Chapter 9

Sarah was wearing a hospital gown, walking slowly toward them with William's support. Sarah's foot slipped, and William quickly caught her in his arms, gently scolding, "Why are you so careless?"

His eyes were full of affection.

He had Sarah's bag hanging on his shoulder, matching her pace. Every gesture showed his tenderness.

Mixed in the crowd, the two of them were the perfect picture of a loving couple.

Ava stared blankly, a voice repeating in her mind,

"He came with her for the prenatal checkup."

So he could be gentle with people—he was just mean to her.

Suddenly, William looked in her direction, and their eyes met unexpectedly.

It was too late to pretend she hadn't seen him. William let go of Sarah and strode toward her. The gentleness was gone from his face,

"What are you doing here?"

Ava suddenly stood up and hid the test results behind her back, nervously taking a step backward.

William narrowed his eyes and pressed, "What are you hiding? Let me see."

Ava replied quietly, "Nothing, just a gynecological issue."

Sarah followed over, hooking her hand around William's arm, smiling,

"William, why are you being so mean to a girl? Look how scared she is."

William's expression immediately softened. "I forgot to introduce you two."

"Sarah, this is Ava."

Sarah smiled brightly, "No need for introductions."

She turned to Ava with a warm greeting, "Ava, it's been so long. I missed you so much. You knew I was back and didn't even invite me to your place. I even prepared a gift for you."

William raised his eyebrows, his eyes scanning back and forth between the two women's faces.

Sarah explained with a smile,

"Don't you think we look alike? She's my older sister. I took Dad's last name, and Ava took Mom's."

A flash of surprise crossed William's eyes. Three years ago, when Howard forced him to marry Ava, he called him into his study and told him,

"Ava is my old friend's granddaughter. This girl has no family left. You must take good care of her and not let her suffer, or I won't be able to face my old friend when I die."

Sarah's words just now made him think Ava had tricked him into marriage. She had a mom, a dad, and a sister—who knows how she fooled Howard back then.

Ava stood awkwardly to the side, pressing her lips together in silence.

Sarah hugged William's arm and shook it, acting cute, "William, I'm a bit cold. Can you go to the ward and get me a jacket?"

William nodded. Before leaving, he took a thermos from the bag and placed it in Sarah's hand, reminding her to be careful not to burn herself.

Watching William walk away, Sarah opened the thermos and took a sip,

"William is so thoughtful. He knows I like warm water, so he lets it cool for a long time before putting it in."

Then she questioned Ava,

"Ava, I've been abroad getting treatment these past few years and wasn't home. Why didn't you go keep Dad company? He really misses you and Grandma. When Dad brought my mom and me home that year, Grandma got angry and cut ties with us, taking you away to live on your own. Dad barely ate for a month."

Ava gave a cold laugh,

"William is already gone; you don't need to pretend. After we left that year, Steven didn't call Grandma once. Even when Grandma got seriously ill and I begged him to find a doctor for her, he never once came to the hospital room. His loss of appetite was probably because he was thinking about the ten percent shares Grandma held."

Steven Brown ran a company that barely went public.

When Ava was in middle school, her mother died in a sudden car accident. The day after the funeral, Steven brought Sarah and her mother home.

Grandma couldn't accept Sarah and her mother, thinking it was shameful. After a big fight with Steven, she took Ava and moved out, and they lost contact after that.

Ava got angry just thinking about it. Her mother's death was suspicious. She'd always suspected that the car accident was related to Sarah and her mother, but she hadn't found any useful evidence over the years.

Ava hit the nail on the head, and Sarah was successfully provoked,

"How can you talk about Dad like that? You're his biological daughter. He worked hard to make money, supporting you and your mom, who could only cook, mop floors, and wipe tables. Was that easy? He loved you for thirteen years. How did he raise such an ungrateful person? I really feel bad for Dad."

Ava didn't want to argue with her and was about to leave, but hearing her badmouth her mother, her heart tightened,

"I'm warning you not to talk about my mom. She was wonderful. Steven didn't deserve her. Also, I'll keep investigating that car accident as long as I'm alive. I'll bring the killer to justice and won't let any bad person get away."

"What do you mean by that? Your mom died early because she had bad luck. Who can you blame? The dividend from those shares Grandma held—have you spent it all these years? Give the money back!"

Ava found it ridiculous,

"You think Steven built his business from scratch? He used my mom's money to start his business. You're only a year younger than me. While he was using my mom's money for business, he was also keeping a mistress and had an illegitimate daughter. You were raised with my mom's money. What right do you have to ask me to return money?"

Sarah was completely enraged,

"Who are you calling a mistress? Say it clearly!"

A dull aching pain came from her lower abdomen again. Ava, holding the test results, walked toward a less crowded area, feeling a bit short of breath. The doctor had just told her to avoid getting emotional. She wanted to shake off this crazy woman and leave quickly—she'd regret it forever if she hurt her baby.

Sarah followed relentlessly, grabbing her arm, "Make yourself clear before you leave. Dad and my mom truly love each other. Who are you calling a mistress?"

Sarah pulled on the wound on Ava's arm. The pain made her instinctively jerk away,

"Your mom is. She destroyed someone else's family. Everyone should condemn her. She did it, so is she afraid of people talking about it?"

A thud.

Ava turned around and froze. Somehow, Sarah had fallen to the ground, her thermos rolling far away.

She was stunned. She clearly hadn't used any force—she just jerked away because the wound hurt. That little bit of force shouldn't have been enough to push someone down.

Feeling a murderous aura approaching, she looked up to see William's face ready to devour her.

"Ava!"

He called her name, and Ava flinched in fear, standing frozen in place, not daring to move.

"I didn't... push her."

She explained in a trembling voice, but even to herself, the words sounded weak.