The line was silent for a few seconds before shrill curses erupted from it.

"Skylar, have you lost your damn mind? You've got guts now, huh? Let's see how long that lasts!"

"You can wait. I won't beg you," I shot back.

"Ha! Fine! I'll wait! I'll wait for you to come crawling back on your knees! Let's see where else you can get a single cent!"

Linda clearly didn't believe me. She just thought I was throwing a tantrum and venting my powerless rage.

Soon, my WhatsApp started blowing up with notifications.

She sent photos of the things she'd bought for James—luxury clothes, shoes, and ties piled across the bed.

"See? This is how a man should live. Now, get on your knees in front of the door, slap yourself a hundred times, and say 'I'm sorry, dear,' a hundred times. Maybe then I'll consider buying you one of these things too."

I let out a derisive snort and didn't reply.

I opened another chat—the Crest family's butler.

"Find me the best divorce lawyer in the city."

All these years, if it hadn't been for Lily, I would've gotten a divorce the first time I caught Linda in bed with James.

…

I thought the next time I'd see Linda would be at a law firm. But on the third day, she showed up, looking all high and mighty, at the door of Lily's ward with two bodyguards flanking her.

Lily had just started the imported medicine, so her complexion was much better, and she was sleeping peacefully.

Linda didn't spare her daughter a single glance. She just raised her chin at me and said, "I've already notified the hospital to stop all treatment for Lily. Take her home."

I felt my blood rush to my head. "Says who? I won't let you take Lily!" I roared.

Linda snorted coldly. "I don't know where you got that money to pay the hospital bills, but I've already applied for a refund. The money will be back in my account soon. Until you explain where that money came from, Lily stays at home."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Linda knew perfectly well that leaving the hospital now would mean certain death for Lily.

An animal wouldn't even harm its own cub, yet she was forcing her own daughter toward ruin!

Like an enraged beast, I stood in front of Lily's bed.

"My money is clean. I don't owe you an explanation! Consider the medical bills you got refunded as me paying you back. Now get out! I'll never let you take my daughter!"

"What good will it do to leave her here? Do you even have the money to keep paying for her treatment?" Linda retorted.

Just as I finished speaking, my phone rang at the worst possible moment. I answered on instinct, and a professional female voice came through the receiver.

"Hello, Mr. Colt. This is your bank calling.

"After verification, your bank account has been frozen by your spouse, Ms. Linda Weber, due to irregular transactions."

My mind blanked out, and the phone nearly slipped from my hand.

Linda looked at me, triumphant. "So? You think you can still pay?"

"Linda, you're not giving Lily a chance to live!"

"You're the one costing her!" She tilted her chin. "Now, get on your knees and apologize to me. If I'm pleased, maybe I won't take her away."

Her contemptuous gaze swept over me. With a glance from her, the bodyguard got to work, reaching for the monitor at Lily's bedside.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed, and I couldn't breathe. "Don't touch her! I'll kneel! I'll kneel!"

I closed my eyes, humiliated.

Just as my knees were about to hit the floor, a furious shout came from the door.

"Don't you dare kneel!"

The voice was loud and commanding, silencing the entire room.