Helena's male model lovers were also brought to the scene.

Everyone, including me, was surrounded by bodyguards, their thick arms wielding clubs that struck our legs and lower bodies.

The venue was instantly filled with screams and wails, the stench of blood quickly permeating the air.

"Even if Helena has a child, Mr. Helena wants to deal with us. But why cripple us?! Ah, it hurts! Help—"

I, too, was kicked to the ground by the bodyguards, nailed clubs raining down on me, leaving my flesh mangled within seconds.

My cries startled the male models present, who panicked:

"Why is Helena's husband here too? Then who exactly wants all of us dead?"

Rolling in pain, I gritted my teeth and shouted outside: "Help!"

Just then, Lucian in a white suit walked in arm-in-arm with Helena, holding a little boy's hand, his face brimming with smug satisfaction.

The moment Helena entered and saw her male model lovers lying battered on the floor, her expression changed instantly.

"Who told you to touch them?!"

Lucian covered his nose and said, "Oh my, how did all these brothers end up crippled? Who was so cruel as to ruin them all?"

Before he could finish, Helena glared at me and kicked me hard in the stomach.

"You damn dog of a man! You tried to cripple them behind my back—you're consumed by jealousy!"

Doubled over in pain, I looked at Lucian standing behind her, his face triumphant.

I gritted out, "I didn’t... It must be him—"

"Still denying it?" she roared. "You think I don’t know? This isn’t the first time you’ve harmed others out of jealousy! In this life, I won’t indulge you anymore."

She barked at the bodyguards, "Make every male model slap him once. After this, I’ll send you all to the best hospitals for treatment. The one who hits the hardest gets a million as a reward."

The bodyguards pinned me down in the center, ignoring the blood still pouring from my wounds.

The boys stepped forward, slapping me, their eyes apologetic: "Sorry, Mr. Jack..."

One after another, slap after slap, until my ears rang and my vision blurred, one ear now deafened.

Only after everyone had been taken away did Helena finally take Lucian's child by the hand and pull Lucian to stand before me.

Looking at my blood-soaked body and bleeding face, a flicker of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

But the next moment, she lifted her chin and said coldly:

"Don’t blame me for making them hit you. I had to teach you a lesson—so you’d know this is what happens if you dare act out of jealousy or harm others again."

"Otherwise, you’d just scheme to steal Lucian and his child’s position as heirs again."

I shuddered and looked up at her.

So… I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn.

No wonder the moment Lucian spoke, she immediately blamed me.

No wonder she said this "wasn’t the first time" I’d done this.

Because in our past life, she’d also falsely accused me, sentencing me to death for Lucian’s sake.

My eyes reddened, but she only said coldly:

"Jack, playing pitiful won’t work this time. In this life, I wasn’t fooled into giving birth early, letting your child steal the position of my firstborn and heir from Lucian’s."

I let out a bitter laugh, clutching my bleeding body, and whispered:

"Helena… This time, I didn’t stop you from delaying the birth. I stepped aside with our children to make way for your family of three. So why… why won’t you let me go? Why must you still kill my children…?"

She froze, brows furrowing.

"You crippled them, yet you act like you’re dying just from a few slaps—and now you’re saying I won’t let you go? What exactly have I done to you?"

"The children are perfectly fine in the nursery—stop using them as an excuse!"

I begged her repeatedly to return my children—they needed emergency treatment.

Her face twisted in disgust as she shook off my hand impatiently.

"Enough with the act. If you’d just behaved, I wouldn’t have touched those two bastards. Oh, and at tomorrow’s press conference, you’ll publicly admit that you were the infertile one, that you were useless, which is why I had Quentin with Lucian."

"Then you’ll transfer all your shares and assets to him and his child. From now on, you’ll serve them both properly."

"If you dare scheme again—if you so much as touch a single hair on his head—what I do next won’t just be to you and those bastards. Your critically ill father? Don’t expect him to keep resting peacefully in that VIP hospital room."

My eyes widened in disbelief.

"Helena, have you no conscience?! My father is in a vegetative coma because he saved you! How can you threaten his life?!"

Helena scoffed. "As long as you serve Lucian well, take care of Quentin, and don’t upset them, I won’t touch him."

With that, she left arm-in-arm with Lucian.

