For the entire following week, Caspian didn't step foot in our home, nor did he offer a single explanation.

"Mommy, with this paper, do we not have to live like this anymore?"

Alaric sat atop a pile of old newspapers, clutching the photocopy of the divorce papers tightly.

I crouched down, looking into his longing eyes. "Yes, baby. We’re going to leave this place and go somewhere with no lies and no deception."

Alaric nodded vigorously.

I watched their lives unfold through Isolde’s Instagram.

In the photos, Caspian was rowing a boat with Julian in Central Park, cutting Isolde’s steak at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and swiping his black card without hesitation at luxury boutiques on Fifth Avenue.

That fatherly smile he showed Julian... if he had given even a fraction of it to Alaric, my son wouldn't be crying out for his daddy in his sleep.

But now, he was giving all his love and money to someone else!

I scrolled through the screen, my heart bleeding.

Five years ago, we didn't even have a decent wedding; we just ate hot dogs at a roadside stand for our reception.

To help pay off his so-called "gambling debts," I worked three jobs a day, too afraid to go to the hospital even when I fainted from exhaustion.

Five-year-old Alaric had to walk to school every day because we couldn't afford the bus fare, and he was constantly bullied there.

We gave everything for this family, while he was busy pleasing another woman!

How ironic.

Caspian finally returned early in the morning on the tenth day.

The rusty iron gate was pushed open. He stood in the doorway, ordering self-righteously, "Get Alaric changed into something decent. I’m taking him out."

I froze, my hand pausing mid-scrub over the dishes.

He had never taken Alaric out before.

Why the sudden change of heart?

"No need," I refused coldly without thinking. "We don't need your fake charity."

Caspian’s face darkened, filled with impatience. "What do you know? I pulled strings to get him an interview spot at a top-tier private boarding school. It comes with a scholarship, so we don't have to pay tuition. Don't let your ignorance ruin our son's future!"

I was about to argue when a heavy knock sounded at the door.

It was Mrs. Moretti, the landlady from upstairs, here to discuss the move-out inspection.

Caspian frowned, glancing at the door. "Don't let petty trivialities get in the way of the child's future."

I didn't want him to know about my plan to leave for good with our son, so I just brushed it off. "It's just a routine check."

Caspian checked his watch and urged, "You go deal with her. I'll fix Alaric's bowtie."

I hesitated for a moment, watching him squat down and clumsily adjust our son’s collar. He was still Alaric’s biological father, after all. Leaving him alone with the child for a few minutes surely couldn't lead to any disaster.

So, I dried my hands and walked out.

I wasn't in the mood to chat with the landlady, so after rushing through a few pleasantries, I pushed open the door and returned to the basement.

However, I was greeted by a deathly silence.

Caspian and Alaric were gone.

An ominous feeling instantly gripped my throat. I rushed out of the basement and ran down the street like a madwoman.

Someone at the corner told me they saw a black luxury car pick them up, saying something about going to a "genius school."

A school?

I didn't believe for a second that Caspian would be that kind.

Trembling, I opened the GPS app on my phone—I had saved up three months of bonuses to buy Alaric a smartwatch with a tracker to prevent him from getting lost.

The red dot on the screen was moving toward the wealthy neighborhoods of Long Island's North Shore, finally coming to a stop at a remote private villa.

That wasn't a school at all!

I hailed a taxi, practically screaming at the driver to floor it.

An hour later, I stumbled into the high-walled villa.

I followed the sound up to the second floor. Outside a room that had been converted into a laboratory, I heard Caspian on the phone.

"Is this the entrance IQ test you were talking about? Why are you injecting him with that stuff?"

Then came Isolde's voice from the phone, "Caspian, I had to pull so many strings to get this brain development serum from the lab. But I heard it's incredibly potent and still in clinical trials... Alaric grew up in the slums, so he's tough. Why don't we let him try it first?"

Isolde paused for a moment before continuing, "After all, Alaric is your son. I can't bear to see him remain so mediocre."

