Anastasia waved her phone in his face, showing the electronic marriage certificate. “Look carefully. I am the one President Sinclair married officially. Our Evan is his son. This woman’s child? A mistake. Nothing but a bastard, not even recognized.”

Her words were like knives in my chest. I looked at Nuanxing’s pale little face in my arms and my knees gave out. I fell to the floor right in front of Anastasia.

“Please… please, save my daughter!” I begged, my voice cracking, tears streaming down my face.

The chatter in the hall went silent. Every eye was on us.

Anastasia didn’t even blink. She picked up Jordan’s number and dialed. The moment he answered, her voice was sweet and aggrieved. “Baby, come back! Hurry. Genevieve is trying to steal Evan’s blood. She wants to hurt us. She’s trying to kill our son and me!”

I ripped free from the guards and grabbed the phone. My voice shook, but I forced it to stay strong. “Jordan! Jennifer is cut! She’s severely anemic from a rare condition. She needs a transfusion right now! Tell the hospital to give her the blood, or she will die!”

There was a long silence on the line, and then Jordan’s voice came through, impatient and clipped.

“Genn, the blood’s already been set aside for Evan. He needs it now, so don’t cause a scene and slow things down.”

I felt my chest tighten, my voice breaking. “How much blood does a one-month-old even need?! Your fucking son just scraped his knee, and my daughter is lying in the emergency room, bleeding! She needs it now!”

There was more static on the line before Jordan spoke again, his voice cold, almost suspicious. “A newborn baby with a rare condition? Are you… exaggerating this, Genn? Are you even being honest about your own daughter?”

“Jordan!” My voice cracked, hot tears streaming down my cheeks. “She is your daughter! Your own flesh and blood! Can’t you even understand that?”

I could hear the dean whispering near him, all obsequious, like he was afraid to anger the big man. “Mr. Sinclair, what should we do about this woman? She seems… unstable. She insists she’s your wife…”

Jordan was silent for a beat, and when he spoke again, it was icy and distant. “My wife is Anastasia. She’s the one taking care of our son, Evan. I… don’t have a daughter.”

Relief seemed to wash over the room. People looked at me like I’d gone mad.

Anastasia grinned like she’d won. She slammed the bag of Rh-negative blood onto the floor in front of me. “Does your… child even deserve this?” she hissed. Her heel ground the blood into the floor. “I’d rather see it wasted than see it given to you.”

I felt my chest collapse, like someone had crushed it with a stone, and even breathing felt impossible.

The ward door banged shut behind me, cutting me off from everything. I stumbled back to Jennifer Hospital’s ward, cradled my daughter’s tiny cold body, and tears ran over her face like a broken string of pearls. My arms felt so empty, so useless.

Then my phone lit up. Anastasia had posted again on Insta story. She was holding Evan, smiling bright, and in the picture was the transfer Jordan had just made, 500,000 dollars, with a note: “Take care of our son.”

My stomach dropped, and a chill ran straight through me. The warmth in my arms was fading, and I felt completely powerless. How could he pretend to love me all these years, then let her do this?

And just when despair was about to swallow me whole, I heard a clear, calm male voice from the doorway.

“I have Rh-negative blood. I can donate it to your daughter.”

...

Thanks to that stranger who donated 400cc of blood, my daughter was alive. My little girl was finally safe. How messed up is that? Her own father hoarded every drop of Rh-negative blood in the hospital, refusing to give her a single vial, and some stranger just shows up, quietly saves her life, and vanishes without even leaving a name.

Her tiny face slowly got color back, and her little mouth instinctively searched for milk. The nanny leaned closer, “Miss Genevieve, something isn’t right. I’ve always watched her closely. Nothing sharp ever got near her crib.”

I froze. “But the doctor said her wound came from a razor blade… she was lying in her crib the whole time.”

My stomach dropped. The moment I got home, I checked the crib. Hidden in the folds of the velvet sheets were several razor blades, still stained with my daughter’s blood.

My mind went blank. I had asked Jordan to buy that crib during my postpartum period. Did he even know what Anastasia had done? Of course he didn’t care about anything like that. He just told his assistant, “Buy the most expensive one.” And this crib… it was probably through Anastasia’s connections. She had planted those blades.

