Leaving My Mother Died Only for His Mistress

In the year when love was at its purest, Aaron MacBricc, the heir of the MacBricc Family, spent over a hundred million dollars to buy all the fireworks in the city and set them off all through the night.

The sparkling fireworks bloomed in the sky, spelling out six giant words, “Barbara Alvarez, I love you.” all in hopes that I would glance his way.

Three years after our marriage, he had become infamous in our circle as a doting, wifeobsessed man.

When I was away on a business trip for a week, Aaron missed me so much he couldn't sleep. He chartered a helicopter to cross thousands of miles to see me for a moment.

When I suffered a minor injury, his eyes turned bloodshot with worry. And that night, he invested over a billion dollars to open a private hospital dedicated solely to serving me.

But when my mother was involved in an accident at the factory, her entire arm was caught and crushed in a mixing machine.

I begged the hospital to save my mother, but Aaron held Cecilia Jarrige tightly around her slim waist and coldly ordered the hospital director to kick us out.

“Cecilia's dog just got hit by a car,” he said, voice frosty. “Medical resources are stretched thin—no need to waste time saving some old hag!”

My mother was left partially paralyzed. I swore I would fight for justice for her.

But suddenly, a socalled “righteous” female influencer  posted a video:

“It was this old woman who was greedy for money. She intentionally staged an accident to extort money from the factory. Otherwise, why would so many workers be unharmed while she lost her arm?”

Under the conspiracy theories spread by online trolls, the number of likes on this video increased.

My mother was cyberbullied and doxxed. Her emotions broke down and she nearly jumped from the building.

I desperately posted comments to clarify and explain, but I was banned. Two hours earlier, just as I was about to seek help from Aaron, I discovered that.

Aaron had liked that video.

——

My blood felt as if it had frozen solid. I stood there stunned, unable to believe what I saw.

I thought the account had the same profile picture and username as Aaron's.

The next second, Aaron sent me a video link.

“Please give me some likes. The little girl is insisting on becoming a 'heroic citizen' influencer, but her data isn't reaching the required numbers. Cecilia is about to cry.”

The “little girl” he was referring to was none other than Cecilia, the female influencer who had been claiming that “my mother staged an accident to extort money and intentionally stuck her arm in a mixer.”

That video was also the one that had deliberately twisted the facts and slandered my mother.

I trembled as I dialed Aaron's number.

“Are you even human? My mom is the victim here. How could you like and share such a video that turns facts upside down?”

“This kind of baseless slander, painting victims as villains, isn't heroism at all. She's just morally bankrupt!”

There was silence for two seconds before Aaron's cold laugh came through the line.

“Immoral?”

His voice was as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth. “Barbara, you're so casual in your judgment of Cecilia. Aren't you the one who's immoral?”

Half an hour later, Aaron sat across from me with composure.

He slid his phone across the table.

“Barbara, look closely. It was your mother who put her arm in there herself. She didn't take proper safety precautions, did she?”

His voice was as gentle as ever, his tone as if he were soothing a child.

I recalled three years ago when my mother was hospitalized. Aaron held me, my eyes red from crying and reassured me repeatedly.

“Don't worry, your mother will be fine. I'll arrange the best medical resources for her.”

He had visited several spiritual pilgrimage sites and meditated to pray for his motherinlaw's safe recovery.

But only three years have passed.

He stood on the opposite side of me and my mom, twisting the truth for the sake of the golddigger he was keeping on the side.

I clenched my fists tightly, staring at the surveillance video in front of me.

Anyone with eyes could see that the machine had malfunctioned, causing my mom's entire arm to be sucked into the mixer and ground into minced meat.

“Aaron MacBricc!” I said.

I clenched my teeth and my voice was shaking.

“You know my mother's character. She's not the kind of person who would stage an accident to extort money. She nearly lost her life and now has to endure such slander. I swear I will clear her name.”

Aaron laughed as if hearing a joke, waving his hand dismissively:

“Enough. What justice? It's just a small matter. It's just that the money wasn't paid on time.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a check and quickly wrote down an amount.

“How much do you want? I'll make it up to you. 20 million, is that enough?”

“30 million?”

I bit my lip so hard, tasting the strong taste of blood.

Aaron grew impatient.

“50 million should be enough. More than enough to buy your mother's life.”

He flung the check at me, then pretended to wipe away the tears on my face with the other hand.

“Barbara, your mother's arm is already gone. Causing more trouble won't change anything.”

“Cecilia is obsessed with becoming a influencer. She's stubborn and headstrong.”

Aaron gave an indulgent smile. “She's always so competitive at everything. If the likes for this video aren't good, she'll come crying to me again and I won't be able to comfort her.”

