“I have a video of you neglecting Lily. She’s crying because she misses her mommy—and I’m the one trying to comfort her. Want to see it?”

Cassandra pressed play. Lily’s sobbing voice echoed from the phone’s speaker:

“Mommy… I want Mommy…”

Since the screen was angled toward me, I could clearly see what the others could not: Cassandra slapping Lily across the face, over and over.

That was the real reason Lily was crying for me.

But her cries were so loud, they drowned out the sound of the slaps.

“Lily, be a good girl,” Cassandra cooed on screen. “Your mom is busy right now. Auntie made you some mango purée—it’s super sweet. Come on, eat it all up, okay?”

A moment later, Lily’s sobbing ceased—not because she had calmed down, but because her throat was swelling shut.

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.

Cassandra knew exactly what she was doing. She knew Lily was severely allergic to mangoes.

Cassandra smugly pocketed her phone. The surrounding crowd, unaware of what the video actually showed, exploded in judgment.

“I’ve never seen a mother so cold-blooded. Working nonstop while her child cries for attention—what kind of woman does that?”

“If this young girl hadn’t been there to console the kid, the poor thing would’ve choked to death on her own tears!”

“Some people are saying she locked her kid in the trunk and left her to die. Honestly, I believe it. She probably wanted to get rid of the girl so she could chase some business deal!”

“This babysitter’s being accused of killing the child, but clearly, the real abuser is the mother. She shouldn’t be allowed to raise a goldfish, let alone a child. Someone should teach her a lesson!”

Fueled by grief and outrage, they pounced.

Slaps rained down on my face. Someone spat at me. Rotten eggs were hurled, exploding against my clothes and skin.

Sharp nails raked across my cheeks and arms, carving deep, bleeding gashes into my flesh.

I staggered under the assault, my vision swimming in pain and humiliation.

Desperately, I looked at Ben. He shifted slightly, but didn’t move to help me.

Cassandra leaned into him, pouting, her voice soft and manipulative.

“Ben, you said you’d always protect me. Shaw’s insults don’t matter to me—but if you step in now, it’s like admitting I’m guilty. What if the school finds out? My whole future will be destroyed. Would you really break your promise for her?”

Finally, Ben turned to me, his tone icy and void of sympathy.

“Serena, you were the one who started all of this by falsely accusing Cassandra. If you refuse to apologize, then you have to accept the consequences.”

I don’t know how long the beating lasted. Eventually, the angry mob tired out and dispersed.

Shaking, bleeding, I dragged myself up from the floor.

Ben stepped toward me and extended his hand.

“Come. I’ll help you clean up.”

I slapped his hand away and hissed,

“Ben, I’m divorcing you. I’m quitting the company. From this moment on, we are nothing but strangers.”

Rage flickered in his eyes.

“You’re leaving me? Serena, is that supposed to be a threat? You’re the one at fault. I’m just trying to make sure Cassandra gets a fair chance!”

I didn’t even look at him.

I gently picked up my daughter’s lifeless body, wiped the smudges from her tiny face, and walked toward the crematorium.

Ben tried to follow, but I spun around and shouted,

“Get out!”

He paused mid-step. Whatever words he had died on his lips as he met my eyes.

I didn’t glance back. I simply walked away.

That night, I sat outside the crematorium alone, listening to the quiet hum of machinery, my tears falling silently.

“Lily… I’m sorry. Mommy didn’t protect you... Mommy failed you...”

The next morning, I arranged for Lily’s urn to be stored temporarily at the funeral home.

I could no longer trust Ben. I had to leave this place. I had to get my mother and Lily far, far away—somewhere no one could hurt us again.

When I stepped outside, Ben and Cassandra were gone.

Lying abandoned on the ground was my phone.

The screen was lit up, showing thirty-six missed calls, all from the nursing home.

