The ruby pendant was our family's heirloom.

There were two of these pendants. I gave Benedict one of them to give to his significant other. Jeremy would be getting the other one when he was older. In the meantime, I kept it for him.

Clearly, Yvonne had gotten the wrong idea.

She tore the necklace off my neck in hysterics. "You're a liar, Benedict Fuller! You told me you only loved me. How can you cheat on me with this old woman?

"I hate you! I hate you!

"My heart hurts, but I still can't stop myself from loving you," she muttered to herself in madness. Then, her eyes went dark. "If they die, then there won't be anything standing between us anymore. Yes. That's it!"

She took out her phone and called someone. After a moment, I heard her say, "Francis, you have to help me protect my relationship!"

I had no time to watch her lose her mind. Crawling over to Jeremy's bed, I stared anxiously as his complexion turned even worse.

"Please, save my son!" I begged. "He's been bitten by a venomous snake. If you don't help him, he'll die!"

The other nurses also tried to talk to Yvonne. "Come on. Shit's going to go down if the boy dies. Let's just send him to the emergency room first."

Yvonne snorted coldly and gave the other nurses a sharp look. "Are you sure you want to side with this homewrecker?

"Don't forget. Benedict's father is the CEO of this hospital. Once I marry him, I will be the one to decide whether you get promoted or not."

Hearing this, the other nurses looked at each other before walking away, pretending to be busy with something else.

"Yvonne, please. Let my son into the emergency room. He's going to die!" I begged.

Yvonne's expression was cold, and her eyes were full of malice. "That's the thing. I want him to die. That's the only way to keep him from standing between me and Benedict after we get married!

"I don't want this bastard coming between us. I don't want to be a stepmother."

"My son is not Benedict's illegitimate son," I explained quickly. "He's his brother."

Yvonne kicked me in the chest. "How can you say that this bastard is my boyfriend's brother when you keep calling him your son?

"That's ridiculous. Are you going to tell me next that you're Benedict's mother?"

I nodded at once. "Yes! I am Benedict's mother. His real mother."

Confusion flickered on Yvonne's face for a moment. She stared at me hard.

Just then, the doors of the hospital burst open.

A group of people rushed in, wielding sticks. The man at the lead, whose hair was dyed blond, yelled, "Who's the bitch trying to steal my sister's boyfriend?"

I was kneeling on the ground, my cheeks swollen, and my clothes disheveled.

Yvonne stood before me with an ugly expression on her face. "It's her, Francis," she said. "She's telling me now that she's Benedict's mother."

Francis Sinclair scoffed. He gave me a once-over and said disdainfully, "If she's the CEO's wife, then I am the CEO! She's just trying to scare you so that you'll get flustered, Yvonne."

Yvonne's confusion disappeared. "Thank goodness you came, Francis! Otherwise, I might get tricked by this homewrecker!"

She strode up to me and slapped me several times in a row.

My ears were buzzing, but I didn't dare to move away. "Please, save my son. Save my son. I beg you," I kept pleading.

Suddenly, cruelty flashed in Yvonne's eyes. "Actually, I can save him if you take off your clothes and slap yourself. You have to say that you're a slut and a homewrecker as you do so and apologize to me on camera.

"Say that you should not have intruded in my relationship with Benedict!"

I was shocked by this unreasonable request.

Yvonne pushed me impatiently. She grabbed Jeremy by the hair and shoved his ashen face into mine.

I was utterly hopeless.

All around me stood Francis's burly thugs. They leered at me, their eyes roaming across my chest.

I held my shirt closed by the collar and shook my head, tears falling.

Yvonne laughed coldly. "I'm not in any hurry. I'm just not sure whether this little bastard has the time to wait for you to take off your clothes."

My tears fell even quicker.

Benedict had told me about Yvonne before. He told me that she was kind.

I looked at the vicious woman before me and shuddered.

Around me, the men were still leering.

"Take off your clothes! You're already a cheating slut. What's there to be embarrassed about?" they taunted. "I see that bulge on your chest. What are you hiding under your shirt? Take it off and let us see!"

Yvonne took out her phone and began recording. "Snake venom takes about an hour to kill. Figure it out yourself. How much time do you have left?"

I had no choice. I had to do this for Jeremy. Closing my eyes tight, I quickly took off my blouse.

Francis whistled. "You've got to admit, Yvonne, this bitch's got a nice body."

I grew up in a strict family and later got married and had children according to the norms, so I'd never been so humiliated in my life. I bit my lower lip until it bled. "Will you save my son now?"

Yvonne still wasn't satisfied. She moved the camera, filming me from head to toe. I turned my head away, but she grabbed me by the chin and forced me to look into the camera. "What's your hurry? That was just your blouse. Take off your bra, too.

"Also, did you not hear me? I said, take off your clothes and tell the camera that you are a bitch and a homewrecker!"

Francis leered at me. "Yeah! Take off your bra! Hurry up!"

Yvonne scoffed. "You don't want to do it? Then, we'll just let this bastard…"

Afraid that she would do as she threatened, I interrupted quickly, "I'll do it!"

Trembling, I reached back and undid the clasp on my bra.

Yvonne stared at me ravenously as I looked into the camera and said slowly, "I am a homewrecker. I'm a bitch. Please save my son…"

Yvonne slapped me so hard that my head jerked to the side.

"Who told you to add that last part? I just need you to admit to your sins. Don't say other stuff."

"He's really not a bastard," I begged. "He's Benedict's little brother. Please just save him. I won't hold anything against you as long as you save him."

Yvonne scoffed and folded her arms. "You won't hold anything against me? What right do you have to hold anything against me? Don't fool yourself."

She grabbed me by the hair again and slammed my head against the wall. "You haughty woman! You disgust me!"

As if still unsatisfied, she shouted at the people behind her, "What are you waiting for? Take out your phones and film this!"

All around me, camera flashes went off in every direction. There was no way for me to hide from them.

As I tried to run away in a panic, I bumped into Jeremy's bed. Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his hand to steady him.

Wait a minute.

My heart dropped.

Why was Jeremy's hand so cold?

I had a bad feeling. I kept telling myself that it couldn't be, yet my hand still reached toward his nose.

Jeremy wasn't breathing.

How could he not be breathing?

Frantic, I shook Jeremy's body, but no matter what I did, he remained limp and boneless.

Jeremy was dead.

When I realized this, I was filled with rage. I had endured all of Yvonne's humiliations just to get Jeremy into the emergency room, but now he was dead.

There was no reason for me to continue taking this.

Slowly, I rose from the bed and fixed Yvonne with a hateful glare. This woman had killed my son.

Yvonne took a few steps back. "You… What are you doing?"