Chapter 4

After being discharged from the hospital, Wendy returned home. However, she'd barely pushed the door open when a neighbor rushed toward her. "Julian's fighting someone down the alley! He's going crazy. You'd better go and check it out." Wendy stopped in her tracks before walking toward the alley. There, Julian was straddling a man on the ground and savagely beating him. The corner of his lips was dripping with blood, but he seemingly didn't care and kept throwing punches at the other person's face. "How dare you secretly look at Bianca? I'll kill you!" The man beneath him spat some blood, and two bloody teeth hit the ground. Meanwhile, Wendy stood at the mouth of the alley as her chest suddenly tightened. She remembered lying in a hospital bed after a miscarriage, but he hadn't even spared her a single word of concern. However, an unwanted glance from a stranger toward Bianca had sent him into a murderous rage. Wendy clutched her chest, but she couldn't tell if it still hurt. She had already gone numb. When Julian was done, he turned around and caught sight of her. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes. He hadn't expected to see her there. He instinctively tried to explain himself, but Wendy merely cast him a brief and indifferent glance before turning around and walking away. Julian felt an inexplicable wave of discomfort as he watched Wendy leave without a trace of hesitation. After all, she'd used to flare up in jealousy even if he so much as spoke to another woman. Why was she so indifferent now? Bianca walked over just as his frustration was about to blow over. Her eyes reddened, and her nose scrunched slightly. Like a frightened little girl, she said, "Julian, please don't be angry anymore, okay?" She gently tugged at his arm. "It's my birthday today. Mom and Dad made me my favourite squab broth, and they've prepared a dinner party. Let's go home, alright?" She lifted her hand and tenderly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Julian looked into her reddened eyes. Then, he patted her head and said, "You're always so considerate, Bianca. Unlike some people, all they do is cause trouble." The fleeting sense of unease toward Wendy earlier had long since vanished from Julian's mind. … Wendy returned home and had just changed her shoes when her phone rang. The screen showed the name Edmund Thorne. He was the divorce lawyer. "Ms. Locke, everything you requested has been taken care of," Edmund's voice came through. "The divorce will be finalized in three days." Wendy's fingers tightened slightly around the phone. At last, the heavy weight in her heart was being lifted. She thanked Edmund through the phone and hung up before looking around the living room. The stuffed toy that Lila had left behind from before was still on the couch, while the fresh fruit she'd bought a few days ago was still on the coffee table. This house that she had lived in for five years carried her traces in every corner. Yet, all Wendy could feel was an overwhelming ache in her heart. Without turning on the lights, she simply sat there in the dark for a long time. It wasn't until the moon rose high in the night sky that she quietly returned to her room. Perhaps due to days of exhaustion, Wendy quickly fell asleep. She didn't even hear the faint footsteps outside the door. When she woke up, a sharp and acrid smell had filled the air. Wendy struggled to sit up, but the sight before her instantly caused her to freeze. Flames were creeping up the curtains, and thick smoke soon was filling the entire room. "Open the door! Open the door!" Wendy stumbled to the door and frantically pounded on it. However, the door remained firmly shut. It had clearly been locked from the outside. Meanwhile, the smoke thickened. Wendy coughed as she crouched down. Then, a sudden thought flashed through her mind—someone wanted her dead! Just then, a child's voice came from beyond the door, piercing her heart like an ice-hardened needle. "Mommy's a bad person! Aunt Bianca told me you pushed her down the stairs and made her lose her baby!" It was Lila! Wendy's hand froze, and her blood ran cold. "I don't want a bad mommy like you!" Lila continued. Her childish tone cut deeper than any blade. "Aunt Bianca buys me strawberry cakes and plays with me. She's the one who should be my mommy! You're a bad person! You should burn and die!" With that, Lila ran away, leaving Wendy alone in the raging inferno. The smoke seared Wendy's lungs, but the pain in her heart felt far worse than the burns. She recalled stopping eating spicy food just because Lila didn't like it, and she also remembered how she had stayed by Lila's bedside all night tending to her through a fever. She had told herself that the child was innocent—even after learning the child wasn't hers by blood. Regardless, she still loved Lila the same. Yet, the daughter she had loved with every fibre of her being was the one condemning her to die! Soon, the thick smoke clouded Wendy's consciousness. In her daze, she suddenly laughed. She could have left with the evidence, but now, she was going to die in her own house. Her parents, her husband, and her daughter… In the end, none of them stood by her. Suddenly, the door was kicked open. Then, a pair of strong arms lifted her up. The familiar scent of cedar filled Wendy's lungs. It was Adrian.