The laughter faded, and Garry walked toward me.

There was a flicker of guilt on his face as he pulled me into his arms—just like he used to.

“Jane Ford,” he murmured, “Natasha gave you a chance to live, and she almost died for it. When I found her, she’d lost her memory and only remembered me. The doctor warned me not to trigger her trauma… I had no choice but to go along.”

Garry fetched the first aid kit and gently applied medicine to my wound.

“If you want, we can still be a family. You can stay—as Natasha’s sister. As long as we both know you’re my wife and Seth’s mother, that’s enough.”

“So, you want me to stay here… as your hidden mistress?”

Garry’s face darkened. He was about to say something when a loud crash startled us.

We turned to see Natasha clutching her mouth in shock, staring at Garry holding me. Then she turned and ran out, crying.

Garry’s expression shifted to panic as he rushed after her.

Watching his retreating back, I suddenly remembered—he was always like this.

Even after he and Natasha broke up, they stayed “close friends.” When she called him crying from a bar in the middle of the night, he’d drop everything to go to her.

I bit down my pain and wiped the blood off my forehead.

“Mom!”

Seth came running, throwing himself into my arms. I caught him tightly.

“Mom… I know you’re my mom. But if I don’t call that woman ‘Mom,’ she beats me.”

He looked up, eyes filled with pain, and rolled up his sleeves to show me his arms—crisscrossed with bruises.

My heart clenched painfully.

“Mom, if you don’t listen to them, they’ll keep hitting me!”

Fury surged through me as I took the medicine and began treating his wounds. Just then, Garry returned, carrying Natasha.

Her eyes were red from crying, and her knees were scraped.

“Jane! I told you Natasha can’t be provoked. You need to apologize to her!”

I laughed bitterly. Who, exactly, was provoking whom?

He gently placed her on the couch and then turned to me, pointing furiously.

“Don’t forget—she saved your life! You don’t want to apologize? Fine. Natasha’s been eyeing a designer bag lately. Buy it for her—it’s just one million.”

I froze. Was this a joke?

Natasha sparkled from head to toe in jewels and luxury. Meanwhile, I hadn’t bought myself a single new outfit in years. Every cent I earned went to the family.

Garry never once asked if I was struggling or in pain.

When I joined the secret research institute, I became an experimental subject.

I took drug after drug, enduring endless side effects. My stomach was scorched, and my body was full of needle marks.

I endured the agony silently, hoping to earn enough to make life better for them.

Later, my dedication impressed the lead scientist, and he made me his assistant.

I advanced quickly, and he even offered to make me a permanent researcher.

But I declined—because I still had a family I longed to return to.

And yet, they treated me like nothing more than an ATM.

I turned away, ignoring Garry, focusing on treating my son.

Suddenly, Natasha whimpered sweetly, “Hubby… my leg hurts so much~ Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

Without hesitation, Garry ordered the bodyguards to hold me down. He rummaged through the bag I’d brought.

“She got hurt because of you—use your little stash of money to make up for it.”

He pulled out my bank card, grinning. “What’s the password?”

I struggled, teeth clenched, refusing to answer.

“No problem. I’ll make you talk.”

With a nod, he dragged Seth into a room.

Through the closed door, I heard a stick strike, followed by my child’s cries.

Each scream tore through me like a blade.

“Stop! Stop hitting him!” I sobbed. “Garry, that’s your son! How can you be so cruel? I’ll tell you the password—just stop!”

It was our son’s birthday.

Garry froze for a second. Clearly, he didn’t remember.

Of course—he could recall the date he first held Natasha’s hand, but not his own child’s birthday.

“Don’t get involved anymore,” he said coldly. “Just stay home and behave.”

He left. I rushed into the room and found Seth.

I reached out, wanting to take him away—again.

But he recoiled.

Seth turned and ran, ignoring my desperate calls.

I looked at my hand. Something sticky clung to my fingertips.

