin of the underworld,
And I… was just the mistress of some subordinate under his command.
Yet, Henry Stone seemed insane, desperate to become a father, as if he couldn’t let go.
One night, when my patron asked me to entertain guests at a bar, I was on the phone telling my six-year-old son to go to bed early.
As I approached the entrance to the private room, I overheard the lewd voices inside:
“The one Peter raises, truly exquisite. I heard she started with you right after turning eighteen?”
“No matter how exquisite, even the finest toy gets boring eventually. If Master Sam is interested, she’s yours to play with tonight.”
Peter’s tone was dripping with pride, as if displaying a prized possession:
“She’s just a toy I raised casually. If Master Sam wants her, she’ll keep you entertained tonight.”
Having been Peter’s mistress for years, I knew he loved to put on a show.
Especially when he made me the topic of conversation—his face would glow with self-satisfaction.
So I pushed open the door with a blank expression, and that’s when I heard a voice I hadn’t forgotten.
“I’m sorry, everyone. My fiancée can’t handle her drink, so I’ll have this one for her.
”
The next second, heads turned toward me in the room.
When my eyes met Henry Stone’s, he froze, the glass in his hand shattering on the floor.
I had never imagined that Henry Stone and I would reunite like this.
Seven years later, he exuded a controlling, dangerous aura, every gesture radiating the ruthlessness of someone forged by the streets.
Beside him sat a woman, elegantly made-up and radiating gentle refinement.
Her name was Alice, his fiancée.
Suppressing the storm in my heart, I forced a practiced, soft smile and spoke the polite words I had mastered long ago:
“Master Peter, I’ve missed you so much~”
The room reacted with mixed gazes—some admiring, some sympathetic, but most undisguised with contempt.
Peter pulled me onto his lap, his greasy hand roaming my waist.
Henry Stone’s gaze lingered on me, turning from shock to undisguised disgust.
I knew he had instantly seen through my position as a mistress.
On the table, men took turns forcing me to drink, expensive foreign liquors poured relentlessly down my throat.
I caught fragments of the relationship between Henry Stone and Alice.
They were a perfect match in every way.
I suddenly recalled my mother’s words from years ago: entangling with delinquents never ends well.
Indeed.
Now, my former delinquent boyfriend, once ordinary, was dazzling, holding a beauty in his arms.
And I… bore the title of unwed mother, serving as a mistress to a man who could be my father.
“Master Peter, don’t just enjoy yourself—show us what this beauty can really do!”
Sam’s eyes lingered on me greedily as he spoke, tracing my chest with unhidden desire.
Peter, ever the shrewd businessman, saw through Sam’s intent immediately.
Trading a woman he was bored with for useful connections—profitable.
So even if he still felt a hint of possessiveness toward me, he smiled and pushed me toward Sam:
“If Master Sam likes her, indulge.”
A cold laugh curled in my heart, but my face remained sweetly obedient as I poured him a drink.
Sam, delighted, pulled out a stack of cash and tossed it at me:
“Little beauty, it’s hot today. Cool yourself down!”
“How about this—one piece of clothing off for every ten bills?”
The room erupted in laughter, while Henry Stone’s lowering of his glass landed with a heavy, muffled thud.
I followed the sound and looked at him, just in time to see him witness Sam’s lewd behavior toward me.
At that moment, a cold, mocking smirk curled on Henry Stone’s lips, his gaze full of disdain.
Suppressing my humiliation, I caught the scattered cash with my hands and casually slipped off my coat.
The second round, Sam pointed at my blouse, signaling me to continue.
My fingers trembled as I unbuttoned it, letting the fabric slip off my shoulders, revealing pale skin and a delicate collarbone—subtle curves just barely visible.
Around me came the sound of swallowing, and someone secretly pulled out a phone to take pictures.
The third round, Sam made me choose between my skirt and my underwear.
When he tossed the money, he deliberately misjudged, scattering a dozen bills across the floor.
I bent down, picking them up one by one, and as my fingers touched the last note, a black leather shoe suddenly stomped down with such force it nearly crushed my hand.
Henry Stone looked down at me from above, his voice icy:
“Women willing to be mistresses are truly despicable.”
I ignored his insult, lifting my head with a professional smile still on my face:
“Sir, could you please move your foot?”
