Clara began climbing the slide. Her voice sounded terrifying to Laina’s ears, making the little girl cry in fear.

“Give it to me! Give me that necklace, you little thief!” Clara screamed as she yanked the chain from Laina’s neck at the top of the two-meter-high slide.

“It hurts, Mom! Dad… it hurts!” Laina screamed, her hands trembling as she tried to free herself from Clara’s grip.

Gwen climbed the slide and grabbed Clara’s legs, but Clara kicked her head, shoulders, and face without releasing her grip on the necklace around Laina’s neck.

In that rough, uneven tug-of-war, Clara shoved Laina’s tiny body hard so the child’s grip on the guardrail would slip.

Laina lost her balance. Her body hung in the air before crashing onto the concrete landing below the slide, landing awkwardly on her feet.

CRACK!

The sound of the fracture was so terrifying that it made the people in the park gasp.

Laina’s scream erupted, piercing the air, before finally fading into a faint whimper.

“Laina!” Gwen roared. She crawled over to embrace her daughter, who had turned deathly pale.

Laina’s left leg was bent at an unnatural angle. The skin on her neck was scraped and bleeding from the necklace that had been yanked off.

At the top of the slide, Clara stood, panting. She laughed as she clutched the necklace. There were traces of blood on the silver chain she had snatched from the innocent little girl’s neck.

“Look, Gwen! God isn’t sleeping! God is punishing this illegitimate child born of her mother’s sin!”

The roar of another car broke the silence. Darius arrived at the scene after being contacted by the driver who was escorting Clara. He ran into the playground with a face full of anxiety.

“Darius! Help!” Gwen screamed, tears streaming down her face. “Laina… her leg… please call an ambulance now!”

Darius froze for a moment, watching his daughter whimper in pain on the asphalt. But at that very moment, Clara slumped down and fell to the ground.

She clutched her stomach while moaning, “Darius… my stomach… she attacked me, she wants to kill our baby…”

Darius immediately pulled Clara into a possessive embrace.

“Darius! Are you blind?!” Gwen screamed, her voice hoarse from crying. “Open your eyes! It’s your own flesh and blood who’s been hurt by this crazy woman!”

“Gwen, I’ve told you time and again to watch your mouth,” Darius hissed, his jaw clenched, while the crowd began whispering and staring at them.

“Is that all you care about when your own daughter is seriously injured?! Fine, from now on, we don’t need you anymore. I’ll report this and take Laina to the hospital myself.”

With trembling hands, Gwen reached for her phone to call an ambulance.

But as soon as he heard the word “report,” Darius grabbed Gwen’s hand, snatched the phone, and smashed it on the ground until it was shattered. He gripped Gwen’s hand so tightly that she felt her wrist crack.

Darius stared at Gwen with eyes as cold as ice. “Shut up, Gwen. Don’t act like you’re the victim,” he hissed under his breath. He stood up, lifting Clara into his arms to leave.

However, the crowd immediately surrounded them, holding their cell phones up toward him and Clara.

Camera lenses pointed like gun barrels, their flashes blinding Darius.

“This woman pushed an innocent little girl until she was seriously injured!”

“How could you just walk away and leave that little girl hurt?!”

“That’s right, poor little girl—her leg looks broken!”

Insults began to rain down on Clara. Clara buried her face in Darius’s chest while clutching her stomach, her face pale. She glanced at Darius with a pleading and panicked look.

“Darius… ugh, my stomach hurts so much… will our baby be okay?”

Fearing that Clara’s condition was worsening, which could affect the fetus in her womb, Darius let out a heavy sigh.

He glared at the crowd blocking his path, then spoke in a low voice. “Don’t blame my wife. She’s the victim! And this woman…” Darius pointed at Gwen with an expressionless face, “…is my mistress. That child… is the result of an affair I had while my wife was struggling to recover from trauma.”

Gwen, who was clutching Laina’s body without paying any heed to the pain in her own wrist, looked up. She stared at the man who had been her husband for seven years.

