Chapter 1

The first time Silvia Robinson undergoes ECT, she is all alone.

Even Gregory Fisher, her fiance who loves her so much, is nowhere to be seen.

After the doctor gives her a muscle relaxant, she starts to get drowsy. She is in a daze when she recalls what happened that evening.

She has waited three hours in line for a special cake, which she is planning to surprise Gregory with. However, she comes home to see Gregory kissing her younger sister, Ella Robinson.

The two are deep in a kiss as they hold each other tightly in an inseparable embrace.

The cake in Silvia's hands drops to the floor, smashed beyond recognition as Silvia delivers a slap across Gregory's face.

Then, she finds herself being pushed down the stairs by Ella.

As she rolls down the stairs, Silvia feels like she has already seen this coming.

Anyone close to her will eventually be taken away by her sister.

Chapter 1

Ella Robinson was enthusiastic and generous, and she reminded people of the sun.

In contrast, Silvia Robinson was quiet, just like her name, and she was just like a shadow without any sort of presence.

From the moment Gregory Fisher first met Ella, Silvia had a bad feeling about it.

Back then, Silvia reassured herself that she and Gregory had been together for a decade, so it wouldn't happen.

But harsh reality proved that Silvia couldn't have been more wrong.

Gregory had sent her to the hospital and kept watch by her bed. He was even worried that the IV fluid would make her hands cold, so he asked the nurse for a heating pad to keep her warm.

"That kiss was an accident," Gregory said. "I just think of her as you, a younger and livelier version of you. Silvia, why do you have to be so strong and distant? I always feel like you don't need me anymore.

"Anyway, this won't happen again. As for Ella, well, she's your sister, after all, and she's so young, too. Don't hold it against her, okay?"

Silvia lowered her gaze, and she suddenly laughed. "Are you telling me all this just because you're worried that I might drive Ella out?"

Gregory's breath hitched as he gripped Silvia's hand. "Silvia, I know you're still upset about it. It's okay. I'll stay with you until you feel better."

Silvia pulled her hand from Gregory's grasp, then turned over so that she had her back to him. She could hear Gregory sighing behind her, as if he were dealing with a spoiled child.

Just then, his phone rang, and she could hear Ella's voice coming through the phone. "Gregory, I'm scared. I'm all alone at home. Can you come back and keep me company?

"I didn't mean to push Silvia. I was just heartbroken when I saw her slapping you. Later on, I calmed down and thought about it. I really didn't push her that hard, so I have no idea why Silvia would suddenly fall down the stairs like that."

After reassuring Ella in a low voice, Gregory said to Silvia, "Something came up at work. I'll be right back."

Then, he hurried out of the hospital.

Gregory never once returned, not even after Silvia was discharged.

The injury in Silvia's legs hadn't completely healed. She only left the hospital because she didn't want to deal with any more visitors.

Over the past few days, lots of people had come to see her, but they were always repeating the same things.

They all wanted her to forgive Ella.

She had no idea what Ella told them, but all her friends and colleagues were looking at her with heavy condemnation.

They said things like, "Ella is practically a child. No matter how terrible her mother was, you can't just take out your anger on a child, can you? You're her only sister and the only family she has left. If even you are holding a bias against her, she'll really be all alone!"

When Silvia heard her best friend, Tessa Meyer, saying those words in self-righteousness, she felt her heart grow cold.

She did indeed feel some resentment.

However, she had never once mistreated Ella. Even when Ella wanted to study abroad, she had sent Ella overseas as soon as she had scraped together the money.

Everyone seemed to have conveniently forgotten that their father, Jared Robinson, had eloped with Ella's mother when Silvia was barely three years old. He had taken all their wealth and walked out, leaving Silvia and her mother, Rosaline Hall, drowning in debt.

Rosaline resented her husband, and she took it all out on Silvia. She worked hard to raise her daughter, but she was also cursing and shouting at her.

Silvia studied hard, got into a famous school, landed a job at a major tech company, and met Gregory. Just when everything was looking up, the Robinsons brought Ella along and came knocking.

"Jared and his wife died in an accident, leaving their daughter all alone. Ella is 13 years old, and you're her older sister by blood. It's your responsibility to care for her until she's of age."

As a father, Jared had never once called Silvia or sent her any money in all those years. But now, according to the law, Silvia had to raise the child of the couple who had been the root of all their suffering.

Left with no other choice, Silvia took Ella in.

She herself was only 20 years old, but she had to take care of her 13-year-old sister like a mother.

Sometimes, things got too busy at work, so Silvia had no choice but to bring Ella to the office.

