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I Wasn't Raising Anyone's Damsel
NovelMaster
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已完結
I woke up as the mother of the heroine in a novel where everyone doted on one precious girl. Sitting on a swing, I looked down at the soft, sweet little girl smiling up at me from my lap. Suddenly, im...
章節（3）
第1章
I woke up as the mother of the heroine in a novel where everyone doted on one precious girl.
Sitting on a swing, I looked down at the soft, sweet little girl smiling up at me from my lap. Suddenly, images flashed through my head—my daughter, manipulated by one man after another until she became nothing more than their plaything.
I broke into a cold sweat.
Right then, I decided I would raise her to be an independent woman who could stand on her own.
After working nonstop overtime until I dropped dead, I woke up in another world.
As my awareness returned, I heard a little voice in my arms.
“Mommy, what’s wrong? Are you sick? It’s okay. Lily can play by herself.”
I snapped out of it and looked down at the little girl, barely six or seven. Memories that didn’t belong to me flickered through my mind.
Apparently, I was the sweet, helpless heroine of a novel. After an earth-shattering romance filled with chasing, running away, more chasing, and making everyone around us miserable, the male lead and I had naturally gotten married. Then I’d given him three sons and a daughter.
My husband was a domineering CEO. Our oldest son was quiet and composed, the second was cunning and calculating, and the third was wild and rebellious. But the Blackwood men all shared one trait: they adored the youngest child, Lily Blackwood.
Right. A textbook setup for a story about a girl spoiled by everyone.
And I, a supporting character who had served her purpose, was naturally expected to step down. I had to surrender the brain-dead author’s so-called honor of being “the woman these men loved most” to the new heroine—my own daughter, Lily. As for me, I would die of an illness, alone in a foreign country.
Spoiled by those four men, Lily grew up without common sense, life experience, or the ability to judge people. After meeting the story’s other male leads, she was forced into becoming their plaything. In the end, a devoted follower of one of those men killed her.
I quickly ran through the original plot, then looked down at the adorable little girl still nestled in my arms. I could almost see the abuse and control waiting for her.
I held Lily close and gently patted her back.
“Mommy’s fine. You’re just so cute I couldn’t help staring. I love you so much!”
Little Lily giggled and snuggled against me. As I watched her, a plan slowly began to take shape.
That evening, my fictional husband, Nathan Blackwood, came home and told me he had contacted the best doctor overseas. He would be sending me abroad for treatment first thing in the morning.
I froze. There was nothing in Claire’s memories about discussing this with Nathan. He had decided on his own to separate me from Lily.
When I didn’t answer, Nathan added,
“Claire, don’t worry about Lily. The boys and I will protect her. She’s our little princess.”
As he spoke, he gave Lily a little bounce in his arms.
She didn’t seem comfortable. Her lips were pressed into a tight line, and both hands were braced against his chest.
“Where’s Mommy going?” Lily asked quietly, looking at me with confusion and reluctance.
“Mommy’s going overseas, sweetheart. She’ll come back once she’s better. Until then, you’ll stay with Daddy and your brothers, all right?”
Nathan’s expression was tender, but his words were blunt. He was announcing a decision, not leaving room for disagreement.
In my memories, Claire had been hurried abroad without even getting a chance to say goodbye to her daughter. She received treatment alone, but her condition never improved. Eventually, she died in a hospital bed in a foreign country, all by herself.
Maybe this body still carried some of Claire’s feelings. Or maybe it reminded me of how desperately I had wanted a family as a child. Either way, anger and resentment crept into my eyes as I looked at Nathan.
“You’re making her uncomfortable. That’s not how you hold her.”
第2章
My sharp tone made Nathan look at me.
Realizing my mistake, I softened my expression, walked over slowly, and quietly took Lily from his arms.
Under his searching gaze, I forced my voice to turn gentle.
“You hold her like this. The way Daddy was holding you hurt, didn’t it, sweetheart?”
Lily nodded along, wrapped her arms around my neck, and rested her head on my shoulder. Her big, dark eyes sparkled.
I kissed her forehead and looked at Nathan.
“I’m sleeping in Lily’s room tonight. Don’t wait up.”
Without looking at him again, I carried my daughter straight to her room.
Early the next morning, Nathan took me and my suitcase to the airport.
“Lily gets sick easily. Keep an extra layer with you for her, and make sure she drinks enough water. Watch her diet and routine when the seasons change. I’ll come back as soon as I can…”
Other than instructions about Lily, I barely spoke to Nathan the entire way.
Before I boarded, he pulled me into his arms, his voice gentle.
“Come home soon, Claire. The kids and I will be waiting.”
He sounded so loving.
But there wasn’t a ripple of emotion in his eyes.
Once I sat down on the plane, I began reviewing the changes in Nathan and Claire’s relationship in her memories.
