“She also said… I should grow up fast, run fast and not get caught.”

Run?

Caught by who?

My mind was a tangled mess.

Emily’s death, Linda’s abuse, the unknown “smart pills,” and now this warning—“don’t get caught”…

All the clues pointed to a terrifying truth.

Just then, my phone rang.

It was a number I hadn’t contacted in ten years.

Harry.

I went to the balcony and pressed the answer button.

“Millie,” came the tired, hoarse voice on the other end. “Something happened to Emily.”

“I know,” I said coldly. “I saw the news about her.”

“Her son… Arson… is missing. Did she… ever contact you?”

There was a hint of urgency and testing in his voice.

I let out a cold laugh.

“Harry, have you forgotten? We divorced ten years ago. Your love is dead, her son is missing—why would you think I know anything?”

“You ruined my life and now you want me to help you find your son? Do you even deserve it?”

I didn’t hold back, letting my words cut deep.

There was a long silence on the other end, only his heavy breathing remained.

“Millie… I’m sorry…”

“Save your cheap apologies,” I cut him off. “Don’t call me again.”

I hung up immediately.

Back in the living room, Arson was curled up on the sofa, asleep.

Even in his sleep, his brow was tightly furrowed and his small hands unconsciously clutched the edge of his shirt, full of unease.

I looked at the heart-shaped birthmark behind his ear and a part of me completely collapsed.

I grabbed a blanket and gently covered him.

Then, I called my family’s private doctor.

“Mr. Sharl, I have something here. I need you to test it and check what’s inside. Do it as fast as possible. No matter how late it is, tell me the results immediately.”

That night, I didn’t sleep at all.

I stayed by the sofa, watching Arson sleep, while the scenes from the hospital ten years ago replayed over and over in my mind.

The cold hospital room, Linda’s indifferent face and that light, careless death notice.

Everything I had believed so firmly in the past now seemed full of holes.

How many secrets did Emily really hide? Did she give my son back out of guilt, or… was there something else?

Early the next morning, I arranged to meet Vera at a café.

Vera was my former best friend. After my divorce, she was the only one who kept in touch with me.

For ten years, she had been faithfully reporting to me about Harry and Emily’s “happy life.”

“Millie, look at you—you’re still so beautiful, haven’t changed a bit,” Vera said, stirring her coffee with a concerned smile. “On the other hand… the last time I saw Emily, she looked so haggard. I don’t know how Harry is taking care of her.”

I picked up my coffee, hiding the coldness in my eyes. “Really? I thought she was doing fine.”

“Fine?” Vera scoffed, lowering her voice. “You don’t know Linda never approved of her. She thought Emily wasn’t from a good family, that she couldn’t be on the same level. If she hadn’t given birth to Arson, she wouldn’t even be allowed into the Grant Family.”

“But Linda… really dotes on her precious grandson, Arson.”

Vera’s voice was full of envy. “Every day she gets him nutritional supplements and ‘smart pills’ from abroad, personally making sure he takes them. She was afraid the only heir of the Grant Family might be neglected.”

My hand clenched suddenly and the hot coffee spilled on the back of my hand, but I felt nothing.

Smart pills again…

“Now that I think about it, Emily’s accident really is suspicious,” Vera said, as if remembering something, her face full of regret.

“The police said it was due to fatigue, but I heard her car’s brakes might have had a problem. Think about it. She’s not really good at driving, yet late at night, on a mountain road, she was driving so fast… as if she was trying to escape from something. Isn’t that strange?”

Every word Vera said hit my heart like a hammer.

Escape.

Emily was running from Linda.

She knew those pills were dangerous. She wanted to escape with my son.

That’s why Linda created an “accident” to silence her forever.

“Millie? Are you okay?” Vera’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

“I’m fine… just remembering some things from the past.” I set down my coffee and took a jewelry box from my bag, pushing it toward her. “Long time no see. This is for you.”

Vera’s eyes lit up and she quickly opened it. Inside was a diamond necklace of considerable value.

“Oh my, Millie, how can I…?” she said politely, but her hands were already taking the necklace out, eager to put it on.

“If you like it, that’s enough,” I said, watching her fake smile with a cold laugh in my heart.

Vera… you better not have been involved. If you were, I would make sure you pay for it twice over.

After leaving the café, I immediately drove to Mr. Sharl’s private clinic.

Arson was sitting quietly in a small play area, stacking blocks. His movements were so slow that he tried several times to place a single block correctly and failed.

Next to him, a smaller child had already built a tall tower.

When the smaller child accidentally knocked over Arson’s blocks, he just stared blankly, showing no reaction. No crying, no fussing, not even a flicker of emotion.

Mr. Sharl called me into his office, his expression grave and handed me a lab report. “Millie, where did you get this pill bottle?”

“From a child,” I said, my heart sinking.

“Nonsense!” Mr. Sharl’s tone was unusually harsh. “This is a psychiatric drug banned in Dalmora years ago! It was used to control serious criminals! Long-term use can severely damage the central nervous system, causing slow reactions, reduced cognition and memory loss! In short, it turns a normal person into an idiot—gradually!”

“How long… has this child been taking it?”

My nails dug into my palms. “Maybe… for many years.”

Mr. Sharl said, shaking his head in pain. “It’s cruel! This is practically murder!”

The office was deathly silent.

I held the thin report in my hands, but it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Linda. You have such a cruel heart. Not only did you steal my son, but you tried to turn him into a wreck with your own hands!

I left the office. When Arson saw me, he immediately stood up, a flicker of hope in his eyes. “Millie…”

I went to him, crouched down and hugged him tightly.

The child of the woman I had despised for ten years… the one I believed was my enemy’s son… it turned out he wasn’t. He was my long-lost treasure—my own son, taken from me, tormented and poisoned for a decade.

“Arson…” My voice choked. “I’m sorry… Mom is late.”

He froze, his small body stiff in my arms.

After a long moment, he reached out a tiny hand and gently patted my back — as if comforting a crying child.

“Millie, don’t cry. Mom says crying makes you not pretty.”

I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer; they poured out.

Emily, thank you. Thank you for protecting him for ten years. Now it was my turn to protect him. I would not let anyone who hurt him go unpunished.