When I heard the older boy, I looked at him coldly and said, “I’m not your mother’s secret lover. Your father is.”

“You bad guy! Not only do you want to take my mommy away, now you’re saying my daddy is the secret lover!”

“I’ll beat you up!”

He actually rushed at me, throwing a thin little fist toward my chest. I caught his arm and gently pushed him away, but the boy fell to the ground and burst into loud, dramatic sobs.

Gregory’s face twisted with anger.

Without hesitation, he shouted at the bodyguards, “Hold him down!”

The two bodyguards grabbed me and forced me to the ground. Gregory stepped forward and slapped me twice hard. My face stung, but I glared at him with nothing but hatred.

“Alexander,” Gregory called my name in a mocking tone while he was smirking.

He continued, trying to hurt me, “Suzanne and I actually love each other.”

“You think she ever really loved you?”

He scoffed as he kept speaking, “You have no idea, do you? That kidnapping years ago? She planned it with the kidnappers.”

I froze.

“She knew you’d give up everything for her. She used it to trick you. She even took back half the ransom you paid!”

“She built her little empire with your money,” he added, sneering.

“And guess what? She was already pregnant with my child back then.”

My entire body went cold. I … never knew about this. So, all those promises... all those tears... everything was a lie?

Gregory leaned closer, his voice turning cruel as he said, “You probably caught some disease in that filthy place you came from. Honestly, you're probably still alive because you learned to live like a dog.”

“Men like you? You’re only worthy of crawling.”

He grabbed a metal bowl and dumped dry dog food into it right in front of me.

“You don’t deserve real food. You deserve this.”

Then, without warning, he slapped me again and shoved a handful of the dog food into my mouth. I tried to resist, to spit it out. But he gripped my jaw tightly, forcing me to swallow.

“Listen, Suzanne won’t be back for a few days,” Gregory said, brushing off his hands like I was dirt.

“You better stay right here, nice and obedient.”

“And this,” he kicked the bowl toward me.

As he directed the bowl to my face, he continued, “This is all you’re getting to eat.”

The older boy watched me from the corner, giggling when he saw what his father had done.

“He’s a puppy! A dirty puppy no one wants!”

He skipped over to me and stomped on my face with his small foot before laughing and running off.

Gregory stayed a moment longer, towering over me.

“What? Can’t handle it?” he asked mockingly.

He continued, “I’m sure you’re used to this by now. You survived all those years like a mutt, didn’t you?”

“Hell, they probably released you because you were too sick to keep.”

I didn’t respond. I just stared at him, burning with silent fury. He gave me one last smug smile, then turned and walked away.

Again, I had to be patient. Besides, I would ruin their lives forever. I just had to wait.

After the bodyguards shut the door behind them, I waited until their footsteps faded. Then, I quietly pulled out my hidden phone. Without further ado, I dialed a familiar number.

“Talia,” I said in a low voice, trying to keep my tone steady.

“They’re not giving me any food. Gregory’s ... he’s feeding me dog food.”

Over the years, I had served Talia faithfully. She had rewarded me with power, money and a life of luxury. I’d never been humiliated like this. I was never starved, never beaten and never treated like an animal.

On the other end of the line, Talia’s voice was like ice as she responded, “After tonight, I’ll come to you myself. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’ll regret what they’ve done to you.”

I could hear the fury in her words. For the first time in days, a flicker of hope sparked in my chest. To be honest, it felt relieving to have someone who had my back like her.

After hanging up, I quickly hid the phone again. That phone was my lifeline now. It was the only thing keeping me tethered to the outside world.

Indeed, I didn’t call the police. After all, I knew it would be useless. Even if I reported what was happening, Suzanne would find a way to twist the truth. She would claim that I had lost my mind from trauma. Or she could say that I was dangerous, unstable.

In fact, she might even have me institutionalized. And once the police left, I knew things would only get worse. So, I stayed quiet.

I was starving, aching and humiliated. Nevertheless, I endured all of it. Eventually, I passed out from exhaustion.

The next morning, the sound of heels clicking on the floor jolted me awake. The door opened and Suzanne stormed in. Before I could speak, her hand cracked across my face.

“Alexander, I didn’t expect you to be such a cruel man!” she screamed.

“How dare you hit my son?”

“I didn’t save you and now you’re taking it out on a child? You’re disgusting!”

She slapped me again, harder this time. Blood filled my mouth as I bit down on the inside of my cheek. I pushed her away. Gently, but firmly. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I couldn’t just sit there and take it.

She stumbled back, then immediately shouted at the bodyguards behind her, “Hold him down! Now!”

They rushed forward and slammed me to the floor.

Suzanne didn’t hesitate. She kicked me hard in the stomach, the sharp point of her high heel digging into my side. Pain exploded through me. I couldn’t help but let out a groan as I curled into myself.

Still, Suzanne didn’t stop. Her fists rained down, mixed with more kicks. Her rage was surely blinding her. All I could do was grit my teeth and endure it.

At the door, the little boy clapped and laughed.

“Yay! That’s right, Mom! Beat the dog until it cries!”

“Mom is amazing! You’re the best!”

“Alexander,” Suzanne called my name as she hissed, yanking my hair back so I had to look up at her.

“Touch my son again and I will kill you.”

I stared at her, my chest heaving. The woman I once gave everything to ... this was who she truly was. To be honest, I couldn’t believe how big of an idiot I was. After all, I had sacrificed it all. My future, my freedom, my life … just for her. And this was what I got in return.

“Mom, I wanna hit him again!” the boy shouted.

“Kill him! Kill him now!”

Suzanne turned to him with a warm smile as she said, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Mommy will take care of it. Daddy will make sure this filthy dog learns his place.”

She then raised her arm again. I struggled beneath the weight of the guards, desperate to move, to breathe. Unfortunately for me, they held me down too tightly. I couldn’t even lift my head. Even the kidnappers hadn’t beaten me this badly.

Just when I thought it was the end, just when I thought Suzanne was about to finish me off, Gregory’s voice rang out from outside the room. His voice was full of shock and panic. It was then I knew one thing.

My angel had come to my rescue!

“Who are you? Why did you do to my right-hand man? You’ll regret it!”

That voice. It cut through the chaos like a blade. I knew instantly.

Talia was here!