Strewn with Stars, Paved with Her Death

My mother kept a Mistress Diary, filled with photos of countless beautiful women.

When I was dating the billionaire, the competition was fierce, she'd say, her eyes twinkling with a smile. At one point, three women showed up at my doorstep to confront me simultaneously. Shed laugh, her eyes crinkling. "Later, when I married your father, this diary was never updated."

That sweet smile vanished the day my father's young secretary, heavily pregnant, arrived to provoke her. My mother added the secretary's photo to her diary and sighed.

"She's so foolish," she murmured. "How could your father, such a clever man, fall for such a simpleton?"

My mother's eyes welled up, and she couldn't suppress a sudden cough, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood. She hid her cancer diagnosis report and then instructed Dr. Evelyn to falsify a clean bill of health. Dr. Evelyn cried, her voice choked with anger.

"Eleanor Maxwell, do you really think this will make that scoundrel weep, make him see the error of his ways?" Dr. Evelyn cried. "Punishing others with your own death, aren't you being pathetic?"

But my mother just smiled, her gaze gently falling upon me. "The clean bill of health is for his secretary, Mandy Smith. What good is his regret to me?" She smiled softly. "I want to secure a future for my Ariel."

When Mom and I left the hospital, Dad had already gone. Hed only left her a message:

[My time is precious. Youre five minutes late, Ive left.]

Mom clutched her phone, looking dazed. I remembered the past too. I had hemophilia; since I could remember, Id been in and out of hospitals frequently. Dad would always put down his work, waiting patiently. Mom would playfully tease him, "Aren't you annoyed?" Dad would take me from her arms, kissing her cheek. "No, not at all. Every second I wait for you both, I'm happy." I was nestled between them, feeling warm and happy too.

Moms trembling fingers swiped away the message. She texted: [Did you send the falsified health certificate to Mandy Smith?]

After receiving an affirmative reply, she led me back home. Mom used to walk lightly, and I often couldnt keep up. But now, I had to support her to move. At home, she immediately rushed into the bathroom, throwing up a mouthful of blood. Afterwards, she looked up, staring blankly at the two overlapping handprints on the mirror. The blood was dark red, and I, terrified, quickly called Dad.

On the other end of the line, I heard a womans laughter, but I was used to it and pretended not to hear. I cried, telling him that Mom had late-stage stomach cancer. Dad came home quickly. Seeing the stark red in the toilet, he immediately scooped Mom into his arms. "Don't be afraid. We'll find the best doctors for a second opinion right away. With me here, nothing will happen to you." He had always said that the other women were just dalliances; Mom would always be his true love. He was a man of his word.

But just then, the sharp click of high heels sounded, and Mandy Smith, in her white dress, appeared again. She held her head high, slamming a piece of paper onto Dads chest. "Darling, you're such a fool, you don't even know your plain wife is deceiving you!" she sneered. "Late-stage stomach cancer? It's all a ploy to get attention!" She waved the paper. "This is from my friend at the hospital. She's perfectly healthy!"

I saw it clearly: that paper was indeed the falsified health report Mom had asked Dr. Evelyn to create. I opened my mouth to explain, but Mom held me back tightly. I could only watch as Dads face darkened. "Faking illness for attention, and even making Ariel lie for you." He glared at Mom. "Eleanor Maxwell, you've really outdone yourself!" Dad, ignoring my protests, stormed out. Mom watched him leave with the woman, a faint smile on her pale face.

I cried, my body wracked with sobs. "Mom, why did you pretend to be healthy?"

Mom sighed softly. "Because Mandy Smith is too foolish. Too foolish to even think of accusing me of faking illness. So, I had to help her create the evidence." She paused, her voice soft. "This is accumulating moral capital. The more I accumulate, the more he feels he owes Ariel" She smiled faintly. "Besides, once your father discovers her report is fake, he won't believe any report she presents in the future."

I didn't understand. I only knew that Mom was dying, so I cried even harder. Mom wiped my tears, and as she did, she started crying too. "Simon Chen, you're so smart, how could you fall in love with a simpleton like Mandy Smith?"