Ella was Jared and his wife's only daughter, so of course, they spoiled her and raised her to be cheerful and self-assured.

Silvia's friends and colleagues started out feeling some sort of aversion to Ella, but they gradually grew to like her.

"Your sister is much more likeable than you." Silvia had heard the people around her tell her that more often than she had liked.

And even now, the man she had been dating for a decade shared the same opinion.

"Silvia, wake up…" In her daze, Silvia heard someone gently calling her name.

With her thoughts interrupted, Silvia opened her eyes to find that the session was over. She got up, and the nurse removed the equipment attached to her head.

The nurse said, "You may experience a decline in memory during this period, and that's normal. Just be sure to stick to a regular daily routine. Don't forget your next appointment."

Silvia nodded, jotting down everything the nurse had said in the notebook that she carried with her at all times.

With every ECT session she went through, she gradually began to forget lots of things. So, she wrote down everything she had to do in the notebook.

She tried to remember but realized that events in the past seemed to have been shrouded in fog. She felt like a bystander, calm and rational.

At the top of her notes, she saw two points written in bold red font.

The first one was to sever official ties to Ella.

The second was to break up with Gregory.

Chapter 2

Silvia vaguely remembered that she had already severed official ties with Ella before her treatment.

She turned on her phone and noticed that her last conversation with Ella had taken place before she saw Ella and Gregory kissing. Ella had sweetly asked Silvia for a pair of limited-edition shoes.

Silvia had been financially strapped when she was 18 years old. She couldn't even bring herself to buy clothes that cost more than 30 dollars.

She knew Ella cared about her appearance, and she also knew at that stage in life, Ella would have a strong sense of self-esteem. So, Silvia had wired the money without saying anything.

Ella had silently received the money without a single response.

Sighing, Silvia closed the chat window with Ella and navigated to Gregory's.

Their last conversation had taken place the day after Silvia was hospitalized. He had said, "I'm very worried about you."

It had been almost two weeks since Silvia got discharged. In those two weeks, she had booked her appointments for ECT, gone through the preliminary tests, and completed her first course of treatment.

She wasn't quite sure what Gregory was worrying about.

When Silvia got home and opened the door to find Gregory and her own friends celebrating Ella's 21st birthday, she finally got her answer.

With her backpack on her back, Silvia was carrying the pills prescribed to her as she opened the door with some difficulty. It was then that she heard a wave of wishes.

"Happy birthday, Ella!"

Silvia made her way to the living room to see everyone gathered around Ella as they sang the birthday song. Ella had tears in her eyes, and she looked pleasantly surprised as she hugged Gregory tightly.

When a friend accidentally caught sight of Silvia at the entrance, she let out a small cough.

The whole room fell silent when they realized that Silvia had come home.

A moment later, Gregory asked a little awkwardly, "Silvia, you got discharged already? Why didn't you tell me? I could've picked you up."

Silvia looked at the man she had been dating for a decade. Now, he felt more like a stranger to her.

She was really upset when she saw him and Ella kissing back then.

She was betrayed by the two people closest to her, whom she had given everything to. The pain was so intense that she had almost lost her balance.

She was about to fly off the handle with curses and questions when she remembered how her own mother had gotten drunk and screamed hysterically at her. She didn't want to retrace Rosaline's steps, so she could only force herself to remain calm.

But now, as she looked at Gregory, she felt like her heart had been squeezed, but the pain only lasted a fleeting moment.

Avoiding Gregory, who had reached out to help her with her backpack, Silvia said indifferently, "I didn't get much peace and quiet in the hospital, so I might as well just go home."

As soon as she said that, all her friends at the scene felt a little awkward.

Tessa stepped forward and tried to smooth things over. "Silvia, you're just in time. It's Ella's birthday today, remember? Gregory even specifically told us not to reveal anything to Ella.

"Here, we all chipped in to get her a gift. Since you're her sister, you're the best person to give it to her."

With that, a small, exquisite box was pressed into Silvia's hands.

Silvia froze on the spot. A moment later, she eventually decided to take the box and hand it to Ella.

Ella had been living with Silvia since she was 13 years old, and she was a full-fledged adult now.

Silvia had been Ella's dependable sister for years, so this gift would be the perfect ending to everything she had done for Ella throughout the years.

With the gift presented to her, Ella reached out to take it, but for some reason, it dropped onto the floor.

The box was smashed open, revealing a beautiful glass bead bracelet that was now broken to pieces.

