Chapter 8
Edward Quan ·
The Chen family traded its daughters for wealth.
Gradually, the sacrifices became a secret handed down through the generations.
By the time he finished, I was cold all over.
"But why my child?"
He looked at me.
"Because you carry the Song bloodline."
"So?"
"The Songs have guarded that well for generations."
I stared.
He went on.
"Your grandmother was the last person capable of sealing the thing beneath it."
"Before she died, she used her own remaining lifespan to lock it away."
"But the seal could last only twenty years."
I counted.
Grandmother had died exactly twenty years ago.
"The Chen family knew the seal was about to fail," he said.
"They needed a child of Song blood to break it."
"Your daughter."
I held my belly.
"Then the last seventeen times…"
He nodded.
"They tried to take her every time."
"And you stopped them every time."
My head snapped up.
"You said I stopped them?"
"Yes."
"Then why does she say I killed her?"
He fell silent.
After a while, he answered, "Because her memories have been altered."
I went numb.
"What?"
He looked toward the seventeen coffins.
"What you've seen in your dreams isn't entirely true."
"Someone made her believe her mother was always the one who killed her."
My blood seemed to boil.
"Who?"
He looked at me.
"Who else would want her to hate you?"
I clenched my teeth.
"Chen Mingyuan."
He didn't deny it.
I looked down at my belly.
"Sweetheart…"
Silence.
"Can you hear me?"
After a long while, her voice came.
"Mommy."
"I can hear."
I burst into tears.
"You don't have to believe me right away."
"But I promise…"
I placed both hands over my belly.
"This time, I'll protect you."
She didn't answer.
But I felt the gentlest kick.
Like a little hand answering a promise.
Suddenly, the bronze bell rang outside.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The old man's face changed.
"Something's wrong!"
I sprang up.
"What is it?"
He looked at the door.
"They've found us."
Chapter 5: The Eighteenth Mother
The bronze bell rang without stopping.
Mr. Lu pulled me out of the basement.
"Come with me!"
We'd barely reached the sitting room when a crash came from the courtyard.
Bang!
The iron gate burst open.
I looked through the window.
A black car stood outside.
Mingyuan got out.
My mother-in-law followed him.
Then a woman in a white coat.
I recognized her.
The doctor who'd examined me during my first trimester.
Dr. Lin.
A chill swept through me.
Mingyuan had recommended her.
She was the one who'd said there were abnormalities in my pregnancy and that I needed special monitoring.
I'd trusted her completely.
Mingyuan stood in the courtyard and looked up at the house.
"Qinghe!"
"I know you're in there."
I clenched my hands.
Mr. Lu immediately signaled for silence.
Mingyuan continued.
"Don't listen to strangers filling your head with nonsense."
"I've come to take you home."
No one answered.
He sighed.
"Qinghe, I know you're scared."
"But you have to trust me."
I couldn't hold back.
I stepped up to the window.
"Trust you?"
He looked up at once.
His expression softened when he saw me.
"Darling."
I laughed.
"You still dare call me that?"
He stopped.
I pointed at my mother-in-law.
"What was in that soup?"
Her face changed.
"Qinghe, you…"
"Shut up!"
I shouted.
"What have you been making me drink for six months?"
She looked at Mingyuan, panic flickering in her eyes.
He remained perfectly calm.
"You've misunderstood, Qinghe."
I gave a cold laugh.
"Then explain."
He looked up.
"There was a sedative in the soup."
I froze.
"The doctor said you were showing signs of a serious sleep disorder."
"I was afraid the stress would affect the baby."
I looked at Dr. Lin.
She nodded.
"That's right."
I laughed.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
Mingyuan was silent.
"And how did you know I'd come here?"
No one answered.
I stared at him.
"You've been following me?"
He sighed.
"Qinghe."
"I only want to protect you."
"Me, or the baby?"
He said nothing.
I saw his eyes change.