Emma coyly rubbed against his chest and said, "Oh, you're so perverted."

Dexter said, "What's there to be shy about? Having a big puppy lick your shoes, how fun is that?"

"She owed you and your daughter anyway. Just an orphan my family adopted. I was kind enough to treat her like a sister, but my mom insisted I marry her, saying she was the reincarnation of the King of Hell. That's what tore you and me apart. Who knows what trick she pulled?" As he spoke, he shouted at my face. "Hurry up."

My eyes widened, I met Dexter's gaze of loathing and my whole body trembled.

Before my tribulation, I had lived a thousand years. I had never suffered such humiliation. Even in my past three lives, he had always cherished me like a treasure in his hands.

But no matter how powerful I had once been, right now I was just a pitiful mother tried to save her son.

Forced my trembling hands to still, I bent down.

Just as my lips were about to touch the shoe, Dexter kicked me away while said, "Ugh, forget it. Your mouth would only dirty Emma."

He gently wiped Emma with a silk handkerchief, then tossed the soiled cloth onto me and raised his phone, shook it mockingly and said, "I recorded that disgusting, shameless look of yours. I'll show Leslie when he gets back so he knows what a disgrace you are. Emma's clearly the better fit to be his mom."

"Unlike you, you'll do anything to get my attention and please me. So cheap!" After finished cursing, he went downstairs, still holding Amanda, off to celebrate Children's Day.

"Has Amanda's pain gotten any better after all afternoon?" He rubbed his nose affectionately against Amanda's chubby cheek, the image of a loving father.

When he saw Amanda frowning in pain, his eyes reddened. A tear slid from the corner of his eye toward the soul-gathering stone in my hand.

I clutched my belly and stood, let a single tear fall as I laughed bitterly.

To activate the soul-gathering stone, the tears of both parents were required.

Just a moment ago, I was still worried how to make someone as cold and heartless as Dexter shed a tear, turned out, it was this easy.

Unfortunately, his precious daughter wasn't just sick, she was tainted with ghostly energy. There was no way saving her.

Didn't want to watch their display of father-daughter affection any longer, I followed the light of the soul stone to a corner of the bedroom.

There lay a hand-drawn family portrait, its corners curled from being touched countless times.

The lines were rough, like a child's doodle.

But in truth, it had been Dexter's birthday gift to Leslie last year.

That was the only time he ever celebrated Leslie's birthday. He had barely picked up the pen when Emma called, so he rushed to finish the drawing, shoved it at Leslie and walked out.

I carefully folded the paper, tears flew down my cheeks. All Leslie ever wanted was a complete family.

As I folded the paper, I noticed a line of childish writing on the back.

I flipped it over: [I hope Daddy can love Mommy forever, so Mommy will always be happy! :)]

I collapsed to the floor, I laughed and cried at once.

In the dead of night, Leslie's flickering soul slowly drifted into the soul-gathering stone.

Downstairs, every channel on every television was broadcasting, [Wishing little Miss Amanda a happy Children's Day!]

Just a wall away, Dexter was deliberately making Emma scream loudly, even shouted my name now and then. But I no longer cared.

I simply tucked the drawing into my sleeve and whispered through tears, "Don't worry, Leslie. Mommy will make everyone who hurt you pay the price!"

At dawn, Dexter left for work. I walked into their bedroom.

Emma lay spread out in an "M" shape on the bed. Upon seeing me, she deliberately twisted her waist, flaunted the marks all over her body.

A small toy, dirtied between her legs, tumbled out.

This was the wooden carving that Leslie had made for Dexter yesterday.

While children in other families received boxes of gifts on Children's Day, Leslie had worked tirelessly to make a handmade gift to win his father's favor.

Emma sneered, "Ah, no wonder it's from your little bastard, it's fun to play with!"

Seeing them trample on Leslie's heartfelt gesture, my already numb heart twisted painfully and my nails dug deep into my palms.

I pulled out the prepared talisman and advanced step by step toward her.

Emma's face immediately turned pale as she rolled off the bed and asked, "What ... what are you going to do?"

With lightning speed, I grabbed a desk lamp and smashed it onto her, forcefully stepping on her inner thigh and shouted, "That vengeful ghost was released by you, wasn't it? You're a murderer!"

Yesterday, I had already sensed the same aura lingered on Emma that matched the vengeful spirit.

She denied, "No! It wasn't me! You're slandering me, you crazy woman! Let me go!"

But I caught the flicker of guilt in her eyes. Yes, I had truly lost my sanity.

Any woman would go mad, watched her son die in front of her.

I asked her again, "Still not admitting it? Since you like using your body to seduce men and hurt my son, I'll ruin you!"

Just as I was about to press the ghost-infused talisman against her, a violent force suddenly threw me aside.

Dexter had arrived just in time, gently helped Emma up, then grabbed the same desk lamp I had used to hit her and ruthlessly stroke my abdomen.

He yelled, "How dare you harm Emma while I'm not here? Fortunately, I've installed cameras in the bedroom to keep an eye on her at all times."

"You even said Emma killed Leslie? Are you out of your mind? Amanda also rode the rocking horse, how could Emma harm her own daughter?" he said.

The pain nearly made me collapse and I poured my heart's blood to draw the talisman. My body was already on the brink of exhaustion.