When Ella saw that, she was on the verge of tears. "Silvia, are you still mad at me? That was just an accident. I swear, I didn't do it on purpose! I've been really worried about you while you were hospitalized. I was so scared that you wouldn't forgive me."

Realizing that Ella was crying, the others hastily went over to comfort her. They were all glaring at Silvia with unapproving looks. "Silvia, I can't believe you're still mad at your own sister! It's Ella's birthday, so can't you just let her be happy on an important day like this?"

Silvia looked at the people reprimanding her, staring at their incessantly moving mouths.

Right in the middle was her fiance, whom she had loved for a decade. He was looking at her in disappointment.

Silvia heard a sudden roar ringing in her ears. Her vision began to blur as well, and she almost lost her balance.

She thought, "Either way, at least just get these people out of here."

Just then, Gregory spoke up, "Alright, stop blaming it on Silvia. She just got discharged, after all."

Walking up to Silvia, he touched her forehead with a look of concern and said in a gentle tone, "Don't hold it against Ella. She's just a child."

Then, he picked up the box on the floor and handed it to Silvia. "She probably just got a little careless and dropped it, so just give it to her again. It's Ella's birthday, after all. You two should sit down and have a good talk over dinner. Sort things out, you know? You'll still need to get along with each other down the road."

Gregory's voice was gentle, but he was discreetly tightening his grip on Silvia's shoulder.

Silvia took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Then, she shook Gregory's hand off.

She said in a quiet voice, "There's no need. We're… probably not going to live together anymore."

As gasps spread throughout the crowd, she continued, "Actually, I came back just to pack my things and move out."

Chapter 3

Suddenly, the silence was broken by Ella's sobs. Tears continuously fell from her reddened eyes, and her nose had turned red as well.

She looked quite pitiful.

"Silvia, are you… driving me out?" Ella covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Then, she turned to Gregory, saying helplessly, "Gregory, what do we do? You promised me that you'd explain everything to Silvia, but even now, she refuses to believe me."

Gregory patted Ella's head, comforting her. His jaw was tense as he stared intently at Silvia.

His brows were tightly knitted, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He had obviously lost his patience.

When Silvia saw that, she suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

Before she could explain herself, a friend was already scolding her. "Silvia, that's too much! If you drive Ella out right now, where is she going to stay? She'll be all alone out there, and she's still so young! What if something happens to her? How could you bear to do such a thing?"

With a look of compassion, Tessa pleaded on Ella's behalf, "Just forget it, Silvia. Can't you see how sad Ella is right now? Also, she's still so young. What is she going to do if you drive her out?"

Silvia stared at her friend of many years. Back then, Tessa fell for a scam and lost her life savings. Silvia was the one who had given Tessa all the money she had saved up so Tessa would have a place to stay.

Back then, Tessa's eyes were brimming with gratitude as she hugged Silvia and called Silvia her best friend. But now, she was turning against Silvia, reprimanding her in defense of her sister who had kissed her fiance.

Silvia stared at the woman who had been friends with her since their youth, feeling a vast emptiness inside her heart. "Tessa, I know we're close, but this is a family matter. Moreover, I'm moving out, so this house—"

Before she could finish speaking, Gregory cut her off, "Enough, Silvia. Tessa was just speaking up for Ella. Also, Ella is your sister, so this is her house, too."

He comforted Ella in a soft voice, then glared at Silvia. "At the end of the day, you're still holding a grudge over what happened between Ella and me. No matter how hard we try to explain ourselves, you'll never believe us.

"But she's still so young. If something's bothering you, just come to me. There's no need to take it out on her."

Having been cut off, Silvia realized she couldn't get a say anymore. She pursed her lips, suddenly losing the will to even speak.

When Gregory realized that Silvia wasn't talking, his frown deepened.

Ella timidly approached Silvia, then took her hand and pleaded, "Silvia, please stop being mad at me. I promise I'll stop talking to Gregory. You're the only family I have left. If you abandon me, I'll really have nowhere to go."

Silvia didn't say anything, but she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her hand. She instinctively tried to shake her hand free, sending Ella stumbling back and falling hard onto the floor.

Silvia reached out to help Ella up, but Gregory shoved her away. "Don't touch her!"

She had never seen Gregory lose his cool like that. His worried expression, trembling hands, and concerned whispers seemed to prick ceaselessly at her heart.

"Gregory, my ankle hurts. I think I might have sprained it…" Ella frowned.

Gregory immediately picked her up in his arms. Before he left, he glared at Silvia. "I'm getting her some help. In the meantime, you should calm down and think things through on your own."

