Chapter 3

Bethany heard Giselle urging Joaquin to board the plane. Her voice shot up an octave as she spoke furiously. "I can't believe you're with Giselle! Didn't I tell you to stop contacting her?

"And where's Serena? It's the Independence Day holiday. Instead of being with your wife, you're going on a trip with Giselle?"

When Giselle heard Bethany over the phone, she stared back at Joaquin with a pitiful expression.

Joaquin lowered his voice hastily. "So, Serena is allowed to go to the beach by herself, yet we can't do the same? Mom, I don't understand why you've disliked Giselle all these years. She's helped you—"

He cut himself off abruptly and added, "They've started boarding for our flight. I'll talk to you when I get back. Let me know if you need money."

Giselle pulled Joaquin along onto the plane. As they boarded, she grumbled about how he shouldn't have spoken to Bethany that way.

"It's normal for Aunt Bethany not to like me, considering how reckless I used to be with my words," Giselle said.

"How is that your fault? You were so young back then. How could you have lied?" Joaquin said irritably, stressing that Bethany only became like this because she listened to what I said.

Annoyed, he said, "It's all because of that troublemaker, Serena. Things would be better if she were dead."

Really? I chuckled softly. I was already dead.

Bethany endured years of domestic violence at the hands of Joaquin's father, Wayne Landon. Not only did Joaquin never criticize Wayne, but he also advised Bethany to bear it for the sake of the family.

After we got married, I witnessed one of those incidents myself, and I was absolutely shocked. I called the police and insisted they file a report. But Joaquin claimed Wayne had his reasons. He said it was a family matter and asked the officers not to interfere.

I was baffled and expressed that, no matter what, nothing justified violence. Yet, Joaquin refused to tell me Wayne's so-called reasons.

I then began working with Bethany in secret, encouraging her to leave Wayne and start a new life. Bethany cried, saying she felt misunderstood her whole life, and I was the first woman to ever suggest she get a divorce.

I brought Bethany to live with us. When Wayne found out, he showed up at our place. In the ensuing scuffle, he pushed Bethany, resulting in her hitting her head on the table.

That time, I refused to listen to Joaquin and helped Bethany file a domestic violence report with the police. Once she recovered, she filed for divorce from Wayne.

We won the case. Bethany received most of the assets and moved into a senior apartment.

Wayne, who suffered humiliation and lost most of his money, started drinking and smoking heavily. He eventually developed liver disease and ended up in the hospital.

From then on, Joaquin resented me. Every holiday, he would berate me whenever he saw other families spending quality time together happily.

He said hatefully, "If you hadn't stirred things up, our family would still be together, happy as ever."

While he and Giselle were sitting on the beach enjoying the sea breeze, an alarm went off on his phone. He glanced at it and saw it was a reminder of my birthday.

Only then did he remember today was my birthday.

"What's on your mind, Joaquin? Come and eat!" Giselle waved at him with a huge lobster in her hands and beckoned him over.

She noticed his phone screen and playfully raised her eyebrows at him. "Do you miss Serena? Should I call her so she can join us?

"I remember Aunt Bethany used to love eating shrimp the most. When the whole family used to get together, she would peel shrimp for us kids."

Joaquin's expression soured immediately. "Why did you bring her up?"

Giselle picked up her phone pretentiously. "I think it's Serena's birthday. Don't stay mad at her. Go make it up to her, Joaquin. After all, Aunt Bethany adores her."

With a harsh snap, Joaquin broke off the lobster claw and took a vicious bite. "I told you—don't mention that woman to me."

Giselle had more to say, but Joaquin's phone rang again. He assumed it was me calling and was about to hang up, but then he saw that it was Wayne's attending physician.

The doctor informed him that Wayne's condition was worsening, and they needed to do a liver transplant test to see if Joaquin's liver was compatible. "You're his son, so the chances of a match are high."

Upon hearing that, Joaquin panicked. His expression was one of horror.

Giselle immediately booked their tickets and assured him that she would help him find a suitable match. Feeling grateful, Joaquin promised to take her on another vacation as thanks.

He then deleted my birthday reminder from his phone. "That woman is nothing but a jinx. So much so that unfortunate events take place even on her birthday."

Once they arrived at the hospital, the doctor quickly pulled Joaquin aside for the liver transplant test.

He glanced nervously at Giselle, and she intervened. She said, "My cousin's health hasn't been great since childhood. Let me take him for a checkup first."

They walked into the stairwell.

"Don't worry, Joaquin. I've never told anyone about this. You don't need to do the liver match test. I'll fake a report saying you have a blood issue," Giselle offered.

Gratitude filled his face, and he seemed on the verge of kneeling before her.

As Giselle exited the stairwell, Joaquin hummed while descending the steps. Just as he stepped out, he was smacked on the head.

"You ungrateful brat! Your mother ran off, and now you want to abandon me too?" Wayne yelled.

He grabbed Joaquin by the collar, complaining loudly as onlookers stared on. Blushing with shame, Joaquin wished he could disappear. He had no choice but to be dragged along by Wayne to take the liver transplant test.

Days later, he was informed that his liver was compatible with Wayne's. When he heard that, he was shocked and filled with disbelief.

"This can't be. I'm not even his…" Joaquin trailed off.

When he noticed Giselle approaching in the distance, he quickly hid the test results in his sleeve.

Upon seeing his uneasy expression, Giselle anxiously asked if something bad happened.

"It's nothing. My dad just scolded me for being an ingrate," Joaquin said.

"Don't worry, Joaquin. I'll go talk to Uncle Wayne. I'll appease him without letting anything slip," Giselle said with assurance.

After she walked away, Joaquin went straight to the doctor and requested that the surgery be scheduled as soon as possible so he could donate his liver to Wayne.

I followed him home, where I watched him kneel on the floor and take out a file from his bag. As he opened it, I saw that it was a paternity test report. The results indicated a 99.9% probability of a father-son relationship with Wayne.

As I hovered in the air, I suddenly understood what Joaquin meant by Wayne having his reasons. I also understood which secret Giselle promised to keep.

Joaquin sat on the balcony all night.

At sunrise, he received a call from the police. "Mr. Landon, we've matched your wife's iris with the female corpse found in the wax museum."

The police confirmed that the body made into a wax figure was me.