Henry Stone froze for a few seconds, until Alice gently tugged at his sleeve, and he reluctantly withdrew his foot.
I gathered all the money and was about to take off my skirt when a clear, crisp voice rang out amid the commotion:
“Wait a moment!”
Alice stood up and said softly, “I’m feeling a bit unwell. Miss, would you accompany me to the restroom?”
She had been brought by Henry Stone, and no one dared to stop her.
Before leaving the room, Alice draped her shawl over me, covering my exposed skin.
In the restroom, Alice didn’t rush to fix her makeup. Instead, she took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned the hand I had injured under the shoe.
“You look so young… why are you doing this? Earning such shameful money?”
I studied her carefully—dressed in a perfectly tailored Chanel suit, graceful in her movements, radiating an aura of privilege.
Someone wrapped in happiness like her could never understand why anyone, with hands and feet capable, would choose such a path of humiliation.
How could I explain?
Because I desperately needed money.
Because my six-year-old son was waiting for dinner.
Because my mother lay in the hospital, needing an expensive surgery to survive.
And all of this—the reason for my misery—was thanks to the arrogant fiancé standing beside her.
When we returned to the private room, the expected teasing didn’t continue.
Because Peter’s wife, Sara, had arrived.
The main queen’s sudden arrival dissolved the room’s sultry atmosphere. Everyone waited eagerly to watch me torn apart.
I thought Sara would erupt, rush over, call me a vixen, tear my face apart.
But she didn’t. She didn’t even glance at me, as if I were an irrelevant prop.
Sara’s face wore a polite smile, attending to Peter and the other patrons, flawless in every word and gesture.
I sat beside her, expressionless, not a trace of embarrassment.
I was, after all, the mistress, unfit for public display—long accustomed to such indifference.
As the party ended and Peter went to settle the bill, only Sara and I remained in the room.
Finally, she dropped her facade, suddenly lunging at me, straddling me, and raising her hand to deliver a sharp slap.
“Despicable! A slut who only uses her body to please men!”
“A piece of trash who sells herself, and dares show up here? A woman with no upbringing, no one to teach you how to live!?”
Her words were piercing, unbearable to hear.
I wanted to tell her that indeed I had no father, my mother had become a vegetable from an accident, and no one had taught me how to live with dignity.
But I said nothing, silently enduring her blows and insults.
My silence enraged her further. She screamed, grabbing a bottle from the table, and smashed it onto my head.
Blood instantly gushed out, streaming down into my eyes, turning my vision a deep red.
Sara still tried to strike, when suddenly a strong arm grabbed her wrist.
“Enough! This is my territory—don’t dirty my place!”
Henry Stone returned, his face dark with fury, radiating an almost terrifying aura of menace.
Seeing this, Sara didn’t dare act recklessly anymore. She shot me one last venomous glare and stormed off.
I held my bleeding forehead, stumbling out of the private room.
All the humiliation and pain I had bottled up for the entire night erupted at once. I sank to the side of a trash bin and wept uncontrollably.
I had no idea how long I cried before the roar of an engine came from behind.
A black Bentley pulled up beside me, the window rolling down to reveal Henry Stone’s cold, hard face.
“Get in.”
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
Henry Stone frowned, but without another word, he opened the door and lifted me into the car.
The wound on my forehead throbbed painfully, dizzying me. I didn’t struggle, simply giving him the address.
Henry Stone didn’t use navigation—he drove straight to the destination.
It was my home. He remembered.
Seven years ago, in the days before the college entrance exams, he used to sneak over here to watch the stars with me.
Thinking back now, those so-called tender moments were probably just a carefully orchestrated act.
As we neared the apartment complex, Henry Stone suddenly spoke, his tone laced with mockery:
“After all these years, how’s Teacher Lin doing?”
My hand paused on the door handle. I stayed silent for a long time.
Long enough for Henry Stone to lose patience. He reached over and grabbed my neck, his voice ice-cold:
“I remember your mother always despised early romance with delinquents. So, after her precious daughter was abandoned by a delinquent, she resorted to selling her body to the scum on the streets?”
“Oh right, she’s no longer a teacher, is she? Still using the money you helped her make?”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he bit down hard on my collarbone, the force making me wince and struggle.