After a pause, he added, "Silvia, I'm really disappointed in you."

Out of view, Silvia's hand twitched a little. She sniffled quietly, trying to ease the stinging sensation in her nose.

The crowd didn't say a word as they watched on, but they were all looking at Silvia in condemnation.

Tessa suggested, "Why don't we all accompany Ella to the hospital? We'll celebrate her birthday elsewhere."

Someone agreed, "Sure. The mood is completely ruined at this point, anyway. What rotten luck! About time we turn things around, huh?"

As Silvia endured their glares and listened to their loaded remarks, she suddenly felt indignation welling up inside her. ''Are you done talking? If you are, the door's that way. After all, at the end of the day, I own this house."

A guy who had been trying to win Ella's heart said in disgust, "Huh! Why are you talking like we all want to be here? If it weren't for Ella, I wouldn't even be stepping foot in this place.

"You're just jealous because Ella is more popular than you, anyway. I can't believe an old hag is trying to compete for attention. How disgusting!"

Silvia saw Gregory stiffen for a moment. However, he didn't turn around as he silently left with Ella in his arms.

Chapter 4

The crowd passed by Silvia, slamming the door on their way out. The door creaked on its hinges as it swung shut.

Silvia could hear cheers following Ella fading into the distance. "Yay! Thank you, Gregory! You're the best!"

Then, everything faded into calm silence.

Only Silvia was left standing in the empty living room, staring quietly at the exquisite cake on the table and the banner on the wall that read, "Happy birthday, Ella!"

For some reason, she reached out and scraped a bit of cream off the cake to taste it. It was very sweet, so sweet that it made her heart ache.

Silvia suddenly remembered that when she was a child, only her grandmother would remember her birthday and give her small cakes that looked just like this.

Now that her grandmother was gone, she had lost the only person in the world who loved her.

And now, even this house, which was the only thing Silvia had to remember her grandmother by, had to be sold off to pay for her medical bills.

Back when she saw Ella and Gregory lost in their passionate kiss, back when she slapped Gregory and was pushed down the stairs by Ella, and back when she lay alone on the hospital bed, thirsting for some water while her friends reprimanded her, Silvia had already decided to leave this place.

She didn't want to be what the Fisher family called "a daughter-in-law who married into high society", nor did she want to keep being the older sister who made sacrifices without complaint or regret.

She wanted to be nothing but herself, just Silvia Robinson.

Notifications sounded on her phone. She had received two messages.

One of them was from Gregory. "I was a bit too harsh just now. Don't take it to heart. We have a long road ahead of us."

The other message was a reminder from the hospital on her next appointment, which was coming up in two weeks.

After her treatment was completely finished, she would forget everything. She would use the money she earned from selling the house and travel to a small city with a breathtaking view, and she would start over from there.

Silvia only replied to the nurse. Then, she stooped over and picked up the ribbons scattered all over the floor.

Gregory probably got it all wrong. The moment Silvia saw him kissing Ella, the road ahead of them had already been cut off.

…

After tidying the rooms, Silvia called over the agent she had contacted beforehand.

After taking some photos and uploading them to the app, the agent seemed a little hesitant.

"Ms. Robinson, this house is in a great location, and it has been well-maintained, too. For the past few years, the housing prices in this location have been rising, and I'm sure they'll continue to rise in the future. If you're not in a hurry to sell it, you can get an even better price if you wait."

Silvia simply smiled and shook her head. She thanked the agent, then said it was fine.

After the agent left, Silvia sat on the couch and stared at her surroundings in bewilderment.

Because she was selling the house, she had already packed most of her belongings into boxes and had them put into paid storage. The house looked quite empty at that moment.

Beside her was her grandmother's favorite chair, and the desk she had made herself was standing in her room.

However, the person in the chair and the photo of them on the desk were both gone.

Silvia remembered that when she was a child, Rosaline would always be extremely exhausted. She was so tired that she didn't want to talk. Instead, all she did was cry.

Silvia wanted to comfort her, but whenever she walked closer, Rosaline would grab her and hit her.

She would cry as she hit Silvia and shouted, "It's all because of you and your heartless dad! If it weren't for you, I would've remarried a long time ago! I'm suffering all because of you and your dad!

"You're a selfish brat, too. It only makes sense. With your dad's blood running in your veins, how could you not be?"

Silvia didn't know what to do. She was in pain, and she wanted to push Rosaline away.

But when she looked up, seeing the bitter agony in Rosaline's face and feeling her tears splashing on her cheeks, she lowered her arms.