A chill ran down my spine. Does Jordan even realize that Anastasia tried to kill our daughter? And if he did know, would he do anything to protect her? Or would he just keep pretending to be the perfect husband while letting her die? I didn’t have an answer.

I curled up on the sofa, holding Jennifer close, letting her little body warm mine, and whispered through my tears, “Baby, don’t be scared. Mommy will never let anyone hurt you again.”

At least in two days we’d be gone from all of this, starting fresh somewhere new.

...

When Jordan came home from his trip, he stormed in immediately, his voice fake and sharp. “Genn, you’ve been acting completely out of line lately!”

I looked up at him, gripping Jennifer tighter.

“You went to the hospital, made a scene, and completely ignored how I’d feel,” he continued, his tone almost sweet, but I knew it was all fake. “Did you even think about me?”

I felt a shiver run through me.

He glanced down at my sleeping daughter, his fake concern showing, but I could see right through it. “You used our daughter to stir up trouble, Genn. That’s really disappointing.”

I shook my head, “Jordan, it’s over. Between us, it’s done.”

His hand shot out and gripped my arm. “Over? What do you mean it’s over? We’ve known each other since we were kids! We’ve been together for over ten years. You can’t just throw that away!”

I felt like someone had just jabbed a needle into my chest. “Didn’t you just say on the phone that Anastasia is your wife and Blair Evan is your son? So why act pathetic now?”

Jordan didn’t meet my eyes. He turned his face away, looking guilty, “Genevieve, that was an emergency. The staff at that private hospital all know Mrs. Sinclair. If they hear the truth, they might refuse to give Evan his blood. I had no choice.”

No choice? My chest tightened and my tears burned my eyes. I wanted to tell him that we weren’t just a name on paper, that the whole thing was fake, but the words stuck in my throat.

Then he squinted at me, his voice too calm, too smooth, “So you’re jealous of Anastasia, right? You think I care about her more than you? You’re letting your feelings for me make you use your daughter to compete?”

My jaw dropped. “That’s insane! You think I’d ever—”

“Come on, Genn. Just because she had a son and you had a daughter, you deliberately try to cause trouble? Admit it.” He didn’t even give me a chance to speak.

Then his phone rang, and he glanced at it. “Stay home, reflect on your behavior. Don’t even go to the company today.” And he was gone, leaving me shaking and furious.

My chest burned and my hands trembled. The fake marriage certificate I had with him meant I couldn’t even touch Anastasia legally. Not a single thing in this house was safe from her. Not a single thing that belonged to me.

I counted my shares again, thinking about transferring them quietly to protect what was mine, to make sure Anastasia didn’t get even a fraction. But before I could even move, my phone rang.

“Miss Genevieve! You need to come back immediately.”

“What is it?” I asked, my heart hammering.

“The woman claiming to be Mr. Sinclair’s assistant… she just barged in with a child. She says Mr. Sinclair personally told her to come in. We couldn’t stop her.”

Anastasia. My fingers went white around the phone. I didn’t even think. I drove home like my life depended on it.

The nanny was pacing when I got there. Her voice trembled as soon as she saw me. “Miss, I couldn’t stop them at all… Mr. Sinclair personally called and told them to come in.”

I pushed past her and froze for a second. Blair Evan was lying on the floor, rolling colorful marbles everywhere. He spotted me and screamed, “Mommy, look! That wicked woman who stole my blood is back!”

Anastasia was in front of Jennifer’s crib, fingers hovering near her cheek, smiling like she had done nothing wrong.

I ran at her and shoved her hard. She stumbled back a little but didn’t even look mad. She just smiled, all smug and cold.

“Genevieve, let me make this very clear to you,” she said slowly, “Jordan and I are legally married. You’re just a mistress who can’t be seen in public. This house? It’s ours. I can kick you out whenever I want.”

I felt every word like a knife in my chest. I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached, my fingers clutching the edge of the crib until they went white. “I didn’t even want that kind of trash Jordan a long time ago. I’m done with him. But before I leave, get out of here. Or I’ll call the media and expose everything you’ve done.”