Mom had once been a billionaire's mistress, and Dad was a struggling man, humbly seeking investments. A glance across a banquet hall, and roses unexpectedly bloomed on decaying ground. Mom charmed the billionaire, securing a huge investment and numerous orders for Dad. Later, the billionaire went to jail, and Dad had become a titan in the business world. Amidst everyone's mockery, he found Mom, who had been passed around several times. Without a word, they immediately married.

After their marriage, Mom was pampered by Dad, becoming the most vibrant woman. Dad bought her a French chateau, gave her shares in his company. Even after she became pregnant with me, he spent a fortune to buy her the naming rights to a small asteroid. They could have been happy forever. Until my birth.

I suffered from hemophilia, so Dad hired a secretary with the same rare blood type. Her name was Mandy Smith, a bit clumsy, but quite likable. He said she was my "mobile blood bank."

But gradually, when the blood bank came to give me transfusions, Dad would frown with concern. Once, when I was critically ill, Mandy claimed to be afraid of needles, and Dad actually pulled out my IV line. I almost died that day; thankfully, the hospital contacted a blood bank in another province. When I woke up, I saw Dad holding Mandy's hand, telling Mom: "I'm sorry, Eleanor, I've fallen in love with Mandy. As long as you accept it, you'll still be my wife, and Ariel will still be my only daughter."

Mom calmly accepted the reality. She said, "My Ariel is still sick. If I divorce, I truly can't afford to raise her." Just like that, Mom became the most magnanimous wife in the entire city. So magnanimous that when photos of Dad with various young women from clubs surfaced, she personally handled the fallout. Each time, Dad would apologize to her and then transfer a sum of money to my account. Mom accepted it on my behalf, acting as if nothing had happened.

Until a few days ago, Mandy Smith appeared, heavily pregnant. She said she was carrying Dad's child, a boy. "He was ecstatic then, and I knew that fetus would eventually threaten Ariel's position, so it had to be eliminated." Mom's eyes were hard. "And I'm dying soon anyway I've been a parasitic vine all my life. In the end, I'll use this life to pave the way for my daughter. I'm content."

As Mom spoke, she took out a brand new diary. A woman who barely finished elementary school, accustomed to a life of luxury, wouldn't have the habit of keeping a diary. So she had to fake it. Her fingers were swollen; she could barely grip the pen. But she meticulously wrote down every detail of her years with Dad, word for word. After finishing, she sent the diary to be aged, then locked it in a safe. She made me memorize the safe's code. "After I die, on the day your father misses me most, you'll guide him to this diary."

Faking the diary took several days. Mom clutched her stomach, sweat pouring down her face from the pain. She gave me a black card and asked me to buy her some painkillers. It was so strange; it was only September, but heavy snow was falling. I didn't have time to think much, falling again and again until I reached the pharmacy.

Buying the medicine, swiping the card. "Beep, beep. This card has been frozen." I froze. This was Dad's secondary card, always with an unlimited credit limit. It couldn't be frozen. I immediately called Dad. But the one who answered was Mandy Smith, her voice lazy. "That's your father's punishment for your mother, you know." She purred. "He also told me to tell your mother to be a good wife and stop playing those manipulative games."

I screamed, "Impossible! It must be you who incited Dad!"

Mandy Smith chuckled softly, then lowered her voice. "Yes, I incited him. So what?" She teased. "After all, I just mentioned that the baby in my belly wanted to see snow, and your father spent tens of thousands of dollars on artificial snow!"

I looked at the bruises on my body, sobbing. So, this heavy snow, which had made me fall so many times, was a gift from Dad to his mistress. By the time I bought the medicine with my piggy bank savings, Mom had already fainted from the pain. I gave her the medicine. Mom's eyes reddened as she looked at my injuries. I heard her call Dr. Evelyn. "He loves her more than I imagined." Her voice was filled with a chilling resolve. "I must accumulate more moral capital for Ariel, and die an even more impactful death."

I dont know how much time passed, but I woke up in Moms bed. Mom was gasping, packing things away. She threw our wedding photo into the fireplace. All her clothes and jewelry were sold off. As she was about to destroy the scarf she had knitted for Dad with her own hands, I rushed over to stop her. But she gently kissed my small face. Mommy knows Ariel doesnt want to let go. But Mommy must ensure that you are Mommys only relic.