“Does your mother know how many times you’ve slept with your patrons? So many that the kisses on your body can’t even cover the teeth marks!”
Whenever he mentioned my mother, it was dripping with mockery.
I sneered in my heart. If he knew my mother had become a vegetable because of him, he would probably feel even more satisfied.
Seeing me rub at the bite mark, Henry Stone’s tone was a confusing mix of anger and ridicule:
“I’m the one your patron has to please—better bring out that flattering act of yours for me.”
He was right. I immediately switched to a flattering smile:
“You’re right, Master Henry. A mistress must know her duties, so I need to go home and appease my patron.”
Henry Stone suddenly released me, his gaze full of disgust:
“Lydia Louise, right now you’re just a mistress anyone can sleep with. Why not just be with me?”
“After all, I’m young, strong, and more powerful than him. Or maybe you just lack a father figure, always chasing men who could be your dad?”
His eyes lingered on my exposed collarbone, his words sharp and cutting.
I didn’t bother arguing. I opened the car door and stepped out.
His voice followed me:
“How much does Peter pay you each month?”
“Fifteen thousand.”
Henry Stone scoffed. “Fifteen thousand? You really are cheap.”
The air behind me grew heavier. I didn’t dare look back.
When my mother suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage and became a vegetable, my daughter Lily was barely three months old.
I didn’t even have time to terminate the pregnancy.
Afterwards, I was busy dropping out of school, selling off family property, and paying hospital bills for my mother—so busy that I nearly forgot I was pregnant.
By the time I realized, my belly was already too big to hide.
Those days were worse than death. The fetal heartbeat was my only comfort, and I abandoned the thought of abortion.
In the late stages of pregnancy, I hated Henry Stone every day, vowing to find him and ask why he had treated me this way.
After Lily was born, I no longer hated him. I just wanted to see him once—even if it were a call from across the ocean.
But there was nothing. Nothing at all.
Until I was twenty, I met Peter, sixteen years older than me.
He took the initiative to help me, even asking if I wanted money.
Seemingly afraid I’d be too principled, he explained that he and his wife were only superficially married for convenience.
When survival itself is a luxury, dignity and morality are worthless.
So I became his mistress without guilt.
I don’t fear retribution.
Because my retribution began the day I met Henry Stone—and it has never stopped.
Henry Stone had been with me back then solely to get revenge on my mother.
It all started because his first love had jumped off the school rooftop during their senior year.
Her name was Nina, a student in my mother’s class.
A well-behaved girl, known throughout the school for having an early romance with a delinquent.
The reason everyone knew about it was because my mother had exposed it.
Nina had written a love letter in my mother’s class and was caught in the act. My mother forced her to read the letter aloud in front of the entire class.
The students erupted in laughter. Nina cried and admitted her mistake, but my mother snatched the letter and read it out herself.
And the recipient of that letter… was Henry Stone.
My mother was extremely traditional. She believed students should focus on their studies, and early romance was utterly unacceptable.
Especially when it involved the top student in the grade and a worthless school bully.
She called Nina into her office and scolded her for an entire evening study session:
“Do you have any regard for your parents? For all the hard work you’ve done? Not thinking about the college entrance exam, yet willing to ruin your future for a delinquent! I see no hope for you at all!”
After that, despite Nina’s pleas, my mother summoned her parents to the school.
I will never forget that day. Nina’s father, drunk, rushed into the office, picking up a chair and swinging it at Nina.
The teachers struggled to stop him, and though he didn’t continue, his curses didn’t stop:
“Just like your shameless mother! I raised you to study, not to chase men! You shouldn’t even attend this school. If you love men so much, just go out and sell yourself like your mother!”
After that day, Nina became the laughingstock of the school, rumors spreading like wildfire.
Once the top scholar in her grade, she fell overnight, trampled by everyone.
From then on, she was constantly disciplined for fighting.
I think it wasn’t fighting—just resisting bullying.
But my mother didn’t see it that way. She believed Nina was deliberately rebellious, failing to meet expectations.
Due to repeated reports and declining grades, Nina’s scholarship was revoked.
The day it was taken away, she went to my mother’s office.
I don’t know what they said, but I can guess. My traditionally strict mother probably gave her a harsh lecture on early romance.
