“Sylvia is trying to be kind by helping you,” Kelvin said impatiently. “You can get the medicine just by kneeling. I really don’t understand why you’re being so stubborn.”

Unhappy with my attitude, Kelvin grabbed a stack of cash and threw it into the air.

“Aren’t you obsessed with money?” he sneered. “Here, this is for you! Now kneel down, crawl on the floor and pick it all up. Whatever you collect is yours.”

Thinking of my mother lying in the emergency room, I knelt down with red, swollen eyes and began picking up the money, one bill at a time.

Suddenly, Sylvia’s spoiled younger brother stepped on my hand and ground his foot into it again and again.

Staring at my reddened palm, Kelvin seemed disgusted. Probably he thought that I looked so shameful. He then shoved me away roughly.

“You’ll throw away all your dignity just for a little money!” he roared angrily.

The twins also looked at me with open disgust.

“Get lost!”

I swallowed my humiliation, lifted my skirt and was about to leave when Sylvia softly called out. “Hold on! Aren’t you wearing my clothes?”

I turned around in shock and looked at Kelvin.

The dress I wore had been laid on the bed in the bedroom. I thought it was a gift Kelvin had prepared for our wedding anniversary tomorrow. Turned out this was a part of Sylvia’s schemes.

The entire lobby fell silent. Everyone stared at me like they were watching a show. I could feel their eyes seeming to pierce through my clothes.

Suddenly, Al and El charged at me like cannonballs. They clawed at my clothes wildly.

“Who told you to wear Mom’s clothes, you dirty woman!” said Albert.

The younger twins followed, “That’s right! Take them off and give them back to Mom!”

Angry and out of control, Al even raised his small fist and punched me hard.

Clutching my stomach, I struggled toward the second-floor changing room, but my father’s call stopped me.

“Tia, have you gathered the money for the surgery?” he asked urgently. “Your mother can’t hold on much longer.”

“I have, dad,” I replied. “I’m coming to the hospital now.”

Humiliated, I returned to Sylvia once more. Meeting her mocking gaze, I hesitated before speaking. “Can you pay me this month’s wages early?”

“Are you blind with greed?” she sneered. “All you ever talk about is money.”

“My mother really needs this money,” I said desperately. “I’m begging you.”

I was about to kneel when Sylvia lifted my chin with the tip of her shoe.

“Drink all the wine on that table,” she said lightly, “and I’ll pay you your full salary.”

I desperately poured the wine into my mouth, ignoring the laughter around me. Tears slid down my face no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

Forcing myself to stand steady, I took the pitifully small amount of money Sylvia handed me.

Before I could ask anything, my phone vibrated again. My father had been calling nonstop.

“Tia, are you already on your way?” he sobbed. “Your mother… she’s not going to make it. Hurry!”

I ran toward the exit like I’d lost my mind, but Kelvin grabbed my arm. “You haven’t taken off Sylvia’s clothes yet.”

I turned back, eyes red with hatred and desperation. My expression seemed to shock him. At that, Kelvin froze, then slowly loosened his grip.

“Vin, but that was the first dress you ever gave me,” Sylvia said softly from behind.

Kelvin tightened his grip on my clothes again.

“My mother is dying in the hospital,” I begged, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.

“You’re lying again,” he said coldly. “Unless you take off the clothes today, you’re not leaving.”

When my family went bankrupt, my mother was afraid I would suffer with them. She lied to Kelvin, saying she was dying and pushed us to get married. That lie became a thorn Kelvin never forgot.

Looking at the phone ringing again, I made up my mind. Standing at the door, I began to take off my clothes.

Kelvin stared at me in disbelief as he watched me completely discarding the dress I wore.

The noise in the lobby slowly faded. People stopped shouting and only whispered quietly.

Then a deep voice broke the silence. “Hey you, there's don't need to take it off. I have another dress, a limited piece. I’ll give it to Ms. Sylvia Mapple.”

The moment I heard I didn’t need to undress, I turned and ran toward the hospital. I didn’t notice the intense gaze of the man behind me, or Sylvia clinging to him eagerly.

In the hospital hallway, my father was squatting in the corner with his head in his hands.

He looked at me with empty eyes and said in a hoarse voice, “Your mother is gone. Before she passed, she kept calling your nickname. Even at the end, she never closed her eyes.”

I cried quietly, hugging my head, but a sharp voice suddenly interrupted me. “Well, isn’t this our family’s nanny?”

Sylvia stood in front of me, holding Kelvin’s arm tightly. “Vin felt sorry for me,” she said sweetly. “He was worried my burn would leave a scar, so he brought me here.”

Kelvin’s lips moved slightly. He looked like he wanted to explain, but no words came out.

My father froze in shock. His voice trembled as he said, “Tia… is this how you’ve been living with the Robinsons? It’s all my fault for dragging you into this.”

“No!” I denied urgently.

Ever since our family went bankrupt, my father had felt deeply guilty toward my mother and me. He even tried to end his life several times because of the debt, but my mother and I stopped him each time.

I wiped away my tears and looked at Kelvin with pleading eyes. I explained quickly to my father,

“Kevin is just accompanying a good friend to see a doctor. I asked him to.”

“A ‘good friend’ you he's sleeping with?” Sylvia asked with a fake shy smile. “Or a ‘good friend’ that Al and El call ‘Mom’?”

