Thanks to the 400 ml of blood donated by that kind stranger, Olivia's life was spared.

A wave of irony hit Danielle. Olivia's biological father controlled the hospital's entire blood bank, yet he refused to spare her even a single drop. Meanwhile, a complete stranger had donated blood and disappeared without leaving any contact information.

Color slowly returned to Olivia's cheeks, and she instinctively searched for milk.

Sandra looked at Olivia and voiced her lingering suspicions in a low whisper.

"Mrs. Gardner, something feels wrong. I've always been meticulous with Olivia and never let anything sharp near her. The doctor said her wound was caused by a blade, but she had been lying safely in her crib the entire time."

Danielle's chest tightened, and she immediately went home to investigate.

She then discovered several sharp utility blades hidden in the folds of the crib's velvet sheets, stained with Olivia's blood.

Her mind reeled from the shock. She had asked Matthew to buy this crib during her postpartum recovery.

Matthew never cared about domestic details, simply instructing his assistant to get the most expensive model available. Meghan had handled the purchase, and Danielle was certain that she had hidden the blades there.

A chill creeped up Danielle's spine.

She wondered if Matthew knew that Meghan had tried to kill Olivia, and whether he would seek justice for her if he found out. Yet her questions remained unanswered.

Danielle curled up in the corner of the couch, holding Olivia tightly. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Don't be scared, Olivia. Mommy won't let anyone hurt you again."

She felt relieved that in just two more days, she could leave with Olivia and start anew.

…

The moment Matthew returned from his business trip, he launched into a tirade at her.

"Danielle, you've been acting so spoiled lately! I was only away for a few days, and you caused a scene at the hospital. Did you even think about my reputation?"

Danielle felt a chill run through her body.

Matthew glanced at the sleeping Olivia in her arms and frowned deeper. "Using Olivia for your schemes is so disappoint—"

Danielle cut him off coldly. "Matthew, we're done."

He stiffened and gripped her arm tightly. "What do you mean, we're done? Danielle, we grew up together and have known each other for over a decade! How can you make such a big deal out of something so trivial?"

Danielle couldn't believe that he still had the nerve to bring up their history. Feeling a sharp sting in her chest, she raised her voice. "Didn't you say on the phone that Meghan was your wife and Taylor was your son?"

Matthew's eyes darted, and he looked away. Guilt flashed on his face. "That was an emergency! The staff at that hospital follow my wife's orders. What if I told the truth and they listened to you instead, refusing Taylor the transfusion?"

Danielle's heart throbbed with pain. Just as she was about to expose the fact that they weren't legally married, his next words left her speechless.

"I get it now. Are you jealous of Meghan?"

Matthew narrowed his eyes as he studied her, his tone full of certainty. "You know you're the only one I love, yet you use Olivia to compete for my attention out of jealousy. Is it because she has a son and you only have a daughter? Is that why you deliberately caused trouble?"

Before Danielle could respond, his phone suddenly rang.

Matthew glanced at the caller ID and said to Danielle, "Don't go to the office. Stay home and reflect on your behavior instead."

He then left in a hurry.

Danielle fought to suppress the hatred boiling in her chest. Her marriage certificate with Matthew was fake, so she didn't even have the right to sue Meghan to recover the marital assets.

Even so, she refused to let a single dollar of what belonged to her slip away. She carefully went over her shares once more, planning to contact the other shareholders to sell them at a low price.

Just as she arrived at the office, Sandra called. "Mrs. Gardner, you need to come back immediately!

"A woman claiming to be Mr. Gardner's assistant forced her way in with a child. She says Mr. Gardner personally gave her permission. I can't stop them!"

Upon realizing that the intruder was Meghan, Danielle's pulse quickened. She gripped her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"I'm coming back right now."

She drove home as fast as she could.

Sandra paced the foyer, anxiety etched across her face. When she saw Danielle return, she rushed over, her voice choked with tears. "Mrs. Gardner, I couldn't stop them. Mr. Gardner personally called and told me to let them in."

As Danielle stepped inside, she found Taylor sprawled on the floor playing marbles, sending colorful glass marbles scattering everywhere.

The moment he spotted her, he shrieked, "Mommy, look! That mean lady who tried to take my blood is back!"

Meanwhile, Meghan stood by the crib, her fingers hovering over Olivia's cheek as she cooed at her.

"Get away from my daughter!" Danielle shouted.

She lunged forward and shoved Meghan aside.