“Darius… what are you saying?”

Darius didn’t look at her at all. His back seemed so cold and indifferent.

“Please make way; I need to take my wife to the hospital. If she has a miscarriage, you’ll all be held responsible for blocking our path!”

The crowd quickly dispersed and made way, letting the man pass while carrying his ‘wife.’

The narrative in the air did a complete 180. The atmosphere fell silent for a moment before murmurs filled with hatred began to shift direction and point at Gwen’s face.

People were taking brutal photos of her face. Some even started pulling her hair and hitting her with overflowing rage.

“Turns out she’s the mistress! No wonder the legal wife came and taught her a lesson!”

“She must be using her child to blackmail the pregnant legal wife!”

“That’s what a woman who ruins another woman’s life deserves!”

“Poor child, she has to suffer because her mother is a mistress!”

Gwen hugged her daughter tightly. She tried to cover Laina’s face and ears so the child wouldn’t hear the cruel insults that reduced them to mistresses and illegitimate children—a status created by the lies of the men who were supposed to be their protectors.

“That’s not true! We aren’t—”

Gwen’s defense was drowned out by the roar of the crowd that continued to insult her.

Seeing her daughter hurt and crying in her arms broke Gwen’s heart even further. She desperately searched for someone who could save her, but all she saw was her husband’s cold back growing increasingly distant as he carried another woman in his arms, shielding her as if she were a fragile porcelain vase.

Darius didn’t look back even once and immediately got into the car, leaving them behind.

Finally, the park guard arrived to disperse the crowd and called an ambulance to take Gwen and her injured daughter to the hospital.

Inside the cramped ambulance, Gwen held Laina’s hand as she continued to whimper in pain.

“Mom… it hurts…”

“I know, sweetie. The pain will go away once we get to the hospital, I promise…” Gwen wished Laina’s pain could transfer to her own body so her little girl wouldn’t have to suffer. She wiped the sweat and tears from her daughter’s cheeks.

“Daddy… Mom, why did Daddy leave me? Does he not want me anymore? Is it because I’m naughty?” Laina’s eyes were wet with tears and a sadness no child her age should have to feel.

Gwen kissed the back of her tiny hand. Her voice sounded hoarse as she was forced to calm her daughter with a lie. “Daddy just had to go because of an urgent job. Mommy will be with Laina…”

But the little girl’s gaze grew even more dim, as if she couldn’t be fooled.

Upon arriving at Reeds Central Hospital, the administrative staff member stared at the computer screen with a furrowed brow.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Romano. Your medical access has been suspended.”

Gwen’s eyes widened, and she screamed so loudly that people around them turned to look. She didn’t even notice the pain in her wrist, which she had fractured while slamming her hand on the reception desk.

“What do you mean?! This is an emergency! My daughter’s leg is broken!”

“We’ve received a report from the Reeds Foundation. You’re accused of insurance fraud by using their family name. All healthcare facilities under the Foundation have blocked your access.”

Gwen was speechless. Was this Darius’s doing? How could he be so cruel to his own daughter?!

“Use my savings! Do something, I beg you. My daughter is in so much pain!”

“Your financial status is marked ‘high-risk.’ Without a guarantee or an upfront payment of $3,000, we cannot perform any medical procedures.”

Laina was left abandoned in a wheelchair in the cold hallway.

Passersby glared at Gwen with looks of disgust—news of the “mistress attacking the legal wife” had apparently gone viral. Not a single nurse dared to approach, fearing the Reeds’ family authority.

Suddenly, firm footsteps echoed. Darius appeared in a neat suit, not a speck of dust marring his clothes. He stopped a few steps in front of Gwen.

Gwen glared at him with eyes blazing with anger. She immediately lunged at Darius and swung her fist, striking the man’s chest repeatedly.

“You bastard! Laina is your own biological daughter! You used to love her the most! How could you be so heartless as to block her access to medical care?!”