Not long after… Nina jumped from the school rooftop.
From that day, Henry Stone entered my life.
He showered me with attention, meticulous and affectionate, and I thought I had found true love.
Until the day my college results came, he destroyed everything in the cruelest way.
He threw my pregnancy test report in front of my mother:
“Teacher Lin, didn’t you say delinquents were disgusting? The child in your daughter’s womb was conceived by the very delinquent you despise.”
Henry Stone’s insult completely broke her.
I still remember my mother’s expression that day, a vision that haunts me in countless midnight dreams.
Her wrinkled face full of shock, shame, disappointment, and guilt.
I wanted to cry and apologize, but her tears came first:
“Lydia… Lydia, it’s mommy’s fault. Mommy didn’t teach you well… it’s not your fault…”
For seven years, this memory clung to me like a festering wound, tormenting me day and night.
But the nightmare didn’t seem willing to let go.
Suddenly, Henry Stone jumped out of the car, grabbing my collar, his eyes bloodshot:
“Lydia Louise, how can you be so calm about it? That was a life! After all these years, does your mother still think she was a good teacher?”
“Does she remember in the middle of the night that the knife that forced Nina to jump… was handed to her by her own hands?”
I no longer knew if my mother was at peace. Whether she had any regrets before losing all awareness, no one could know.
“I’m sorry,” I said instead. “It was our fault.”
My mother was wrong—she shouldn’t have treated Nina so extremely.
Nina’s father was wrong—he shouldn’t have been so cruel.
Those who bullied Nina were wrong, and those who spread rumors were wrong.
And I, as my mother’s daughter, could not escape responsibility.
But we had all paid the price.
Henry Stone grew even more agitated, gripping my wrist so tightly I thought he might crush the bones:
“‘Sorry’ isn’t enough! If you truly feel sorry, then go die! Lydia Louise, why wasn’t it you who jumped back then?”
Henry Stone shouted, trembling, then whispered in a low voice:
“Tell me! Why haven’t you gone yet? Go die right now!”
Go die?
I had tried before.
When Lily was two, the burden of massive medical bills and life’s weight pressed down on me.
I gave my mother and Lily sleeping pills, preparing to set the house on fire and end my life.
Through the thick smoke, Lily woke first. She stumbled to my side, patting my face with her tiny hands, calling out “Mommy” in heart-wrenching cries, attracting the neighbors.
Since that day, I never considered suicide again.
I cannot die. I must live—to watch Lily grow, to wait for my mother to wake.
I had “killed” my mother once already; I could not do it a second time.
At that moment, Henry Stone’s phone rang. The screen displayed “Alice.”
He glanced at it, released me, and got back into the car.
Watching him vanish into the distance, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Henry Stone, you said you were avenging Nina… but in the end, you forgot her anyway, flying off with another woman?
After we reunited, Henry Stone began appearing frequently beneath my building. That black Bentley would sit there for hours.
Peter soon noticed something was off. He didn’t know my past with Henry Stone, only assuming Henry Stone was interested in me.
That day, I dressed especially seductively, hoping to please Peter—but he pushed me away.
“Lydia Louise, you’re no longer that naive eighteen-year-old.
Show some self-awareness,” he said coldly, holding my chin. “If you’re of no use to me, then our relationship is over.”
I feigned shock, tears welling in my eyes.
“I want the management rights to Victoria Harbour Pier. Master Henry won’t agree,” Peter handed me a contract. “But I know you can get him to sign it. If he signs, I’ll give you one million.”
One million—enough for my mother and Lily to live comfortably for a long time.
I took the contract to Henry Stone, confessing the deal with Peter.
“Lydia Louise, isn’t one patron enough for you?” Henry Stone leaned against the sofa, his gaze dark and fierce. “How about this: I give you a million, you stay and accompany me—after all, we once shared… something.”
For seven years, I had hated the version of myself that had so eagerly fallen for him.
And today, that hatred reached its peak.
“Henry Stone, you’re disgusting!”
I stood abruptly, slamming the contract onto him.
It fell to the floor, like my anger—powerless.
“Lydia Louise, we’ve slept together before. Why pretend to be innocent?”
Henry Stone stood and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“The bedroom is right next door. If you’re willing, the money and contract are negotiable; if not, take your things and leave.