Meghan stumbled back a few steps but didn't get angry. Instead, a smile tugged at her lips as she looked at Danielle.

"Let me remind you of something, Ms. Bradford. Matthew and I are legally married. That makes you the shameless mistress. This house is part of our marital assets, and I can kick you out whenever I please!"

The words hit Danielle like a punch. Her chest ached with every breath, yet she had no way to refute them. "I've long stopped wanting a piece of trash like Matthew. I'll be leaving."

She gritted her teeth, her knuckles whitening with tension. "But until then, get out! Otherwise, I'll call the press right now and expose your disgusting affair.

"At least in public, everyone in Khester still recognizes me as the only Mrs. Gardner. I'd love to see whose reputation suffers most if you push me to the edge."

Meghan was hit where it hurt and screamed in fury, "Who do you think you are, acting so high and mighty? The law is on my side! You're the one who should get out, you bitch!"

Danielle lifted her gaze calmly, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "If I leave him, I still have the entire Bradford family behind me. But what about you? You're just a housekeeper who seduced her boss.

"Even if you married Matthew, do you really think he'd ever acknowledge a woman like you in public? I bet your relationship will always have to stay a secret."

Meghan's eyes burned with resentment. She raised her hand and struck Danielle's face hard. "Shut up!"

The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the living room.

Danielle's cheek burned, but she didn't even flinch before delivering an even harder blow in return. She knew the security cameras in the room would clearly show who started the fight.

At that moment, an unnatural whimper came from the crib.

Danielle spun around, her pupils shrinking in horror. Taylor quickly pulled his hand out of the crib, but Danielle saw clearly that he had just shoved a glass marble into Olivia's mouth.

Danielle's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She lunged for Olivia, scooping her up and patting her back with trembling hands. "Spit it out! Please, spit it out!"

"Danielle, what are you doing to Olivia?"

Matthew's furious voice suddenly rang out from the doorway. He rushed into the room, and his face instantly darkened at the sight of Danielle "mishandling" Olivia.

Meghan immediately clung to his arm, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to defend Taylor. "Matt, thank God you're back! Taylor just adores Olivia and wanted to play with her using marbles. I didn't expect Ms. Bradford to overreact like this."

Ignoring the provocation, Danielle plunged her shaking fingers into Olivia's mouth, her voice breaking as she urged, “Good girl, just spit it out… Mommy's right here…"

Matthew couldn't stand what she was doing and grabbed Olivia from her arms. "Are you crazy? You're going to hurt her like that!"

Another sharp slap rang out as Danielle struck Matthew squarely across the face.

He clutched his cheek, stunned. "How could you hit me?"

The noise startled Olivia in his arms, and she suddenly gagged. A round glass marble rolled out of her mouth, thumping onto the carpet. She immediately broke into a heart-wrenching wail, her face flushing red.

Danielle shouted with reddened eyes, pointing at the marble on the floor. "Do you see that? That brat shoved a marble into your newborn daughter's mouth! Are you blind?"

She snatched Olivia back, holding her tightly as she glared at Meghan and Taylor with hatred.

Matthew's expression finally shifted, and he turned to pull Taylor toward him. "Taylor, apologize to Ms. Bradford and Olivia right now."

Taylor burst into tears, kicking and rolling on the floor. "Bad Daddy! You're being mean to me! I don't want you anymore!"

The two children's wails combined into a deafening chorus.

"Alright, Taylor is just a child," Matthew said. "He didn't know any better. There's no need for him to apologize."

He quickly pulled Taylor into his arms, patting his back with a worried expression. But when he turned to look at Danielle, his gaze turned cold.

"Kids can be rough when they play. Do you really need to make such a fuss? You're the adult here, Danielle. Try to show some maturity for Olivia's sake!"

His words tore through Danielle's heart. She pointed at the door and used all her strength to slap Matthew across the face once more.

"Get out!" she screamed. "Take your wife and son and get the hell out of here!"

"Why do you keep hitting people?" Meghan snapped.

She raised her hand to strike back, but Matthew caught her wrist firmly.

"Enough!" he said.

He shoved her hand away and turned to Danielle, his eyes full of disappointment. "Danielle, what's gotten into you?"

He glanced at Meghan. "Let's step outside and give her a moment to calm down."

Matthew dragged the wailing Taylor along while guiding Meghan out of the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Danielle's composure shattered, and she collapsed against the wall. Tears streamed down her face, filled with the bitterness of everything she had suffered.