Back then, Silvia thought that if this would ease Rosaline's pain, she would be willing to put up with it.

After Rosaline calmed down, she would act as if it hadn't happened. She would cook Silvia's favorite dishes and patiently mend Silvia's torn clothes.

She would say to Silvia, "Silvia, darling, please work hard at school. Don't end up like me, pinning your hopes on the wrong person and living the rest of your life in hatred and regret."

Silvia had mixed feelings about Rosaline. She couldn't completely hate her, nor could she love her wholeheartedly.

Throughout her dark years of growing up, her grandmother was her only light.

Her grandmother would always give her the candies she loved, gently apply ointment on her bruises, take her out for a treat, and tell her she wasn't a burden.

Silvia whispered, "Grandma, I'm leaving soon. I'm sorry I couldn't keep the house."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She took out her phone to see that it was a message from Gregory. "You left your necklace at my place. When are you coming over to get it?"

Chapter 5

Silvia tapped on the photo. The necklace was a gift from Gregory for their tenth anniversary. It was a custom Chaumet piece, and the ruby set on top had a fiery glimmer in it that was visible even in photos.

When Silvia received the necklace, she had been stunned by the dazzling brilliance as well. However, the next second, Gregory's mother, Wendy Burton, called her.

"You're smart, aren't you? You know that if it's a transfer of funds, it'll be reclaimed, so you got my son to give you jewelry instead. I'm impressed that an orphan like you could come up with such tricks."

Gregory's expression shifted, but he could only look at Wendy helplessly and complain, "Mom…"

Silvia declined Gregory's offer to help her put it on. She just kept it in the safe and cherished it.

Sometimes, she would take it out and admire it.

But now, there was no reason to get it back anymore.

Silvia replied, "Just hold on to it for now."

After responding to the message, she fell into a deep sleep.

When she woke up, she saw Gregory sitting by the bed.

Noticing that Silvia was awake, Gregory said in a hoarse voice, "You're up. I came to visit and also to drop off your necklace."

Silvia didn't get up. She took the necklace and placed it absentmindedly on the table. "Thanks. Actually, you don't have to come by this late just to deliver it."

Gregory shook his head. "This necklace is different."

He held her hands, continuing, "Whenever I see this necklace, I remember all the moments we've shared together. We've weathered so many storms, but now, because of a trivial matter, we're fighting and giving each other the silent treatment…"

As he spoke, his voice seemed to choke with emotion. "It's really not worth it."

Silvia recalled their past.

She had been down with a fever once. Gregory went out in the middle of the night to deliver the medicine, and he almost got himself in an accident.

Some fortune teller had told her that she would have a life of loneliness and hardship, so Gregory insisted on kneeling and praying every step of the way to a shrine on top of a mountain.

He was on his bleeding knees as he had closed his eyes in devotion and prayed, "May Silvia live a life of peace and happiness."

Silvia had been diagnosed with uterine cancer, so she couldn't give birth anymore. Gregory got a vasectomy just to make his stance clear to Wendy.

Their relationship had been much better back then.

Silvia pulled her hands out of Gregory's grasp. The bruises and needle marks on the back of her hand were clearly visible.

However, Gregory ignored all of that and said to her, "Ella has been having a hard time staying at the hotel. She even ate something bad and upset her stomach, and she's hospitalized now. Let's go to the hospital and take her home, alright?"

Silvia pointed out indifferently, "Where will she stay, then? Gregory, I told you I'm going to sell the house."

Gregory frowned a little. "Since when? Why would you sell a perfectly fine house?"

Silvia sighed. "I told you on Ella's birthday. I said I'm moving out."

Gregory pursed his lips tightly, and he didn't say another word.

Silence reigned between the two.

Some time later, Gregory got to his feet. "Rest up, then. I'm going to visit Ella at the hospital. She's sick, so she must have someone with her at all times."

After hearing the door click shut, Silvia waited for a moment. Then, she got up and deleted Gregory's fingerprint from the door lock.

She returned to her bed, lay down, and closed her eyes.

She didn't sleep a wink all night.

In the morning, when Silvia got up, a wave of dizziness hit her, and she bumped into the bedside table.

The necklace fell onto the floor.

Fearing that the necklace would be scratched, which would make it a pain to return, she picked it up and examined it in detail. It was then that she spotted some inscriptions on the inner side of the necklace that read, "LOVE E.R."

Silvia thought for a moment, then got up and opened her safe.

She realized that her necklace was lying perfectly fine inside. The only difference was that her necklace was inscribed with "S. R.", her initials.