”
I shoved him forcefully, my nails digging into my palms.
“Henry Stone, even if every man in the world were dead, I would never be with you!”
I failed to get Henry Stone to sign the contract, so I lost my job.
Peter was surprised when he learned I refused Henry Stone, kicking me out and then turning to pass information to Henry Stone:
“Master Henry, if you want Lydia Louise, it’s simple.
”
“She has a mother in a vegetative state, a six-year-old daughter Lily, and depression. She can’t earn money.”
“So it won’t be long before she comes crying to you.”
Henry Stone paused for a long moment before asking: “You mean… who?”
“Lydia Louise.”
Henry Stone couldn’t connect the Lydia Louise Peter had just mentioned with the bright, cheerful girl he remembered from years ago.
A vegetative mother, depression, an unwed mother? How could it be possible?
I didn’t know what Henry Stone had discovered, but when I saw him again, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face looked worn and haggard.
“Lydia Louise… I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”
I ignored him, tightening my coat and heading downstairs.
My mother’s medical bills were about to be due this month, and I had no choice but to go to Peter.
I knelt before him, begging for some money, promising to repay him in the future.
Peter glanced at Henry Stone standing behind me and smirked condescendingly:
“Lydia Louise, I’m no philanthropist. If you want money, why don’t you ask the one behind you?”
Before I could speak, Henry Stone hurried forward and lifted me off the ground:
“How much do you need? I’ll give it to you. Don’t humiliate yourself like this.
”
I pushed him away.
“Henry Stone, if my mother knew her medical bills were being paid with your money, she’d rather die.”
I took a deep breath, fighting back my tears.
In the following days, I went to Peter several more times, but he kept avoiding me.
Henry Stone also tried every possible way to give me money, but I refused every time.
Eight years ago, I hated him—truly, teeth-grinding hate.
But as time went on, life gradually wore down that hatred. I almost began to forget what he looked like.
When we met again, my heart felt surprisingly calm—until he said, “After all, we once shared… something.”
Then I felt that bone-deep disgust all over again.
If back then he had sought revenge for Nina, now… he was simply a bastard.
I began deliberately avoiding Henry Stone, but he always managed to find me.
Until that day, when Lily suddenly spiked a high fever. I scooped her up and rushed out of the house—and ran straight into Henry Stone, who was waiting downstairs.
The moment he saw Lily, he froze.
Lily looked exactly like him as a child, her features almost carved from the same mold.
At the hospital, it was the first time I saw genuine remorse on Henry Stone’s face.
From then on, he became even more relentless in appearing around me and Lily.
He bought Lily every imaginable toy and piece of clothing, picked her up and dropped her off at school on time every day, and hired the best caregivers for my mother.
This gave me more time to stay with my mother at the hospital.
Perhaps it was the bond of blood, but Lily quickly grew attached to this suddenly-present “Uncle Henry.”
I thought carefully and didn’t mind his attentions toward Lily—after all, it was something he owed her.
I only needed to use his guilt to secure more support for Lily and my mother.
And so, I and Henry Stone “coexisted peacefully” for a month.
One day, he brought me to a luxurious villa.
“There are the best schools and hospitals nearby, and the environment is safe,” Henry Stone said, his tone tinged with nervousness. “If you like it, I can transfer this house to your name right now.”
I looked at him calmly.
“Mr. Henry, you’re about to get married… is this some kind of ‘hidden treasure’ plan?”
“I’ve already broken off my engagement with Alice,” Henry Stone hurriedly explained. “Lily is my daughter. Everything I’m doing is only right.”
This kind of temptation… I wasn’t completely unmoved, but I knew that the more I pushed him away, the stronger his guilt would become.
Sure enough, when he saw me refuse, Henry Stone “thud”—he knelt in front of me.
The sound of his knees hitting the ground was particularly clear in the quiet courtyard.
He lifted his head, tears streaming down his face, his voice hoarse:
“Lydia Louise… I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. I just want to make it up to you and Lily.”
“For your mother, I’ve already hired the best medical team abroad. She will wake up, I promise.”
I smiled faintly, reaching out to lift his chin.
“And what about Nina? You’re not avenging her anymore?”
