Lydia hadn't seen William in six years and stared at him in surprise. "Is that really you, William?"

"Yes, Mom, your son is back!"

Gracelyn approached, linking her arm affectionately with Lydia's. "Aunt Lydia, it's me, Gracelyn. Do you remember me?"

"Gracelyn..."

Lydia was still trying to process, her brow furrowing even more at the sight. Then she quickly noticed my bleeding mouth and Tucker's loud cries and rushed over.

"Adrianna, what happened to you? Your face is so swollen!"

Tucker, seeing her, became even more upset and flung himself into her arms, crying, "Grandma, I'm scared..."

"Don't be scared, Grandma's here."

William's anger made his eyes flash with fury as he violently pulled Lydia towards him.

"Mom, why are you talking nonsense? You're my mom!"

"This... this brat dares to call you Grandma. Have you lost your mind?"

Lydia shook her head repeatedly. "William, this child is not a brat, he's..."

"What's all this 'he's' about! I'm your real son; Adrianna is your daughter-in-law. She's been unfaithful and had a child with another man. And you're defending her?"

Gracelyn's previous exuberance hadn't received a response, and now she followed up with a sarcastic tone.

"Exactly, Aunt Lydia. William talked about you every day while he was away. He's so devoted, yet you favor her?"

"Or have you been bought off by your own daughter-in-law?"

A few more onlookers gathered around.

The tension in William's face was palpable as he clenched his fists at Tucker and me. I hurriedly pulled Tucker close, shielding him before William's fist could land.

"Adrianna, you really know how to embarrass me. You've ruined my reputation!"

Sensing the situation escalating, Lydia reached for her phone. "William, you can't hit the child. This child's actually..."

"Mom!"

William slapped her hand so fiercely that her phone fell and shattered on the ground.

"How can you be growing more confused with age? This kid is an illegitimate child, who cares whose child it is."

"Even if I, William, haven't been around for a few years, I was a prominent figure in business. I can't let a scandal like this tarnish my name."

Holding Tucker, I pushed through the pain in my face and body, retorting, "Tucker is not illegitimate! If you dare lay a hand on him, you'll regret it!"

Gracelyn covered her mouth, laughing. "Adrianna, sister-in-law, you're part of the Gray family. How can you stand up for another man's child?"

"Surely you didn't use your own belly to bear someone else's child and then think you're not part of the Gray family?"

This remark infuriated William, and he lashed out with a kick to my stomach.

I was thrown several feet, landing heavily on my back, the pain searing. But I couldn't focus on that; I clutched my abdomen, knowing it was too late.

A sharp pain twisted in my lower belly, and I saw blood pooling beneath me.

In an instant, cold sweat coated my skin, and I could barely manage a pained moan, "The baby... the baby..."

Lydia panicked, abandoning Tucker to rush over. "Adrianna!"

"No, Adrianna had another child in her belly!"

"Call an ambulance, we can't waste time!"

William's face turned as dark as coal at the sight of the spreading blood.

Gracelyn feigned a gasp, "Oh dear, sister-in-law was so cozy with that wild man, there's even a second child?"

"Or perhaps there was more than one man? Oh, William, I feel for you."

The onlookers chimed in, none willing to make the call:

"What a disgrace, if my wife did something like this, I'd want to jump into a river out of shame!"

William's gaze was venomous as it roved over to Tucker, who was struggling to reach me.

"You disgraceful thing!"

His blood-red eyes surveyed the surroundings.

He spotted a stick by the roadside and Gracelyn handed it to him.

Testing it a couple of times, he raised it and swung it at Tucker's legs!

"Ah! Mommy, it hurts! Grandma... it hurts..."

Lydia and I both panicked. She tried to rush to save him but was blocked by Gracelyn.

Frantic, she cried out helplessly, "William, let Tucker go. You can't hit him, please let him go!"

Seeing Tucker's leg bleeding brought a pain so intense, I could hardly breathe.

I could only crawl, enduring the searing agony in my abdomen.

"Tucker... Mommy's here, don't be scared..."

"William, please let him go. I beg you... please spare him..."

The path, though so close, seemed a world away in that moment.

I stretched out my hand, trying to reach Tucker, while he cried out for me.

This scene drove William to anger; his grip tightened on the stick, he raised it high again, and brought it crashing down.

"No—"

Tucker's small legs were suddenly a terrifying mess of blood and flesh. The sound of his agonized cries ripped through my heart.

"Tucker! William, I'm begging you, please, he's just a child. Let him go!"

In that moment, the burning pain in my abdomen was forgotten. I struggled up from the pavement, desperate to reach him.

But Gracelyn, in her Victorian-style dress, suddenly grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the pavement. Blood immediately oozed from my forehead, and as I tried to rise, she seized my scalp again. Her voice, dripping with venom, hissed in my ear:

"Adrianna, why aren't you dead yet? If you were out of the picture, I could be with William without any shame!"

"But it's fine. You've already sealed your fate by cheating and having that little brat. William will divorce you on his own!"

Blood streamed down my face, blurring my vision. Through the fog, I saw Tucker's legs completely still, the pain nearly causing him to pass out.

Lydia broke free from her restraint and rushed to Tucker, desperately trying to pull him away.

"William, please, for the love of God, let the boy go. You can't deal with his father!" she pleaded.

"Mom! This is between me and Adrianna. Stay out of it!" William shouted, shoving Lydia aside. She lost her balance, hitting her head on the curb with a thud, and lay there motionless.

"Mom!" I screamed, still trapped by Gracelyn, but no amount of yelling could stir Lydia.

In that moment, I felt utterly hopeless. Six years ago, when my mother was critically ill and I was scrambling for funds, I met William, who was already on his way to success. He promised to cover the medical expenses if I married him. I agreed without hesitation, but on our wedding day, I learned he was only using me to make Gracelyn jealous.

That very night, Gracelyn confessed her feelings to him, and in his excitement, he sold his business and ran off with her. They disappeared for six years, and sadly, my mother passed away in the hospital, never receiving the help she needed.

Lydia knew how much I'd been wronged by William's family. Over the years, she treated me like her own daughter, and I saw her as my mother. After Tucker was born, she insisted he call her Grandma, always saying she was delighted to be a grandmother this way.

Yet today, he came back, arm in arm with Gracelyn, ignoring all we had endured during his absence and even resorting to violence against Lydia.

While Lydia lay unconscious, William continued to suffocate Tucker with his hand, yelling, "Whose brat is this? Such a weakling! Just stop crying, you're hurting my ears! Stop it!"

Tucker was gasping, struggling to call out "Mom," his voice choked with tears.

"Still calling her, when she's my wife!" William seethed, tightening his grip on Tucker's neck.

"Don't you dare touch my son!" I shouted, frantic, trying to break free from Gracelyn's hold. But she yanked my hair, pulling me back down.

"Trying to run again? You never learn until it's too late, do you?" she snarled, driving her heel brutally into my stomach.

My consciousness began to fade, my attempts to raise my hand futile.

"Tucker..." I gasped.

Finally, bystanders could no longer ignore the situation, whispering among themselves:

"This is getting out of hand, someone’s going to get killed. We should call the police."

"The police? I think we need an ambulance first."

The last image before I blacked out was of William throttling Tucker until he fell unconscious, his eyes rolling back. Tucker's legs were a horrific sight, and the air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood. As Gracelyn's curses echoed in my ears, I finally succumbed to the darkness.