"Who died?" Timothy asked. He then glanced at the operating table and laughed out loud.

"Seth, is this another act you and Estelle are playing? There's no way she could be dead."

"Crazy," Seth coldly muttered. He cast a disdainful glance at the four of them, seeing that they still didn't believe Estelle was really gone, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You all killed her."

"Impossible," Dillon suddenly spoke. He stared at Seth, the invisible pressure of his gaze making Seth feel uneasy.

Soon, he shifted his gaze and scoffed. "Mr. Lancaster, are you that free to join her in this little game? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Just another lunatic.

Seth looked away from him and scoffed. "Since you think this is all a show, you can leave."

With that, Seth turned to Bobby. "Estelle is your daughter, Mr. Bobby. What do you say?"

Bobby snorted and put his hands behind his back wit

It took a long time before Timothy regained his voice.

Seth sneered lightly. "She's not dead. Just asleep."

Not wanting to deal with these annoying people any longer, Seth immediately called security to have them escorted out.

The four of them were kicked out of the hospital and still hadn't recovered from the shock.

Especially Timothy, who was so scared that he fell to the ground.

Ethan grabbed him and stared into his eyes. "You've kept her locked up all this time, and you don't even know what state she's in?"

Then, a sharp gaze shifted to Timothy. "You've been keeping Estelle locked up? Then, why did you tell me she was gone?"

No wonder Dillon couldn't find her anywhere. So, she was really in his care all along.

"I…" Timothy tried to speak a few times but found himself unable to explain.

Everyone fell silent, the atmosphere growing oddly tense.

Alison rushed in, and when she 

What? Estelle widened her eyes in disbelief. How could they believe Alison's twisted lies? 

"This isn't true! If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage!" Estelle tried to explain herself again.

Timothy scoffed again. "Who doesn't know you already turned off the cameras? You're just trying to frame Alison."

Estelle let out a self-deprecating laugh. Fine, then. She wouldn't argue anymore. No matter what she said, these people would never believe that Alison was the one trying to harm her.

Seeing her lower her head, looking small and pitiful, Ethan seemed lost in thought for a moment. He suddenly remembered how Estelle had curled up like that when Aurora had just passed away.

But now...

His gaze turned cold again.

"Estelle," he called her name softly, but the following words were like a bucket of ice water pouring over her head. "From now on, you have nothing to do with the Sawford family."

Nothing to do with the Sawford family?

Estelle's body shook, and confusion rose in her eyes.

She looked at Ethan, who felt like a stranger to her. Then, her eyes swept over Bobby and Timothy, and she quickly lowered her head again. "Alright."

Although it was a little bitter, it didn't hurt as much anymore, and she even felt a little relief. Maybe she and the Sawford family were just never meant to be. 

Seeing how decisively she agreed, Timothy felt even more uncomfortable.

He sneered. "What other trick are you trying to play? You're no longer allowed to claim you're a part of the Sawford family. It's best if you disappear far away, and we never see you again."

Bobby nodded in agreement. "Don't ever show up in front of us again."

"Alright." Estelle raised her head and smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Mr. Bobby. I won't appear again."

Then, she gently rubbed her stomach.

Maybe in a couple of months, she would disappear from this world entirely, just as they wished.

Ethan furrowed his brows, staring at Estelle.

This version of her was strange, like a lifeless puppet.

Seeing him still staring at Estelle, Timothy grabbed his arm and started to walk out. "Ethan, let's go check on Alison. She must be scared that we're not there for her now."

Ethan's expression softened when he heard Alison's name. "Let's go see Alison." 

With that, he hurriedly left.

Soon, the small ward fell silent again.

Estelle lifted her hand to gently rub her stomach, her face filled with sorrow. "Sorry I couldn't bring you into this world."

Outside the door, Dillon saw this scene, and a strange expression flickered in his eyes, though it quickly turned to cold indifference. He stepped into the room and tossed the divorce papers in front of her. "Sign here."

She glanced at Dillon and quickly picked up a pen, signing the document. Afterward, she tossed the papers back at him. "You can leave now."

Dillon raised an eyebrow, studying Estelle again. When his eyes met hers, which seemed empty and hollow, he sneered. "Is that bastard really mine?"

The statement caught Estelle's attention. She stared at him for a while before finding her voice. "What did you say?"

Seeing that she was angry, he mocked her again, "You've been sleeping around with men, and didn't you also have something with that childhood friend of yours? Do you even know who the father of that bastard is?"

Estelle's eyes slowly filled with bloodshot rage.

So, was this what he thought of her?

Dillon's face also darkened. She'd already been out fooling around for days, but now, she had the audacity to take those disgusting photos.

Did she think he was dead?

Her silence only made him angrier.

"Are you not going to speak? Or do you have nothing to say?" 

"Dillon," Estelle softly called his name and calmly met his cold gaze. "Get out."

That was all she had to say. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the face she had once been so obsessed with.

How could she react like this?

Dillon strode forward and grabbed her by the neck, bending down. A powerful force pressed down on her. "Are you looking for death?"