With Nathan’s resources, why had Claire died overseas? Was her illness really incurable? They were supposedly devoted lovers who had overcome countless obstacles to be together. Why had he become so cold toward her? During her years of treatment abroad, he had never visited her once. Other than the occasional phone call, he barely contacted her, and he used every excuse imaginable to keep her from speaking to or seeing Lily.
None of it made sense. Why couldn’t Claire recover? Why wasn’t she allowed to come home? After marrying Nathan, she had settled into being a wealthy housewife. She shouldn’t have posed any threat to him… unless…
Wait. A threat! Unless Claire had discovered one of Nathan’s secrets, or she had something on him…
If that was the case, everything made sense.
Claire had learned something she wasn’t supposed to know, so Nathan shipped her overseas. Alone and powerless in a foreign country, she couldn’t even control her own movements. Add her constant worry over her daughter, and she had eventually died in a hospital bed far from home.
An incurable illness? No. Maybe Nathan had never intended for his wife to recover at all… Which meant… the medication might be part of it.
During the flight, which lasted more than ten hours, I had several nightmares. In them, people held me back while I watched Nathan carry Lily away.
I woke with my clothes soaked in cold sweat. My survival instinct, along with my need to protect my daughter, wouldn’t let me sit around waiting to die.
After I landed, the house manager met me, and we drove toward the villa where I would be recovering.
I said nothing along the way, taking stock of every resource I could use. I couldn’t trust the doctors Nathan had arranged. But how could I build a support network overseas without alerting the people watching me?
“Ma’am, we’re here.” The driver stopped outside a villa.
The house manager stepped out and opened my door with a polite smile.
He was a kindly-looking man in his sixties, neatly dressed. Only a few tiny candy crumbs on the shoulder of his suit spoiled the effect.
“Walter, do you have a sweet tooth? I brought some fruit candies from home. They’re pretty good. I’ll get you some later.” I smiled and pointed to my own shoulder.
Walter paused, then caught on and quickly brushed off his jacket.
“My apologies, ma’am. My granddaughter loves candy. My daughter’s been busy with work lately, so I asked Mr. Blackwood’s permission to bring my granddaughter here and look after her for a few days.”
He dipped his head apologetically.
“Please don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on her. She won’t disturb you, and I won’t neglect my duties.”
第3章
I shook my head to show I didn’t mind, then picked up the conversation.
“How old is your granddaughter?”
“She’s six.”
“Really? That’s lovely. About the same age as Lily.” Thinking of my daughter’s rosy little face brought a genuine smile to mine.
“When she has free time, let her come outside and play. At this age, children are curious about everything. Running around is good for them, too.”
I couldn’t help adding a few more words before asking,
“What does your daughter do?”
“She’s a doctor at a private hospital, but recently she’s been caught up in a dispute with a patient…” Walter sighed.
“She’s been raising her little girl alone since her divorce. Lately, she just hasn’t been able to manage everything, so she brought her here… My daughter’s always been such a responsible child. She doesn’t want us to worry, so she carries everything herself…” His expression was lonely and helpless.
My heart leaped, but I kept my voice casual.
“I can have someone help sort out your daughter’s situation. Her little girl is still young. She shouldn’t have to be away from her mother for too long. As it happens, I need a personal physician…”
Hope and surprise lit up Walter’s eyes.
“If your daughter is interested, why doesn’t she work for me? I certainly won’t pay her less than the hospital does, and she’ll be able to look after her child. What do you think?”
“That would be too much trouble for you…”
“It’s no trouble. I have a daughter, too. I want to get better and go home to her as soon as possible.”
Walter nodded repeatedly.
“You’re such a kind person, ma’am. I’m sure you’ll recover soon.”
“There’s just one thing, Walter. I need you to keep this between us. I want to get well quickly and surprise Nathan.”
“Of course, of course. You can count on me.”
During my time overseas, I went through the motions with Nathan’s doctors while actively recovering under the care of Walter’s daughter, Rachel Hayes.
I also struck up a very close friendship with Walter’s granddaughter, despite our considerable age gap.
Meanwhile, I followed the clues in Claire’s memories. Using her contacts back home, I made discreet inquiries about what had happened to her in the original timeline and gradually gathered evidence of Nathan’s crimes.
In that timeline, Claire had accidentally discovered that her childhood friend, Gabriel Foster, hadn’t died naturally. The man behind his death was her own husband.
Years earlier, Nathan had set his sights on a project Gabriel owned. Add his refusal to lose to a romantic rival, and Nathan had resorted to dirty tricks to have Gabriel killed. Claire had discovered the truth but couldn’t produce solid evidence, leaving her at Nathan’s mercy.
This time, I would take back what belonged to me—with my own hands!