So, "E.R." could only mean "Ella Robinson".

It was as clear as day who the owner of the necklace was.

Silvia stared at the necklaces for a moment. Then, she suddenly laughed.

She was supposed to be laughing, but her eyes had reddened.

As it turned out, her and Gregory's anniversary happened to be his and Ella's anniversary as well.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, she wrapped the necklaces up and went to the hospital.

Once at the entrance of the hospital room, Silvia paused in her footsteps. She took several deep breaths before reaching up and opening the door.

Gregory's voice rang out from within, "I can only relax around you, Ella. Maybe it's because of the unfortunate circumstances in her childhood, but Silvia always has a lot on her mind. She's sensitive and distrustful, and she's also independent. Over time, it's only natural that she starts feeling stressed."

Silvia's hands trembled violently, but Gregory was still talking. "You're different from her. You're so lively and cheerful…"

Before Silvia could hear the rest of his sentence, she had already turned around and left in a hurry.

Chapter 6

On her way home, Gregory's words kept repeating themselves in Silvia's mind.

Everything she vented to Gregory during her emotional breakdowns had now turned into sharp blades that cut into her.

When Gregory first heard from Silvia about her past, he had shed tears for her even though he had always been a strong person.

He felt a deep sense of injustice for Silvia and was saddened for her.

He swore that he would bring Silvia happiness.

But now, with a wry and exasperated tone, he was complaining about her to her half-sister.

Silvia began to gasp for air, and her tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. It felt as if her tears would never stop.

She felt dizzy, and her breaths became labored.

She slashed her nails against her palm, relying on the pain to keep her conscious while she made her way home in determination.

She finally began to calm down after taking some pills.

She looked at the necklaces, then decisively packed up everything Gregory had ever given her. She arranged for someone to keep it in storage. She would have it delivered to Gregory after she had left.

Just then, the agent, Alex Brown, called and said someone was interested in the house. He asked when she would be available for the potential buyers to come over in person and take a look at the property.

Hence, they settled on a date and time.

The potential buyers were a couple who were getting married soon.

Judging by the man's still-passionate gaze at his fiancee, Silvia could tell that the love they had for each other was still burning bright.

"This house looks so cozy. Honey, let's take this one, okay?" the woman asked.

The man nodded, then gave her a loving smile. "Of course. As you please, honey."

Affected by their sweet interactions, Silvia found herself smiling a little as well.

The house was like a sanctuary her grandmother had left her. If it could provide a home for a happy couple, Silvia was sure her grandmother would be happy about it.

When they were signing the contract, Silvia noticed that the woman was quite fond of the wooden carving in the living room, so she decisively let them have it.

She decided that it would be her way of blessing their marriage.

Silvia recalled the moment when Gregory was giving her the carving. He had cuts all over his hands, but he was beaming with satisfaction.

He said that when he wasn't around, the little bunny would keep Silvia company in his stead.

Now, she no longer needed Gregory's company.

If the buyers weren't so fond of it, she would've given it back to Gregory or disposed of it.

Not long after the paperwork was settled, she received the payment for the house.

Silvia checked into a hotel with a decent environment. Aside from going to her regular treatment sessions, she would often take walks outside.

The sunlight in late fall was still reasonably warm. So, she would often sit in a park nearby and bask in the sun.

Gregory and Ella seemed to have faded from her life.

In that period, she felt peace she had never experienced before.

That was, until it was broken by a phone call from Gregory.

"Come to the hospital! Now! Immediately!" Gregory's tone was extremely stern as he urged her.

Silvia really didn't want to go. After the treatment sessions she had gone through since then, Gregory and Ella had become unfamiliar to her.

She knew that Ella was her half-sister and also the daughter of the homewrecker who had destroyed her family.

She had seen this half-sister of hers kissing the man Silvia herself was about to marry.

When she read about these things in her notebook, she could hardly feel anything anymore. She felt that they no longer had any connection to her.

Still, she hadn't clearly told Gregory in person that she was breaking up with him. So, she decided to go.

She had just arrived at the hospital when she saw everyone gathered in the hospital room. There were Gregory, Tessa, and some others.

Silvia stood at the entrance, realizing that there actually wasn't enough space for her to squeeze through.

"Silvia! How dare you still show up around here?" Tom Hunter, who had gone out to get some hot water, instantly flew into a rage when he saw Silvia.

The crowd in the room immediately turned around, their gazes filled with fury and disgust.

Gregory fed Ella some water, then set down the cup.

Turning around, he looked at Silvia with deep disappointment in his gaze. "Tell me! Why would you do this to Ella?"