He grabbed my pants leg, his voice choked:
“Nina… I only ever felt sorry for her situation!”
“Lydia Louise, back then I truly liked you. Later, I was scared that I had fallen in love for real, so I chose to run, went abroad.”
“All these years, I haven’t gone a day without thinking of you. I’ve lived in regret every single day.
”
Watching this man, who once made my heart race, kneeling before me and sobbing uncontrollably, I felt nothing.
Revenge, hatred… none of it mattered anymore.
Now, all I wanted was for my mother to wake up, for Lily to grow up healthy, and to have nothing more to do with Henry Stone.
“It’s too late to say all that now.”
I turned and walked away. Behind me, Henry Stone shouted with heart-wrenching desperation:
“Lydia Louise… I’m dying!”
It turned out that when he had done the paternity test for Lily, he discovered he had severe, incurable heart failure.
Hearing that he was dying, I felt a twinge of secret satisfaction.
I began planning how to make him leave everything he had to Lily in his remaining days.
But plans can’t always keep up with reality. My past as his lover had been exposed at Lily’s school.
And rumors were exaggerated, claiming I had been involved with multiple men at once.
When I went to pick up Lily from school, a boy shoved him to the ground. While kicking him, the boy shouted:
“You’re the child of a prostitute!”
My eyes instantly burned with tears. I rushed forward, pushing the boy away, holding Lily protectively, and immediately called the police.
The boy’s mother saw this and went berserk, rushing over, straddling me and trying to rip off my clothes.
“You shameless homewrecker! You destroy other families!”
“Everyone, come see! This slut’s son is illegitimate too!”
She cursed while recording a video on her phone, trying to expose me online.
Lily panicked and bit her. The woman screamed in pain and swung to hit Lily in retaliation.
At that moment, Henry Stone suddenly charged over, shoving the woman to the ground.
He shielded Lily and me behind him, radiating a terrifying aura of dominance, and yelled at the crowd:
“Whoever dares to spread more lies, I’ll ruin them!”
“She is my woman, Lily is my daughter. I clung to her back then, and that’s why she suffered so much!”
“Anyone who spreads rumors again will end up in jail!”
Henry Stone’s presence alone silenced the crowd instantly.
When the police arrived, Lily threw herself into Henry Stone’s arms, crying loudly:
“Mommy is the best mommy! Why did you bully her? Daddy… why are you only here now?”
Henry Stone held Lily tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably, unable to say a single word.
I didn’t know what method he had used, but in the end, the incident was classified as harassment by the other party. That woman not only publicly apologized to me but also compensated eighty thousand dollers.
Eighty thousand—it was enough to cover my mother’s treatment for a while.
I accepted her apology and withdrew the lawsuit. After all, she wasn’t entirely wrong—I had been his lover, the scorned third party everyone condemned.
After this incident, Henry Stone transferred Lily to an elite school near the villa and assigned bodyguards to secretly protect us.
On Lily’s third day at school, Alice came to see me.
The moment she saw me, her face was full of apology:
“Lydia Louise, I’m sorry. The incident at Lily’s school wasn’t my doing.”
“Perhaps my parents were unwilling to accept it themselves and wanted to vent their anger through me.”
“I apologize to you on their behalf. If you have any requests, I will do my best to fulfill them.”
Her tone was still gentle, just like the last time in the restroom.
I looked at her with a pang of envy. If my mother hadn’t fallen ill all those years ago, would I have lived as gracefully and happily as she had?
The coffee was almost cold when Alice softly said,
“No matter how things turn out between you and Henry, I still wish you and Lily happiness.”
From then on, my mother’s condition improved significantly under the care of the foreign medical team.
Henry Stone, too, was constantly around Lily and me, giving us the very best. He watched my expressions carefully, afraid of upsetting me.
He said,
“Lydia Louise, I know I was a bastard before. I don’t ask for your forgiveness. I only wish to spend my remaining days with you and Lily as much as possible.”
On Lily’s sixth birthday, we blew out the candles together.
Henry Stone pulled a velvet box from his pocket, dropped to one knee, and opened it with trembling hands:
“Lydia Louise, I failed to give you a wedding back then. Now… will you marry me?”
“I have made a will. When I die, all my property will belong to you and Lily.”
