My heart gradually turned cold. I hissed, "Without me going out to negotiate and entertain clients, where would your company's deals come from, and why do you think I can't have children? It was because I ruined my health while helping you build your business, and because your precious sister scared me into a miscarriage!"

I almost shouted the words.

For the first time, impatience and disdain finally appeared on Ryan's face. "Well, whose fault is it that you don't have the charm to make Timothy care? If you'd just softened up a little and asked, he might have slipped a few resources your way. Then you wouldn't be struggling like this."

So that was it. From the very beginning, the only thing he wanted from marrying me was access to my brother, Timothy Sullivan's, resources.

Timothy was a business prodigy who took control of the massive Sullivan family empire at a young age. Back then, he did not think much of Ryan, a broke nobody.

I was blind and insisted on marrying him anyway.

Timothy could not change my mind, so he proposed testing Ryan for three years.

During those three years, Ryan claimed he did not want help. Yet, behind my back, he repeatedly hinted that I should ask Timothy for resources.

I always believed he was just proud. Finally, I understood that he was nothing but a complete hypocrite, a man who wanted to climb through connections and live off my family.

I took a deep breath and pushed down all my emotions as I called out, "Edward."

The elderly butler, Edward Rogers, who stood by, immediately stepped forward. "Ms. Sullivan, what can I do for you?"

"Throw this whole family out. This is the Sullivan residence, and we don't welcome trash."

Edward's expression turned serious as he waved to the security guards behind him. "Escort them out!"

Ryan's face turned ashen as he shoved away the approaching guards. "Victoria, how dare you?!"

He glared at me as if he wanted to tear me apart.

I met his gaze coldly. "This is my family's territory, not a place for the Lawson family's playground. The dinner is canceled. Our family doesn't welcome outsiders either."

My words hit him like a slap across the face. He probably never imagined that I, who always obeyed him, would be this firm.

Zelda's eyes darted around before she suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud. Clutching the baby, she crawled toward me on her knees, tears streaming down her face.

"Victoria, this is all my fault! Don't blame Ryan. It's all on me! I'm just too dependent on Ryan. I never thought you'd misunderstand. Victoria, don't say things in anger. You and Ryan just got married!"

As she spoke, she knocked her forehead repeatedly against the floor until it quickly turned red.

There it was again, playing the poor, innocent damsel.

Ryan immediately felt sorry for her and rushed forward to help her up, pulling her into his arms. "Zelda, you did nothing wrong! Get up!"

He turned to glare at me, disgust practically pouring from his eyes. "Victoria, just look at what kind of person you've become! Zelda got on her knees for you. What more do you want? No one can stand your spoiled, willful attitude. Apologize to Zelda right now, or this marriage is over, and we're getting divorced!"

He was still so arrogant, as if he were certain I would never dare to divorce him.

I only found it laughable.

"Fine, let's divorce then. We can go right now. The courthouse hasn't closed yet."

Ryan froze completely, reaching out to grab me as if wanting to say something to calm me down.

At that moment, the baby that Zelda was holding suddenly started crying.

I instinctively looked over and found that the teacup on the table beside me somehow tipped over, and the tea spilled right onto the child in Zelda's arms.

"Victoria, how could you hurt the baby?!"

The child let out a piercing, heartbreaking cry.

Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react.

Without even asking what happened, Ryan spun around and shoved me hard to the ground.

He hissed, "Victoria! You vicious woman!"

My lower back slammed into the edge of the table, and the pain exploded so violently that my vision went black. The way he looked at me was like he was staring at a sworn enemy.

"We're divorcing right now! I must have been blind to marry you! I'd like to see who'd want a barren piece of damaged goods like you once Timothy stops protecting you!"

I was in too much pain to speak, my head buzzing. However, when I heard his last sentence, I froze.

What did he mean by "once Timothy stops protecting me"?

"Ryan, what did you just say? What do you mean by once Timothy stops protecting me?"

A flash of panic crossed his face, but it was quickly replaced by venom. Just then, the doors burst open again.

Timothy's executive assistant, Isaac Holden, came stumbling in, his face deathly pale. He stammered, "M-Ms. Sullivan! Something terrible happened! Mr. Sullivan's plane crashed! Emergency rescue is underway, but we haven't- haven't received any news yet."

My mind went completely blank.

It was not until Mom collapsed beside me that I snapped back to reality. "Mom!"

Mom's face was terrifyingly pale, her body rigid. I panicked as she had a severe heart condition.

"Ambulance! Call an ambulance quickly!" I screamed frantically, my body shaking uncontrollably.

I remembered Timothy once gave me an encrypted satellite phone number. He said that no matter what happened, as long as I dialed that number, his people could find him. Yet when I called, there was only a cold, busy signal.

I called three times, and each "beep" felt like a sledgehammer pounding on my heart.

'Timothy, please be okay!' I silently prayed.

Soon, the wail of an ambulance siren grew from distant to near. The paramedics rushed in, pushing a stretcher.

"Doctor! Please save my mom!" I cried out as I rushed toward them.

However, a hand shoved me hard out of the way.

Ryan, holding the scalded baby, blocked the paramedics' path. He insisted, "Treat my child first! My child was burned by boiling water!"