He strode toward Silvia, unable to control himself as he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Ella has always had depression, but you still sent someone to harass her at the hotel! What on earth are you trying to do here?"

Chapter 7

Gregory was gripping Silvia's shoulders so hard that it was hurting her. She tried to get him to let go, but he refused to listen.

Even when the crowd saw Gregory treating her like that, no one seemed to care.

Among those people were her best friend, whom she had lent the entirety of her savings to, and also a subordinate who made a mistake in a proposal she had stayed up all night to fix.

However, without a single exception, they were all glaring at her in hatred as if she were some sort of heinous criminal.

"It wasn't me!" Silvia argued. "I haven't even seen her lately. Also, I only found out just now that Ella has depression!"

Tessa couldn't help speaking up, "What do you mean, you only found out just now? If you didn't even know about it, why would you use your status as her legal guardian to tell the doctor not to prescribe Ella any medicine?

"If Ella had taken her medicine regularly, she wouldn't even be this startled! Why are you still making excuses now that things have come to this point? Don't you know that Ella almost died?"

It was only then that Silvia spotted Ella, who was shivering as she hid behind Gregory. "Ella? What happened?"

When Ella heard Silvia's voice, she trembled violently, then stopped moving altogether. Her head was lowered, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Silvia approached her to see what exactly was going on with her.

To her surprise, Ella suddenly screamed and shouted, "Don't come any closer!"

Then, she frantically grabbed something nearby and hurled it in Silvia's direction.

Silvia couldn't dodge in time, so she was hit squarely on the head.

A gash appeared on her forehead, and blood gushed out.

Gregory hastily stepped in front of Ella and shouted at Silvia, "Get out! Don't you dare get close to her!"

Silvia took a deep breath and pressed hard on her wound.

She still had to explain everything to Gregory.

As she walked out of the room, even with the door between them, she could hear the crowd comforting Ella.

Through the glass, she saw Gregory carefully treating the wound on Ella's hand.

The crowd was reassuring her and saying things like the evil woman was gone now.

Ella gradually relaxed, and then she hugged Gregory tightly.

Gregory held her gently in his arms as he comfortingly patted her on the back.

Silvia turned around, then asked a nurse for antiseptic and some bandages.

The nurse was startled when she saw Silvia's bloodied face, and she immediately took Silvia to get some stitches done. "Be extra careful when you go home, okay? Don't get any water on it. Oh, what a pity. A deep wound like that is bound to leave some scars."

Silvia smiled and reassured the nurse that it was fine.

The treatment for her wound was still underway when Gregory found Silvia.

When he saw the gauze on Silvia's forehead, he froze for a moment. "Ella isn't mentally stable. She didn't do it on purpose, so don't take it to heart."

Silvia shook her head. "It's fine. I won't hold anything against a patient. What about you? It must've been tough for you. It's not easy taking care of someone who's ill."

Her expression was calm, and anyone could tell that she really didn't mind.

Gregory was stunned. After all, he had come prepared to get into an argument with Silvia.

Now that she was graciously expressing her understanding, he suddenly didn't know what to say. "Well… I'm glad you understand. Does the wound still hurt? Is it serious?"

Gregory tried to approach her to check on her wound, but Silvia subconsciously backed away, dodging his hand.

His hand froze in midair, then dejectedly slumped back down.

Before Gregory could say anything, Silvia said to him, "I didn't do anything to Ella."

Gregory immediately retorted, "The troublemakers have already identified you as the one responsible! Who else could it have been, if not you? Are you telling me Ella did this to herself?"

Silvia felt her breath catch in her throat. "If that's what you want to think, I can't do anything about it. I actually came here to talk to you. Let's break—"

But before she could finish speaking, Tessa came running and said through gasps, "Gregory! Ella just woke up and started freaking out because you weren't there!"

Without any hesitation or another word, Gregory turned around and ran in the direction of Ella's room.

Silvia watched him leave, quietly bidding him goodbye in her heart.

Her last treatment would take place in nine days. After that, she would forget everything.

She would completely forget everything, and she wouldn't recall anything anymore.

She turned around and left. She bid farewell to her relationship of ten years and also the life of suffering she had gone through so far.

However, before she could make it out of the hospital, she felt someone grab her from behind.

She was about to struggle when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Then, she lost consciousness.

Chapter 8

By the time Silvia came to, she was blinded by the harsh white lights of the hospital.

Fighting the splitting headache, she tried to get up but soon realized she couldn't move at all.

She lowered her head to find that her body was bound tightly by restraint straps.

