"My son recovered—faster than the doctors had predicted. From that point forward, there were no more mysterious injuries in my home. No more accidents. No more illnesses. No more unexplained disasters."

She smiled, but it was a sad, broken smile.

"Even though our family could never be as lovely and happy as it was before we lost my Second daughter, I am content now. Peaceful. My Second son has given me grandchildren—beautiful, innocent babies. And just the thought of Maya coming back into our lives and potentially injuring them is something I cannot and will not allow to happen."

She looked at Heena with eyes that had gone completely cold.

"I don’t give a damn about Maya anymore. The day my son was pushed and hit his head on that stone and nearly died was the day my daughter Maya died to me. That’s final. I don’t care what she’s doing, how she’s living, what happens to her."

She picked up her tea cup and swirled it slowly, looking at Heena with calculating assessment.

"And the reason why I always come to this particular coffee shop, why I maintain my information network about that household—it’s for only ONE reason. I want to make absolutely certain that Maya can never return to our house. Because my husband is not as cold-hearted as I am. If she came back begging for help, crying and playing the victim, he would let her return. Because despite everything, she is still his daughter, and he loves her."

Her expression became steel.

"But not for me. For me, she’s already dead."

She set down her cup and looked at Heena directly.

"I found out about you through my information sources. And I have to say—I have never seen anyone who has survived contact with Maya the way you have. You’re still alive, still fighting, still standing strong. That’s... remarkable. Unprecedented, actually."

Hearing the conclusion of this absolutely horrifying story, Heena was quiet for a moment.

Then she suddenly smiled and said, "So that’s it? And here I really thought there was going to be some big, dramatic secret or mysterious conspiracy. But it’s just... Maya being Maya since she was literally a baby."

Hearing that almost casual response, the woman looked at Heena with a slight surprised smile and said, "You don’t seem particularly shocked or disturbed by what I’ve told you. It’s like you’ve dealt with this type of person quite frequently before."

Heena smiled back and said with a shrug, "Well, you could say that I have some experience with difficult personalities, yes."

She stood up and said politely, "Anyway, thank you very much for your time and for sharing such personal information with me, my lady. But the sun is starting to set, and it’s really not good for me to stay out too late. If I’m not home before dark, it might cause another dramatic scene at the household. So I should go."

Hearing that practical reasoning, the woman smiled with genuine amusement and said, "You’re really something else, aren’t you? You just came here, had me pour out my entire tragic family history to you, and now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, you’re just... leaving. No emotional processing, no deep discussions, just ’thank you and goodbye.’"

Heena smiled unapologetically and said, "Well, it’s mutually beneficial, isn’t it? We both got something useful from this conversation, my lady. I got information I needed, and you got to warn Maya’s next potential victim—though I appreciate the concern, I think I can handle myself."

Hearing that confidence, the woman smiled sadly and said, "You know... sometimes I really think that if my Second daughter had lived, if she’d grown up, she would have been someone like you. Strong, intelligent, unshakable."

This time, Heena paused. Because she could see something that the woman couldn’t.

Heena had the spiritual sight that came with her status as a transmigrator and Black Lotus—the ability to see things beyond normal human perception.

[Can see only if that soul is too pure or too dark only.]

And right now, she could clearly see a small child standing beside the woman. A little girl who looked remarkably similar to the woman herself, with the same refined features and gentle expression. There was a golden aura surrounding the child—warm, protective, loving.

The spirit of the Second daughter, still watching over her family even after death.

Heena looked at the woman and said gently, not entirely lying this time, "Well, who knows? Maybe your daughter will come back to you soon in some form. Maybe your grandchildren will carry her spirit. These things have ways of working out."

The woman paused, looking at Heena with sudden sharp attention. "What did you just say?"

Heena just smiled mysteriously and said, "Well, you could say I know a little bit about spiritual matters and astrology, my lady. And I have to say—it looks very clear to me that your daughter really loved you when she was alive. And she still loves you now. She hasn’t left you."

The woman didn’t say anything for a long moment, just staring at Heena with an unreadable expression.

She didn’t ask for clarification or details, somehow understanding instinctively that Heena wouldn’t provide them even if pressed.

With that cryptic statement hanging in the air, Heena turned and left the coffee shop.

Of course, she didn’t pay the bill—she had specifically told the lady to handle that, and the woman had agreed. After all, Heena had come here to extract information, not to fund a social tea party.

The woman sat alone at her table for a long time after Heena left, looking out the window at the departing figure.

"My daughter..." she murmured quietly to the empty air. "Are you really still here with me?"

A warm breeze blew through the open window, even though the day had been still.

And for just a moment, the woman could have sworn she felt a small hand patting her shoulder gently.

She smiled through her tears.

---

’’[Shopping Spree - Heena’s True Priority]’’

On the other side of town, as Heena walked away from the coffee shop, she immediately shifted her focus to what really mattered: SHOPPING.

Like, actual, serious shopping.

She started hitting every food stall and vendor in the market district.

She bought dried fruits—dates, persimmons, plums, all kinds of preserved goods that would keep for months.

She bought roasted nuts—chestnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, seasoned and perfectly crispy.

She bought preserved meats—duck, pork, fish, all salted or smoked to last.

She bought sweets—candied ginger, honey cakes, sesame brittles.

She bought spices and seasonings that were rare and expensive.

She literally did NOT buy any jewelry, fancy clothes, or decorative items.

Just food. Mountains and mountains of delicious, high-quality food.

Because she was TIRED of the situation at the household. She knew she wasn’t getting proper meals there—Maya had been controlling kitchen access, the food portions for "servants-turned-wives" were deliberately small, and the quality was mediocre at best.

And yes, in the mansion they cooked decent food, but nothing particularly delicious or special. Just basic sustenance.

As she bought a skewer of grilled seafood from a street vendor and took her first bite, Heena literally groaned out loud with pleasure.

"Oh my GOD, now I feel ALIVE again," she said to no one in particular. "Real food. Actual seasoning. Flavors that aren’t just ’salty water’ or ’bland rice.’"