He forcibly placed the still-crying baby onto the stretcher. But upon closer inspection, the child only had a red patch on its arm.

Before the ambulance arrived, the patient was treated with cold water. Even the doctor could see Mom's condition was more serious and wanted to give her emergency treatment first.

However, Ryan grabbed him and spoke harshly. "Can't you see my child is burned? Where are you running off to? Get in the ambulance now! If my child is scarred because of your delay, I'll file a complaint against you!"

The doctor was forcibly dragged onto the vehicle, and I panicked.

I rushed forward and blocked the closing door, shouting urgently, "No! My mom has heart disease! She's dying!"

Ryan turned back, his eyes full of mockery and disdain. "Heart disease? Victoria, stop acting! She faked her heart condition. She pulls it out for sympathy every time something happens! She looks perfectly fine to me! If anything happens to my son, I'll make your whole family pay!"

Seeing the contempt in his eyes, I broke down again. In his eyes, Mom's life or death was nothing but a performance.

I wanted to say more, but Margaret already rushed to my side, clawing and hitting me.

"Get out of the way! You jinx! You killed your own child, you killed Timothy, and now you want to curse my grandson, too. Why don't you just die!"

Her fingernails left several bloody scratches on my face, burning with pain.

Zelda also took advantage of the chaos to rush over and kick me hard in the abdomen with her stiletto heel.

She bent down and whispered viciously in my ear. "Victoria, you deserve to lose everything! From now on, just keep watch over Mrs. Sullivan's and Timothy's graveyards, living like an unloved stray for the rest of your life!"

I curled up on the floor in pain and forced myself to get up, but I could only watch helplessly as the ambulance sped away.

A metallic taste surged up my throat, and I did not know whether it came from the blows or from sheer rage. My body swayed, and I almost lost my balance.

Edward rushed downstairs with a small yellow pill bottle in his hand. "Ms. Sullivan, I found it! I found the emergency heart medication!"

He fumbled as he fed the pills into Mom's mouth. A few minutes later, her complexion finally improved, and her breathing gradually steadied.

The weight that was crushing my chest finally lifted. My vision went black, and I lost all consciousness.

When I woke up again, I was in my bedroom at the Sullivan residence.

Edward was keeping watch nearby, and when he saw me wake, his eyes turned red. "Ms. Sullivan, you're finally awake."

I sat up, my lower back and abdomen still throbbing with dull pain. I asked anxiously, "Edward, how's Mom doing?"

"Ms. Sullivan, don't worry. Mrs. Sullivan is out of danger now. She's resting at the hospital right now, with Isaac watching over her."

Hearing this, I breathed a sigh of relief. When Edward went out to get my medication, my phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a text from Timothy's encrypted number.

[I'm fine. The plane just had a communications failure and landed at the backup airport on the north side of the city. I'll be back after handling things.]

Overwhelming joy washed over me when I found out that Timothy was alive, and my eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Thank goodness Timothy was okay, and Mom was out of danger, too.

Our family did not fall apart.

After calming myself down, I remembered Ryan's phrase about "once Timothy stops protecting you." His reaction at the time clearly showed he knew in advance that Timothy would be in danger.

A bad feeling slowly spread through my chest.

With that, I decided to find Timothy. I had to fly to him immediately and confirm his safety with my own eyes.

After changing clothes, I drove to the villa Ryan, and I went to get my documents.

As soon as I arrived, I saw Ryan walking out with another man, their arms slung over each other's shoulders. Both seemed to have been drinking and were talking and laughing loudly.

I instinctively hid behind the nearby bushes.

I heard the man flattering him, "Ryan, your move was brilliant! First, playing the hero to make Ms. Sullivan fall head over heels for you. Now, taking advantage of Timothy's accident to introduce your bastard child to the family. The Sullivan family fortune is basically yours now, isn't it?"

My heart sank.

I met Ryan three years ago after a cocktail party. Back then, I was cornered in a parking lot by some thugs, and he appeared like a knight in shining armor. To protect me, he even took a knife wound to his back. From that moment on, I was devoted to him.

I heard Ryan laugh smugly. "Of course. To make it realistic, I even had those guys actually stab me. Too bad that bitch Victoria turned out to be so stubborn. She actually dared to rip up the agreement on the spot and demand a divorce."

His friend clicked his tongue. "So what now? Once Timothy's dead, she's the sole heiress. We can't let this cash cow escape."

Ryan let out a cold laugh, his tone sinister. "She can't run. I've already hidden all her documents. She's not going anywhere. Once things blow over, I'll announce publicly that she went insane from grief over Timothy's death. Then, I'll lock her up in a mental institution, and all her assets will be mine, won't they?"

So that was it. I fell into his trap from the very beginning. He spent three whole years plotting this, having gone to great lengths.

After everyone left, I stumbled back to my car and locked the doors.

With trembling hands, I dialed that encrypted number.

This time, the call was answered almost instantly. "Victoria?"

Hearing Timothy's familiar voice, I could no longer hold back my emotions and cried, "Timothy, I'm being bullied to the point of breaking. They not only want our family's money, but they also want my life."

On the other end of the line, Timothy's voice turned icy. "Send me the address. I'll show him what it means to fear for his life."