Chapter 4
Bennett drove home at breakneck speed. The moment he walked through the door, he saw Violet’s anxious face and immediately asked, “Where’s Dylan?”
evident
Dylan was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, a fever patch stuck to his forehead. Bennett walked over to him, worry in his eyes. “Dylan, how are you feeling?”
Dylan weakly opened one eye. “I hurt.”
Bennett pressed further. “Where does it hurt?”
“My head hurts. It’s killing me.” Dylan’s voice was weak, but there were obvious traces of acting in it. Moreover, while he claimed his head hurt, his hand was clutching his stomach.
Bennett fell silent for two seconds, then reached out to feel Dylan’s arms and legs. Although Dylan had a fever patch on his forehead, his body wasn’t hot at all. Bennett asked, “Dylan, are you really sick?”
Dylan blinked. “Of course I am.”
“Alright.” Bennett stood up. “Then I’m taking you to the hospital right now. If you’re sick, you need proper rest. I’ll give tomorrow night’s football game tickets to my colleagues.”
“No!” Dylan panicked and jumped up from the couch. “You can’t give the tickets to someone else!”
1/7
C
11:24
couch, but Bennett’s expression had already darkened.
Bennett said sternly, “Dylan, whatever you want, you can tell me directly. If I can fulfill it, I definitely will. But I don’t like children who lie. I’ve told you this many times.”
Dylan’s eyes quickly filled with tears. Violet immediately walked over. “Don’t treat him like that. He can’t handle it.”
She took Bennett’s arm. “I’m the one who told Dylan to fake being sick. If you’re going to scold someone, scold me.”
Bennett’s expression softened slightly. He rubbed his temples and said quietly, “You’re being ridiculous.”
Violet playfully nuzzled Bennett’s shoulder, then smiled reassuringly at Dylan. “Dylan, go back to your room first. I need to talk to your dad.”
Knowing Bennett wasn’t angry anymore, Dylan happily went back to his room to watch anime.
Violet pulled Bennett to sit on the couch. Bennett’s expression hadn’t completely softened. “Why did you tell Dylan to fake being sick?”
Violet hesitated for a moment. After a while, she tentatively asked Bennett, “Did you go see that girl?”
She didn’t mention my name, nor did she say I was Bennett’s daughter–she just called me “that girl.” Violet was clearly implying to Bennett that I wasn’t part of this family.
2/7
11:24
worried about Dylan. Bennett, you’re Dylan’s father, and you know Dylan loves you most. If Dylan knew you were sharing your love with someone else, he’d definitely be heartbroken.”
After a long silence, Bennett patted the back of Violet’s hand. “I won’t. Don’t worry.”
Violet let out a long sigh of relief.
Watching this scene from the side, I felt no pain in my heart for some reason. Actually, I had been to this place before. Back when I was still in elementary school, Bennett’s assistant at the time, Miles Reed, had visited my school several times to attend parent–teacher conferences in Bennett’s place. Miles pitied me and felt Bennett had too deep a misunderstanding about me. So he found a way to bring me to Bennett’s house, hoping I could have dinner with them.
When I was brought over, Bennett hadn’t gotten off work yet, Dylan had gone to swimming lessons, so only Violet was in the living room. Violet was very friendly to me. The moment I walked in, she took my hand. She said, “You must be Stella, right?”
You’re really beautiful.”
In that moment, I instinctively felt a bit guilty because I knew I looked a lot like Valentina. Even Bennett hated me for this reason, let alone Violet, who had once had her lover stolen by Valentina. But Violet was incredibly kind. She smiled and led me to the living room to sit down, asking what I liked to eat and play with, then brought me various snacks, comic books, and
games. I was a bit shy at first, but these new
Bideo
things well:24
were
Half an hour later, Dylan came home. He seemed to ignore my presence, but when he saw that the snacks I was eating and the comic book in my hands were his, he immediately pouted unhappily. But before I could explain, Violet quickly pulled him away. She took Dylan into the bedroom. I hesitated where I was for a while, then finally walked over and knocked on the door nervously.
