Chapter 4%
“Where is Audrey? Where did you hide her? Let her come back, finish her cake, and then kneel and apologize to Laura.“% “Audrey is already dead. If you want to offer cake, let Laura die.” I gritted my teeth, enduring the overwhelming pain.
“How could you be so cruel? You’re cursing your own daughter out of jealousy!” Patrick’s voice was filled with rage. “At the beginning, you took advantage of my serious illness and coma to send Laura away, and you stole all the company shares. You did everything wrong%
“I tolerated all of it because you stayed with me for ten years and raised our children. But it’s never enough for you. You bully Laura over and over again, and now you’re cursing my daughter.“}
He grabbed my hands and shoved a greasy piece of cake into my mouth.”
The overwhelming scent of mango made me gag. My throat tightened, and I couldn’t breathe properly. I struggled violently.
“Let me go, Patrick, don’t you remember I’m allergic to mangoes?” I gasped.}
Patrick froze for a moment, then hardened his heart. “You’ve done so many terrible things to Laura, and now you’re pretending that an allergy is something serious. It won’t kill you. You’ll finish the cake and then kneel to Laura to apologize.“%
My eyelids began to swell, and my breathing became more labored. I shut my eyes, feeling myself slipping away. As my hands went limp, Patrick stopped, panic flashing in his eyes.”
“Where’s the allergy medicine Madam left at home? Find it for her now!” he barked.
After I took the medicine, I slowly regained my breath and opened my swollen, red eyes. Patrick let out a relieved sigh but his voice was stiff as he spoke.
“Okay, you and Laura are even now. Just swear that you won’t embarrass her or the baby she’s carrying, and I’ll promise to spend one or two days a week with you and Audrey.”}]
When I didn’t respond, he grew impatient. “What are you angry about? If you hadn’t interfered, Laura would have gone abroad, and suffered, and I’d have married you for the company’s sake. Laura and I would have had a child by now, living a happy life.“%
“You and Audrey’s happiness now is stolen from Laura. What’s there to be upset about?“%
I couldn’t take it anymore and cut him off. “Don’t mention my daughter again! I’m sending you back to Laura, and I’ve already sent you the divorce papers.“}
He sneered. “Fine. I’ll hire the best lawyer and fight for Audrey’s custody. You, a housewife, have no chance against me. If you don’t want to lose Audrey, kneel and apologize now.”
! couldn’t keep it in any longer. I pulled out Audrey’s death certificate and threw it in his face. “Patrick! Look at this! Audrey is dead! You killed her!”
His eyes locked on the certificate, the words “death certificate” in bold black letters and “Audrey” written underneath. He staggered backward, as if he’d been hit.
“How could it be…”
Laura suddenly wailed. “How could this happen? Audrey’s nanny just sent me a message saying Audrey couldn’t find you and was crying nonstop.“”
“The assistant said you went to the hospital this morning. Did you go there to forge this certificate?”
I felt a hard slap across my cheek, and before I could react, I tumbled down the stairs, humiliation flooding me.
Patrick’s furious shout echoed from above. “Lucia, you cursed your own child just to compete with Laura for my favor, and bribed the hospital to get a fake death certificate!“}
“You don’t deserve to be a mother,” he roared. “Not even a tiger would eat its own cubs. You’re worse than an animal!“%
