Even as a ghost, I will never forgive you.

In the tranquil dead of night, cicadas chirped incessantly on the tree branches. A violent thunderstorm tore through the sky, casting brilliant flashes of lightning across the silent, somber night.

In a secluded courtyard of the Marquis of Pingning’s estate, within a cramped room, Jiang Shuwan lay covered in bloodstains of varying sizes that had soaked her white robes. Though sweat beaded on her forehead, she let out no cry of agony.

Her brows furrowed tightly as she looked at a woman wearing a pink pleated dress. "Lin Rou," she said, "if you treat me like this and my husband, Gu Xin, finds out, he will never let you off."

A smirk played on Lin Rou’s lips. She held a whip, raised her foot, and pressed it forcefully against Jiang Shuwan’s chest. "Your husband, Gu Xin?" she mocked. "Ha! He isn't yours anymore."

With that, she applied even more pressure.

"What did you say?" Jiang Shuwan asked, her brows knitting further in pain. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she summoned all her strength to look up.

Lin Rou sneered at her suffering. Only after Jiang Shuwan let out a gasp did she take a large step back and raise her voice. "Master Gu, come in."

Moments later, a tall, handsome man in white robes entered, holding a young boy by the hand.

Tears welled in Jiang Shuwan’s eyes. "Lin'er," she cried out. This was Gu Lin, the son she had borne with Gu Xin.

Lin Rou raised her hand and struck Jiang Shuwan across the face with a sharp slap. "Is 'Lin'er' a name for someone like you to call? I will tell you the truth: Lin'er is the biological son of Gu Xin and me. Jiang Shuwan, you raised my son for eight years, and you were so foolish that you never realized it. You are beyond stupid!"

She burst into a triumphant, mocking laugh.

It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck Jiang Shuwan’s heart, tearing it apart. She shook her head in disbelief, reaching out toward Gu Lin, hoping that if she could just hold him, everything would prove to be a lie.

Gu Lin stepped back. He pulled a dagger from his robes and pointed it at Jiang Shuwan, his eyes filled with malice. "This young master does not have a mother like you."

He stepped forward and plunged the blade into Jiang Shuwan’s stomach repeatedly, as if she were his mortal enemy. "If it weren't for you, our family of three wouldn't have been kept apart. Every time I had to call you 'Mother,' I wanted to kill you. I never expected to finally get my wish today. Jiang Shuwan, go to hell."

Jiang Shuwan’s body collapsed onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. She looked at the child she had raised from infancy with utter disbelief; the pain in her stomach was nothing compared to the agony in her heart.

Gu Lin, holding the blood-stained dagger, returned to Lin Rou and reverted to a well-behaved child. "Mother, as long as that old witch is gone, our family of three can finally be together forever."

Lin Rou took Gu Xin’s hand, her other hand resting on her slightly protruding belly. She smiled provocatively at Jiang Shuwan. "It will be a family of four. You will soon have a new brother."

She looked at Gu Lin and Gu Xin with tender affection. Gu Xin stepped forward, beaming with joy, and embraced her. "Rou'er, is what you say true?"

Lin Rou nestled into his arms, blushing. "It is, my love. The doctor confirmed it a few days ago."

"Mother, that is truly wonderful!" Gu Lin exclaimed.

Watching their display of affection, Jiang Shuwan thought of the past eight years. She had poured her entire dowry into the Marquis of Pingning’s estate and exhausted herself for the sake of the household, only to be repaid with such betrayal. Enduring the agonizing pain, she lunged toward them.

"Bang!"

Before she could even touch them, Gu Xin kicked her hard to the ground. A mouthful of blood spewed from her lips, yet the physical pain remained a mere fraction of the heartbreak she felt.

Jiang Shuwan struggled to lift her hand to confront him. "Gu Xin, for all these years, you claimed you were incapable of fathering children, yet now you have two bastards with this slut. How could you do this to me?"

Gu Xin showed no shred of guilt at her tearful accusations. He stood protectively in front of them and kicked her in the chest again. "Watch your mouth. All these years, Rou'er has borne me children, yet I could not give her a title. You already hold the position of the Lady of the Gu household—shouldn't you be more magnanimous?"

Jiang Shuwan coughed up another large mouthful of blood.

"Magnanimous?" Jiang Shuwan laughed through her tears, as if she had heard a ridiculous joke. "Gu Xin, for eight years, you used my dowry to keep other women, and I said nothing. But you should never, ever have gotten involved with Lin Rou. She is my cousin! How could you do something so wicked?"

She was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongbo, and her grandfather was the wealthiest man in Jiangnan. When she married, her grandfather had given her a dowry worth millions. But after marrying Gu Xin—a man who, apart from inheriting his father’s title, possessed no talent and was consumed by debauchery—she had used her own funds to cover the household expenses and pave the way for his official career. She had watched him gain the Emperor's favor, thinking she had finally reached the end of her suffering.

She never imagined it would end like this.

Fearing that Gu Xin might soften, Lin Rou said, "My love, why don't you take the child and step outside? I want to have a private word with my cousin."

Gu Xin glanced at them before taking Gu Lin away.

Once they were gone, the once-tender Lin Rou grew vicious. She grabbed Jiang Shuwan by the hair and slammed her head against the floor.

"You dared to call my son a bastard? I’ll tell you this: eight years ago, on the day you and Gu Xin became betrothed, we were already together. If not for you, that bitch, occupying the position of the Lady, our family wouldn't have had to suffer years of separation. Oh, and I forgot to tell you—I am also a daughter of the Marquis of Yongbo. It was because of your mother that my own mother was never allowed into the house, and she died without ever entering the Marquis's estate. It is only fitting that you, her daughter, pay the price. You should have died long ago, Jiang Shuwan."

Lin Rou grew more agitated as she spoke, her actions becoming increasingly cruel. As a flash of lightning illuminated the room, the image of Lin Rou’s twisted, venomous face burned into Jiang Shuwan’s mind. The pain caused her consciousness to drift.

Tears continued to fall.

After venting her fury, Lin Rou let go and stood up. "Come in," she called out.

Moments later, two servants entered and dragged Jiang Shuwan out. The torrential rain soaked her clothes, and as the droplets hit her skin, the stinging pain cleared her mind. But soon, as a barrage of wooden staves rained down upon her, she bit her lip, refusing to utter a sound, staring fixedly in the direction where Lin Rou had disappeared.

"Gu Xin, Lin Rou," she whispered, "even as a ghost, I will never let you go."

Pain finally pulled her into darkness, but in her heart, one thought remained: even if she had to become a vengeful spirit, she would drag those who harmed her into the depths of hell, never to be reborn.