"Lucian, thank you for giving me such a perfect heir. I’ll reward you properly tonight."

Blood gushed from my wounds as I pleaded with the remaining bodyguards to take me to the hospital—to bring my children back.

Then my mother-in-law rushed in. Seeing the blood-drenched hall and my shattered legs, she paled.

"Get him to a hospital now! Where are my grandchildren?! If anything happens to them—!"

Only then were the children and I taken to the hospital. But the doctors never came.

Furious, my mother-in-law demanded answers.

The nurses hesitated.

"Mrs. Taylor... all the doctors in the city were summoned to Riverside Villa. Lucian pricked his finger during a blood draw, and Helena panicked. She ordered every physician to stand by."

"Right now... there are no doctors available."

My mother-in-law made call after call, shaking. "This is insanity! Her husband and children are dying, yet she hoards every doctor for that homewrecker and his illegitimate brat?!"

On the tenth call, Helena finally answered, annoyed.

"What now? Did Jack send you to bother me again?"

"Jack is hemorrhaging—he’s unconscious! The babies’ heartbeats have stopped! Are you trying to kill your own family?!"

Helena laughed coldly. "Did Jack put you up to this? A few slaps couldn’t cause hemorrhaging."

"And I saw those children taken to the nursery. They were fine then. Think harder before lying."

"Enough. I’m taking Quentin’s newborn photos. If he needs a doctor so badly, fine—I’ll send one."

As the call ended, my mother-in-law gripped my hand.

"Hold on, Jack. Help is coming."

I clutched my children, feeling their life fading.

In our past life, they’d died without ever opening their eyes—without even a single cry—as Helena smashed them against the floor.

Trembling, I squeezed her hand.

"Mother-in-law... three years ago, when my father fell into a coma saving Helena, you promised to treat me as your own son. That if Helena turned against me... you’d help me divorce her."

"I beg you, let me divorce her. I won't stand in the way of her first love's son inheriting anything—I just want my children to live."

Tears streamed down my mother-in-law's face as she whispered,

"Back then, it was only to repay your father's sacrifice that I agreed to take you in as my godson. But it was Helena who confessed to you, who proposed—she loved you so much. How did it come to this? That bastard Lucian ruined everything! If he hadn't returned..."

I laughed bitterly. Yes... how had my childhood sweetheart, the girl who blushed at our coming-of-age ceremony and swore to love me forever—who vowed she'd "die a thousand cuts" if she ever betrayed me—become this?

Now, for another man, she was the one carving me apart.

"Please... Mrs. Taylor," I gasped, each word a struggle.

Hearing my fading voice, she finally nodded.

"Fine! When you married, I made her sign divorce papers in secret—just in case this day came. I'll retrieve them now and expedite everything!"

"By tomorrow, I'll declare your children as my sole heirs. That ungrateful wretch and her bastard can rot!"

She left in a hurry.

Alone in the hospital bed, pain—physical and emotional—engulfed me. I screamed until my voice shattered.

The assistant my mother-in-law had left behind kept frantically checking the door for Helena's promised doctor.

At last, someone arrived.

But it wasn't a doctor—just a delivery man.

Stunned by the bloodied emergency room, he awkwardly handed over a package. A single band-aid fell out.

"Helena says... it's just a flesh wound. 'Not life-threatening.' Stick this on and stop bothering her on her wedding night."

The assistant hurled the package against the wall, eyes red.

"Sir, we're transferring you to another city—now. Hold on!"

But darkness swallowed me before I could respond.

I woke to a bucket of ice-cold water.

Helena loomed over me, disgust twisting her face.

"Enough pretending. You knew I was announcing Lucian's heir status tomorrow—yet you fled to another city? Trying to paint him as a villain?"

Behind her, Lucian cradled their child, the picture of wounded innocence.

"Mr. Jack... hate me all you want, but why involve my son? Your assistant kept screaming that my boy would be given to you—that I'm 'unfit' to be heir..."

I tried to speak, but only a choked whimper escaped. Desperate, I shook my head.

"No... I didn't... Helena, the children—they're dying—"

"Lies!" She kicked my bed. "My mother left with lawyers in the middle of the night—your doing! You think stealing Lucian's child will make you heir?"

"Those babies were born healthy! What more do you want? Using children as pawns—you're vile!"