My heart plummeted into my gut.

I felt as if my soul was escaping my body as I placed down my phone. Moving on instinct, I opened my laptop and navigated to the publication's website again.

Pretending to be curious about their research, I sent the author of the article a connection request. I also sent them a private message, saying, "Good afternoon. I'm a journal editor. I'm intrigued by the contents of your article. Can we have a chat to discuss it in detail?"

It didn't take long before the author accepted the friend request and replied to my message.

"Of course. I can guarantee that everything that you read in the article is true. In fact, I have records for all the data, including her expenses over the past few years as well as her asking price."

My breath hitched in my throat.

I couldn't help but recall the contents of the article at the mention of my "asking price".

If the author was truly "Winnie", it proved that she had indeed sold me like a product to her classmate's father. I was too scared to even think about the number of times these transactions could have possibly taken place.

I looked at the author's IP address. Coincidentally, we were in the same state.

Tears streamed down my face. I forced myself to calm down, suppressing my fury as I continued questioning the author.

"Have you ever thought about how what you're doing is illegal? Selling your mother as if she's just a product and selling her daughter to human traffickers—both actions are against the law."

The author ignored the anger in my words and sent a laughing emoji.

"So what if it's illegal? No one has proof. The woman's face blindness is so severe that she can't even recognize her own daughter and husband. Also, her daughter was born with a heart condition. She would be doomed to a life of suffering if she continued living, so isn't she better off dead?"

I felt as if I had been struck by lightning.

"What do you mean by that?"

The author's tone was completely nonchalant as they continued, "That's right. The daughter's dead. To be honest with you, my father treats me really well. He was willing to sell off his daughter with his legally wedded wife for my sake.

"I also suffered from a kidney condition when I was a child. Fortunately, my father exchanged my faulty kidney with his dead daughter's. I mean, I might as well take advantage of her functioning organs since she was destined for death, no?

"Oh, that's right. If you want to accuse me of being immoral, isn't my fake mother even more of a sinner? She usurped my mother's rightful place for so many years just because she looks a little similar to her. Her daughter deserved to die for her transgressions, don't you agree?"

I struggled to breathe as my head spun. My voice had gone hoarse from how hard I was crying. I opened my mouth, wanting to let out a wail of despair, but I couldn't make a sound.

Images of Winnie's adorable face began to flash through my mind. She had called me "Mommy" for the first time after wrapping her tiny fingers around my bigger ones.

I couldn't believe that my own lover—the same man who cared for me so meticulously and thoughtfully, was actually so sick and twisted.

Jasper treated the illegitimate child that he had with his mistress as his own daughter more than he treated Winnie as his own daughter, sentencing Winnie to death just because she had a heart condition.

Flames of vengeance consumed my every thought as I drowned in an abyss of fury and despair.

The evidence was conclusive, and all the details were matching up.

I had no doubt that the author of the article was "Winnie", the daughter whom I had raised for the past 12 years.

One would assume that she would develop a genuine sense of kinship with me since we had been together since she was a child, no matter how ungrateful she was. However, no such thing occurred.

Not only did "Winnie" not feel even a shred of remorse, but she also believed that her actions were justified. She didn't see any issue with her parents sending a child to her death.

Thus, I saw no reason to hold back as well. I was going to force this family of beasts to pay for the consequences of Winnie's death.

I tapped the chat window again after I regained my composure.

The author was clearly antsy, asking me which magazine I was an editor for, hoping to continue the conversation.

A frosty expression appeared on my face as my fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Our magazine is one of the top publications abroad. All of our published articles are first assessed by a committee before being approved for print. They will also conduct an assessment for the author of the article. Let's set an appointment if you're free. We can discuss this in more detail in person."

The author didn't hesitate at all and agreed to meet me tomorrow afternoon at a cafe. It was obvious that they had dropped their guard when I mentioned that I worked for a top publication.

I turned off my laptop and dialed Jasper's number.

"Hello? Why are you suddenly calling me today, honey? Do you miss me?" he asked in his usual gentle tone, perfectly hiding the sick and twisted beast that he actually was.

My determination wavered for a split second before my rationality overpowered everything else.

Everything about Jasper repulsed me now.

"Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Can you drop by the cafe? I have a surprise for you."

Jasper immediately canceled all his meetings, promising that he would be at the cafe at the agreed time.

Wanting to ensure that I had everything that I needed, I hired a private investigator and a hacker to dig up information about the abduction.

It was a little ridiculous, but Jasper hadn't done a good job of covering up his tracks. It didn't take long for the investigator and hacker to dig up incriminating evidence about him. Truth be told, if I had doubted him even a little back then, I would have immediately seen through his ploy.

Unfortunately, I didn't doubt him in the slightest, giving Jasper the opportunity to take advantage of my trust in him to keep up his farce.

As the sun set on the horizon, my thirst for vengeance reached its peak as I looked through the information that the private investigator sent me.

"It's time for you to pay for the consequences of your actions, Jasper Gulliver."

I organized the first batch of information I received and shared some of it with a few famous livestreamers with whom I was familiar.

These livestreamers used to be my employees.

After being a housewife for so many years, I had nearly forgotten that before I got married, I used to be the top dog in the media industry. I had also been the president of a company and had a net worth of millions of dollars.

The livestreamers were experienced and could instantly tell that they had a big scoop on their hands. All of them made me promise them to let them know the time and location of the big reveal.

To ensure that the confrontation would explode all over the news, naturally, I dedicated all my efforts to setting the stage.