I immediately dialed the nurse, who picked up almost at once. Her voice came through, breathless and panicked:

“Ms. Shaw, why didn’t you answer earlier? Your mother… she attempted suicide. Her condition—her boss—”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I hung up and rushed outside to hail a taxi straight to the nursing home.

When I arrived, a nurse stood trembling by the ward door, her face Shaw, one hand over her mouth to keep from vomiting.

“Ms. Shaw… the scene inside is terrible. Please prepare yourself…”

The moment I stepped inside, the metallic stench of blood assaulted my senses.

The walls were stained deep red. My mother’s lifeless body knelt in front of the scorched microwave, charred and unrecognizable from the neck down.

“Why? Why did it come to this?!”

The nurse’s voice quivered as she explained:

“We… we don’t know. A group of men came last night claiming to be friends of Miss Quinn. They said they were asked to visit your mother on her behalf. They refused to let us monitor or guard the door.”

“Mr. Doyle gave strict orders that Miss Quinn’s instructions should be treated as his own. We… we didn’t dare disobey. The men stayed inside for a long time before they finally left. When I came this morning to change your mother’s dressings, I saw her kneeling, head inside the microwave. At first, I thought she was looking for something… but then it exploded.”

My mind reeled. A memory flashed through my head.

Before leaving yesterday, threatened and paranoid, I had quietly asked a sympathetic caregiver to install a hidden camera in the room.

I’d gone to the restroom to whisper the instructions, just in case Ben was still watching me.

That caregiver owed me a favor—and though she didn’t dare openly defy Ben, she still helped me this time.

I connected my phone to the feed and scrolled through the overnight footage.

What I saw made my blood boil and my vision go red with fury.

They humiliated my mother.

One of the men even leaned in and threatened her, his tone cruel and low:

“Old woman, we just filmed a video of you. If we release it online, do you think your daughter will survive the fallout?”

“Mr. Doyle’s only daughter now is Cassandra. He didn’t bat an eye when she killed your granddaughter. He even forced your daughter to hand over the evidence.”

“If you want to protect her reputation, you’d better convince her to divorce Mr. Doyle and leave his house quietly. Otherwise, we’ll make you and your daughter famous on the internet—and not in a good way.”

My mother sat silently through the night.

Then, just before dawn, she switched on the microwave.

As if she knew there was a camera in the room, she looked directly into the lens and smiled—a small, calm, heart-wrenching smile.

“Serena,” she whispered. “Mom didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m not afraid of their threats. But I know Ben’s using me to control you. I don’t care what the world says—but I can’t be your burden any longer.”

“Mom is leaving now. Go look after our Lily. You have to live, and you must stay far, far away from that monster. I’m sorry I brought this pain to you.”

I couldn’t bear to watch another second.

I fell to my knees and clung to my mother’s lifeless body, sobbing uncontrollably.

Just then, my phone rang. A strange number flashed on the screen.

“Hello? I found your daughter’s watch… It was lying in front of the Aurora Tower. Can you come and pick it up?”

My heart stopped.

That watch. It was my birthday gift to Lily—a custom smartwatch with a hidden video recording function. She never took it off unless absolutely necessary.

Could she have… left behind evidence?

After arranging for my mother’s body to be transported to the funeral home, I rushed to Aurora Tower to retrieve the watch.

When I turned it on, I found hundreds of video files stored inside.

Each one was damning.

Each one captured Cassandra’s cruelty—every slap, every threat, every manipulation. Including the footage from the day my daughter died.

Rage coiled in my chest like a firestorm ready to erupt.

I took out my phone and called Ben’s most relentless business rival—the man who had once promised that I’d always have a place at his side.

“You once told me your company would always welcome me—does that offer still stand?”

His voice on the other end was calm, even cheerful.

“Of course. My team and I are here in America right now, negotiating a few partnerships. You’re welcome to name your terms.”

“Then I need a favor. And I’ll make it worth your while.”

…

After the call ended, I drafted both my resignation letter and divorce petition. Then I headed straight to the office.