Darius immediately grabbed Gwen’s wrist, unaware that her wrist was actually injured.

Gwen winced at the sharp pain in the same spot, caused once again by that man.

However, Darius paid no attention to it. He said in a low, cold voice. “Gwen, you’re the one who forced me to do this. I’ll take Laina to get the best care and doctors. But you have to meet these two conditions.”

Gwen’s eyes scanned the lines of text on the paper. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly.

“You... you abandoned your own flesh and blood?” Gwen’s voice was barely audible, caught in her throat.

“It’s for your own good.”

“Or to protect that crazy woman?” Gwen sneered coldly, her voice filled with rage.

“Choose, Gwen,” Darius hissed cruelly. “Sign now, and she’ll be in the operating room in five minutes. Or, keep clinging to your pride, and let that child be disabled for life.”

Gwen turned around. Laina was staring at her with eyes brimming with pain.

“It hurts, Mommy…” the child murmured, her face turning pale and bluish.

Gwen’s heart died right then and there. She grabbed the pen, signed the document, and quickly handed it to Darius.

“It’s done,” Gwen said. Her voice sounded hollow and empty. “Now, save my daughter. And never again mention my name or hers with that filthy mouth of yours.”

Darius frowned at Gwen’s final words. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he merely shook his head. He gave a hand signal.

Instantly, the medical team he had prepared appeared and immediately carried Laina into the operating room.

Gwen immediately fell to her knees on the cold corridor floor, watching Laina’s bed being carried away, into the operating room.

Darius was still standing nearby. He bent down slightly and extended his hand to Gwen.

“Don’t kneel on the floor. It’s cold.”

The voice that just moments ago had so coldly ordered her to remove her daughter’s name from the Reeds family name now spoke softly, as if he were still the Darius Gwen once knew.

Gwen didn’t take his hand. She just stared blankly at the operating room door.

Darius looked at his hand hanging in the air, receiving no response from his wife. He withdrew his hand and said stiffly, “Gwen, regarding what happened in the garden… You have to forgive Clara. Ever since she saw me enter your room, her condition has worsened. She thought I was having an affair and that Laina was my child….”

“Laina really is your daughter!” Gwen gritted her teeth, glaring at Darius. “Don’t you dare make her look like an illegitimate child. I can tolerate anything you do for the sake of your ‘best friend’s wife,’ but if it causes Laina to suffer, I truly won’t forgive you.”

“Gwen, come on… we’ve already agreed on this. Clara is sick; we have to be understanding toward her….”

“If she’s sick, take her to the doctor! If her mind is sick, lock her up in a mental hospital!”

“Gwen!” Darius’s face went pale instantly. He pointed at Gwen, “You used to always help Clara. Why have you become so cold and cruel? If you say anything like that about Clara again, I’ll make you apologize to her!”

Gwen opened her mouth to retort, but a nurse suddenly approached them.

“Sir and Ma’am, please don’t make a commotion in front of the operating room so as not to disturb the doctors and nurses on duty.”

Gwen held the words back on the tip of her tongue. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

Darius clicked his tongue. The phone in his pants pocket vibrated. It was a very familiar ringtone—a special ringtone Darius had set for Clara ever since he brought her into their home.

Gwen didn’t turn her head even slightly when Darius said to her, “Call me after Laina’s surgery is over. I’ll come visit later.”

“Go ahead,” Gwen replied coldly.

After all, Laina didn’t need a father who had struck his name from the Reed family tree.

Without looking at Gwen a second time, Darius turned and left the operating room waiting area.

After Darius left, Gwen immediately covered her face with both hands, letting her tears fall silently.

A few hours later, Laina’s surgery was finally over, and she was moved to a hospital room. Gwen couldn’t close her eyes; she stayed by her daughter’s side all night until the next day.

When Laina woke up, her tiny face looked very pale as she whimpered in pain. However, the first thing she asked about was her father.

“Mommy… where’s Daddy?”