…

Jasper came home that night stinking of perfume. The cloying scent permeated my senses as he delivered his usual speech to me.

"I had no choice. I had to entertain a client."

It was the same excuse every single time.

The fury that I had worked so hard to suppress threatened to boil over at that moment.

I had once naively believed that Jasper was simply fulfilling his unavoidable duties as the president of the company. However, I knew better now. The lipstick stains and perfume that clung to him actually belonged to his mistress.

The me of the past probably would have teetered on the brink of a breakdown if I found out the truth that Jasper had only married me to be a replacement for his mistress. I might have even demanded that we divorce.

However, none of that mattered to me now.

I pretended that everything was fine as I took his jacket from him, saying, "You should turn in early after taking a shower. I still have a surprise for you tomorrow afternoon."

Jasper smiled as he hugged me and pressed a lingering kiss to my neck.

Disgust roiled in my gut.

"What are you planning, Nat? Why did you plan a surprise for me immediately after Winnie left for university? Are you feeling impatient?"

His words were nauseating, and I had to force down the bile in my throat.

"It's related to your company. Do you remember how I used to be involved in the media industry? I secretly tested your company's new product.

"The perfect opportunity to promote the product is almost here. Many famous livestreamers will be present at the cafe tomorrow. I want to elevate your company to an even higher level."

Jasper was momentarily stunned before he excitedly tightened his hold on me. "You shouldn't have, Nat. I'll definitely cherish this opportunity that you've given me! I love you, honey!"

There were glaciers in my eyes as I stared at his retreating back.

If I hadn't discovered the truth, it was likely that Jasper would have kept me in the dark for the rest of my life. I didn't want to accidentally reveal my hand too soon, but I was also overwhelmed with the burning desire to get to the bottom of things.

"You know, Jasper. I always had this feeling that Winnie became a completely different person after she was abducted. Do you feel the same way?"

Jasper halted his footsteps. Impatience was written across his face when he turned to look at me and snapped, "So many years have passed since the abduction, Nat. Can't you just let the past remain in the past? Who else would Winnie be if not your daughter?"

I stared at him coldly.

It was evident that lying had become second nature to Jasper, so he didn't even flinch when he lied straight to my face.

An inexplicable fear gripped my heart. I couldn't believe that the man with whom I shared a bed was such a terrifying person.

Just then, my phone started ringing. The private investigator was calling me.

Jasper's attention immediately zeroed in on the unknown number.

My heart leaped into my throat.

Confusion flickered across Jasper's face as he stared at my phone. His eyes were full of wariness when he said, "I've never seen this number before. Aren't you going to answer the call?"

I swallowed and forced myself to calm down before I answered the call.

"Turn on speaker mode," Jasper demanded.

It seemed that he had picked up on my panic, his eyes shining with displeasure.

"Hello, miss. There was something that I forgot to tell you earlier this afternoon. I—"

I hastily tried to stop the private investigator from saying more, but Jasper beat me to it, snatching my phone away and screaming furiously into the receiver.

"What else do you want to tell her? Don't you know that Natasha Storn has a husband? If you dare to call my wife again, I'll make sure you'll never leave Jorgenwood ever again!"

Jasper glared at me after he hung up.

"This is the first time and the last time," he hissed. "My love for you is true, Nat. Don't let me catch you speaking to another man again."

A bitter sensation spread through my chest as I watched Jasper storm off.

It was true that he loved me deeply, but it didn't change the fact that he was responsible for Winnie's death. His hypocritical sense of possessiveness did nothing to compensate for the sins that he had already committed.

I only hoped that he wouldn't regret his actions tomorrow.

…

I arrived at the cafe early the next day, waiting for "Winnie" to appear.

Or more accurately, I should refer to her as Rose Gulliver from now on.

Rose's mother, Penelope Hawthorn, was Jasper's first love, according to the information that the private investigator had dug up the day before.

For the first time in my life, I felt like throwing up as I looked at Penelope's face in the photo, especially when I realized that we looked quite similar to each other.

It didn't take long for Rose to show up at the cafe.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise and bewilderment.

She regained her composure within seconds and continued, "Did you make an appointment with one of your rich friends to have tea here? I have some business to attend to later. Why don't you go somewhere else instead? I don't want the person that I'm meeting to know that my mother dresses like this."

I looked down at my outfit upon hearing Rose's comment. I had to admit that I looked like a nanny.

I never asked Jasper for any money and only spent according to the amount that he gave me. I also spent most of my money on Rose. In fact, my entire outfit was cheaper than her branded handbag.

"Do I have to get permission from you just to have coffee now?" I asked, glancing at her.

Surprise flickered across Rose's eyes. It was obvious that she didn't expect me to talk back to her when I always spoiled her rotten.

A deep disdain flashed across her eyes. A few seconds later, she seemed to recall her current identity and fixed a sweet smile on her face. "Of course not, Mom. It's just that I'm meeting someone very important later. I was just worried that you and your friend would get carried away and talk really loudly."

I nodded. "I understand. They must definitely be someone who's very important."

I discreetly scanned my surroundings. Nearly all the patrons in the cafe were livestreamers who were dressed in casual clothes.

It was almost time for the show to begin.

"I have something really important to ask you too, Rose."

Rose shot a helpless look at me and said, "You're just a housewife, Mom. How important can your question really be? Stop causing trouble for me, alright?"

I didn't continue that particular line of conversation. Instead, I glared at her fiercely and hissed, "Haven't you gotten sick of putting up an act after 12 years, Rose Gulliver?"