Zavier’s eyes lingered on me, sharp and unreadable, before he finally carried her away.

“Tiffany, mark my words, this matter will not end so easily.”

The fallout came sooner than I had expected. That night, the doctor who had guided me through ten rounds of IVF sent a message. Zavier had halted all remaining treatments and taken him to the villa to care for Evie.

Even my psychiatric medications were removed, with the claim that the weakened Evie needed them more than I did.

After the bodyguards departed, I sat staring vacantly at the ceramic ornaments in the display cabinet. Each piece was a gift I had made with my own hands, back when I had been hopelessly in love with Zavier.

Denver, furious on my behalf, packed everything into cardboard boxes.

“Sir has gone too far this time. How can he betray you for an outsider? If it weren’t for your support, he’d have been buried in some pile of dirt long ago!”

I shook my head, a laugh slipping from my lips.

“Just a toy. If he wants to make a scene, let him. When he’s done, I’ll go collect his corpse. Throw these away, and bring me Zavier’s antique collection.”

I sipped red wine, and under the pale moonlight realized for the first time just how beautiful those antiques truly were, yet beauty always comes with fragility.

I lifted the hammer, felt its weight, and struck, blow after deliberate blow, until vases worth billions shattered into shards, scattering across the floor like fallen stars.

Denver rushed forward, steadying me with a firm grip. “Miss, slow down. Don’t cut yourself. These pieces of trash aren’t worth it.”

I nodded, crouched down, and snapped photos of the shattered vases, sending them immediately to Zavier.

[Not enough, not loud enough. Next time, buy more.] his message read.

No further reply came, only a video call. I answered, and Evie’s smug face filled the screen.

“Seeing me, huh? Disappointed?”

I smiled, calm and unshaken. “Actually, I should thank you. Without you, how would I be living in Zavier’s mansion? Not only did he not abandon me after the miscarriage, but out of guilt, he spoils me even more.”

“I heard those gynecology experts were flown in from abroad at great expense just for you. After your miscarriage, you were so anxious you couldn’t sleep unless you tried IVF.”

“Tiffany, are you really so restless that smashing vases is the only way you can vent?”

She yawned deliberately, showing the kiss marks covering her chest. “Sorry, no time to chat. Zavier promised he’d make it up to me properly tonight.”

“Tiffany, you really are as filthy as the rumors say. No wonder he despises you.”

I curled my lips in a faint, cold smile. “Is that so? What a pity. Clean people don’t last long in the Morrison family.”

Denver’s face twisted with rage. “Tiffany, I’ll have someone teach her a lesson. Don’t worry, it’ll be thorough.”

I waved my hand lazily as I swung back and forth. “No need. She’s just a little girl.”

“I’ve already prepared a big gift for her.”

If she had any sense, she would have known exactly who she could taunt and who she couldn’t.

If not, I would make sure she learned the hard way. A month went by. Zavier hadn’t once stepped inside the house.

Knowing his obsession with collectibles, I bought a ticket to an auction, curious and amused.

There, the three of us collided. Evie clung to Zavier’s arm, pride gleaming in her eyes.

“Tiffany, what a surprise. What brings you here? Did someone tip you off about a gift for you tonight?”

I leaned back, exuding indifference. “So, after just a month, Evie, are you expecting again?”

Her smile faltered. Tears pooled in her eyes before she could blink.

Zavier’s eyes sharpened, ice-cold. “Tiffany, don’t overstep.”

“You scared her.”

A soft laugh danced in my voice.

Even at five months, I stood tall, facing those who dared approach. Dozens fell under the weight of my presence.

When he saw the corpses, he only praised me, no fear, no concern, not even a flicker of hesitation.

I stared at him, my voice low and soft. “Brother came to restock, right? Well, since the collection at home was smashed, it does feel a little empty.”

Zavier’s expression froze as his gaze shifted toward Evie.

She stammered, twisting under his cold stare, before finally admitting that I had sent the photos of the smashed antiques.

“I… I thought they were just some broken vases, probably not worth much, so I deleted them for you,” she mumbled.

Zavier’s face darkened, sharp as a blade, yet when he caught Evie’s pitiful expression, his tone softened. “Don’t make decisions on your own next time.”

The auction continued, dozens of lots passing by until the climactic finale.

With a snap, the lights went out. On the screen, 365 intimate photos of Evie appeared, every kind imaginable.

Her scream split the air, sharp and piercing.

“Ahhh!...”

“How are these even here?!” she shrieked, trembling.

In the next heartbeat, Zavier stormed in, the door slamming against the wall. “Tiffany! Delete those photos, now!”

I lifted my head slowly and signaled the auction staff.

“Sorry, sir. This item is registered for auction. To claim it, you’ll need to pay. Bidding starts at two million.”

My nails tapped against the table in a steady rhythm as I watched him, amusement curling my lips. His face twisted, rage, helplessness, bitterness, but not a trace of remorse.

“You’ve crossed the line this time!”

“She’s just a young girl!”

I let out a soft laugh, my smile bright as a blade.

