The year my boyfriend was broke, I left him for a rich guy.
A year later, he topped the Forbes list. His first move? Calling me live on a reality show.
He saw me sharing a single pack of ramen, then, with a sense of grim satisfaction, he pulled Sierra into his arms:
If you’d just stuck with me for one more month, you’d be the CEO’s wife right now. Regret it?
I chuckled. “That rich? Wire me half a million. Prove it.”
He angrily disconnected the call.
My phone buzzed.
Half a million, deposited.
I called him back immediately:
“That good? Send me another half million!”
“Dream on!”
He was about to hang up again when I tapped the camera with my arm, mottled with purple and blue from the IVs:
“Haha, just kidding. I don’t want your money.”
“I’m already gone…”
My smile slowly faded. I raised my hand and pulled off my waist-length hair.
Beneath it, my scalp was bare, completely shaved.
I smiled and waved at the camera:
“By the time you see this recording, I’ll already be in another world.”
“But this, Liam, proves you made it!”
“I knew you could do it! Haha~”
“Surprised? I knew it. The moment you hit the big time, you’d rush straight here to rub it in. Well? Was I right?”
Liam shot up from his seat. He took a step forward, then seemed to remember something, a cold sneer on his face as he looked at the host:
“How much did she pay you to play along with this act?”
The host looked bewildered:
“Mr. Sinclair, if a live connection to her wasn’t possible, using this recording was explicitly stated in Ms. Cassidy’s will.”
“Will?”
Liam scoffed, rage twisting his features:
“That woman was obsessed with money. She hadn’t even enjoyed her wealth and glory yet. How could she bear to die? Is this some elaborate stunt to get me back?”
He grabbed Sierra’s hand: “I’m sorry, but she abandoned me when I was at my lowest. Now…”
He glanced coldly at the screen: “She doesn’t deserve to stand by my side.”
“Liam, I know you hate me.”
As he turned to leave, I spoke:
“After I left you, my life wasn’t great. You can rest assured about that.
“If you’re still not satisfied, consider this recording, my last message before I died, as a way to finally let off some steam. Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to see me.
“Oh, and… congratulations!”
Liam turned back. On the screen, it showed my days and nights from when I left him until my death.
【2024.3.12—I’ll come back as a puppy to see you】
“Having my last meal with Mom.”
I held the camera, whispering as I waved to it.
In the old house behind me, Mom was adding dumplings to a pot of boiling water:
“Why isn’t Liam with you? Didn’t you two always come home together?”
I choked up.
I smiled at the camera: “He… he’s a little busy.”
“Oh, you scared me, honey! I thought you two had a fight.”
I quietly ate the celery and pork dumplings Mom made, giving her a thumbs-up. When she went back to the kitchen, I spat a mouthful of blood, mixed with the dumpling filling, into the trash.
Then, I quickly threw in some paper towels to cover the evidence.
I wiped my mouth, giving the camera an apologetic smile: “Stomach cancer… it’s really brutal. Sorry about that.”
“Honey, your hair…”
Mom came out and showed interest in my wig. I quickly pressed it down:
“Mom, I landed a role as a cancer patient, and I’m method acting, you know, immersing myself in the experience. See, I even shaved my head for it.”
Mom laughed, shaking her head.
I immediately raised the camera to us both:
“Quick! Let’s capture a moment with your wig-wearing daughter! Once this role is over, you won’t see it again!”
The camera captured Mom’s and my smiling faces.
I kept the camera raised for a long time.
Mom nudged me: “What are you spacing out for? Doesn’t holding that thing up make your arm tired?”
I slowly lowered my arm, staring at Mom’s smiling face in the lens:
“Mom, what would you do if I… wasn’t here anymore?”
Mom froze.
I hugged her arm and leaned on her shoulder:
“Hey, Mom, I’m wondering, if I suddenly turned into a cockroach one day, would you recognize me?”
Mom stifled a laugh: “What on earth goes on in that head of yours?”
I mused:
“Right, a cockroach is still too gross. How about a puppy instead! A golden retriever puppy! Smart, and you could cuddle me for warmth in winter.
“I promise I wouldn’t have any accidents on the bed! You wouldn’t have to worry about a thing!”
Mom patted my hand:
“Even if you turned into a cockroach, I’d recognize you.
“I’d buy you big treats, big cakes, you could eat all you wanted, whenever you wanted.”
I laughed, a loud, empty sound.
Until tears streamed down my face.
When Mom took the dishes to the kitchen, I went into her bedroom.
The money I’d earned from all my bit-part acting roles over the years was in a bank card, with the password written on it, tucked into the corner of *Heart: A Schoolboy’s Journal* (The Education of Love).
After a moment, I added a note:
【Mom, I’ll come back as a puppy to see you】
Tears splattered on the floor as I murmured:
“I really wish I could just… turn into a golden retriever puppy.”
【2024.4.1—April Fool’s Day, no one fooled me】
“What do you mean Mom’s gone?!”
In the video, the neighbors were holding me back, keeping me from rushing towards the man in the white lab coat.
“Cassidy, calm down!”
Mrs. Henderson from next door held me tight: “Your mom just didn’t want you to worry, that’s why she didn’t tell you. If she saw you like this now, she’d only be more heartbroken watching from above!”
My eyes red-rimmed, I looked at her:
“You knew?”
I looked at the neighbors: “Did all of you know?!”
They all looked down.
“Cassidy… you and Liam are struggling to make it in the city right now. If you’d known, all your hard work these past few years would’ve gone to her medical bills. Your mom thought of that, which is why she made us keep it a secret…”
My eyes red-rimmed, I shook my head:
“You’re lying… you’re all lying to me!”
I clutched Mrs. Henderson’s hand tightly:
“It’s April 1st… April Fool’s Day. You’re kidding me, right? Please, just tell me you’re kidding!”
Mrs. Henderson’s tears fell: “Cassidy…”
I fell to my knees, tears hitting the ground hard: “Mom!!”
April 1st.
April Fool’s Day.
I lost my mom.
What was worse.
No one fooled me.
I stumbled, clutching the urn, back home.
The house was still as neatly kept as Mom always had it.
If not for the thin layer of dust on the table, I would have thought Mom still lived here.
A book, next to *Heart: A Schoolboy’s Journal*, was half-pulled out of the bookshelf.
I opened it, and a bankbook fell out.
With a handwritten note from Mom:
【All of Mom’s savings are here.
【My good daughter, don’t neglect yourselves in the city. Mom’s gone to decorate our new home downstairs.】
I don’t know with what willpower I managed to return to the city.
For half a month straight, I was a zombie, numb and dazed.
On my way back from the hospital after picking up painkillers, I barely registered the rain hitting my face.
It wasn’t until I bumped into someone that I frantically snapped back to reality, helping him pick up his ID card:
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry…”
Seeing the name “Liam Sinclair,” my hand froze.
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