Chapter 1 Madam is having another episode

"Please... spare my dad, don't..."

In the hospital room, the precise machines beeped rhythmically. A man's hand reached for the ventilator's button, ready to pull it out.

"Hyland Riley, you can do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt my dad! For years, my dad trusted and relied on you. Do you even have a conscience?"

Ultimately, the oxygen tube was pulled out, and she could only watch helplessly as the heart monitor went from double digits to a flat line.

"No..."

Tears flowed uncontrollably as she screamed in despair, unable to move.

Suddenly, Hyland turned around, his face twisted with a crazed smile, holding a short knife as he approached her step by step. "The old man is out of the way, now it's your turn, my dear wife..."

The glint of the blade sent shivers down Crystal Foster's spine, as if she had fallen into a bottomless pit.

"Stay back! Get away! Go away!"

She had to survive, she must survive...

But that terrifying face came closer and closer, and she could almost see the red lines crisscrossing in his eyes."Mommy, mommy, what's wrong, mommy?"

A soft, childlike voice echoed in her ears, accompanied by tiny hands gently shaking her arm.

Crystal suddenly opened her eyes, flailing her hands wildly, "Don't touch me! Get away!"

"Thud."

A dull sound echoed, and the world fell silent.

Cold sweat soaked through Crystal Foster's beige silk pajamas as she gasped for air, feeling as if invisible hands had been gripping her throat for what seemed like an eternity.

Where was she?

Once she shook off the nightmare and looked around, she realized she was in a spacious, bright bedroom, designed in a sunken style, roughly a thousand square feet.

In front of the large floor-to-ceiling windows, lace-trimmed blackout curtains fluttered gently in the breeze.

"Mommy, Otto is sorry. Otto won't do it again. Please don't be mad, Mommy."

It was the voice from earlier.

Crystal turned toward the sound and saw a child crouched in the corner of a single chair.

The child looked about three years old, with a bowl-cut hairstyle, a pale little face, and eyes like black gems covered in a light mist, looking pitiful."Mommy? Why are you calling me Mommy?"

She was only 23 and had never had a child, let alone a three-year-old!

The little one looked up in surprise, furrowing brows that resembled fuzzy caterpillars, and gently placed a soft, tiny hand on her head, cautiously asking, "Mommy, is your illness not better yet?"

What illness?

Crystal was puzzled when suddenly the door was kicked open from the outside. Two men in black rushed in and, without a word, snatched the child from her arms.

"Let me go! Otto wants to be with Mommy! Otto wants to be with Mommy... together!" The little boy kicked and punched in the arms of the man in black, every fiber of his being resisting.

Crystal Foster felt the emptiness in her arms and tried to get up, but a sharp pain pierced her head. She gasped and instinctively clutched her head.

"Otto."

The deep male voice was rich and commanding, making the air in the room feel thin and heavy.

Crystal, dazed and confused, looked up to see a tall, sharply dressed figure. His face was pale and indistinct.

What was happening?

She clenched her fists and knocked on her head, trying to clear her mind. To the men in black, it was a warning sign. "Quick, the Madam is having an episode! Restrain her!"

In a fog, Crystal was dragged back to the bed, her hands and feet bound as if shackled. The hysterical cries of the child echoed in her ears, "Let go of Mommy! Let go! You're all bad people!"

Mommy? Madam?

The unfamiliar titles painted vivid pictures in her mind, scenes that didn't belong to her but to another woman-Sylvia Byrne, Mrs. Riley, Martin Riley's wife...

A woman who had schemed her way into Martin Riley's life, forcing a marriage, and had become mad with unrequited love, suffering from severe bipolar disorder...

How could this be?

Crystal Foster stood frozen in disbelief, replaying memories in her mind.

Could it be that she was already dead?

She had met Martin Riley before; he was Hyland Riley's uncle. And now, she had somehow become Hyland Riley's aunt?!