Chapter 10

Hearing the voice on the phone, I quickly snatched it away and hung up. Sophia stared at the now-disconnected screen, sheer rage twisting her face. Her hand trembled, tears clinging to her lashes. I clicked my tongue twice. Ronald’s sharp tongue? He was being fairly polite today, honestly. I pinched Sophia’s chin, taking in the mix of hatred, fury, and those watery eyes staring back at me. With a chill smile, I said, “Sophia, cut the drama. Don’t mess with me.” She flushed, eyes wide with frustration and embarrassment, glaring at me like she wanted to eat me alive. “You definitely told Ronald bad things about me, didn’t you? Otherwise, he wouldn’t treat me like this—I hate you!” Then she gave me a shove and stormed off crying, full-on drama mode. I took a couple of unsteady steps back, letting out a breathless laugh. Seriously? No skills, no self-awareness, just dreaming of getting everything handed to her. And when things don’t go her way, she blames everyone but herself. What a piece of work. I didn't bother following her. Just headed downstairs. But before leaving the house, I made a quick stop by the study. Thomas was there, fiddling with his computer, clearly busy with something. Not thrilled to see me, he barely glanced up, just kept clicking away. I walked right up to the table and got straight to the point. “Dad, I need some money.” His face instantly turned sour. Without even looking at me, he asked, “What for?” “Ronald’s mom’s not feeling great lately. I wanna get her some health supplements.” As soon as I mentioned Lisa, his grumpy expression froze. He reached for his phone, about to transfer me some money, then suddenly paused. “You don’t have any money on you? Always running to me for cash.” I glanced at his moody face and answered calmly, “I’m broke. And come on, can’t show up to my mother-in-law’s place with cheap stuff, right?” Truth is, I really didn’t have any cash. Growing up, my dad barely gave me a cent. My mom helped now and then, but she didn’t have control over the money either. So, since high school, I taught myself design and earned a bit on the side. But yeah, I was the queen of dumb love. Whatever savings I had after marriage? All got poured into trying to please Ronald and his mom. Every last dime. Thomas gave me this sharp, calculating look, clearly trying to figure out if I was lying. After a while, maybe deciding I wasn’t faking it, he begrudgingly relented and transferred me ten grand without a fuss. “Get something nice for your mother-in-law. Pick the expensive stuff, got it? If it’s not enough, just ask for more.” I shot him a look of pure disgust. Nothing I hated more than that fake, bootlicking version of him. It made my skin crawl. In his world, everyone else would always matter more than me or my mom.Whenever we got sick, he'd pinch every penny, always whining about how hard it was to make money, telling us to just tough it out. For twenty-three years, he never once acted like a real dad. He never made up for how much my mom poured into this family. But when it comes to the Wrights or Sophia and her mom, it’s like he becomes a completely different person—generous like money grows on trees. Everyone thinks he’s such a great guy. What a joke. I stared at the cash in my hand, eyes cold, no hesitation as I turned and walked away. I took a cab to the hospital and paid the hospital fee at the reception. “Bed 26, Richard Harrison—how’s he doing now?” I asked. The nurse glanced at the chart, “He’s stable now, should wake up soon.” I gave a quick nod and found his room. Inside, a bearded man lay motionless on the bed, pale-faced, an oxygen mask over his nose. That was the same man I saw by the gravestone yesterday—my uncle. I walked over and pulled the blanket up for him just as his eyelashes trembled. Slowly, his eyes opened. Disoriented, he looked around and tried hard to ask through chapped lips, “Where... am I?” His face, unshaven and weary, looked like he’d been through hell. My gaze stayed flat, like something had burnt out inside me. “You’re in the hospital. You collapsed from a heart attack yesterday. If I hadn’t gotten you here in time, you might not be alive now, Uncle Richard.” Yeah, this was my uncle—my mom’s younger brother. Probably around ten or fifteen years older than me. I hardly had any connection with my mom’s family. I barely knew anything about them. In my last life, I thought they were cold, always looking down on my dad and our family just because they had money. Even when we were struggling, they could’ve helped without blinking—but they didn’t. Then when my mom passed away, none of them even showed up for her funeral. I cut ties with them after that. Never saw or spoke to them again before I died in my previous life. What really shocked me though—was yesterday, at my mom’s grave. This uncle of mine, crippled and all, actually dragged himself across the country just to see her. When he saw me, his eyes went red, lips pressed together, tears falling one by one. Took him forever to squeeze out just one line: “She’s gone... why didn’t anyone tell us?” I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t expect that kind of emotion from him—raw, painful. Nothing cold or distant about it. But what hit me most was realizing he really didn’t know she’d been gone for over six months. Just as I was about to respond, he suddenly clutched his chest, gasping, then passed out in pain. “Uncle Richard!” I shouted, panic bursting through me as I rushed to give him emergency meds and called for help. Thank God I got him to the hospital in time. The doctor said if I’d been even a little later, they wouldn’t have been able to save him. Funny thing is, in my past life, he passed away early—I didn’t make it to his funeral, but I vaguely remember it happened around this time too. So… I accidentally saved Uncle Richard’s life? “Isabella.” Richard Harrison’s voice was rough and low, pulling me back from my thoughts. I looked over and saw him staring at me, eyes bloodshot, face full of grief. His voice sounded like he was holding back everything. “When… when did she pass? What was it? Why didn’t anyone tell us?” I pressed my lips together and explained, “Half a year ago. It was an illness. I thought Dad told you all, so I didn’t mention it again.” Back then, I’d assumed they were just holding a grudge and didn’t care enough to come to Mom’s funeral. Turns out… they had no idea. Richard closed his eyes tightly. I could clearly see the tears sliding down his face. His lips were trembling—he looked completely broken. In that instant, he seemed older, years older. My chest tightened with guilt. In my vague childhood memories, Uncle Richard was really good to me. Whenever we went to Grandpa’s house, he always played with me patiently. He was tall and strong and had a clean, handsome face. I loved sitting on his shoulders pretending to ride a horse. He’d always lift me up and run around, making me laugh so hard. Grandpa would scold him constantly for that, but Uncle Richard just grinned and brushed it off, saying he’d keep me safe, no problem. I had such a good impression of him. But after I grew up, we drifted apart. Some misunderstandings came up. In the end, we basically became strangers. “Uncle Richard… did something happen back at Grandpa’s place? What’s going on with your leg?” He didn’t respond. I called him again, not ready to give up. But Richard just turned away without a word. The silence said it all. I guessed maybe he had a falling-out with Grandpa, felt awful, wanted to see Mom… then found out she was gone. I didn’t push him. With people like me who aren’t close with anyone in the family, I honestly didn’t know what to say. Instead, I just said, “The doctor said your heart problem is serious. You should get a full check-up and schedule the surgery soon. It can’t wait too long.” With that, I grabbed the electric kettle and stepped out to get some hot water. The doctor’s office was right next to the break room. As I filled the kettle, I caught the sound of someone talking on the phone inside. “Mom, it’s next Monday’s flight. Don’t worry! Once I’m abroad, I’ll focus and get my grades up.” The word “abroad” made my ears perk up. Instinctively, I turned to look—and there she was. Wearing a white coat, all smiles and sweet voice. Ronald's precious first love. She was leaving the country. I froze. My gaze went blank. And suddenly, memories from the past life rushed in. It was after she left the country that Ronald realized he couldn’t let her go. That was when he dropped everything… and chased after her.