Given I ignored him, David panicked and followed me downstairs.

Just as I was about to step outside, he grabbed my shoulders tightly.

“Nina, stop making a scene, okay? I already checked the baby. It’s gone.

“Let’s bury it and pretend none of this ever happened, all right?”

I pushed him away without expression.

But in the next second, my pupils shrank.

The spot where the baby had been lying was now empty.

I grabbed David by the collar and demanded, “Where is the baby? What did you do with him?”

Police sirens sounded outside the courtyard.

Two officers walked in and asked, “Who called the police?”

David clamped a hand over my mouth and forced out a smile.

“Officers, my wife dialed the wrong number. Sorry for the trouble.”

Nancy and Ariel hurried downstairs too.

Nancy pointed at me and snapped, “She’s crazy. It was just an argument between the couple, but she wants to call the police over every little family issue.”

The officers looked doubtful, but they seemed to think it was just a domestic dispute.

They took a brief statement and left.

Only after the police were completely gone did David finally let go of me.

“Nina, do you think I’m not devastated that the baby is dead?

“But if you insist on making this public, how is Lana supposed to face her classmates afterward? And what will people think of our family?”

I wiped the cold tears from my face.

“Is any of that worth more than a life?”

I looked around, searching for the baby.

But they were nowhere to be found.

I searched every corner of the house, but I couldn’t find the child who had died.

Then my gaze landed on the outhouse.

When Ariel saw me heading toward it, she quickly grabbed me.

“The outhouse toilet is broken. Go somewhere else.”

I shook her off coldly and walked toward the outhouse.

A foul stench hit me in the face.

Then I saw a corner of the bright red baby blanket floating in the filth below.

My whole body shook.

A furious, broken roar tore from my chest.

“Are you people even human?”

Ariel still looked smug, as if she was proud of what she had done.

“If I hadn’t been smart, you really would have scammed us. Once someone is dead, they're just a body. We don't have money to pay you.”

Lana hid behind Ariel and shouted at me, “You’re a terrible woman! Your son died, and now you’re trying to scam us out of money. You’re shameless!

“Your son was only three months old, and you’re already trying to squeeze hundreds of thousands out of us. What, are you planning to get rich every time you have a baby?”

Nancy and David kept trying to persuade me to let it go.

David held my arm and said, “I’ll buy you a handbag tomorrow. Stop being angry. It’s just one child. We can have another.”

I was so furious at this family that my whole body went weak.

Right now, only one thought remained in my mind.

I had to know who that baby was.

“Get him out,” I said. “We... we’ll bury him.”

David frowned and looked at the filthy outhouse with obvious disgust. He clearly didn’t want to do it.

I couldn’t help letting out a bitter laugh.

“That child is connected to you by blood, and you’re disgusted by him?”

David took a deep breath and resigned himself to it, reaching for the scoop.

But Ariel blocked him, staring at me warily.

“David, your wife is tricking you. The second you get that baby out, she’ll call the police!

“Then she’ll drag your niece to court. Do you know how much our family will have to pay?”

Lana tugged at his clothes too.

“Uncle David, I don’t want to pay money. If we pay, I won’t be able to go to school anymore!”

David tossed the scoop aside and said to me, “The baby is already dead. Stop disturbing his peace.”

I closed my eyes.

“Don’t regret this.”

With that, I stumbled toward the courtyard gate.

Ariel panicked and grabbed my wrist tightly.

“Where do you think you’re going? I’m telling you, don’t even think about running off to call the police!

“You have to stay here until after the holidays. Then we’ll just say your son accidentally fell into the outhouse!”

By the time the holidays were over, there would be no evidence left to prove he had fallen from upstairs.

Nancy came over with a rope and tied my wrists together.

“Nina, be good. As long as you behave, we won't do anything to harm you.”

I struggled twice, but the rope only tightened.

I looked at David, pleading.

“Do you really think I’m calling the police just to extort money?”

David looked away.

“Nina, behave. Stop doing things that hurt this family.”

While my hands were tied, Lana rushed up and slapped me hard across the face.

She made a face at me and mocked, “Weren’t you so tough? Come on, hit me if you can! Come on!”

I gritted my teeth, trembling so hard I could barely stand.

But with my hands bound tightly, I couldn’t even fight back.

“You’re rotten,” I said through clenched teeth. “You were born rotten.”

That only made Lana more excited.

She kicked me hard in the lower abdomen.

Pain tore through the scar from my C-section, and I bit down hard on my lip.

I hoped David still had even a shred of feeling left for me as his wife.

I hoped he would untie me.

But he only focused on comforting Ariel and said casually, “How much strength can a child have? You scared her earlier. Just let her blow off some steam.”

Lana kicked me in the stomach again, taunting me.

“Your son deserved to die! He deserved to die!”

“Who the hell said my grandson is dead?”

A furious roar rang out, followed by the sound of police sirens once again.

My parents were standing at the gate with the police.

And in their arms was my living, breathing son.