Chapter 5

Seeing that I was dead serious about leaving, a burst of unbridled rage exploded in Nathan's chest.

With a violent swing of his arm, he slammed the staff member's hands, sending the boxes crashing to the floor.

A sharp, searing pain shot through my ankle, forcing a gasp of agony from my lips. Looking down, I saw bright red blood quickly blooming across the pale carpet—just like the night of my miscarriage.

My mind went completely blank.

Nathan panicked, wrapping his arms tightly around me and roaring at the top of his lungs, "Call the doctor! Get the damn doctor over here right now!"

He leaned close to my ear, frantically whispering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Natalie, I didn't mean to..."

I stared at the shattered ceramic couple's mug on the floor and offered him no response.

That mug was the keepsake from when we first started dating. I was originally going to throw it in the trash today.

Now that it was shattered into pieces, it meant our fate was truly severed.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream pierced through the room!

It was my baby!

Before anyone could realize what was happening, Andy had crept up to the stroller, his chubby little hands clamped tightly around my daughter's tiny throat!

Before my brain could even register the horror, my body moved on pure instinct. Ignoring the agonizing pain in my ankle, I threw myself forward and forcefully tore my daughter out of his grasp.

My poor baby's face had turned dangerously purple from suffocation, her breathing ragged and gasping. Trembling, I screamed for the on-site family doctor to come over immediately.

Andy stared at his empty hands, glanced around the room, and upon seeing that no one was praising him, his bottom lip trembled. He dropped onto the floor and began to wail at the top of his lungs.

Vivian shoved me aside violently, scooping Andy into her arms with exaggerated heartbreak.

My parents rushed over in a panic, fussing over him with gentle, cooing voices.

Nathan didn't even look back. He grabbed the doctor who was examining my suffocating daughter by the collar and dragged him across the room toward Andy, barking frantically, "Check his arms! Did he break any bones?!"

My baby and I were completely cast aside, forgotten on the bloody floor.

Seeing that his protectors were backing him, Andy pointed a chubby finger at me and sobbed, "Mommy! She stole my blanket and hit me!"

Hearing this, my father blew a fuse. Without asking a single question, he raised his arm and slapped me across the face with all his might.

Smack!

My mother's face twisted in pure disgust. "You threw this pathetic tantrum, packed your bags, and demanded a divorce just so you could bully an innocent toddler?! How on earth did I give birth to such a wicked, venomous monster?!"

The force of the blow sent me reeling. I collapsed onto the floor, barely managing to shield my baby from hitting the ground.

Nathan didn't spare me a single glance. His entire focus was glued to Andy.

My cheek burned with excruciating heat, but it didn't hurt half as much as the numbness in my chest.

My one-year-old daughter was choked until her face turned blue, and not a single soul asked if she was alive.

Yet Andy shed a couple of crocodile tears, and they dragged her doctor away without a second thought.

Blinking back the tears, I ignored their venomous words, turned to the movers, and ordered coldly, "Don't stop. Keep carrying the luggage out!"

Enraged, my father raised his hand to strike me again, but Nathan's roaring voice cut through the chaos.

"Enough!"

Nathan turned around, pointing an accusing finger at me, his eyes brimming with profound disappointment.

"You hurt Andy, yet you don't even have the decency to apologize! All you care about is your own petty drama!"

He took Andy into his arms, his voice turning cold and resolute. "You want a divorce? Fine."

He closed his eyes for a second, hardening his heart.

"After the divorce, I will never acknowledge your daughter as my child! The Reed family will not leave her a single penny of our fortune! If you've made up your mind, then get the hell out!"

Nathan's parents chimed in immediately. "Good riddance! She's just a useless girl anyway. Good thing we don't have to claim her!"

My mother opened her mouth to speak, but my father tugged at her sleeve, glancing at Vivian and Andy. "This is for the best. At least Andy will be safe from that crazy woman."

I cradled my baby tightly, sitting on the cold floor, offering zero reaction.

Nathan assumed I was finally terrified into submission.

Just as he opened his mouth to deliver another condescending lecture, a commanding voice shattered the silence from the entrance.

"Well, in that case, Mr. Reed... I'll be taking my wife and daughter home."