Gwen forced a smile in front of her daughter. She pulled the blanket up to keep her little body warm.

“Daddy’s at work, sweetie.”

“I want to see Daddy,” she whined.

“Mommy will call Daddy and ask him to come here.”

Gwen kept up her smile in front of her daughter, who was looking at her with hopeful eyes. She gently kissed Laina’s forehead and then took her phone out of her bag.

She sent a text message to Darius, asking him to come to the hospital because Laina kept asking for him.

She waited for half an hour, but there was still no reply from Darius.

Meanwhile, her daughter kept whimpering and crying, looking for her father.

Gwen tried calling Darius several times, but he didn’t pick up at all.

Suddenly, a notification from Clara’s social media popped up on Gwen’s phone.

Gwen paused for a moment before finally opening the app. Her own feed was still flooded with hateful comments due to her viral video, but Gwen ignored all of that and immediately switched to Clara’s profile.

Clara’s latest post appeared at the top of her feed.

[Getting ready for our little prince! Thank you, my husband, for setting up a room for our baby.]

In the short video, Clara posed gracefully with her growing baby bump in the middle of the children’s room.

In the background of the video, Darius was seen instructing the workers to remove all the items from the room, replacing them with new, boy-themed furniture.

Gwen’s body tensed. Her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white, and her eyes reddened as she held back a storm of emotions.

That was Laina’s room. The room that used to be dominated by pink and had a fairy-tale theme had now been transformed into a masculine blue with a luxurious nautical theme.

She remembered how, four years ago, Darius hadn’t slept for three days and three nights because his fingers were covered in pencil smudges from drawing every detail of the design for their daughter himself.

Darius had even ordered a carriage-shaped bed directly from an artisan in Italy so that Laina would feel like a princess.

Now, all that effort and those memories have been completely destroyed. Darius himself oversaw the workers as they tore down his biological daughter’s room to make room for Clara’s child, who hasn’t even been born yet.

Gwen closed her eyes tightly. Strangely, no more tears came.

The pain had apparently reached a point where her nerves had gone numb.

She opened her eyes and looked at Laina, whose leg was still encased in a thick cast. The little girl’s eyes gazed at her with the innocence typical of children, unaware that the father who once loved her so dearly had now cast her aside.

“Mommy, is Daddy here?”

Gwen nodded slowly, forcing a smile. Her daughter had just undergone surgery for a broken leg; she mustn’t be hurt again by learning that her father had let her down time and time again.

“Sweetie, how about we take a walk in the hospital garden? There’s some really delicious ice cream at the cafeteria. Mom will buy Laina some vanilla ice cream.”

The somber smile on the little girl’s face instantly brightened upon hearing the name of her favorite ice cream mentioned.

“I want ice cream! I want ice cream, Mom….”

“Okay, sweetie.”

Gwen exhaled in relief, then slowly transferred her daughter into the wheelchair.

She pushed the wheelchair out of the hospital room toward the cafeteria. Along the corridor, her daughter hummed softly and chattered cheerfully about the ice cream she loved so much.

Halfway to the cafeteria, Gwen stopped in her tracks when someone approached her.

“Miss Romano, I’m bringing your new identification documents and the plane ticket you requested.”

“Mr. Smith, I’m sorry for making you come all this way.”

“It’s no problem. We’re happy to work with you. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to contact us again.”

“Yes, thank you.” Gwen couldn’t help but smile; her eyes sparkled with relief

The issue with her new identity had been resolved much faster than expected.

She couldn’t wait to leave this place with her daughter. Now, she just had to wait for her divorce papers to be processed.

The young man nodded and said his goodbyes.

Gwen immediately opened the envelope to check its contents. However, a hand suddenly reached out and roughly gripped her wrist.

“Gwen, who is that man? What’s your relationship with him?” a cold, all-too-familiar voice asked accusingly.

Gwen turned and found Darius’s face right beside her. The man had finally appeared just when Gwen least expected him.