Before I could react, he snatched my phone away.

Just as he was about to like that humiliating video, I rushed forward like a madwoman, “Aaron!”

But the bodyguards acted quickly and stopped me.

I could only watch helplessly as Aaron lifted his hand carelessly and pressed down on the stamp that had brought shame upon me and my mother.

I collapsed in despair, tears streaming down my face.

“Aaron MacBricc, I won't let you get away with this. No matter what it takes, I will get justice for my mom.”

Aaron stood up calmly, about to leave, but paused upon hearing my words.

He turned back coldly, a mocking smile on his lips.

“Barbara, my patience has its limits.”

“You know what I'm capable of when I decide to protect someone.”

With bodyguards at his side, he strode away while I lay sprawled on the floor, feeling as if icy water had been poured over me. I knew he wasn't lying.

In the purest years of our love, Aaron had once risked his life to protect me.

I was kidnapped by one of Aaron's admirers, my body bound with ropes, about to be thrown into a den of men to be abused. Aaron stabbed several people and rushed in recklessly to save me.

When he held me, his voice trembled, “Be good, Barbara. It's okay now...”

The next day, I heard that the suitor had been imprisoned, his family had gone bankrupt and he was kneeling in repentance for what he had done to me.

Because of this incident, Aaron rose to fame—he became known as the most devoted husband in our circle.

He traveled across the ocean to celebrate my birthday, bringing my favorite strawberry cake and appeared before me at midnight sharp.

When I suffered a minor injury, his eyes turned red with worry.

That night, he invested over a hundred million to open a private hospital exclusively just for me.

But everything changed just months after he met a littleknown influencer.

At the time, migrant workers who had been owed two years' wages climbed onto a rooftop and threatened to jump to their deaths unless the capitalists paid them back, making headlines on social media.

Cecilia was determined to become a popular influencer. That day, she capitalized on the news and posted a video criticizing these “shameless migrant workers.”

She accused them of being ugly beggars, intentionally playing the victim, trying to guilttrip others with death threats.

“You're not helpless migrant workers at all. You know how to use the media and public opinion to stir up trouble. Don't tell me you didn't plan this in advance with ulterior motives?”

“In truth, all real migrant workers are doing honest work. We live in a civilized society now—if you're truly putting in the effort, how could you possibly not get paid?”

I stumbled across this video at the time and discussed it with Aaron MacBricc. “This influencer is so irresponsible. She didn't even investigate properly before making such reckless statements.”

Aaron's expression turned grim after watching the video.

“My wife is right. Who would threaten their own life on a rooftop just to claim what's owed, unless they were driven to desperation?”

“This influencer has no attitude. She should be banned.”

He reported the video with a click and then buried his face in the crook of my neck.

“I absolutely can't let this kind of nonsense appear in front of my wife and make her angry. I'll make sure you never have to see it again.”

Half a year later, unexpectedly, Cecilia posted a video saying that Aaron, the heir of the MacBricc Family, had invited her to join the “MillionFollower Influencer Training Program.”

In the video, Aaron, wearing his wedding ring, held Cecilia's waist and the two of them were acting very affectionate.

Seeing it, my eyes rimmed with red and I demanded an explanation, but Aaron only chuckled and tried to soothe me.

“Barbara, you know I've also started a media company and am looking for promising influencer candidates.”

“Cecilia Jarrige may be a little reckless, but she's still young. With some guidance, she might just become a big influencer.”

He looked admiringly at her photo on the promotional poster.

“Plus, she's straightforward and bold. Honestly, she reminds me of you back in your school days.”

Though I felt a strange sensation, I didn't think much of it.

What I never expected was how his attention always drifted back to Cecilia.

He mentioned that girl more and more often and nights away from home became frequent.

Until one day, an assistant hesitated before confiding, “Mrs. Barbara, there's something I'm not sure if I should tell you.”

“Mr. Aaron bought a villa in the suburbs a few days ago and said he wanted to keep it a secret from you. And that villa is...”

I looked up sharply. “What about it?”

“It's for Miss Cecilia to live in.”

As soon as the assistant finished speaking, Aaron's message came through.

[I'll be working late tonight and won't be coming home. You go to bed and don't wait for me.]

Hands shaking, I simply replied “Okay,” then stormed off to the villa with the assistant.

The moment the door was kicked open, I saw scattered underwear on the floor and a torn jacket thrown on the sofa.

The tie I had personally picked out for Aaron was tied tightly around Cecilia's wrist.

They clung together against the giant window, lost in each other's arms. When Aaron saw me, his face was drained of all color. “Barbara ... How did you find out about this place?”