With gritted teeth, I used my last strength to open my phone and showed him the video and said, "Leslie is really dead."

In the video, Leslie's body was shattered into pieces, with his eyes and nose contorted in agony. It was clear that he had suffered unbearable torment before death.

He turned pale and dropped the lamp in shock and sorrow, staggered a few steps back. But in the next second, Emma, while clutched her injury, weakly said, "This video must have been made with AI."

Upon hearing this, Dexter's grief instantly froze. He watched the video over and over, then threw the phone aside and roared, "You poisonous woman, you actually made such a video of Leslie. You almost tricked me!"

"How could you lie so shamelessly? It looked fine in the beginning, but he turned into black liquid, what kind of nonsense is that? At least make it believable!" his face reddened with fury.

He turned to the bodyguards who had been there that day and yelled again, "Didn't I tell you to watch Leslie? What exactly happened?"

The bodyguards, saw Emma's silent command, dared not speak the truth and shook their heads, "We only saw Madam take the boy away, saying she was going to hide him to threaten you."

Their testimony only confirmed Dexter's suspicions, which sent him into a furious rage.

He despised being deceived and gritted out each word. He said, "Threaten me? There's no one in all of Transylvania I can't find. Victoria, once I find Leslie, I will divorce you and expel you from Transylvania. You'll never see him again!"

Blood pooled beneath me, reflected the red fury in Dexter's eyes.

I laughed coldly, "Dexter, you fool. The one who will never see Leslie again is you. And yet, you still treasure the one who killed him."

The sting of the word 'fool' made him flinch and he felt that my current state, far more than my earlier silence, only made him even angrier.

"Victoria, this trick of yours, pretending to be caught and then pulling back, won't work on me." Dexter picked up the lamp again and began to break my right hand fingers, one by one.

The family photo and Leslie's blood-stained shirt fell out of my pocket.

He casually kicked them aside, ordered the bodyguards to threw me into the saltwater pool in the basement.

I didn't cry out in pain the whole night, but instead, I laughed and murmured strange phrases.

The maids passed by outside said that Madam had truly gone mad.

In truth, I was just closing my eyes, chanting incantations for Leslie, gathered his soul and prayed for his blessing. I was also waiting for that moment to come.

At that time, Leslie and I would have no further connection with Dexter. Let those past memories be a dream! I silently counted the hours.

Until the evening of the next day, the sound of the basement door opening interrupted my thoughts.

Dexter entered, he held a phone stand for a livestream, with Emma beside him.

He said, "Huh, this group of bodyguards still can't find Leslie's whereabouts, but it's fine, he cares so much about you, his mom. If he sees the livestream and sees you like this, he will definitely come out obediently and it will be a great way to boost Emma's popularity."

Emma had been supported by Dexter for many years and had long become a big-time streamer in the metaphysics channel, with millions of followers.

As soon as the stream started, fans saw my tragic appearance and the heat quickly surged.

They said, "Damn, who is this? She's so beautiful, but her whole body is covered in blood, so stimulating."

"I heard she's the wife of Mr. Nelson, who killed her son and disposed of the body, leaving no trace of him ..." one of the viewers chimed in.

"Oh my god, so vicious, what a waste of her face and figure, she doesn't deserve it. Emma and Mr. Nelson are much better matched, we must punish this third party!" Another person commented.

Heard that Dexter not only didn't avenge Leslie, but also turned the truth upside down, my wounds hurt even more, a sharp pain stabbed through me.

I numbly clutched the soul gathering stone and crawled out of the saltwater pool, hoped to find a quiet place to continue.

But I angered Dexter, who dragged me back and struck me with a whip. He said, "Looks like you're still being disobedient, time for some proper punishment."

He whipped me several more times, made my already frail body rolled on the floor. With a thud, the soul gathering stone fell from my arms and hit the ground.

In an instant, my body trembled and my previously numb eyes showed intense fluctuation.

I reached to pick it up, but Dexter grabbed it first, suspiciously asked, "What is this?"

"Give it back to me!" I cried out helplessly.

The livestream room was full of metaphysics enthusiasts, eagerly answered, "I recognize this, it's the Soul Binding Stone, a very sinister item."

"Yes, I've heard it can make a person's soul waver, even causing their soul to scatter." Another person said.

Dexter suddenly raised his head, gritted his teeth and questioned me, "No wonder Amanda has been unwell these past few days and I've been feeling a discomfort in my heart, so you've been using this thing to harm people!"

He repeatedly claimed he didn't believe in feudal superstitions, but when it came to something potentially dangerous for his precious child, he panicked more than anyone else.

A mortal eye couldn't tell the difference between the Soul Binding Stone and the Soul Gathering Stone, one small difference in name, but their effects were completely opposite.

"No, this is the Soul Gathering Stone! It's used to gather Leslie's soul." I barely propped up my bloody body and glared at him with hatred and said, "If you still care about Leslie even a little, then put it down!"

Fans in the livestream room started mocking, "Oh, still arguing? So fierce, don't give it to her."

Dexter tightly gripped the Soul Gathering Stone, his gaze uncertain.

Emma's eyes flickered and with a sound of 'oh', she walked over, "How about I ask Victoria? After all, we're both mothers, we can talk."

But after she got close to me, she secretly spat on my face and smugly whispered.