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."