But his first reaction was to tear off his jacket to shield Cecilia. The young girl hid behind him, flashing me a smug and victorious smile.

I coldly dropped the words “divorce” that day and ran out. My assistant was fired and we were in a cold war for several months.

Until my mother had an accident.

After calling my mother “Mom” for three years, I thought Aaron would at least stand by her and help us seek justice.

But instead, he was deeply in love with Cecilia, ensnared in their swirling romance, recklessly sacrificing my mother's reputation to boost her follower count.

I forced a smile and pulled out my phone, preparing to consult a lawyer to take legal action and sue everyone who had slandered and defamed my mother.

But just then, my mother's caretaker called, panic in her voice, “Miss Barbara, come to the hospital immediately! Something's happened to your mother!”

I rushed to the hospital like a madwoman. Before even reaching the building, I saw a crowd gathered below the inpatient ward.

Their voices carried on the wind, low with worry and pity.

“That old woman is truly tragic. Apparently, there was a malfunction in the factory machinery and both her hands were crushed. Her daughter was kneeling and begging the hospital director. Her head bleeding from the ground, before they managed to save her life.”

“Who would've thought she'd jump off the building just a few days later?”

“Sigh, she lost both her arms. No one could endure such a blow.”

“And they say she was very kind. She took in over 500 stray cats while she was alive. Guess she tried to take her own life just so her daughter wouldn't be burdened.”

My breath hitched. Heart pounding, I pushed through the crowd.

“Mom!”

I shouted hoarsely, rushing forward to embrace my mother. Her sleeves were empty and she lay motionless in a pool of blood, as still as if she were asleep.

The blood beneath her body was flowing more and more.

“Please, please save my mother! Call a doctor!”

My cries tore through the air as I hugged her chilled body, oblivious to the blood that soaked me, bowing my head to the ground before the onlookers, desperate for help.

People looked at me with sympathy. After what seemed like an eternity, a hand pulled me to my feet.

“Miss Barbara, you have my condolences.”

A doctor in a white coat offered a pained apology. “Your mother has already passed away...”

Watching the doctors rush around cleaning the scene, they covered my mother's face with a white sheet and carried her into the morgue.

On the day my mother died, an online frenzy was underway.

Cecilia used the video slandering my mother, quickly gained followers, breaking the million mark.

Aaron threw a lavish party to celebrate, inviting everyone in the company to attend and proudly posted the event on his social media.

“I knew my little girl could do it. Congratulations on becoming a millionfollowers. You'll climb even higher in the ranks now.”

I clenched my phone so tightly, feeling a piercing pain in my chest.

Below, Cecilia commented:

[Thank you, dear. If it weren't for you helping me, this little dummy wouldn't have reached a million followers anytime soon. Looking forward to my reward tonight.]

Cecilia was eating the bloodsoaked buns made from my mother's flesh and still brazenly flaunting her success.

While my mother's body was still cold in the morgue, they toasted expensive champagne, basking in the glow of her death.

Why should they get to celebrate?

The comments under Aaron's post were flooded with congratulations—except for one starkly different reply:

[Aaron, do you have any shame left? Keeping a mistress is bad enough, but you're publicly posting disgusting things on your social media? Do you even remember you have a wife? Who was it who created the 'wifeobsessed husband' persona for you? Who was the unlucky one who married you.]

Within a minute, the comment was deleted.

Immediately after, Aaron posted another photo of a divorce agreement. My own signature stamp was prominently displayed on the page.

“Let certain people open their eyes and see clearly. I am now single. My young girlfriend is not a mistress and I will never let anyone question her status.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. It turned out the assistant was right all along.

Two months ago, while I was asleep, Aaron had quietly pressed my seal onto the divorce papers.

I sat outside the morgue all day into the night, before I finally asked the caretaker beside me, “My mother was fine. Why would she want to jump off the building? How could my mom do this? She was always so strong. Even losing both arms, she promised she'd keep living for my sake.”

“She made it through, she said she would never give up—so what could have happened that made her desperate enough to die?”

The caretaker wiped away tears, hesitating before she spoke.

“Miss Barbara, this afternoon, a fashionably dressed girl came looking for your mother with a group of bodyguards.”

“She threatened that if your mother didn't admit on camera that she had intentionally put her arm in the mixer to stage an accident, she would... she would ruin you, Miss Barbara .”

I snapped my head up. “What did you say?”

The caretaker trembled as she pulled a photo from her pocket.

“This is it. The girl left it behind to threaten your mother.”

“She said if your mother didn't admit it, she would ruin your marriage and destroy your life.”

“Your mother, to protect you, humiliated herself by filming that video, admitting she did it for money and then, fearing she'd drag you down, jumped out the window... to end it all.”

