Chapter 5

Seeing Vanessa's actions, Belle, who had been curled on the ground, suddenly rushed towards us like a madwoman.

She shielded me, frantically waving her little hands, trying to scare Vanessa away.

At that sight, my heart lurched.

When Belle was seven months old, we realized she was different from other children.

After a hospital check-up, the doctor told us she had severe autism.

For five whole years, Belle lived only in her own world, rarely reacting to anything outside of it.

She would only occasionally say the simple word "Mommy."

But now, even though Belle still couldn't speak,

Her actions clearly showed she wanted to protect her mother.

Vanessa was caught off guard and pushed to the ground by Belle.

Belle had sustained such severe injuries that the push couldn't have been very strong, yet Vanessa was furious.

She grabbed Belle and walked towards the balcony railing.

"You little psycho, looks like you haven't been beaten enough. You're really not afraid to die, are you?"

"Fine, today I'm going to see just how many lives you have!"

Vanessa's escape room was a large-scale horror experience, with three floors.

We were currently on the third-floor lounge.

Judging by Vanessa's direction, she clearly intended to throw my daughter from the third-floor balcony.

Seeing this, my guts twisted with terror. I desperately tried to snatch my daughter back.

But the security guards were faster than my injured self.

Before I could even get up, they anticipated my move and firmly pinned me back to the ground.

I struggled frantically but to no avail. I could only yell at Vanessa's retreating back.

"Vanessa! If you dare! I swear I'll make your life a living hell!"

"Vanessa! Vanessa!"

Vanessa ignored my screams.

It wasn't until she reached the balcony railing that she turned back to look at me.

She lifted Belle's body, dangling her over the railing until Belle's entire lower half hung outside the barrier before she stopped.

"Oh? Looks like you really care about your crazy daughter, huh?"

"How about this, you kneel and kowtow three times, loudly admitting you were wrong, and I'll consider letting her go. What do you say?"

Vanessa shot a glance at the security guards.

The next second, the hands restraining me loosened.

I stood up, about to rush forward, but Vanessa's voice rang out again.

"Don't move, don't move. If you take another step forward, I can't guarantee my hand won't slip, you know."

Vanessa grinned maliciously, her words chilling to the bone.

Looking at my daughter's terrified little face, I couldn't move an inch.

Vanessa was pleased with my compliance.

"Why are you still standing there?"

"Looks like your knees are pretty stiff, huh? It seems your daughter isn't as important as your pride..."

Vanessa hadn't even finished speaking when my knees buckled, and I dropped heavily to the ground.

"Ms. Hayes, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I didn't know who I was dealing with."

"Please, please, be the bigger person and forgive my daughter."

"Please..."

I spoke, lowering my head.

But at that very instant, I saw something that made my pupils suddenly dilate.

I heard my own heartbroken scream.

"No!!!!"

At the same time, the gasps of those around me echoed in my ears.

"Mr. Dawson is here!"