Caspian hesitated, his voice laced with doubt. "Still in trials? Is it dangerous?"

"Oh, honey, don't you trust me?" Isolde's voice was sugary sweet, dripping with manipulation. "This single shot is worth five million dollars! I see how dull and slow Alaric is; he's simply unfit to be your heir. This is the only way his IQ can catch up to Julian's, the only way he'll get into that elite school. I'm doing this to help you save face with your family. If... and I mean *if*... there are any side effects, well, it's all in the name of science. Besides, what could possibly go wrong?"

Caspian fell silent for a moment. He glanced at Alaric, who was strapped to the bed, eyes wide with terror. In the end, he agreed to the injection.

His voice was low as he spoke. "Okay. Isolde, you always think of everything. I'll transfer you double the five million. If it makes him smarter, it's worth the risk. I'm his father; I'm making this decision for him."

The needle, thick as a finger, was about to plunge into Alaric's body.

I finally saw the truth. Caspian didn't come home for me or Alaric.

It was Isolde, that venomous snake! She was too terrified of the side effects to use it on her own son, Julian, so she snatched my Alaric to be her damned lab rat!

And Caspian, his own biological father, just to make him "smarter" and not to let down his "true love's" kindness, actually condoned this potentially lethal human experiment!

I charged forward, shoving the doctor aside as he prepared to inject another dose. "Caspian! Are you insane? Isolde is using Alaric to test poison! I don't consent to this! What gives you the right to use it on him?!"

Caspian turned around. Seeing it was me, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with nothing but impatience at the interruption. "Ivy? What kind of fit are you throwing now? Control yourself! Isolde pulled every string she had and spent millions to get this 'smart drug.' People beg for this and can't get it, so stop being so ungrateful!"

He continued, sneering, "If you hadn't raised Alaric to be so mediocre and clumsy, we wouldn't have to trouble Isolde. You should be thanking her. When did you become so unreasonable?"

"Beg for it?" I pointed at my son, whose face was pale as he convulsed in pain, tears streaming down my face. "Open your eyes and look! She explicitly said on the phone that it’s a trial drug! She was afraid something would happen to Julian, so she used Alaric as a shield! In five years, you never took him to a theme park or bought him a single toy. Now, the moment you show up, you’re using his life to pave the way for that woman’s son?!"

I tried to stop them again, but Caspian shoved me aside violently. "Stop it! You ignorant shrew!"

His eyes were cold, looking at me like I was garbage. "Isolde said the drug is intense, but the results are miraculous! She gave this incredible opportunity to Alaric! The Thorne family heir must be exceptional. Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"I don't want your 'exceptional'!" I screamed hysterically, lunging forward to undo the restraints. "We're going home! Don't touch my son!"

Just then, the monitoring equipment nearby let out a piercing alarm.

The doctor operating it turned pale and shouted in panic, "Mr. Thorne! Something's wrong! The reaction is too violent! The subject's nervous system is collapsing! This is a severe toxic rejection reaction!"

Foam began to spill from the corners of Alaric's mouth. His small face, already twisted in pain, instantly turned a deathly grey, and his body began to convulse violently.

Only then did panic finally seize Caspian. He snatched up the phone and dialed. "Isolde! What's going on? Alaric is having a seizure!"

After a quick diagnosis, the doctor said anxiously, "The drug is too potent; a child's body can't handle it. We must perform blood purification immediately, or the toxins will attack his heart! We need to transfuse a large amount of O-negative blood to neutralize it! But this is a private lab; we don't have enough in stock..."

Caspian's gaze instantly locked onto me. He knew. I had the rare O-negative blood type.

"Ivy," he strode over, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Save our son. Now."

I didn't even think. To save Alaric, I rolled up my sleeve without a second thought. "Hurry! Take mine! Take as much as you need, just save him!"

The blood bag slowly filled up. It was Alaric's lifeline.

However, before the blood could even be transfused into Alaric, a shrill scream from Isolde pierced the air from the VIP suite next door. "Help! Caspian! Someone help! Julian fainted!"