Seeing my father’s dazed expression, I grabbed Kelvin’s other arm and shook it, begging him to say something—anything—to comfort my father.

Bang!

In a moment of panic, the hallway was suddenly silent. My father was gone. My legs went weak as I dragged myself toward the window, unable to believe what had happened.

When I saw my father’s broken body below, everything went black.

“Since you’re awake, get up and eat some porridge,” Kelvin said. He held a bowl and spoon, trying to feed me.

I turned my face away, my heart full of resentment. My mother was gone. My father was gone too. I no longer needed to bow to Kelvin for money.

Kelvin put down the spoon and grabbed my chin.

“You need to eat properly,” he said. “What about the baby you're carrying?”

I frowned in disgust.

“Syl wants this child,” Kelvin said casually. “Don’t you like the twins? Syl said once she has this baby, she’ll give the twins back to you. A child raised from young would be closer to her anyway.”

Hearing that, I leaned over the bed and vomited uncontrollably.

“No, no! We want Mama Sylvia too!” the twins shouted as they rushed in like little missiles.

“Who wants this ugly mom? This dirty woman!”

Sylvia followed them in, covering her mouth as she laughed. “Vin, I want sons too,” she said. “If what she had is a daughter, then never mind.”

“You can raise it. Don’t give birth to another money-loser—someone with no self-respect, who loves money so much she’ll wag her tail like a dog for cash.”

Listening to them, my disgust reached its peak. I was about to speak when I suddenly noticed something in Sylvia’s hand.

She was lightly swinging two small golden tiger charms.

I turned to Albert and Elbert, then shouted through my sobs, “Don’t you know your grandmother has passed away? Don’t you know that was the only thing she left for you?”

Back then, I almost died giving birth to them. That was the reason I had always spoiled the twins. This was the first time I had ever lost my temper with them.

Frightened, Al and El froze where they stood.

“Why are you yelling at the kids?” Kelvin said impatiently. “They’re just two worthless necklaces. Even if they were thrown away, it wouldn’t matter.”

“That’s right,” Sylvia added lightly. “If you like them so much, I’ll give you this broken charm too.”

As she spoke, she tossed the shattered charm onto the floor in front of me.

The charm was something my parents had begged a church priest for before my mother died. It carried their hopes for me. It was also the last thing they left behind.

I didn’t know how Sylvia found the charm I had hidden by my bedside, or how she took it out just to hurt me on purpose. Looking at the broken charm on the ground, I could no longer control my emotions.

“How dare you go through my things!” I shouted angrily.

“I found it and gave it to Mama Sylvia,” Al said in his childish voice. “You’re not allowed to say bad things about her!”

Al pushed me with his small hands.

I looked at my two sons in disappointment.

El pressed his lips together and avoided my eyes. However, Al stared at me stubbornly.

“We should get a divorce,” I said softly to Kelvin.

“When did you suddenly become so sensible?” Sylvia said proudly. “Vin just proposed to me!”

Kelvin lowered his head and explained in a deep voice, “The twins are about to attend an elite school. If people know they have a mother like you, they’ll be embarrassed.”

As he spoke, his tone grew firmer. He looked straight at me. “You love them so much that you were even willing to risk your life for them.”

“After the divorce, you can still live in the villa,” he continued coldly. “But you must take good care of Syl. She’s still young.”

His condescending tone made him stand even straighter.

I closed my eyes and stayed silent. As long as Kelvin agreed to divorce, nothing else mattered to me.

“Don’t forget to sign the divorce papers,” Kelvin said.

He threw several sheets of paper at my face, then wrapped his arm around Sylvia and left with the twins without looking back.

A deep sadness filled my heart. Everything I cherished was leaving me. My parents died indirectly because of Kelvin. My two sons were drifting farther and farther away from me.

All of this was caused by Kelvin’s so-called “love” and his revenge.

Thinking of this, I forced myself up and began searching for the evidence I had secretly collected. Those evidences could destroy Kelvin.

After organizing everything, I closed my eyes to rest. Then I heard soft footsteps.

I quietly opened my eyes and saw the twins. I waited silently for them to come closer. I guessed they might still like me but were afraid of Kelvin.

When they were young, they used to stand bravely to protect me just like they protected Sylvia. But things changed. I then told them not to fight Kelvin anymore, hoping they could gain even a little of his love.

Sadly, from that moment on, they began turning their blades toward me instead.

“Is this really okay?” El whispered.

“If we don’t do this, Mama Sylvia won’t want us anymore,” Al replied. “Do you want to be abandoned?”

Then, together, they struck my stomach hard with their hands. A warm liquid rushed out instantly.

I immediately understood, the child I was currently pregnant with was gone. My heart twisted in pain. I didn’t know whether it hurt for the lost child, or for the two little monsters I had raised with my own hands.

Watching their small figures leave, my last bit of affection for the Robinsons disappeared completely.

After taking care of everything, I returned to the empty house.

I placed my ring and the signed divorce papers on the dining table. I packed up everything related to me and threw it all away.

Carrying only my personal items and my own ID, I left the villa.

Before boarding the plane, I sent all the evidence that could ruin Kelvin to him.

“Kelvin,” I wrote, “welcome to a world where you have nothing.”