I touched his arm earlier—what was it?

Looking closer, I frowned.

Was this… paint?

I wanted to ask Seth the truth, but Garry ordered me to babysit instead.

I had no choice but to endure it again. When the teacher arrived, I would definitely take my son and leave.

I went to the kitchen to cook and was startled to see a frail little boy rummaging through the trash.

His hair was unkempt, and his clothes hung in tatters.

I quickly slapped his hand away.

"The trash is filthy—you can’t eat from there! Whose child are you? Why are you here?"

The boy looked at me, frozen, silent, and unmoving.

Surprised, I took a piece of candy from my pocket, one I had intended for Seth.

"If you’re hungry, eat this first. I’ll give you more once I finish cooking."

Still no reaction. It was as if he couldn’t speak.

Just as I was about to ask again, a nanny stormed over and twisted his ear.

"You useless brat! Who told you to wander around?" She scolded him, then kicked him hard.

The boy fell to the ground but didn’t make a sound.

The nanny quickly dragged him away.

As I stood there, confused, someone yanked me back roughly. I stumbled and looked up to see Garry glaring at me with contempt.

"Jane, he’s the nanny’s sickly, low-born child. What are you doing talking to him? Where’s the food? You don’t want to see your son, is that it?"

I quickly brought the food to the table. Natasha and Seth were already seated.

Garry sat beside Natasha and lovingly spoon-fed her.

Suddenly, Natasha’s expression twisted, and she flung a plate at me.

The scalding soup spilled across my chest, making me cry out in pain.

"Don’t you know I can’t eat fish?!" she screamed.

"Honey, look—my skin’s turning red! Am I going to die?"

Natasha displayed her reddened neck and cried to Garry, playing the victim.

I stood there, stunned. She wrote today’s menu herself...

"She didn’t even touch the fish—how could she be allergic?" I said quietly.

"Jane!" Garry shouted. "I thought you’d be more understanding! Do you know that allergies can be fatal? You’re being petty and careless!"

Natasha sobbed louder, making Garry even more agitated.

He picked up the fish from the floor and shoved it into my mouth.

"You’re saying it’s fine? Aren’t you allergic to fish, too? Try it, then!"

He kept forcing the fish in, and the bones jabbed into my gums and tongue, making me wince.

I tried to spit it out, but he jammed more in with his hands.

Soon, itchy welts bloomed all over my skin, and my face began to swell.

Tears streamed down as I gasped for breath, my throat tightening, my vision blurring.

Looking at Garry’s furious face, I couldn’t help but recall our past.

I’d always had multiple allergies. Back then, he was so attentive to what I ate.

Now, all that care was reserved for someone else.

I couldn’t breathe. Everything went black.

When I arrived, I saw Garry sitting by my hospital bed, looking anxious.

"You should’ve said something instead of being so stubborn. Do you know how close you were to dying? The doctor said one more minute and it would’ve been too late!"

I turned my face away. I didn’t want to see his performance.

He paused, silent for a moment, knowing deep down he’d gone too far.

He reached out and pulled me into his arms.

"Jane, I didn’t mean to… I lost control."

Just then, the door burst open, and Natasha’s chirpy voice rang out.

"Honey! You’re the best! You found me the top doctor! The treatment worked—look, the redness is almost gone!"

Garry immediately let go of me and rushed over to her. She hung on his neck with glee.

"Good thing there are no scars. Be more careful next time—stay away from allergens, okay?"

He gave her a serious look, then kissed her cheek gently.

They flirted in front of me like I didn’t exist. Disgust churned in my gut.

"Honey, you haven’t taken me to buy that bag yet. Let’s go now!"

Garry hesitated, glancing my way, but let her drag him out.

As she left, Natasha shot me a triumphant look.

I left the hospital in the evening once I’d recovered a little.

Rain poured heavily outside.

When I got home, I realized I couldn’t open the door.