“Then what will you do? It’s already on the floor. I’ve raised the bid to ten million. Will you keep up? Otherwise… I can’t promise where those photos might end up.”

Zavier slammed the door as he stormed out, every movement radiating pure fury.

Soon, the next private room announced its bids. No matter how high I went, he always topped me by another million.

Finally, when the photos sold for eighty million, I allowed myself a nod of satisfaction. I didn’t pursue it further; making him bleed this time was only the first step.

A message flashed on my phone from an unknown number.

[Tiffany, just you wait!]

[Your turn is coming soon!]

The final lot appeared: a so-called relic said to protect pregnancies. I laughed bitterly.

So this was the little girl’s revenge? How quaint. Truly, it barely scratched the skin, let alone hurt.

But my smile froze.

The screen shifted, revealing my daughter’s unearthed grave. The urn was empty.

“I heard this was your first child, and it was because of this child that you… broke.” “Too bad there weren’t enough ashes, only enough to make a relic.”

“Tiffany, do you like this gift?”

My breath caught in my throat, nails digging into my palm. I kicked open the door to the next room.

Evie lay in Zavier’s arms, her smile bright and triumphant.

“I like this lot. Zavier, can you give it to me?”

“It was meant to vent your anger in the first place. If you want it, keep it.”

Rage boiled through me. I drew my dagger and pressed the blade to his throat.

“You know what this means to me! Zavier, you bastard!”

That was our first child, and the only one.

When I was pregnant, he had been caught in a bloody gang massacre, barely clinging to life. I hid in the villa’s basement, but even there, enemies found me.

With a five-month belly, I gripped the dagger he had given me and drove it through a man who dared approach.

By the time Zavier returned, the villa had already been reduced to ashes by my hand. He held me in the sea of fire, tears streaked with blood, raw and endless.

“I swear, not one of them will be spared. I’ll use their blood to honor our child, to pave her way to reincarnation.”

He had done it, and yet our child was gone too.

Because of the fire, the scar winding across my belly remained forever. And now, he made a joke of it.

“Is it really necessary to care about something that belongs to the dead? Besides, you were the one at fault first. Consider this compensation for Evie.”

Evie stepped forward, a cruel smile lighting her face.

“That’s right, Tiffany. I heard your child died so tragically because you committed too many sins.”

“To make it into a relic, I even kept it in a church for a whole month to absorb light!”

“Tell me, could the fact that you can’t conceive now, that even IVF won’t work, be because this child resents you?”

Her words pierced my heart, tearing flesh and blood as if with claws.

I slammed her onto the table, drew my dagger, and sliced across her face.

“Did the priest tell you that today you would meet a blood calamity?”

“Evie, I had originally wanted to let you go, but you are asking for death!”

With a flick of my wrist, blood blossomed across her face like a cruel, dark flower.

Just as the dagger neared her neck, Zavier kicked it away with a sharp force.

“Enough! How long are you going to keep making trouble?”

Before his words faded, I drew a gun and pressed it to Evie’s forehead.

The fury in his eyes deepened. “Tiffany! Was what Evie said wrong?”

“Look at what you’ve become! How are you any different from a lunatic?”

“If it weren’t for you insisting on going out to kill that night, would the child have died? When will you ever reflect on your own mistakes?”

The gun in my hand trembled violently, almost firing. I shook uncontrollably, every fiber of me quivering.

He knew as well as I did why our child had died. Those enemies, hunting revenge, were after him.

First, they found my parents’ villa and slaughtered them, then strung their bodies in front of the house to lure Zavier out.

When that failed, they dragged me from the basement and used the child as leverage, forcing me to call him. I called, but he didn’t answer.

They thought I was only his lover, so they chose to vent all their hatred on me. Hundreds of thugs came, planning to humiliate me, to film it, and send it to Zavier.

But they underestimated a mother’s will to protect her child. They all died, horribly.

That night, I wept endlessly, clutching my parents’ corpses. With my bare hands, I dug them a grave in front of the villa until my ten fingertips were shredded and bleeding. Through the long hours of digging, Zavier knelt beside me in silence.

By dawn, the child had been cut out, already without breath.

He cradled the child and knelt before me for three days and three nights. “Tiffany, from this moment, this life is yours. My blood will only flow for you.”

I pressed a cigarette butt into Evie’s chest, my smile cruel and jagged.

“You’re right. It’s all my fault. My gravest mistake was trusting your lies.”

Evie wailed and threw herself into Zavier’s arms. “She’s already lost her mind!”

Zavier’s eyes never left mine, his gaze tense and fixed.

The moment I reached into my pocket, his muscles tightened in alert, but when I pulled out the cemetery order, his guard eased at last.

“I intended to move the child closer to us, but… it seems unnecessary now.”

Pain flickered in his eyes as he obediently held out his hand.

The next second, my dagger cut through his index finger, sending it to the floor.

I pressed it under my foot and let out a wild laugh.

“Do you think you deserve this? Zavier, this is what you owe me! I’ll reclaim it, piece by piece… slowly!”