Her phone chimed, and the screen lit up with a notification confirming the deposit from her shares transfer.

She wiped away her tears haphazardly and gently patted Olivia, sobbing in her arms, her eyes flashing with resolve.

Tomorrow, they could finally leave this mess behind for good.

…

Danielle spent the night making arrangements for Sandra and erased every trace of herself in the house. At dawn, she got into the cab she had booked, holding Olivia in her arms.

"The airport, please," she told the driver.

"Got it," the driver replied briskly.

Danielle called the person meeting them. "Sorry to keep you waiting. We're on our way."

The voice on the other end was soothing and warm. "Take your time. Be careful on the road."

Warmth had just spread through her chest when the sharp smell of ether hit her nostrils. She jerked her head up and saw the driver staring at Olivia through the rearview mirror, his gaze dark and menacing.

Before Danielle lost consciousness, she pulled Olivia tightly against her chest with all her strength.

…

When Danielle finally regained consciousness, the car sat parked outside an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere.

In a clearing overgrown with weeds, Matthew stood with his back to her on the phone, cradling Olivia in his arms. Olivia was swaddled in his suit jacket, her small face crumpled in distress.

"She's here. Proceed as planned," Matthew said into the phone.

He turned after hanging up. When he saw Danielle awake, his scowl deepened. "You're up. Good. It saves me the trouble of explaining everything twice."

Danielle's wrists were raw from the coarse hemp rope as she struggled to sit up. "Matthew, what are you trying to do? Let go of my daughter!"

Matthew's voice was devoid of emotion. "Taylor's been kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded my biological child. They made a mistake and assumed Taylor was the only one."

Danielle's voice rose sharply, and her head spun. "Are you going to trade Olivia for him? She's barely a month old! She has a congenital coagulation disorder, and even a minor scratch could be fatal! Have you lost your mind?"

Matthew avoided her eyes. "It's the only way. The kidnappers insisted on seeing Olivia in person before releasing him. Taylor is six years old. He'll remember everything, and this kidnapping would ruin his life."

"What about Olivia?" Danielle asked. She lunged forward to grab her, but Matthew stepped aside.

His tone remained eerily calm. "She's too young to understand. It won't leave a mark on her."

At that moment, Meghan ran over, crying. Her hair was disheveled, and her makeup streaked. "Matthew! The kidnappers called again! They said if they don't see Olivia soon, they'll kill Taylor!"

When she spotted Danielle on the ground, she dropped to her knees with a thud and pleaded desperately, "Ms. Bradford, I'm begging you! Just this once! Let Olivia bring Taylor back to us, and I'll serve you for the rest of my life!"

Danielle kicked her away, her eyes blazing. "Get away from me! You failed to protect your child and got him kidnapped. Why should my daughter pay for your mistake?"

Matthew suddenly crouched down, his voice softening. "Danielle, I'm begging you. Taylor's innocent. Once we get him back, I'll find a way to save Olivia, and we can go back to how things were. Alright?"

Danielle looked at his hypocritical face and laughed as tears streamed down. "Do you really think we can go back to how things were? Are you asking me to trade my daughter's life for your illegitimate son and then live happily ever after with a monster like you? Matthew, what am I to you?"

Taylor's frantic screams echoed from the factory. "Daddy! I'm scared!"

Matthew's face darkened, and he turned toward the factory, holding Olivia in his arms.

Danielle threw herself at him in a frenzy, clutching his legs tightly with her bound hands. "Matthew! Try laying a hand on Olivia and see what happens! If you want Taylor back, go get him yourself. Aren't you his father? Trade yourself for him!"

Matthew kicked her off impatiently. "Stop it! Taylor is my son and the heir to the Gardner family. Nothing can happen to him!"

Danielle dug her nails into his pants, her voice hoarse. "Then isn't Olivia your daughter? She's your own flesh and blood too! How can you be this cruel?"

Matthew paused, his Adam's apple bobbing as he glanced back at her reddened eyes. "I'm sorry."

In the next instant, a needle pierced her neck.

"This is just a small dose of anesthetic. When you wake up, I promise Olivia will be perfectly fine," he said.

With that, he turned and walked toward the factory.

Danielle watched his retreating figure with Olivia in his arms. She wanted to stop him, but she couldn't lift even a finger. The drug took hold, and her world slowly faded to black.

Through the haze, she saw Matthew vanish into the shadows of the factory as Olivia let out a faint cry.