Anastasia screeched, her face red and veins popping, “Who do you think you are? You don’t get to talk to me like that! The law’s on my side, not yours! You should be leaving, not me, you crazy woman!”

I lifted my chin and stared at her coolly, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “The law? Even if I walked away, I’ve got the Sinclair and Fitzwilliam family backing me up. And you? A nanny who seduces her boss and hides behind a piece of paper calling yourself his wife. You think that marriage certificate makes you anything? Jordan wouldn’t dare show you off in public, would he? You two are just hiding in the shadows, like cowards.”

“Shut up!” Anastasia’s eyes were wild, burning with hatred. She swung her hand and slapped me across the face hard.

The smack echoed, and my cheek stung, but I didn’t flinch. I hit her back harder, letting her feel every ounce of my rage. The cameras in the living room would show the truth anyway.

Then I froze. A tiny, whimpering sound came from the crib. My heart stopped. I whipped around, eyes wide, and saw what Blair Evan had just shoved into Jennifer’s mouth.

A glass marble.

“Jennifer!” I screamed, rushing over like a lunatic. I grabbed her into my arms, patting her back, my fingers shaking. “Spit it out now, baby! Mommy’s here, it’s okay!”

Jordan stormed in like a hurricane, his face dark. “What are you doing to our daughter?”

Anastasia flew to his side, her voice all fake sweetness and panic. “Baby, you’re back! Don’t worry, Evan just wanted to play with her using the marbles. He didn’t mean anything, Genevieve, calm down.”

Calm down? My voice cracked as I tried to pry Jennifer’s mouth open. “Baby, it’s okay, it’s okay now… Mommy’s here, you’re safe…”

Jordan snatched Jennifer out of my arms. “Are you insane? You’ll hurt her if you keep this up!”

Snap.

I slapped him across the face as hard as I could. “You think you get to play judge now? Look at what your little bastard did to my daughter!”

Jennifer vomited violently at the sound, and a marble rolled across the carpet with a heavy thud. She cried out, her tiny face bright red, and my own chest ached watching her.

“Did you see that?!” I pointed at the marbles, my eyes red and burning. “That little bastard shoved marbles into your newborn daughter’s mouth! Are you blind or just another useless bastard like your father?!”

I snatched Jennifer back into my arms, holding her tight, my gaze like daggers aimed at Anastasia and that little monster she calls her son.

Jordan finally stiffened, pulling Blair Evan over. “Evan, apologize to your auntie and your sister right now.”

The boy just cried harder, kicking his legs. “My dad’s mean! Evan doesn’t want her dad anymore! Waaaaah!”

The crying from both kids mixed together and stabbed through my ears like knives.

Jordan turned to me, his face cold again. “Children don’t know their own strength. You’re being way too serious, Genevieve. You’re an adult. How are you going to teach your daughter to grow up right if you can’t even act mature?”

My heart shattered at his words. I shoved him as hard as I could, slapping his face with all my anger. “Get out of here, Jordan! Take your fake wife and your little monster and get the hell out of my house!”

“Why do you always have to hit people? Why can’t you ever act like a normal human?”

Anastasia lifted her hand, clearly ready to strike back, but Jordan grabbed her wrist like it was nothing.

“Stop it.” His voice was low, but sharp, and he shook her hand off like she was a bothersome fly. Then he turned to me, his eyes full of fake disappointment. “Genn, what’s gotten into you?”

I wanted to spit at him. What do you mean what’s gotten into me? You’ve been pretending to love me while letting her use our daughter as a pawn. How am I supposed to act?

“Let’s step outside. She needs to calm down.” He scooped Evan up like a trophy and shoved Anastasia out of the room.

...

The moment the door clicked shut, all my tension cracked at once. I slid down the wall and collapsed onto the floor, my body trembling, tears pouring down my face, salty and bitter at the same time.

My phone beeped. The equity transfer went through. My heart clenched, then clenched again with a strange mix of relief and rage. Tomorrow, we could finally leave this nightmare behind.

I checked on Jennifer in my arms, gently rocking her, trying to steady both of us. I had to be strong. I had to protect her. I whispered, “We’ll be free soon, baby. Mommy won’t let anything hurt us anymore.”