My grip tightened on the photo. It was Cecilia who was caught in an embrace and kiss with Aaron. How could she stoop so low as to use such a photo to blackmail my mother?

No wonder my mother believed her and chose to end her life in utter despair.

“But Mom, my marriage was already rotten. It wasn't worth you sacrificing your life to protect it.”

I buried my face in my hands and cried. With red eyes, the nurse brought me a letter from my mother.

“Miss Barbara , this is what your mother dictated to me to write. At first, I thought she was just bored and wanted to say something to you, but I never imagined it would be her last words.”

My hand trembled as I took the letter.

“Barbara, my dear daughter, though I won't be by your side anymore. You must eat well and sleep well. Please don't trouble yourself trying to seek justice for me. This is the way the world is now. Losing two arms is just the price I pay for your life.”

“You must live well and be happy…”

She didn't need justice, nor did she need to be saved.

She even feared dragging me into this, so she wrote that letter before she left, hoping to ease my heart.

“But Mom, as long as I'm still alive, how can I just stand by and watch those people slander you?”

After handling my mother's funeral arrangements at the crematorium, I quickly regained my composure and contacted a lawyer to file a lawsuit.

“I want to sue Cecilia for intentional homicide.”

For this, I took out a 50milliondollar check and selected an unbeatable toptier lawyer to handle my mother's case.

As I left the crematorium carrying my mother's ashes, I was blocked by Aaron.

“Barbara.”

Aaron's expression was dark and menacing as he coldly threatened me.

“I already told you, I'll give you 50 million dollar to keep you from meddling in this?”

“Why won't you listen? Why go through legal proceedings? Do you really want to see Cecilia suffer a major setback in this matter before you'll be satisfied? “

His brows were furrowed with displeasure as he gripped my wrist tightly.

“Withdraw the lawsuit immediately, or I'll make sure your mother never sees the light of day again.”

I laughed bitterly. “My mother is dead.”

“Aaron, your threats won't work on me anymore.”

I hugged my mother's ashes. I tried to leave.

Then Cecilia suddenly smiled and walked out from behind him.

“Miss Barbara, your mother is lying comfortably in the hospital, isn't she? Now, to get sympathy, you can even put on this kind of performance.”

I stared intently at Cecilia. It was she who had driven my mother to her death at the hospital.

“Cecilia, how dare you mention my mother like that?”

“What are you trying to hide in that broken jar?” She snatched the urn from my hands and smashed it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“No!”

My head spun and I felt a surge of anger. I rushed forward and slapped her across the face.

“Cecilia!”

Aaron's expression changed instantly.

He stepped forward to protect Cecilia, turning back with a cold glare. “Barbara, have you lost your mind?”

He immediately ordered the bodyguards to hold me down.

“You just hit Cecilia. Now I want you to pay back tenfold.”

I was pinned against the wall by the bodyguards, who restrained my hands as slaps rained down on me.

Aaron counted loudly, “One, two, three... nine, ten. Ten slaps are done.”

The bodyguards roughly pushed me away. My face was swollen and covered in blood and tears. I collapsed into the dirt on the floor.

Aaron's voice echoed down from above.

“All the tens of thousands you spend daily on your mother's medical bills—those are on me, Barbara. Don't you dare be ungrateful.”

“I don't want to hear a single word that could tarnish Cecilia's reputation.”

He crouched down, forcefully grabbed my chin and coldly threatened.

“Barbara, I'm making this clear today. Even if you offer more money, no one will dare to take your case.”

As the heir of the MacBricc Family, his connections were extensive everywhere. With him having made arrangements, no matter how high the price I offered, no one dared to take the case.

Even the lawyer who was close to me frowned and advised me, “Miss Barbara, when the MacBricc Family woos you like this, anyone defending your mother will find themselves blacklisted in the legal world. I'm sorry, I can't help you this time.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

That afternoon, I packed my bags and headed to the airport.

I bought a ticket and left the country. Since no lawyers here dared take my case, there must be someone abroad who would.

Someone would definitely take it.

Seeing that I hadn't made a move for several days, Aaron casually asked his assistant, “How's it going? Has Barbara dropped the charges?”

The assistant shook his head. “Mr. Aaron, as per your instructions, we've already made arrangements with the legal community. No one dares to take Miss Barbara's case.”

Aaron nodded satisfactorily. “She must be heartbroken. Go buy her some luxury items to cheer her up.”

“But Mr. Aaron, there's one more thing—”

The assistant frowned and interrupted him, hesitating to speak.

“I looked into it. Miss Barbara wasn't lying. Her mother truly did pass away in the hospital a week ago.”