She had seen the same thing when she went for her treatments. It was used to prevent agitated patients from hurting others and themselves.

Still, that didn't explain why she was bound there.

Just then, the door opened.

Gregory slowly appeared before Silvia. He didn't say a word. Instead, he just gazed at her with a complicated look in his eyes.

Silvia said, "Gregory, let me go."

Gregory shook his head. "Silvia, Ella was deeply traumatized. The doctor said that there's very little chance of her recovering."

Silvia retorted, "And so what? I told you, I have nothing to do with what happened to Ella. I had no reason to do those things to her."

The last shred of guilt in Gregory's eyes disappeared. "I see you're still stubborn as always, and you're not showing any remorse. If that's the case, there's no need for me to show any mercy, either. Why don't you experience the pain of psychiatric treatment yourself? Treat it as your compensation to Ella."

With that, Gregory signed the consent form the doctor had handed to him. "Thanks, doctor. You may begin the treatment."

He didn't spare Silvia another glance.

Silvia watched the doctor prepare the ECT machine, her eyes wide in fury and anguish.

She screamed Gregory's name at the top of her lungs, but the man didn't even turn around or hesitate as he opened the door and left.

Silvia could only watch as the doctor approached her with a twisted smile on his face. He was holding the paddles of the ECT machine in his hands. "Ms. Robinson, right? Someone specially asked me to take care of you. Don't worry. I guarantee that when you leave this place, not a single mark will be left on you."

She watched as he gradually brought the paddles to her temples. Then, a sudden jolt of electricity hit her.

She couldn't help but let out a scream.

She never knew that it would be this painful. She was always under anesthesia during her ECT sessions, so she didn't feel it one bit.

She screamed in her mind, "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

She wanted to struggle, but she couldn't budge an inch.

Her mind was filled with questions and curses, but when she opened her mouth, she realized she was completely drained.

She thought, "Who am I cursing? Who am I questioning? Do I curse Gregory for being unfaithful or Ella for being selfish? Or do I curse my mother, who made me suffer yet raised me all the same? Or should I curse my father, who abandoned Mom and me to elope with his lover?"

Silvia had spent most of her life in hatred and suffering. Now, she had grown weary of it, and she didn't want to think about these things anymore.

The next surge of electrical current came as expected. She couldn't stop her body from twitching at all.

After the electric shock stopped, she lay back down, completely drained. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

She told herself that she just had to endure it, and she would be out in no time.

Seven days later, Silvia was finally released.

She was in a daze, and she didn't offer much of a response when she saw Gregory.

Gregory softly called her name and draped a jacket over her. "Silvia… Let's go home."

Silvia's expression was blank as she flung the jacket onto the floor and shook off Gregory's hands.

She opened her mouth and said in a hoarse voice, "Go away, Gregory. I don't want to see you ever again."

As Gregory stared at the jacket on the floor, he couldn't quite put his feelings into words. "I know you'd get mad at me, but trust me, I'm doing this for your own good. You have to pay the price for the things you do. I can't just sit by and watch you bully your own sister. Silvia, I swear I'll make it up to you…"

Silvia didn't say another word. After all, anything she said would be futile.

She didn't want to see Gregory ever again. She was racking her brains for a way to stop him from following her around, but then his phone rang.

Gregory was about to decline the call when he caught sight of the caller ID. He picked up the call instead.

Ella's voice rang out, "Gregory, where are you? I just woke up, and I can't find you anywhere. I think I'm panicking… Are you going to abandon me as my parents and Silvia did?"

Gregory's voice was gentle as he replied, "Of course not. I just… had something urgent to take care of. I have an appointment I can't decline. I'll be right back to be with you, okay?"

Silvia could clearly hear Ella's sobs coming from the other end of the line. "Gregory, I'm really, really scared…"

Gregory couldn't bother with anything else anymore. He said, "Hold on. I'm coming."

After he ended the call, Silvia could sense him looking at her and hesitating to speak.

So, she said, "Go ahead. I can just take a cab."

Gregory could see that Silvia didn't care at all. He wanted to say something, but then he remembered that Ella was on the verge of a breakdown.

In the end, he chose to hurry back to the hospital.

Silvia hailed a cab to the treatment center for her final ECT session.

After she closed her eyes, the nurse gently said, "Ms. Robinson, relax. This will be your last treatment. I hope this is the last time I'm meeting you here, and I wish nothing but good things for your life in the future."

Silvia didn't say a word. During the final moments, as the anesthesia started kicking in, a single tear escaped her eye.