Chapter 3

From that day on, I transformed from Nicholas's most beloved person to his most hated.

He tormented me endlessly, and he tormented Lily, who resembled me so much.

Lily was only a few years old, yet she was forced to do housework and hard labor. If anything displeased him, she would be severely disciplined with a ruler.

I had considered divorcing him and taking Lily, but he refused.

He even threatened that if I dared to mention divorce again, he would break Lily's legs.

When he saw the despair in my eyes, he would chuckle, pinch my chin, and sneer, "Chloe, feeling hopeless? You deserve every bit of it."

But I truly wasn't responsible for his mother's death, even though his mother had never liked me, believing I wasn't good enough for Nicholas.

Even though she humiliated me in every setting, calling me a worthless tramp, a shameless whore.

Even when she slapped me in front of the media.

I never resented his mother, because I always remembered that Nicholas, to marry me, had not hesitated to break ties with his mother, on whom he depended so much.

But his mother died at the hands of someone he loved. How could he not break down?

In the evening, the bodyguard returned.

When Nicholas heard that Lily hadn't been found, he immediately swept the fruit from the coffee table onto the floor.

"What?"

"Lily has already been taken by Chloe."

My skeptical gaze fell on the bodyguard.

If I hadn't been right in front of him, I never would have imagined how much blame was being heaped on me.

During Barbara's postpartum recovery, Nicholas directly hired a private investigator to find my whereabouts.

Upon receiving the information, he immediately rushed to that location.

He had his men kick the door in, then walked in unhurriedly.

"Chloe, hand over Lily, now."

Seeing no response, he sat on the sofa, waved his hand, and sent the bodyguards to look for me.

By the time the bodyguards reported they hadn't found me, his face had turned dark.

He called the private investigator directly. Upon learning that this was the last place I had been seen, he gritted his teeth and said, "Chloe, I dare you to hide like a rat in a sewer forever."

Nicholas, I'm not hiding! I don't need to hide! I'm standing right in front of you, but you can't see me!

The sky slowly darkened.

Nicholas's face was grim, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

Finally, a sound came from the entrance, and soon, Gregg's figure appeared.

When he saw Nicholas through the bodyguards outside the door, a flicker of hatred crossed his eyes.

"What are you doing at my house?"

Nicholas sneered, "What am I doing? Of course, I'm looking for Chloe and Lily."

Gregg saw something and chuckled. "You've probably come to the wrong place, haven't you?"

"They're both dead. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

"You think a fake dummy can fool me? I'm not an idiot. Hand them over right now."

A trace of pain flashed across Gregg's face, his eyes, like stagnant water, coldly fixed on Nicholas.

"I told you, Chloe and Lily are both dead. You even went to retrieve Lily's body yourself."

Nicholas grabbed Gregg by the collar, staring intently at him.

"Are you taking me for a fool?"

"Lily cherished her life so much, how could she die?"

"I'm warning you, make her come out and see me immediately. Her worthless life was always meant to repay me!"

Just then, his phone rang.

Nicholas saw the incoming call, put it on speaker, and scoffed, "Chloe, what? Finally willing to show yourself?"

But it was the private investigator's voice on the other end.

"Mr. Nicholas, I learned through an informant that Ms. Chloe died a year ago."