"Wait for me. I'm returning to the country."

I ended the call, then scooped Lucy into my arms and headed for the exit of the banquet hall.

"Apologies, Madam. Mr. Langer instructed that you're not allowed to take Miss Lucy away," the security guard said, blocking my path.

I forced myself to stay upright as I unlocked my phone, only to be met with a fresh social media post from Becca.

It was a photo of Robert.

[Thanks to Robert for rushing me and the children to the hospital in time. He's a great dad and husband!]

Pain lanced through my chest, sharp enough to steal my breath. I could almost taste blood rising in my throat.

"Mom! What's wrong?" Lucy's frightened eyes darted to the corner of my mouth.

"She's vomiting blood! Hurry! Get her to the hospital!" someone shouted.

Chaos erupted as people scrambled to carry me out. I drifted into unconsciousness and didn't wake for three whole days.

When I finally opened my eyes, Lucy was nowhere in sight.

"Lucy!"

"A man claiming to be the little girl's father came just now," the nurse explained. "He took her away."

I froze, a chill settling in my gut. Something was wrong… terribly wrong.

It took three calls before Robert finally answered.

"Robert! What have you done with Lucy? What are you trying to do?"

He gave a cold laugh. "What am I trying to do? You should be asking yourself that. You taught Lucy to harm Becca's babies. Do you take me for a blind man?"

"Nonsense! Lucy would never do such a thing! This is all Becca's scheme!"

I struggled to get out of bed, the IV tugging painfully at my arm.

"A scheme?" His voice was frigid. "The surveillance footage clearly shows Lucy holding a pair of scissors, approaching the crib, saying she was avenging you. Audrey, what a fine daughter you've raised."

The words hit like a plunge into an ice pit. No… impossible. Lucy had begged me not to blame him just days ago…

A crash sounded on the other end, followed by my daughter's tearful voice.

"Daddy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt Adam and Sammy…"

My hand trembled around the phone, tears spilling unchecked.

"Lucy—! Robert, don't touch her! She's only seven years old. If you need to vent your anger, take it out on me! I'm begging you…"

But he cut me off without hesitation.

"From today onward, I'll be in charge of Lucy's upbringing. If you dare interfere again, don't blame me for disregarding whatever remains of our marriage."

The call ended.

Ignoring the nurse's protests, I yanked the IV from my arm and staggered toward the door.

No matter what it took, I would get my daughter back!

The moment I stumbled outside, a wall of flashing cameras engulfed me.

Reporters surged forward, shoving microphones in my face.

"Audrey, is it true you instructed your daughter to harm the twins because you were jealous that Becca gave birth to sons?"

"Sources say you're unable to conceive again, and that you wanted to eliminate the Langer family's bloodline. Care to comment?"

"Mr. Langer has already issued a statement saying he will hold you accountable. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

The crush of bodies pressed in on me until I could barely stand.

My phone buzzed incessantly with headlines flooding the screen one after another.

[Robert Langer's Wife Intends to Kill His Illegitimate Sons]

[Audrey Flavell Driven Mad By Jealousy]

In the photos, the doctored surveillance footage showed a chilling image—Lucy holding a pair of scissors.

The comment section seethed with venom: "Vicious woman," "Unfit to be a mother."

Only a few scattered voices spoke in my defense.

"The husband cheated and brought the mistress and kids home. Who could endure that?"

But they were quickly drowned out by the tide of insults.

Suddenly, a black van pulled up at the edge of the crowd.

Robert stepped out, cradling the twins. Becca followed close behind, her gaze lingering on my disheveled state. There was a flicker of triumph in her eyes.

"Audrey," Robert's voice was ice, his stare stripped of any hesitation, "kneel and apologize to Becca. Admit you incited Lucy to attack the twins, and that you hired people online to smear my relationship with her."

"I did not!" My voice cracked into a hoarse scream, my nails biting into my palms. "Robert, you know this is a setup—"

"Mom!"

Lucy darted out from behind the nanny, but Becca caught her in an iron grip.

She twisted Lucy's arm hard. Lucy's face went paper-white from the pain, tears trembling at the edge of her lashes, but she didn't dare cry out.

A cold numbness swept through me as I looked into Robert's indifferent eyes.

In that moment, I finally understood—he didn't care about the truth at all.

My knees trembled as I sank slowly to the ground. My palm cracked across my own cheek.

"I'm sorry! It was me. I told Lucy to do it. I was jealous of Becca!"

With every word and every slap, another piece of my heart tore away.

Again and again, my hand struck my face until it swelled painfully. The coppery tang of blood spread in my mouth.

Robert watched coldly as the twins in his arms giggled, as if they were mocking me.

"Not enough," he said suddenly.

"Audrey, didn't you want a divorce? When you couldn't have another child, I took ninety-nine lashes from the Langer family's punishment just to stay with you.

"Now, if you can kneel and crawl ninety-nine steps, bowing your head at each one to beg my sons for forgiveness, then I'll give you that divorce."