Rylee’s POV

I passed out the moment I stepped out of the elevator.

When I woke up, it was already the next day.

The door was open, and nurses were coming and going, chatting eagerly.

“And Miss Winters… Who would’ve thought—one is a rich lady, the other a maid.”

“You should’ve seen how worried Mr. Armstrong was yesterday. For four whole hours, he didn’t drink a drop of water. He just stayed by the other Winters’ daughter’s side, kissing her hand over and over, praying she’d wake up.”

Every word from outside stabbed at my heart, but I forced myself not to listen.

For the next week, no one came to see me.

Vlad and my parents were always at Madeline’s side.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and went home by myself.

The villa felt enormous, filled with memories of Vlad and me.

The furniture, rugs, chandeliers, paintings, decorations—every item carried her heart and soul.

Once, I had dreamed of having a beautiful home. Now, I loathed it.

I packed everything piece by piece, throwing all traces of Vlad into a box.

I only kept a few personal items and clothes for myself in my suitcase.

A few more days, once I got the divorce papers, and I would leave for good.

With my packing done, I was about to say goodbye to my friends.

Just as I turned the corner, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

I turned and saw Madeline walking toward me, her face glowing with smug satisfaction.

“Rylee, you just got out of the hospital and already in such a rush? Where are you going?”

I bit back my anger and ignored her, ready to leave.

But she stubbornly followed, her damn eyes shining with provocation.

“You actually dared to threaten Mom and Dad for five hundred million. So what if you got it? Once you leave Vlad and this family, you’re nothing.”

I let out a cold laugh and shot her a glance.

Ah, so it’s the five hundred million that got under her skin!

“Sure, I’m nothing, but at least I have money! Not like you, a sickly brat who only thinks about scheming every day.”

Unlike usual, she didn’t fly into a rage. She just stood there in the backlight, smiling.

Before I could react, several masked men charged at us.

In the chaos, I felt a stick slam into my back.

Then, we were both dragged into a car.

I lost track of time, but eventually, we were thrown into an abandoned warehouse.

Madeline curled up in a corner, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath.

The kidnappers took out a phone, recorded a video of us being kidnapped, and sent it to Vlad.

I leaned against the wall, sweat running down my back from the pain. I gritted my teeth and addressed the kidnappers.

“How much do you want? I can pay.”

But they just burst out laughing.

The lead kidnapper stepped toward me with a knife. I struggled backward, but someone pressed me down and covered my mouth.

The knife cut through my clothes, and a cold shiver ran through me. I widened my eyes and shook my head frantically.

Harsh laughter and rough hands restrained me, their greedy eyes roaming over me.

I desperately looked at Madeline, but her gaze was merciless, cold, and unfeeling.

In that instant, it felt as if I had fallen into an ice abyss.

The humiliation I had feared never came. Instead, I was clothed again, blindfolded, and Madeline’s voice disappeared.

Minutes later, the warehouse door opened.

I heard Vlad’s anxious voice… but he was calling Madeline.

Through a gap in the sack over my head, I saw him cradling her collapsed form, his voice trembling.

“Maddie! Don’t be afraid… I’m here.”

Madeline buried herself in his arms, crying and gasping.

“I thought I’d never see you again…”

Seeing so many people arrive, the kidnappers tried to flee.

But suddenly, one of them shouted in my direction.

“Miss Rylee! We’re leaving now! Take care of yourself!”

The moment he spoke, Vlad lunged forward, yanking the sack off my head and grabbing my shoulders.

His gaze was icy, cutting right through me, his teeth gritted as he spat, “Rylee! You were in on this? You planned the kidnapping?!”

He happened to grab the wound on my back. The pain was so sharp I couldn’t even say a word.

Rylee’s POV

At that moment, Madeline fainted.

Vlad immediately shoved me aside in a panic and scooped Madeline into his arms as he hurried away.

I was taken home by the bodyguards. No one cared whether I lived or died, and Vlad didn’t come back.

Seizing the moment when no one was around, I quietly slipped into his study.

I approached his desk and used the password I had secretly memorized to unlock his computer.

Inside, as I had expected, I found exactly what I was looking for.

Years ago, he had sabotaged Zander’s company through malicious competition, even planting corporate spies, fabricating evidence, and driving him to bankruptcy.

I quickly copied the files to a flash drive, then deleted all traces from the computer.

After finishing, I received a call from the county clerk’s office, instructing me to pick up the divorce certificate.

But as I turned the corner of the street, a sudden sharp pain struck the back of my neck. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke, I found myself inside a sack, my hands and feet bound, my mouth gagged.

Through the muffled fabric, I faintly heard Madeline’s weak voice.

“Vlad, forget it. After all, they’re my sister’s people. Just have her apologize, and that’ll be enough.”

Vlad snorted coldly and dialed my phone, but no one answered.

Through the gap in the sack, I could see the expression on his face darkening by the second.

Madeline lowered her head, her eyes red.

“Did she deliberately refuse to pick up the phone because she doesn’t want to apologize to me?”

At that, Vlad let out a mocking laugh and turned to his men with a cold command.

“Deliberately? I have plenty of ways to make her come.” He scoffed. “Go to the western suburb cemetery, dig up the grave, and bring the urns to me.”

My heart constricted violently. A suffocating pain spread through me.

He actually intended to dig up the child’s grave—to use it as leverage to force me to comply!

