Chapter 5

Before I could even speak, my daughter, Lily, somehow caught up to us.

She spread her arms, shielding me.

Her big, round eyes glared furiously.

"You bad people, let go of my mommy!"

"Lily, be careful!"

My heart clenched, terrified they might hurt my child.

Seeing Lily, Liam suddenly froze.

He stared intently at Lily, unconsciously releasing his grip on me.

"Who is she? She just called you Mommy. Does that mean... is that my daughter?!"

"Aria, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? How could you let my daughter live such a hard life with you?!"

I seized the opportunity to break free, pulling Lily into my embrace and watching Liam warily.

"Lily is Julian's and my child. She has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Liam couldn't have fathered such a beautiful child.

Lily inherited her father's striking features; she looked more mature and refined than children her age.

But Liam refused to believe me.

He even reached out to Lily, trying to pull her from my arms.

Seeing Liam's dazed expression, Chloe grew anxious.

She tugged at Liam's sleeve, tears instantly welling up.

"What a smart, sweet child. Liam, if our baby had lived, they'd be this age now."

"My poor baby, they didn't even get a chance to open their eyes and see this world."

"It's all my fault for being a useless mother, I couldn't even protect our child..."

Sure enough, after hearing her words, Liam's softened expression turned cold again.

He looked at me with a grim face.

"Aria, don't think you can use a child to make me soft-hearted."

"My daughter deserves better than a despicable mother like you. Once I've put you in prison, I'll take our daughter back and let her live with Chloe. It'll be a small compensation for her."

With that, he turned to Lily, spreading his arms with an expectant look.

"Come here, Lily, come to Daddy."

"Daddy has money! I can buy you a big house and the most beautiful clothes!"

I was speechless.

Knowing Julian's temper, if he ever found out someone tried to make his daughter call another man 'Daddy,' all hell would break loose.

But right now, I didn't have time to dwell on that; I just wanted to get Lily and myself out of here quickly.

I didn't continue to argue with Liam about Lily.

Pulling out my phone, I opened a social media app I'd used before.

"You all said I almost drowned Chloe, right? I have proof."

"When I watched the video, something felt off, and I finally remembered why."

"The date on the video is October 30th, seven years ago. But at that time, Liam and I were on vacation in Bali. How could I have teleported back to the country to attack Chloe?"

Liam paused, then hesitantly clicked on my social media.

Back then, Liam and I were still in the throes of a passionate relationship, often taking photos together.

That trip was a spontaneous decision, and I hadn't told my adoptive parents, fearing their disapproval.

When we returned, my parents were furious I hadn't kept it a secret. To teach me a 'lesson,' they broke a cane over my back.

Because of this, the memory was incredibly vivid for me.

And only Liam and I knew about it; it was our little secret.

It was just a shame he never really paid attention to my affairs, which was why he so easily fell for Chloe's manipulations.

Seeing Liam's expression falter, Chloe started crying again.

She looked at me anxiously. "Sister, don't keep making excuses."

"You already caused me to lose my baby, and you made me infertile for life. Isn't that enough?"

"Why won't you just leave me alone? Why do you have to keep slandering me?"

"Do you... do you hate me so much that you want me dead?"

"Fine, then I'll die! I'll give you what you want!"

With that, Chloe recklessly lunged towards a rock by the roadside.

Seeing this, my adoptive parents panicked and immediately sided with Chloe.

"Liam, don't listen to Aria's nonsense."

"This girl has been a liar since childhood. Just send her straight to the police station."

"Once she's in front of the police, I'd like to see what excuses she'll come up with!"

The stark difference between love and indifference was painfully clear.

For their favored daughter, even with irrefutable evidence, they chose to ignore it.

For me, their daughter who had long lost her usefulness, they wouldn't even spare a glance.

I suddenly regretted coming back, regretted still holding onto a foolish hope for these people.

In that fleeting moment of thought, Liam suddenly rushed forward to snatch Lily from me.

"Sweet daughter, come to Daddy. Your mommy is a lying cheat, we don't need her."

Lily was terrified by Liam and burst into loud sobs.

"No, she's not! Mommy is the best mommy in the world!"

"You're the bad guys! Let go of my mommy!"

Seeing Lily's little face flushed with tears, my heart was about to break.

I lunged towards them, desperate to get my daughter back.

But my prosthetic limb had been discarded somewhere.

I stumbled and fell again and again, covered in dirt and scrapes.

Tears mixed with blood.

Lily's cries and the harsh accusations gradually pushed me to despair.

Just then, a familiar figure blocked my path.