Chapter 137

The river roared as Margaret Lee stood on the bank, her vision blurred by tears. The accusations from her family still echoed in her ears, cutting into her heart like knives.

"It's all your fault!"

"If you hadn't meddled, your brother wouldn't have..."

"How dare you come back?"

She clenched the hem of her shirt, her nails digging deep into her palms. It was her older brother who had done wrong, so why was everyone blaming her? Even the nieces and nephews she had raised looked at her with resentment.

Splash—

The icy water swallowed her whole. Margaret didn't struggle, letting the current drag her deeper. In her daze, she thought she saw the cold, indifferent faces of her parents.

"Someone jumped in the river!"

"Quick, save her!"

Shouts erupted from the shore. A swift figure plunged into the water and soon dragged the unconscious Margaret onto dry land.

"Isn't that the Lee family's daughter?"

"Get her to the clinic!"

As dusk fell, George Lee paced anxiously in the yard. His eldest son crouched in the corner, eyes shifting guiltily.

"Dad, why isn't Margaret back yet?"

"Shut up!" George glared at his son. "If it weren't for you..."

His wife peeked out from the house. "Maybe... we should check the Clark family?"

The aroma of dinner drifted from the Clarks' yard. The moment George stepped inside, Martha Clark unleashed a torrent of curses.

"How dare you Lees show your faces here?"

"My son left early this morning—who knows where your daughter ran off to!"

"Demanding such a high bride price? You might as well rob us!"

The door slammed shut, leaving George and his son standing speechless.

"Dad... you don't think Margaret..." The eldest swallowed hard.

"Shut your mouth!" George's face darkened. "We need to find her!"

A kerosene lamp flickered along the riverbank, but it never illuminated the familiar figure they sought.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, firelight danced inside a cave.

"Michael, this haul is great!" Daniel River excitedly counted the medicinal herbs.

"Thanks to Emily's sketches," Samuel Bright said as he deftly wove a basket.

"Hurry up—we need to head back before dawn."

Wild boars and goats lay bound and ready. The group packed up and slipped silently down the mountain under cover of night.

Under the moonlight, the Lee family's kerosene lamp still wandered along the riverbank—but the girl who had jumped would never return.