Caspian's face changed instantly. He abandoned us and rushed out.

Seconds later, he returned, his expression terrifyingly dark.

"Take the blood." He pointed at the bag of warm blood that had just been drained from my body, his voice cold and hard. "Send it next door for Julian."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I couldn't believe my ears.

"What did you say?" I clutched the blood bag tightly, dizzy from blood loss. "This is for Alaric! He's going into shock!"

"Julian's congenital heart condition acted up; he needs a transfusion too!" Caspian avoided my eyes, gritting his teeth. "His condition is more critical; one second later and his heart will stop. Alaric is just having a rejection reaction. Isolde said a shot of adrenaline will be enough for him!"

I screamed like a madwoman, "Caspian, Alaric is your own flesh and blood! You're going to kill him!"

"Isn't that kid a life too?! I can't just watch him die! When did you become so cold-blooded?" Caspian roared at the bodyguards. "What are you waiting for? Grab it!"

"No! Caspian! You bastard!"

I struggled desperately, but the bodyguards roughly pinned me to the chair. I watched helplessly as the blood was taken away.

After the blood draw, everyone left, and only my Alaric remained, alone on the cold machine, trembling as his vital signs faded little by little.

Just when I was utterly desperate, I suddenly remembered Valerius, the man I'd seen at the hotel entrance that day.

He was so rich; he was probably the only one who could bring the best doctors to save Alaric.

I didn't know why he was helping me, but I couldn't care less.

I pulled out his business card and typed a text message to the number on it: I need your help.

But before I could send the message, "Mommy..." a weak, raspy voice interrupted me.

It was Alaric.

His small body was curled up under the blanket, his face pale as paper. There was no one else around to care for him, but he was alive.

Ignoring the IV drip still in my arm, I stumbled over and hugged him, tears bursting forth instantly. "I'm sorry... Alaric, I'm sorry... Mommy is useless. Mommy couldn't protect you..."

Alaric lifted his small hand with great effort and wiped away my tears. Even though he was in pain, he tried to be strong and comfort me. "Mommy, it doesn't hurt anymore. Really."

The more sensible he was, the more it felt like my heart was being sliced into pieces.

"Once this IV is done, we're leaving." I gritted my teeth. "We're leaving immediately."

Alaric nodded vigorously, burying his face in my chest, his voice muffled. "Okay. Mommy, I don't want Daddy anymore."

"In three days," my eyes were filled with a resolve like never before, "as long as we can leave this place, anywhere is fine."

Before I could finish, the door was shoved open.

Caspian stood in the doorway, his face full of impatience. "Leave? Where do you think you're going?"

As soon as Alaric saw Caspian, he couldn't stop shivering.

Seeing Alaric like this made Caspian even more dissatisfied. "How can a man be so spineless? You're nothing compared to Julian. How do you even deserve to be my son acting like this?"

My heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. I shielded my trembling son behind me. "Why are you here? I absolutely will not let you hurt Alaric again."

Caspian's brow instantly furrowed into a tight knot.

In the past, my son and I fawned over him like dogs, revolving our entire world around him. Now that we dared to give him attitude, his high-and-mighty ego felt gravely offended.

This was the first time he had been treated with such disgust by us, and a wave of irritability and discomfort he had never felt before welled up in his chest.

"Isolde is a single mother who just returned to the country; she's struggling to adjust. As a friend, what's wrong with me helping her out?" He adjusted his cuffs—which were worth a fortune—his tone so self-righteous it made me want to vomit. "Besides, Alaric didn't die, did he? Stop playing the victim and blowing things out of proportion. If you want money, just ask. Don't be so petty; it makes you look like a joke."

"Want money?" I laughed out of extreme anger, my fingernails digging deep into my palms. "Caspian, has a dog eaten your conscience? To save Isolde's bastard, you stole my blood and nearly killed your own son! Do you realize Alaric almost died on that operating table just now?! And now you want to talk to me about money? Can your money buy back his life?!"