I opened my mouth, unable to speak. Dads assistant called Mom. Mrs. Chen, Mr. Simon just took Ms. Smith for her prenatal check-up and was photographed by reporters. The assistants voice was neutral. He asks that you quickly record an apology and clarification video to avoid affecting the companys stock price.

Mom responded faintly, then expertly set up the camera. I screamed in frustration. "Why should Mom bear Dad's mistakes?!" I cried. "I don't want Mom to be that humiliated person anymore!"

I pushed the camera down, but Mom calmly set it back up. "Be a good girl, Ariel. The company will be yours eventually." She smiled, a sad, knowing curve to her lips. "Mommy is protecting the company's stock price now, which is also protecting your interests."

I still didn't understand, but Mom's eyes were so sad. In the camera lens, she was poised and dignified. "It's all a misunderstanding. Ms. Smith is an employee of our company, with no one to care for her, so Simon kindly offered to take her to the hospital."

The video was released, and the internet was filled with mockery. Everyone said that my mother, the wife, was acting like a dog. But Dad was very pleased. He finally came home. Upon entering, he first hugged me, spinning me around, and placed a jade bracelet on my wrist. Then he kissed Mom, giving her a vibrant green safety charm.

"This is my most magnanimous Eleanor," he said. "Don't worry, I've unfrozen the card." He looked into her eyes. "I wasn't angry because you faked an illness or played tricks; I was angry that you cursed yourself. We're going to grow old together, so please don't say such unlucky things, alright?"

Dad was so gentle. He must still love Mom and me, right? I watched him, mesmerized, and suddenly, the pain in my leg didn't hurt anymore. After Dad left, I happily went to Mom's side, wanting to touch the safety charm. But Mom scoffed, taking it off. She gently touched my head and showed me a news article.

[Gemstone Legend! Mr. Simon Splashes Ten Million to Reveal Full-Green Jade, Cutting a Hundred-Million-Dollar Jade Bracelet on the Spot!]

I looked at the full-green jade bracelet on Mandy Smith's wrist in the accompanying photo. I suddenly realized. My child's bracelet, nested with Mom's safety charm, exactly formed the heart of a bangle. Oh. So Mom's and my gifts were mere scraps from cutting Mandy Smith's bracelet.

I was furious, wanting to confront Dad. But Mom calmly contacted Dr. Evelyn, confirming the date for her euthanasia medication. She chose the date of her and Dad's wedding anniversary. "That way, whenever he gets married, he'll remember my death. Only by remembering me for a long time will it benefit my Ariel more"

I didn't dare to cry in front of Mom. I could only hide in my room and count the days. I was going to lose Mom. Although Mom held me and told me she would become a star in the sky, I was already seven years old, and I knew those were lies. I couldn't expose Mom; I didn't want to make her sadder before she died.

The next few days, Mom was very busy. She contacted an Uncle Ben, whispering with him for a long time. Then she carefully selected an evening gown, because Dad was taking her to a charity gala. Only her, not that awful mistress. For this, she even helped Dad appease Mandy Smith. But then she turned around and taught me how to provoke the now-calmed Mandy Smith: "Hehe, so what if he made it snow for you? You're still my father's plaything. At proper events like charity galas, the only one who can walk hand-in-hand with my father is my mother!"

Mandy Smith was so easily hooked. She was so infuriated that she immediately took action. On the day of the charity gala, our family of three had just sat down. Mandy Smith, disguised as a staff member, appeared. She didn't say anything, just stood there, staring at Dad with red-rimmed eyes. I clearly saw Dad's throat bob.

"Darling," Mom pleaded, "this is a major event, give me some face" But under everyone's gaze, Dad still patted Mom's hand. "There are so many people here, and Mandy is pregnant. I'm afraid she might get jostled." He went to sit with his mistress. The whole room was filled with murmurs of disapproval. Mom seemingly lowered her head in embarrassment, but secretly, she shot a glance at Uncle Ben, who was not far away.