I got the nanny settled for the night, cleared out all the traces of our life there, and climbed into the pre-booked taxi as dawn cracked the sky.

“Driver, head to the airport.”

“Got it!”

I dialed the contact waiting for us. “Sorry for the delay, we’re on our way.”

A soft, gentle voice answered, like warm sunlight through frost. “No rush. Drive safe.”

For a moment, hope flickered in my chest, but then a sharp chemical smell hit me. My stomach dropped.

I looked in the rearview mirror. The driver’s eyes were dark, cold, slicing through me like knives. My daughter’s tiny body was in my arms, and I gripped her tighter, murmuring over and over, “I’ve got you, baby. I’ve got you.”

When I opened my eyes again, we were stopped outside some abandoned factory. Overgrown weeds and cracked concrete stretched as far as I could see. Jordan stood there, phone in hand, Jennifer bundled in his suit jacket, her little face scrunched up.

“The people are here. Proceed with the plan,” he said into the phone. He hung up and turned toward me, his eyebrows knitting, his voice smooth, almost mocking. “You’re awake? Perfect. Saves me the trouble of explaining everything again.”

My wrists burned from the ropes, red welts digging into my skin. I tried to pull myself up. “Jordan, what the hell do you want?! Let my daughter go right now!”

He tilted his head slightly, calm as ice. “Evan has been kidnapped.”

I froze. “What? What do you mean?”

“They wanted my own son,” he said, still avoiding my gaze. “They got the wrong child, so they took Evan. They only want to see him, not Jennifer.”

I shook my head, my voice rising, trembling with disbelief and fury. “So you’re going to trade her for him? She’s only a month old! She has severe anemia from a rare condition! Even a mosquito bite could kill her! Are you insane?!”

Jordan’s expression didn’t change. “This is the only way. They said they’d only release Evan if they saw him in person. He’s six now, and this will mess him up forever if it drags on.”

I lunged for my daughter, but he dodged easily, holding her away from me like she was some fragile trophy.

“She’s still too young to understand, Genn. Nothing like this will leave a mark on her,” he said, his tone disturbingly calm, like my terror didn’t even exist.

Anastasia came running over, her hair messy and her makeup smudged, eyes wild with panic. "Baby! The kidnappers called again! They said if they don’t see the boy soon, they’ll… they’ll kill him!"

She froze when she saw me on the floor, then, like some crazy act of desperation, she dropped to her knees and started kowtowing, pounding her forehead on the ground over and over.

"Genevieve, please! Just this once! Let Jennifer help us get Evan back! I’ll do anything you want, anything at all!"

I kicked her hard, my hands shaking. "Get out of my way! You let this happen because you didn’t watch your kid! Why the hell should my daughter’s life be used to pay for your mess?"

Jordan squatted down next to me, his voice suddenly soft, almost sweet. "Genn, please. Evan’s innocent. Once he’s back, I swear I’ll fix everything for Jennifer too. We can go back to how things were. We… can be a family again, okay?"

I laughed bitterly, tears stinging my eyes. "The same as before? Trade my baby’s life for your illegitimate son, then go live happily ever after with you, the executioner? Jordan, what the hell do you think I am?"

From inside the warehouse came Evan's terrified cries. "Daddy! I’m scared!"

Jordan’s face went dark. He scooped Jennifer up and started toward the warehouse.

I lunged forward, my bound hands digging into his leg. "Jordan! You touch our daughter and see what happens! Go yourself if you care about him so much! Aren’t you her father too?! Go and take his place!"

He shoved me away like I was nothing. "Stop it! Evan’s a boy, the only heir of the Sinclair family! Nothing can happen to him!"

"Isn’t Jennifer your daughter too?!" My fingernails clawed at his trousers. "She’s your flesh and blood! How can you be so heartless?"

He froze, turned, his eyes flicking over my red, tear-streaked face, and said, "I… sorry."

Then suddenly, a sharp sting hit my neck.

"Just a little anesthetic. When you wake up, your daughter will be safe."

And just like that, he turned and walked toward the warehouse, holding her like a prize.