“Let go, it hurts…” Gwen tried to shake off the man’s hand, but Darius refused to let go. Instead, he whispered in a low, demanding voice, “Gwen, who were you talking to just now?”

“What’s it to you? We don’t have a relationship anymore—” Gwen abruptly stopped mid-sentence when she saw the gleam in Laina’s eyes as she watched them.

“Daddy! Daddy’s here…”

Darius paid no attention to his daughter’s call. His eyes remained fixed, darkly, on Gwen’s face. “You were smiling at that man. Who is he?”

“Why should you care? You’re free to kiss Clara, so why can’t I smile at another man?”

Something that looked like guilt flashed across Darius’s face. However, his expression quickly hardened again.

“Gwen, you know full well that it’s all to keep Clara’s mental state stable…”

“I know, you’ve reminded me over and over! I understand perfectly. So now, let go of my hand. Do you want to break this one too after shattering my other wrist?”

Darius startled. He immediately released his grip and looked at Gwen’s other wrist, which was wrapped in a bandage.

“When did I hurt your wrist?” Darius whispered to himself.

Gwen didn’t answer; she just shot him a cynical glance, then crouched down to pick up the scattered stack of her fake IDs from the floor before Darius could see them. However, before her fingers could reach the plane ticket, Darius’s hand had already snatched it up.

“What’s this, Gwen? A one-way plane ticket? Are you and Laina planning to go abroad?” Darius’s brow furrowed deeply, feeling an inexplicable anxiety suddenly creeping into his chest. “You’re taking my daughter away? Why didn’t you tell me about this?!”

Darius crumpled the plane ticket in his hand.

In a calm voice, Gwen said, “It’s just a vacation abroad. Didn’t you yourself ask me not to show up in front of Clara anymore? I just want to take Laina to stay and vacation there. I’m doing exactly what you asked.”

Darius fell silent for a moment. Doubt flashed across his face.

The unease in his chest wouldn’t subside, as if he sensed Gwen was leaving him forever.

“Living abroad is good for you. But you have to give me your address there. I’ll visit you both if I have free time. Once Clara’s condition stabilizes, I’ll come pick you and Laina up to bring you back home.” His voice sounded gentle as he said that.

Gwen merely responded with a fake smile. As if she would believe the man’s words.

“What are you doing here? Did you come because of Laina—” Gwen’s voice caught in her throat when she saw the pregnancy journal in Darius’s hand.

“Ah…” Darius didn’t hide the book from Gwen. “I took Clara to her prenatal checkup. Oh, while I was cleaning Laina’s room, I found this left behind.”

Darius unashamedly took a doll out of the paper bag he was carrying. He knelt down in front of his daughter and handed her the shabby rabbit doll.

“You can’t sleep without this. Uncle brought it for you. I hope Laina gets well soon.”

“Uncle….” Laina’s expression grew even more somber; her eyes welled up as she hugged the rabbit doll tightly to her chest and whispered softly. “Thank you, Uncle….”

Gwen pulled Laina’s wheelchair away from Darius.

“Come on, sweetie, we have to hurry and buy some vanilla ice cream before it runs out.”

“Yes, Mommy….” Laina’s little head remained bowed even as she walked away from Darius.

Unfortunately, the vanilla ice cream in the cafeteria was already sold out. Gwen took her daughter back to her hospital room.

“Sweetie, don’t be sad. Mommy will buy you some ice cream from the shop in front of the hospital, okay?”

Laina nodded, her tiny face not smiling. She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

Gwen stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. After Laina fell asleep, she called a nurse, asking her to watch over her daughter for a moment while she went out to buy the ice cream her daughter liked.

Gwen’s steps suddenly halted when she saw Clara talking to a doctor in the quiet hallway while handing over a rather thick envelope. Clara’s face looked perfectly normal; her eyes were clear as she spoke to the doctor.

“Here’s your payment for covering up my fake pregnancy.”