Chapter 3

Two days later, it was Mom’s birthday.

For the first time in three years, she called me herself and asked me to come home for dinner.

I knew very well that I shouldn’t go, but in the end, I went anyway.

When I opened the door, Vienne was sitting in the seat that used to be mine, with the diamond bracelet Grandmother had left behind around her wrist.

When I was young, Mom told me that one day, the bracelet would be passed down to my child.

Now, she smiled as she rubbed Vienne’s belly. “When the baby is born, this will be Grandma’s first gift.”

I sat down.

Halfway into dinner, Kairo suddenly said, “Aurelia, let’s get divorced first.”

I looked at him.

He looked completely calm. “Vienne is about to give birth. After the baby is born, some paperwork will be hard to deal with. We’ll get a fake divorce first. Once the baby is born and everything is settled, we’ll get married again.”

I looked at him.

Kairo frowned before adding, “It’s only temporary. Aurelia, you don’t need to be so petty about it.”

Mom also spoke indifferently, “It’s just a formality. Don’t make trouble again.”

I ignored her and kept my eyes on Kairo. “So you’ve already made this decision?”

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, and I suddenly wanted to laugh.

Three years ago, he and Vienne pretended to be dead, leaving me here by myself to take the blame for two deaths.

Three years later, he came back and once again assumed that if he promised we would get married again later, I would simply keep waiting for him.

I nodded. “Okay.”

Kairo looked surprised. “You agree?”

“Yeah.”

Vienne lowered her head and rubbed her belly, a small smile forming on her lips.

Only Kairo kept watching me.

It was as if my agreeing so quickly had made him a little uneasy instead.

After dinner, as I walked past the study, I suddenly heard Mom’s voice from inside.

“She already agreed to the divorce. What are you still worried about?”

Vienne said quietly, “I’m afraid Aurelia will keep looking into what happened three years ago.”

Mom went quiet for a moment. “She won’t find anything. I already dealt with the medical records from back then.”

I stopped walking.

Vienne asked again, “What if she really finds out?”

Mom’s voice became cold. “So what if she finds out? You’re my biological daughter. She lived the life that should’ve been yours for more than twenty years. She’s already gotten enough.”

I froze where I stood.

Half a year earlier, someone had found me.

They placed a paternity test in front of me and told me that I wasn’t the biological daughter of the Silva family.

My biological parents had been looking for me for more than twenty years.

I didn’t believe them. But it turned out everything was true.

The next afternoon, Kairo asked me to meet him at a law firm.

Only the last page of the agreement was left.

He gave me the pen. “Sign it. Once Vienne gives birth to the baby, we’ll get married again.”

Just as I reached for it, Vienne suddenly called from across the street. “Kairo.”

She stood there with one hand on her waist.

Kairo frowned. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?”

Vienne was about to answer.

The light turned green, and the crowd started moving forward.

The next second, the loud sound of a horn suddenly rang out.

Someone shouted, “Get out of the way!”

A delivery truck that had lost control sped into the intersection.

Vienne wasn’t far from me. Kairo didn’t hesitate at all. He ran past me and pulled Vienne toward the side of the road.

The next second, the truck hit the side of my body.

The impact knocked me into the air, and I landed hard on the ground.

Pain shot from my shoulder down to my chest, and people screamed around me.

Not far away, Kairo held Vienne in his arms. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Vienne’s face was completely pale. “My stomach hurts.”

He quickly bent down and picked her up. Only then did he finally notice me lying on the ground.

His footsteps paused.

I waited for him to come over, but Vienne suddenly cried out from the pain.

Kairo quickly looked away. “Call an ambulance!”

The first ambulance arrived, and he went with Vienne.

I stayed where I was.

When Mom hurried over after hearing what happened, I was still on the side of the road waiting for the second ambulance.

The first thing she asked after stopping a passerby was, “Where’s Vienne?”

Someone told her that Vienne had already been taken to the hospital, and she immediately turned to leave.

Trying to bear the pain, I called after her, “Mom.”

Only then did she look back. When she noticed the blood on my arm, she stopped for a moment. “You’re hurt too?”

I suddenly had no idea what else to say.

In the end, she still turned to leave. “I’ll go check on Vienne first. Go to the hospital on your own.”

As the ambulance doors shut, my phone started ringing.

It was the same number again.

“Miss Aurelia, we heard you were in an accident. Do you want us to pick you up sooner?”

I rested against the stretcher. “How soon can you come?”

“The night after tomorrow.”

I stayed quiet for a few seconds. “Okay.”