Hearing this, Madeline feigned protest.

“Vlad, that’s still her children… This is too cruel…”

“Cruel?” Vlad’s voice was icy. “What she did to you was a hundred times crueler. Today, I’ll make her taste what it feels like to lose the thing she cares about most.”

I lost track of time. Footsteps echoed again, accompanied by the sound of heavy objects hitting the floor.

I heard the notification of a video recording starting on his phone. His voice came through the screen, cutting straight to the bone.

“Rylee, I’m giving you ten minutes. Appear before me immediately and apologize to Maddie. If you’re even a minute late, I’ll take urns, mix it with meat, and feed it to the dogs.”

“Ten minutes,” he repeated. “If you’re not here by then, all three urns will be fed to the dogs.”

With a loud bang, my mind went completely blank. Tears surged out instantly, mixing with the dust on the sack and smearing all over my face.

I struggled desperately, kicking with all my strength, but the rope only tightened, cutting deep into my flesh, burning with pain.

I wanted to shout. I wanted to tell him I was right here. I wanted to beg him to spare my child. But the rag stuffed in my mouth blocked me completely. I could only let out desperate muffled sobs.

“What’s going on in there?”

Hearing the movement, Vlad glanced over.

“Sir, maybe the kidnappers didn’t tie her properly; she started moving,” someone reported.

Without hesitation, Vlad ordered, “Keep hitting her! Don’t stop until Rylee comes.”

In the next instant, a thick wooden stick slammed down onto the sack, pounding my back and stomach. Each strike tore through me with agonizing pain.

I curled up, trying to protect my head.

But the blows kept coming. My body convulsed with every hit, and blood seeped from the corner of my mouth, soaking the gag.

I could clearly hear the sound of time passing. Every second felt like being cut alive.

I twisted my body, hoping to attract his attention, but the only response was more relentless beating.

Finally, ten minutes passed.

Vlad’s voice was terrifyingly calm, yet icy to the bone.

“She’s still not here.”

Madeline squeezed out a few tears, choking on her words.

“Forget it… Consider it even for the time she donated blood for me.”

Vlad’s voice shot up sharply.

“Forget it? Impossible.”

At that moment, I saw ashes being scattered into meat and thrown into a dog cage.

I tried with all my strength to whimper, hoping to make him stop.

But it was completely useless.

My whole body went cold, the intense pain almost making me lose consciousness. Tears mixed with blood slide continuously down my cheeks.

That was our child. Even if he never loved them, they still carried his blood.

And he fed them to the dogs.

Rylee’s POV

Then came the second urn… and the third.

Each time the sound of an urn opening rang out, it felt like a knife slicing through my heart.

I bit down hard on the torn cloth until I tasted blood, my body shaking violently from the sheer pain and rage.

It seemed that Vlad had finally vented his fury. He turned off the camera and sent me a message, his tone icy.

“Rylee, this is all your own doing.”

The footsteps gradually faded while Madeline’s voice lingered nearby.

“Vlad, don’t be mad.”

Only after they had turned and walked away did the bodyguards tear open the sack.

With the last of my strength, I freed myself from the ropes.

Before me lay empty, scattered urns while a few dogs gnawed nearby. The scene was unbearable to look at.

Blood and tears smeared across my face, every bone in my body aching as if it had come apart.

I collapsed onto the cold floor, trembling.

From around the corner, Madeline suddenly turned, smiling at me.

I stared at their retreating backs, my fingernails digging into my flesh, hatred boiling in my chest.

I swear—I would also make them taste what it felt like to be abandoned by everyone!

I don’t know how long passed before I managed to stand, gathering the urns.

After a quick hospital visit to tend to my injuries, I returned home.

I took a shower, changed clothes, and, pulling my suitcase, resolutely opened the door.

Turning for one last look at the home I had once cherished, I poured gasoline over it without hesitation and dropped a lighter.

Flames erupted instantly, swallowing the villa.

In the blaze, I slipped divorce papers into the mailbox, then turned and left, heading straight for the airport.

On the way, a massive street screen showed Vlad throwing a birthday party for Madeline.

That’s when I remembered—today was her birthday.

On the screen, Vlad had covered the beach in roses, and Madeline stood in the middle of the flowers, smiling radiantly.

My parents stood proudly nearby.

The irony was that Vlad still wore our wedding ring, yet here he was, leaning down to place a necklace on Madeline, his expression brimming with genuine love.

I watched the four of them, a bitter laugh escaping me.

Approaching the airport, I immediately spotted the man in the trench coat.

Tall, with thin lips pressed into a line and deep, unreadable eyes, he looked at me with a smile that didn’t fade.

He walked toward me slowly, hand extended, smiling warmly.

“Miss Rylee, long time no see.”

“Long time no see,” I replied with a smile, shaking his hand.

“Today is my little sister’s birthday. As her older sister, I want to give her a gift.”

I handed him the flash drive I held.

He understood immediately and passed it to his assistant.

The plane lifted off, and I used the last of my strength.

In a daze, I felt a strong hand supporting my head.

Then, I fell into a deep sleep.

At that very moment, Madeline checked her phone at the birthday party, screamed, and fainted.

The celebration instantly fell into chaos.

Vlad carried Madeline toward the hospital, shouting, “Go to the villa and get Rylee to the hospital for a blood test!”

Before he could finish, his assistant came rushing in.

“Sir! It’s on fire!”