Chapter 2

Julian grabbed my hand, looking displeased.

“Don’t play the innocent woman. Take it, just take it. What’s with all the signing first thing in the morning? It’s irritating.”

I opened my mouth weakly, but no sound came out. My face was streaked with tears.

Julian stood up, a clear look of disgust in his eyes.

The door slammed shut with such force that my body trembled.

Downstairs, everyone was already seated at the dining table.

Mrs. Blackwood looked at me with disdain, her voice sharp and sarcastic.

“My daughter-in-law is even lazier than I am.”

I signed an apology to everyone.

But not a single person looked at me, not even a glance.

I sat down dejectedly, trying to make myself as small as possible.

Suddenly, a bowl of hot soup splashed onto my hand.

My hand trembled with pain, turning visibly red.

“Oops, Aunt Aurora, I’m so sorry.”

It was Julian’s niece, Stella. She apologized with her mouth, but her eyes held a sly glint.

She winked at me, feigning innocence.

“It doesn’t hurt, does it, Aunt Aurora? I thought you’d scream in pain.”

I was about to raise my hand to protest.

“It’s just a bowl of soup. How hot could it be? Just eat your breakfast. It’s disgusting first thing in the morning.”

Mrs. Blackwood looked at me impatiently.

I clenched my hands, then looked up at Julian.

He was quietly eating, completely unconcerned by what was happening to me.

I pressed my lips together, suppressing the bitter ache in my chest.

“Don’t let it bother you, Aurora.”

Lily Blackwood, Julian’s sister, gently applied medicine to my hand.

Looking at this young girl who bore a striking resemblance to Julian, tears involuntarily fell from my eyes.

Perhaps she had touched the softest part of my heart.

It was a pity such a kind girl had a congenital heart condition. A pang of tenderness flashed in my eyes.

She smiled at me, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

In the Blackwood family, she was the only one who didn’t look down on me, the mute.

“Hello, Mrs. Blackwood.”

Tiffany beamed, her smile fawning, as she entered the Blackwood home.

The two chatted merrily. Tiffany could talk easily with everyone in the family; she seemed more like a Blackwood daughter-in-law than I ever could.

My heart felt like it was being pricked by a thousand tiny needles, the pain so intense I could barely breathe.

Tiffany pulled me aside. She took out a bottle of pills.

“Aurora, find a way to make Lily take these.” Tiffany’s expression was sinister.

“No! She can’t take those randomly.” I frantically waved my hands, refusing.

Tiffany touched the necklace around her neck.

“It seems you don’t care much about your mother after all.”

My body stiffened. Tiffany shoved the pills into my hand.

I couldn't bring myself to do it. I bit my lip hard, a salty, metallic taste spreading in my mouth.

But Lily still didn’t escape that night.

I grabbed Tiffany, tears streaming down my face, signing my questions.

“Why? I didn't make her take them! Why?!”

Tiffany smirked.

“I knew a fool like you couldn't do it.”

She pushed me away violently, then walked off triumphantly.

*Smack!*

“Aurora, you truly have a cruel heart.”

The pills were found in my room, making me undeniably the murderer of Lily Blackwood.

Julian was silent, his eyes slightly red. If you looked closely, you could see his hands trembling slightly.

Lily was his beloved sister, and now, because of me, he had lost her forever.

I crawled to his feet, tears streaming down my face like a broken dam.

I signed.

“Julian, I’m sorry.”

Julian’s eyes turned bloodshot, filled with a fierce rage.

He grabbed my throat, his hands tightening.