“I’m sorry. I…‘
Violet interrupted me. She smiled at me gently and said, “It’s okay, Stella. Go read your comic. I need to have a word with Dylan.”
I had no choice but to return to the living room and pick up the comic book again. But no matter how exciting the content was, I couldn’t focus on it. The bedroom door was left slightly ajar. I could see Violet talking to Dylan continuously, and Dylan’s expression grew more and more aggrieved, his eyes getting redder and redder.
More than ten minutes later, Bennett came home. As soon as he walked in, Dylan rushed up and hugged him, then burst into tears. Bennett was startled. He picked up Dylan, constantly asking him what was wrong. But Dylan was crying so hard he couldn’t breathe, unable to answer. Violet walked over to Bennett’s side. Looking at the sobbing Dylan, her eyes also began to well up with tears. Bennett then asked Violet what had happened. Violet glanced at me, then sighed and shook her head, saying nothing.
Dylan cried for a full five minutes. Those were the most
Anbearable five minutes of my life. I watched him cry with shb?4
After five minutes, Dylan was exhausted from crying and finally went from sobbing to sniffling. “Daddy.” He wrapped his arms around Bennett’s neck, pitifully wiping his snot and tears all over his suit. “Stella took my snacks and comic books. She wouldn’t give them back to me. I was so scared.”
I stood to the side, feeling like I’d suddenly fallen into an ice cellar. I opened my mouth and said weakly with a pale face, “I didn’t.”
I hadn’t taken his snacks and comic books–Violet had given them to me voluntarily. I never took other children’s things. Even if I really liked something, I wouldn’t take it. When I was in kindergarten, the teacher even praised me for being the most well–behaved child because of this. But I didn’t say any of these words out loud, because Bennett was wiping Dylan’s nose with tissues while yelling at me, “Shut up!”
I closed my mouth, feeling more and more wronged inside, so I let out a suppressed sob. But Bennett became even more impatient. He held Dylan tighter and said coldly to me, “Are tears a weapon? After your mother cries, now it’s your turn?”
I bit my teeth hard and told myself, “Stop crying. When Dylan cries, he gets love and sympathy, but when you cry, you only annoy people more.”
Dylan was held in Bennett’s arms, looking down at me from above. The crystal chandelier hung over my head. The light was too glaring for me to see his expression clearly.
After a while, Dylan turned around and hugged Bennett’s neck ightly. In his soft voice, he said, “Daddy, even if Stella takes mi3-4
11:24
things, it doesn’t matter. As long as she doesn’t take you away from me. I can give her my chocolate, chips, comic books, and game console. I just want you.”
After that, I never went to Bennett’s house again. He ordered the security guards at the community entrance not to let me in. Even the soft–hearted Miles lost his job because of this incident. From that moment on, I realized they were a real family, and I could never fit in. Bennett had married the woman he’d always loved deeply and had an adorable son. He could have had a perfectly happy future. But I remained in his life like an indelible stain, preventing him from completely separating from those terrible memories of the past. His hatred for me was natural, let alone Violet and Dylan’s feelings toward me.
By this time, it had been over three hours since my death. Bennett quickly washed up and prepared for bed, as he had an important shareholders‘ meeting early the next morning. However, that meeting never took place. Ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to begin, his secretary Hunter White rushed over and said, “Mr. Lewis, I received a phone call. It seems to be from Stella’s teacher, Wesley Baker.”
After drinking two cups of black coffee and washing his face with cold water, Bennett barely managed to shake off his drowsiness. Upon hearing my name, he immediately asked angrily, “Why are you reporting such trivial matters at a time like this? Is the projector in the conference room set up?”
Hunter hurried away, while Bennett straightened his suit collar
the office. A few minutes later, Hunter returned. However, he
Bennett picking up his car keys. Bennett said, “Notify the shareholders that the meeting has been moved to this afternoon.”
He rubbed his temples, asking wearily, “What did Mr. Baker say?”