As I passed by the tea room, I caught sight of Cassandra chatting on the phone, her voice smug and gloating, completely unaware of what was coming.

“The footage is perfect. I’ve already transferred your payment.”

“Just got word from the nursing home—the old hag committed suicide. She was tougher than expected. But imagining Serena crying her eyes out right now? That makes my day. Honestly, if she hadn’t helped him build the company from scratch, Ben would’ve ditched her a long time ago.”

“She still has the nerve to cling to the title of Mrs. Doyle. I’ll make sure she regrets it. Serena’s a bitch, her daughter’s a little bitch, and her mother was an old bitch. Now she doesn’t have to worry—her mother can go ahead and serve that little brat in hell! Hahaha…”

Fury erupted inside me. I charged forward and slapped Cassandra in the face.

Ben stormed in and shoved me hard. I stumbled backward and crashed into the cactus on the bar, my palms instantly shredded and bleeding.

“Serena, are you insane?!” he shouted.

“Ben, I don’t even know what I did wrong,” Cassandra whimpered. “Miss Shaw hit me the moment she walked in. Is she mad because she found out about the celebration you planned for our 100th-day anniversary tonight?”

“I know she’s always thought I wasn’t good enough. To her, I’m just some poor scholarship student, only suitable to be a nanny for your family. Maybe I should just leave and go back to school…”

Ben pulled her into his arms, eyes filled with disappointment as he looked at me.

“When did you become so cruel and arrogant, Serena?”

“Cassandra’s an orphan who’s worked so hard to pay for her education. She’s never even known what it’s like to be cared for. I’ve loved you for years, but that’s not enough for you? You’re so eaten up with jealousy that you’d strike her over something so petty?”

I laughed bitterly, my hands trembling.

“You’re calling me arrogant? Do you even know what Cassandra did? My mother died because of her! She sent those men to torture and kill her. They—”

Slap.

The crack of his palm against my cheek echoed through the room. My lips split open, blood trickling down.

“I told you,” Ben said coldly, “don’t call Cassandra by those words again.”

“You already blamed her for Lily’s death. Now you’re dragging your dead mother into this? Do you even have a conscience left?”

Seeing how easily he stood by Cassandra, my last thread of hope snapped. There was no point trying to reason with a heart that had already turned against me.

“Forget it,” I said flatly, “just sign these two documents, and I’ll disappear from your life.”

I handed him my resignation and divorce agreement.

Without a second glance, he scribbled his signature and flung the papers in my face.

“I know you’re grieving, Lily. I’ll sign whatever you want. But you’ve humiliated Cassandra in public—more than once. If you don’t kneel down and apologize to her now, I can’t guarantee that Lily’s ashes won’t disappear from the funeral home. And maybe they’ll end up in a dog’s mouth.”

I stood frozen, trembling from head to toe. How had the man I once loved turned so monstrously cruel?

“Ben, you’re despicable.”

Choking on my pride, I fell to my knees before Cassandra.

“I sincerely apologize for disrespecting you today.”

No sooner had the words left my mouth than Cassandra seized me by the hair and slammed my forehead against the floor.

“Ms. Shaw, do you even understand what an apology means? If you’re going to kneel, at least do it properly.”

My forehead split open, blood soaking into the carpet. Ben stood nearby, looking concerned—but not for me. Cassandra leaned into him pitifully.

“Ben, check my face. Did she ruin it? My looks are all I have. How could she be so heartless, hitting a girl right in the face?”

Ben said nothing.

Without another glance at me, he led her back to the office. Soon, muffled moans and breathy gasps came from behind the closed door.

I ignored the judgmental stares from the employees and dragged myself out of the office building, still bleeding.

Just then, a sleek Bentley limousine rolled up and stopped in front of the building. A dozen well-dressed men in sharp suits—some Americans, some European—stepped out in unison.

They bowed in perfect unison.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Shaw. Wells’ elite legal team—at your full disposal!"