Just as Aria's vision began to darken, thinking she was about to die, James let go. She slumped to the ground, her once elegant neck now marred with a horrifying bloodstain.

James's hand, dripping with blood, hovered above the ground, each drop forming a small flower.

"Emily, you better give me an explanation."

Aria—Emily leaned against the wall, slowly standing up. After a dry cough, she lifted her head, her hair in disarray, a few strands falling across her ear. But this did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. A touch of stubbornness shone through her delicate face, her almond-shaped eyes filled with disdain and mockery.

"An explanation! Ha, what does it matter to you whether I live or die? Or is it that I'm not dead, and that's why you're unhappy?"

No matter how much she denied it, James would not believe her. Might as well speak her mind and feel a bit relieved by scolding him.

Five years ago, she had offered her sincere heart only to be rejected. Now, she did not want to suffer silently anymore.

"Emily!" James suppressed his anger with several deep breaths. He never imagined that the obedient Emily could deceive everyone to such an extent, and now she acted as if nothing was wrong.

"James, isn't this great? You can still pretend that I'm dead, be with the person you love, and live your happy life, while I live my peaceful days."

Emily thought this was perfectly fine.

"Impossible!" James, infuriated by her indifferent attitude, nearly reached his breaking point. "Since you're alive, I could never pretend you're dead."

"When I was alive before, you didn't treat me like a person. Now you see me as a living person. Whether I live or die is none of your concern. You didn't care before, and you don't need to pretend now!" Her face turned pale, but every word she spoke was cutting, piercing through one's heart.

James clenched his fist. Once he reached a certain level of anger, he regained his composure. He coldly glanced at her, then turned his back, leaving her with a cold silhouette, like a beautifully carved face covered in a thin layer of frost.

"Emily, do you know how many people you have hurt with your irresponsible actions? You better think carefully about how to make amends when you go back."

"Especially to the one whom you owe the most apologies to," James added, his voice even colder.

The image of Mrs. Anderson, who had been so kind and gentle to her, suddenly appeared in Emily's mind. When her family fell apart and her loved ones died, it was Madam who took her in and cared for her as if she were her own granddaughter. Madam must have been devastated upon hearing about her difficult childbirth.

Thinking of this, Emily's heart filled with guilt, but that still didn't justify James's attack on her.

"On what grounds do you stand on the moral high ground to accuse me? Do you think you're any better? The most irresponsible person and the one who should make amends is you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost my child."

As she thought of the lost child, tears welled up in her eyes.

Unable to hold back, tears fell in large drops, making the eyes soaked and bright, revealing a clear resentment within.

James's heart took a hard blow, waves of pain hitting him densely, causing his cold face to crack slightly, with a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

Could it be...that Emily is the only one alive, and those two children are truly gone?

After a while, James loosened his grip on the hand he was holding and coldly uttered some words.

"I'll give you one day to think it through. Don't think about escaping, because even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will find you."

He opened the door and left, completely unaware that a small figure had slipped to the side the moment he opened the door.

After he had left for a while, Ben emerged from behind a giant vase and, as soon as he entered the stairwell, he saw mommy wiping away her tears with a cold expression.

"Mommy."

Originally, he wanted to seize the opportunity to ask his idol for another autographed photo, but what he saw instead was mommy entering the idol's private room. Shortly after, he witnessed the idol rudely dragging mommy out. He anxiously followed but was blocked by a closed door. He couldn't open the door and could only listen to what was happening inside.

But the sound insulation was too good after Aria arrived, and he couldn't hear anything at all.

When Emily heard her son's voice, she was momentarily stunned and then focused her gaze, confirming that it was Ben. She quickly wiped away her tears and worriedly hugged Ben.

"Why are you here? Where is Isabella?"

Did Mary take the children out to eat?

"Isabella is at home... Mommy, what happened to your neck?" Ben widened his eyes in shock, looking at Emily's neck covered in bloodstains.

It's the idol... No, he's not an idol anymore, he's the man who bullied mommy!

Ben immediately transformed into an angry little bird, struggling to avenge his mommy.

He was the only man in this family and had always aspired to protect mommy and his little sister. But now, mommy was actually being bullied.

Emily quickly held down his small body.

"Don't be afraid, Ben. Mommy is fine, she's not hurt."

"But mommy was crying." Tears rolled down Ben's face, filled with urgency.

"That's because some dirt got into her eyes," Emily caressed him gently, wiping away his tears tenderly.

Ben gradually calmed down, but deep inside, he swore that he would definitely avenge mommy in the future!

Emily thought that James may not have left yet. If James saw Ben, would he take Ben away?

She hadn't forgotten what James had said before, about wanting to keep the children and divorce her.

No, she couldn't let James take the children away. These two children were her precious babies, the result of eight months of pregnancy. They were her life, and no one could take them away.

Emily took Ben's hand and stood up.

"Let's go home."

Ben keenly sensed what mommy was worried about, so he obediently quieted down and followed Emily home.

On the way, when he saw mommy wiping away the bloodstains from her neck with a wet tissue, Ben breathed a sigh of relief.

It's a good thing mommy didn't get hurt. But why did the idol treat mommy like this?

What happened between mommy and the idol? He wondered.

These questions lingered in Ben's mind as he clenched his little fists. He was determined to find out everything and no longer let mommy be bullied!

Emily was unaware of the little one's thoughts as she gently closed her eyes to rest. Memories sealed for five years came flooding back when she met James today.

She and James had an arranged marriage, but she really liked him. The love from her teenage years continued into their married life.

In their two years of marriage, she always put James first and worked hard to be a virtuous wife. She thought that as long as she performed well enough, she could melt James's stone heart.

So when James suddenly showed her special affection that night, she was overjoyed. With just one kiss, she lost herself and completely surrendered to him. But this man was too heartless. He left for another country the next day and didn't come back for a whole eight months.

From the joy of discovering her pregnancy to the disappointment of waiting for him to return, and then finding out it was triplets. The doctor advised her to terminate one in order to avoid the risks of a painful childbirth.

Finally, she heard him say "divorce" and felt utterly hopeless.

During that childbirth, she had a near-death experience. After a difficult journey, everything finally became better. She lived a good life with her two children in M country, but this man appeared again.

Emily felt a splitting headache and rubbed her temples. Ben moved in her arms and reached out with his small hand.

"Mommy, I'll give you a massage."

Emily held onto his soft hand.

"Mommy is fine, we're almost home. Shouldn't you tell me why you appeared there?" Emily showed an expression that said she couldn't be fooled.

The little one turned his head guiltily. How could he deceive mommy? He was in a hurry.

At this moment, he missed his mischievous little sister immensely.