Caspian's eyes turned cold. A cruel, mocking sneer curled at the corner of his mouth as he stepped closer to me. "Ivy, stop making yourself sound so noble. When I went 'bankrupt' and told you to get lost, you were the one who shamelessly insisted on staying in the basement with me. You were the one who insisted on giving birth to this burden, Alaric."

He looked down at me, every word piercing my heart like a poisoned needle. "For the past five years, I didn't hold a gun to your head forcing you to suffer. You did it all voluntarily, didn't you? Since it was voluntary, don't stand here acting pitiful to gain sympathy."

My ears buzzed, and it felt like all the blood in my body was flowing in reverse.

Yes, I was pathetic.

I thought sincerity could warm a stone. I thought eating chaff and vegetables with him would earn his gratitude. In the end, all I got was a dismissive "voluntary." In his eyes, the suffering my son and I endured was something we deserved!

I stared dead at him, gritting my teeth. "You're right, Caspian. The pathetic Ivy from before is dead. Now, take your stinking money and get the hell out!"

Caspian was stung by the resolve in my eyes. The feeling of losing control made him incredibly irritable. He swept a cold glance over us, as if looking at us for one more second would dirty his eyes, then turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

For the next few days, we recovered in a cramped, noisy, disinfectant-smelling ordinary ward, while right next door was Isolde's VIP presidential suite.

When the nurses came to change the dressings, they whispered enviously:

"Did you hear? To calm Miss Isolde's nerves, Mr. Thorne gifted her a pink diamond jewelry set worth twenty million! The main stone alone is the size of a pigeon egg!"

"And that kid, Julian. He just mentioned he wanted to play with Legos, and Mr. Thorne bought out the entire limited edition stock from the toy store and had it sent over! The boxes are piled up so high you can't even walk! Same species, different fates, huh?"

Twenty million in jewelry. Buying out a toy store.

That money was enough for Alaric and me to live in that basement for centuries, enough to buy countless cans of nearly expired discounted food.

Listening to this, my heart felt as calm as a pool of stagnant water.

When pain reaches its limit, it becomes numbness.

On the day of discharge, I pushed Alaric in his wheelchair to Central Park.

I gritted my teeth and bought him a balloon I would never have borne to buy before—it cost what used to be our food budget for a whole day.

Holding the balloon, a hint of color finally returned to Alaric's pale face.

"Mommy," he suddenly looked up, his sensibility breaking my heart, "as long as you're here, I don't envy anyone."

I held back my tears and pointed ahead. "Alaric, let's go see the carousel."

That was his fifth birthday wish—he wanted his daddy to take him on the carousel once.

However, when we arrived at the carousel, we saw that nauseating figure.

Caspian, wearing a casual suit worth more than my life, was patiently lifting Julian onto a golden horse.

"Uncle Caspian, I want to ride the highest one! And I want to go faster! I want to leave everyone behind!" Julian commanded arrogantly, like a spoiled little emperor.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Caspian gently fastened the safety belt for him, even leaning down to kiss Julian's forehead. "Hold on tight, my little knight. The whole playground is yours."

That kind of patience and doting, treating someone like a treasure—he had never given even a fraction of it to Alaric.

Alaric sat in his wheelchair, clutching the hem of his clothes tightly, watching his father give all his love and patience to another child who shared no blood relation with him.

Soon, the carousel stopped. Julian hopped off, wanting more, and immediately spotted Alaric in the wheelchair.

"Oh, isn't it the sicko?"

Julian licked the imported ice cream in his hand that cost dozens of dollars, his eyes full of malicious provocation.

He swaggered over, pointing at Alaric's wheelchair and laughing loudly. "Mommy said you're a useless broke loser! Uncle Caspian likes me best because he's going to be my new daddy! You're a jinx, and I'm a lucky star! I have a big castle to live in, and you can only live in a sewer!"

Isolde stood not far away, frowning with fake concern. "Julian, don't talk like that." But the smile in the corners of her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Julian ignored her completely. He made a face like a little demon at Alaric, then suddenly charged forward...

"Bang—!"