As Estelle struggled to breathe, she felt pain all over her body. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, falling onto his hand like a scalding iron, burning him with discomfort.

Dillon released her, looking at her with disgust. "Don't ever show up in front of me again."

After a series of coughs, Estelle struggled to lift the corners of her mouth into a faint smile. She turned her head and looked at him, saying hoarsely, "Don't worry. I won't appear again. You'll get your wish."

Dillon's heart skipped a beat. Did she still want to be with Seth?

The thought of that possibility made a murderous intent grow in his eyes.

A woman as vile as Estelle should just die.

But when he saw the tears in her eyes, he hesitated. He seemed a little unclear about how much he hated Estelle and didn't understand why he wanted her dead.

In the end, Dillon fled in panic.

When the sound of his footsteps faded, Estelle coughed up blood.

She pressed her aching stomach, curling up into a ball, lying in pain on the bed. When she woke up again, Seth was sitting beside her with furrowed brows.

When he saw her open her eyes, a brief flash of joy passed through his expression, but it quickly turned to a serious one.

Seeing this, Estelle smiled. "I'm not dead yet, so why do you look like that?"

Seth frowned. "You think you're far from death? You jumped from the second floor, had a miscarriage, and even took the wrong medicine. Estelle, even if you were a cat, you'd run out of lives."

Seeing that he wasn't joking, Estelle's eyes flickered before she let out a resigned smile. "Am I going to die?"

He softly responded, "Yeah, you're not far from it."

At this, she closed her eyes, a resigned smile on her face. "Maybe it's for the best. No regrets."

"I have a way," Seth said softly. "My mentor is conducting a secret experiment. If you're willing to be a test subject, there might be a slim chance for survival."

"Experiment?" Estelle opened her eyes and looked at Seth, puzzled. After thinking for a while, she asked, "Is it an experiment for stomach cancer?"

He nodded lightly.

Hope reignited in her eyes. "I'll give it a try."

Surprised by her quick agreement, he reminded her, "But there's only a 10% chance. There's a high chance you'll die."

Hearing the hesitation in his voice, she laughed bitterly and said, "Seth, do you think there's a difference between me being alive or dead?"

"I'll do it!" she said again.

Seth pressed his lips together and remained silent.

…

The next day, both the Sawford family and Dillon received the news.

An hour later, Dillon arrived at the hospital, his face cold and his steps hurried. Seeing that Timothy and the others were there, he furrowed his brows, an ominous feeling rising in his chest.

Timothy walked up to Dillon. "Dillon, you shouldn't have come. This troublemaker is up to something again."

Bobby agreed, "Yeah, we're here because Estelle supposedly left a will. But we're already done with her. We're not playing along."

"A will?"

Dillon's already pale face turned even paler. He too had received the same will. They all subconsciously looked toward the operating room.

Timothy sneered. "What game is she playing now? Does she think we'll feel sorry for her and regret it if she dies?"

Dillon's brows knitted tightly, his frustration rising. He didn't believe Estelle would actually go so far as to die.

"Watch me expose her trick now! If she really wants to die, I'll let her!" As he spoke, Timothy reached for the operating room door.

Dillon's lips were pressed together, not saying a word.

"I've seen Estelle's medical data. There's no problem," Ethan added.

Dillon spoke up, "If she's acting, the people inside will definitely cooperate with her. I've arranged for doctors to come in through the staff entrance. Once we see her, we can completely expose her lies."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jimmy arrived with the doctors.

"Let's go!" Timothy's face showed excitement as he led the others inside.

Seth, who was in the middle of performing surgery on Estelle, immediately changed his expression when he saw them. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing Estelle lying on the operating table, her abdomen soaked in blood, everyone was stunned. 

Was there really a surgery ongoing?

A nurse hurriedly spoke, "Dr. Lancaster, the patient's heart has stopped!" 

Seth didn't spare a glance at the intruders. He quickly directed the staff to perform CPR.

However, despite numerous attempts at resuscitation and defibrillation, they could not stop the flat line on the heart monitor.

The harsh alarm rang, announcing the final result.

Estelle was dead.

"Who died?" Timothy asked. He then glanced at the operating table and laughed out loud.

"Seth, is this another act you and Estelle are playing? There's no way she could be dead."

"Crazy," Seth coldly muttered. He cast a disdainful glance at the four of them, seeing that they still didn't believe Estelle was really gone, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"You all killed her."

"Impossible," Dillon suddenly spoke. He stared at Seth, the invisible pressure of his gaze making Seth feel uneasy.

Soon, he shifted his gaze and scoffed. "Mr. Lancaster, are you that free to join her in this little game? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Just another lunatic.

Seth looked away from him and scoffed. "Since you think this is all a show, you can leave."

With that, Seth turned to Bobby. "Estelle is your daughter, Mr. Bobby. What do you say?"

Bobby snorted and put his hands behind his back with a look of contempt on his face. "I know this is just a trick to get our attention, but it's her fa

Chapter 15