Chapter 3
In the days that followed, Adeline kept receiving photos from Steffie.
In them, Hugo was coaxing his daughter gently with eyes full of warmth while Steffie leaned on his shoulder, smiling sweetly.
Adeline’s fingers trembled as she swiped through one photo after another. Each photo felt like a knife to her chest.
But after a while, Adeline realized that she didn’t feel pain anymore. Maybe her heart had already died the moment she was locked in that freezer.
Just as she was about to block Steffie’s number, her phone buzzed again.
It was another photo. This one showed her crystal bracelet in Steffie’s hand, being played with casually.
“Want your mom’s keepsake back? Come get it.
Adeline shot to her feet, her vision going black for a second. But she didn’t care and grabbed her coat before running out.
In the VIP ward, Steffie was humming softly to the baby. “Daddy loves you most, doesn’t he? He visits us every day…”
When she looked up and saw Adeline, her smile deepened. “You’re here. Did you know? While I’ve been in the hospital, Hugo hasn’t gone to work at all. He’s been staying here to take care of me and our daughter.”
Adeline dug her nails into her palm. “Where’s the bracelet?”
Steffie lazily picked it up from the nightstand and shook it. “You mean this?”
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Chapter 3
She curled her lips into a cruel smile. “Tell you what–I’ll give it back to you if you kneel and beg me.”
Adeline was shaking. “Don’t push it.”
“I am pushing it. So what?” Steffie sneered. “Adeline, you’re nothing but a lowly fish seller. I’m Guenet Group’s heiress, the match chosen by the Bernard family. Do you think someone like you even deserves to stand next to me? I’m being generous by having you kneel before me.”
She lifted her hand, ready to drop the bracelet. “I’ll count to three. If you don’t kneel, I’ll smash it.
“One, two-”
Adeline bit her lip hard. Then, with red eyes, she dropped to her knees with a loud thud. The impact was so hard that her vision blurred.
“You look so pitiful when you kneel.” Steffie stood, looking down at her. “But I’m not giving it back.
Then, she raised her hand…
Crack!
The bracelet hit the floor and shattered.
Trembling, Adeline lunged forward to try and pick up the pieces. Just then, the door burst open.
Hugo and his parents stood at the entrance, their expressions dark.
“What’s going on?!” Edwin barked.
Steffie instantly changed her expression and flung herself into Hugo’s arms, crying, “Hugo! I don’t know what happened. She suddenly ran in and started hitting the baby…”
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She pulled the baby’s clothes open, revealing the faint bruises and finger marks.
Adeline shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t do it!”
She backed away, panicked, but Edwin was quickly striding toward her.
Slap!
The slap made her vision blur and her ears ring. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
“Vicious woman!” Edwin’s voice sounded far away in her ears. “How could you lay your hands on a mere child?!”
Marcella said coldly, “The punishment last time was too light. Someone drag her out. She’s to be given 20 lashes!”
Hugo clenched his fists and stepped forward. “Mom-”
“Are you still going to defend her?!” Marcella cut him off sharply. “She hurt your daughter! Even if you toss your daughter to us and run off with Adeline, that baby will always be your flesh and blood!”
Trembling, Adeline instinctively looked at Hugo.
He was still standing there, his long fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles went pale. His eyes met hers–torn and pained… But in the end, he kept quiet.
Adeline stared at him, stunned. It felt like something inside her had been ripped apart.
But the next second, her lips parted, and she let out a soft laugh.
She laughed at how stupid she’d been for believing he’d take her away.
She laughed at how naive she was to think that mere promises could win
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over blood ties.
She laughed at how childish she’d been to hope he’d choose her in the
end.
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They dragged Adeline to the open–air hospital corridor, where the guards forced her to her knees.
When the first lash struck, she gasped and felt her vision go black. Through the pain, a memory surfaced.
The day they found out the Bernard family was doing everything to stop them, Adeline had tried to break up with Hugo with teary eyes. That night, the rain continued to pour, and he spent the entire night standing outside her place. The next day, he had a 40°C fever and nearly got pneumonia.
When she went to see him, he was half–delirious from the fever and gripped her hand while whispering, “Aline, remember–even if the whole world’s against us, I’ll still choose you.”
The second lash fell. Adeline bit through her lip, blood filling her mouth. Then came the third and fourth lash. Each strike landed on her back, but it was her heart that hurt more.
By the 15th, she thought she could still hear Hugo’s worried voice. “You’re hurt again? Let me see…”
By the 19th, her mind was fading, and her ears were ringing endlessly. She thought she heard someone calling her name, but she couldn’t tell whether it was real or not.
The final lash came down, and the world went dark.