I should have refused, but I didn’t.
For Lily, I needed this security. I wanted my son to grow up confident, to be able to hold his head high, and tell everyone he wasn’t illegitimate—he just lost his father.
I nodded:
“I will.”
A week later, we had a simple wedding.
Henry Stone’s parents sat in the audience, tears streaming down their faces as they looked at their pale son, holding Lily’s hand tightly as if she were their only hope.
Though we were married, there was no intimacy between us.
Partly because of his health, partly because I couldn’t stand him in my heart.
Yet I began to treat him with kindness, just like I did at sixteen—thoughtful and considerate.
Whenever he suffered from a heart attack, writhing in pain and wanting to give up, I would hold him gently and whisper,
“Henry Stone, you can’t die. You still have to watch Lily grow up and see my mother wake up.”
My encouragement seemed to work. He began actively accepting treatment. Even after repeated transplant failures, he didn’t give up.
Just as his condition showed a slight improvement and the doctors said a matching heart might be found, my mother woke up.
And she learned about my marriage to Henry Stone.
I received the call from the hospital and rushed there like a madwoman.
Eight years later, I finally saw my mother’s clear eyes again.
I thought she would scold me, tell me I shouldn’t have married Henry Stone.
But she only reached out with a trembling hand, gently touching the scar on my forehead, her voice choked with emotion:
“Lydia… Lydia, I’m sorry for everything. I let you suffer so much.”
“Do whatever you want, I support you, as long as you’re happy.”
“I know it hasn’t been easy for you all these years…”
Seeing my mother crying, I could no longer hold back. I hugged her tightly and cried out:
“Mom, I’m sorry. It’s my fault.
I made you suffer so much.”
The doctors came in to remind us that the patient needed rest, and I left reluctantly.
Mom, don’t worry. Henry Stone will never be happy.
I hate him, and I never will stop.
Especially after my mother woke up, all the hatred I had deliberately suppressed surged back uncontrollably.
A few days later, Henry Stone excitedly told me that he had found a matching heart, and the surgery had a very high success rate.
Once he recovered, he planned to take Lily and me on a world tour.
I watched his elation and suddenly laughed.
I pulled my hand from his grasp, wiping it off with disgust, then leaned close to his ear and, in the gentlest voice, said the cruelest words:
“Henry Stone, do you really think you can ever be happy?”
“When you die, I’ll take your money, remarry a good man, and let Lily call someone else ‘Daddy.
’”
“I will pray every day, pray that you go to hell, never be reborn, and pray that in all our future lives, we never meet again.”
Henry Stone’s smile froze, shock flooding his eyes.
After a long while, that shock slowly twisted into heart-wrenching pain.
He reached to grab me, but I dodged.
“You know… I didn’t even have to be this cruel to you,” I said with a smile.
“As long as you die.
”
Henry Stone’s body stiffened abruptly, and a spray of blood erupted from his mouth, staining his white shirt.
His lips trembled, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
That night, I was at home with Lily, watching cartoons, when Henry Stone called.
“Lydia… Lydia Louise, don’t hang up. I just want to ask you one question.”
“Back then… did you ever really love me?”
I stared at the cheerful cartoon on the screen, my voice calm and flat:
“No.”
Then I hung up immediately.
I lied.
I had truly loved him once, loved him so completely that I abandoned all reason.
But those days were too bitter. I never wanted to go back.
The next morning, I received a call from the hospital: Henry Stone was dead.
He had jumped from the hospital rooftop, dying instantly.
I put on a mask of grief and helped handle the funeral arrangements for the Stone family.
The day after Henry Stone was buried, I took Lily and changed our surname back to mine.
When Henry’s parents came to argue, I had the bodyguards throw them out.
Lily didn’t need grandparents like them. They couldn’t even raise their own child properly; they didn’t deserve him.
All of Henry Stone’s assets went to Lily. My daughter could use his money, but she didn’t have to recognize him as his father.
While my mother recovered, I sat for the adult college entrance exam, picking up the dreams I had abandoned years ago.
Everything I had lost, everything I had missed—I would reclaim bit by bit.
From that day on, I would take care of my mother and Lily, live well, and never let anyone harm us again.
The cold nights would eventually end, and the light meant for us would finally arrive.
END.