I knocked and shouted, but no one answered.

The cold rain soaked through my clothes, making me shiver uncontrollably.

"Madam says you’re being punished. Stand in the rain and reflect."

The nanny opened the door just wide enough to speak but didn’t let me in.

She stared at me, then slammed it shut.

Forced to remain outside, rain blurring my eyes, I caught sight of someone nearby.

It was the same boy from the kitchen, crouched in a corner, dazed.

I walked over to him slowly.

He sat motionless, rain dripping from his messy hair.

I gently pushed his hair aside—and froze.

There, on the side of his neck, was a familiar crescent-shaped birthmark.

My breath caught in my throat.

My son had the exact same mark.

The next second, the boy collapsed to the floor.

His body was burning with fever.

Panicked, I shouted toward the house, telling someone to call an ambulance. Seth saw us, stood up, and walked over.

Without warning, he yanked the boy up and threw him down hard.

“What are you doing?!” I froze in shock.

Seth curled his lips into a cruel smile.

“How can such a filthy kid be allowed in our home?”

He kicked the boy several times and raised his hand, ready to strike him.

I grabbed his arm in disbelief. “Seth! How can you bully someone so helpless?!”

Seth’s expression twisted. He shook me off forcefully.

“You don’t get to teach me anything! You’re not even my real mother!” he yelled.

My heart sank. I knew I hadn’t been around for him enough, but I never had a choice.

Still furious, Seth tried to kick the boy again.

I couldn’t hold back anymore—I slapped him.

The sound echoed across the living room.

Garry stormed in to scold me, and Natasha rushed over to check on Seth.

“Jane! How dare you hit your own son for the sake of someone else!” she snapped.

My hands trembled as I stood frozen, stunned by what I had done.

Seth glared at me with hatred. Seeing me still shielding the injured boy, he suddenly grabbed the fruit knife from the table.

“Go to hell!” he screamed.

The blade plunged into the boy’s body multiple times.

Blood quickly spread across the floor.

I gasped, paralyzed for a moment, then shoved Seth away.

As the bleeding worsened, I turned to Garry in desperation. “Drive us to the hospital—now!”

He scowled. “Let that little beast die! But how could you hit Seth like that?”

Clenching my jaw, I lifted the boy into my arms and ran out the door.

I sprinted nonstop until I found a car willing to help.

Thankfully, the hospital wasn’t far. Watching the boy being rushed into emergency, my knees gave out.

Moments later, the doctor emerged with a grim look. “The child’s lost a dangerous amount of blood. He needs a transfusion immediately.”

When he mentioned the blood type, I froze.

It was the same as mine.

A wild, impossible thought struck me.

Later, I returned home in a daze, clutching the paternity test results in my hand—only to hear laughter from behind the door.

“Seth, you did great,” Natasha said, kissing his forehead. “That little beast deserved to die.”

“Honey, what if Jane finds out the boy is actually hers? If she stops giving us money, then what?”

“Let’s not tell her yet,” Garry said coldly. “Her bank card was nearly empty last time—she must be hiding funds. Once we get it all, we’ll throw her and that brat out.”

I stood outside, frozen as if lightning had struck me.

Every muscle is locked. My blood turned to ice.

Then I flung the door open.

Like a madwoman, I rushed to Seth and yanked up his sleeve.

His arm was smooth—unmarked.

Tears streamed down my face. I collapsed in sobs.

“Garry! That’s your real son! He was dying! How could you be so heartless? How could you lie to me?”

Garry scoffed.

“What son of mine? I only have one child—Seth,” he said coldly.

Natasha chimed in mockingly. “You think that boy’s yours? He’s obviously the nanny’s kid!”

Still crying, I handed Garry the paternity test, but he tossed it aside without even looking.

Natasha picked it up instead and let out a theatrical gasp.

“Oh my god, Jane! Don’t tell me—you had a child with another man behind Garry’s back?”