As she passed me, a flash of triumph flickered in her eyes.

My heart lurched.

That look told me everything—she knew about Lily's death.

Something inside me shattered.

I didn't even take off my shoes. I charged toward Lily's room like a woman possessed, pointing at Mia and Bryce, my voice tearing out of my throat.

"Get out!"

"Get out of Lily's room!"

Bryce burst into tears.

In the blink of an eye, Mia's voice took on a tearful tremor. "Mrs. Pruitt, what are you doing? Bryce just had surgery—if you scream at him like this, something could happen to him..."

I fixed my gaze on her, teeth clenched. "You knew Lily was already—"

Slap!

Before I could finish, Charles's palm struck my face.

"Althea! Are you done with this nonsense?!"

"Charles, Lily is dead! If you don't believe me, go to the hospital morgue—she's lying there right now!"

"And your precious student Mia knew all along!"

"Do you even know how Lily died? You killed her! You took the donor heart and—"

"You're insane!!"

Charles's roar cut me off again.

He grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to the storage room, slamming the door and locking me inside.

Then he called the psychiatric hospital.

Half an hour later, two orderlies hauled me out of the house.

I glared at Charles, my voice raw. "Charles Abbott, you'll rot in hell! You killed Lily—I will never let this go!"

But all that awaited me were restraints.

And the sound of Charles and Mia's laughter drifting from the kitchen...

In the early hours of the morning, I woke on a metal cot in the psychiatric ward, the sedatives wearing off.

Almost without thinking, I pulled out my phone and opened the home security feed.

In the bedroom Charles and I once shared, two bodies moved together.

Mia's coy voice floated through the speaker. "Charles... thank you for saving Bryce. If you had to do it all over again, would you still...?"

Charles's breath came heavy. "Not just once—I'd do it ten thousand times. I love you. Of course I love Bryce too..."

The sounds that followed made my stomach turn.

I ground my teeth until they ached, then found a number I hadn't dialed in over a decade.

"Help me. I want to destroy Charles Abbott completely."

A week later, Charles came to collect me from the psychiatric hospital.

He glanced at my hollow, haggard face and tossed a box containing a dress at my feet.

"Mia arranged a thank-you reception for me at the hospital. Clean yourself up. You're coming with me."

"Charles, it's been seven days. Don't you miss Lily at all?"

"Stop wasting my time!"

"Mia said she already sent Lily to her family's village to relax!"

He shot me a look of pure disgust and stepped outside the room.

"Hurry up and change! I don't have time to wait around for you!"

On the drive to the hospital, my phone buzzed.

A message from that number:

Althea, everything is ready.

Charles glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Who's that?"

I looked up and met his impatient eyes.

"No one. Isn't today your reception? I've prepared a little surprise for you too."

He seemed pleased that I'd finally become docile. His gaze swept over me, and a satisfied smile curved his lips.

"Althea, now this is what the wife of Director Abbott should look like. You've kept your figure well, and you're gracious and presentable. I'm very pleased with you today."

I swallowed the nausea rising in my stomach and stared at Charles's back, repeating silently to myself over and over:

Lily, Mommy will avenge you today.

The moment we stepped through the hospital doors, a swarm of reporters surged toward us.

Charles ascended the stage amid a chorus of cheers.

Mia held up an enormous silk banner and placed it in Charles's hands.

"I want to thank my mentor, Director Abbott, for giving my son a second chance at life. My mentor has always been so boundlessly compassionate..."

Before Mia could finish, waves of praise erupted from the crowd.

"That's right! Director Abbott is a renowned master of transplant surgery. Our city is proud to have such a virtuous man! He makes us all feel safe!"

"Thank you, Director Abbott! Director Abbott is a saint of medicine!"

Amid the thunderous applause, a young male reporter slowly made his way forward. He raised his microphone and spoke in a measured tone.

"Director Abbott, I've heard that your daughter unfortunately suffers from congenital heart disease. With your exceptional medical skills, has your daughter's condition been properly treated?"

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Do you even need to ask? Director Abbott is famous for doting on his wife and daughter!"

"Why would a greenhorn like you worry about his daughter's health? Of course she's being well taken care of!"

"Exactly! For all we know, she might already be fully recovered!"

Charles waved his hand at the audience and fixed the reporter with a polished, diplomatic smile.

"How kind of you to ask. As everyone has said, I've taken excellent care of my daughter. She's currently in the countryside for a retreat—arranged by my student Mia here. Everyone loves her dearly..."

"A retreat?! Lily is dead!"

I clutched Lily's portrait and urn as I pushed through the crowd.

Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, I pressed play on the large screen.

In an instant, footage of Charles performing an unauthorized procedure in the operating room—illegally transplanting a heart to Bryce—appeared before the entire audience.