Seeing Marleigh lying in a pool of blood; Alexander suddenly turned deathly pale.
“What happened?!”
Shirley puckered her lips and threw herself into Marleigh’s arms, choking back tears: “Mommy… I just wanted the auntie to take me back to my room, but she lost her balance and fell… Wuwu, I didn’t mean to…”
Her tears flowed instantly, small shoulders trembling as she looked both wronged and terrified.
Shirley lay on the floor, abdominal cramps nearly making her faint, yet those words pierced her foggy consciousness like venom–dipped needles.
She’d distinctly felt that deliberate push, seen the flash of malice in the child’s eyes. Now, that same child wore an in- nocent expression while shifting all blame away.
Shirley instinctively tightened her hold around her daughter. “Shirley is young, she couldn’t have done it on pur- pose…”
Sirens wailed in the distance. As Rita was lifted onto the stretcher, her final glance fell upon Shirley standing beside Rita.
The child peeked from Rita’s embrace, her gaze carrying a barely detectable hint of triumphant mischief.
The abdominal pain intensified. Before consciousness drowned in darkness, Rita felt only bone–chilling dread.
When awareness returned, Alexander sat vigil by her bedside, eyes frighteningly red.
“Rita, I’m sorry. I never even knew you were pregnant. I failed to protect you and our baby… We’ll have another child someday.”
No, we won’t.
Rita silently repeated the words.
As a child, her drunken father had kicked her into an icy well, leaving her submerged for hours. The damage made pregnancy nearly impossible, doctors had said.
So Alexander would never know how overjoyed she’d been upon discovering this unexpected pregnancy.
She’d carried the secret, planning to surprise him on his birthday. Instead, that day shattered her world.
Perhaps this was fate–for her and this child both.
“Rita, please don’t blame Shirley.”
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Alexander took her hand, fingertips brushing her knuckles in silent appeasement.
“Nobody could’ve predicted this. She’s just a child, scared sleepless these days, begging to see you.”
Rita gave a hollow laugh. “What if I told you she did it on purpose?”
BANG-
The hospital door flew open as Rita burst in, voice trembling as though unjustly accused.
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“Rita, I tolerated you pinching and hitting Shirley in private! But how dare you harbor such vile thoughts about a child?!”
The elder Williamses following behind darkened instantly.
“What did you say?!” Jeffrey demanded, yanking up Shirley’s sleeve to reveal distinct bruises.
Rita’s eyes widened. “It wasn’t me!”
SMACK!
The slap landed before the words faded.
“You vile bitch! Harming a child this young!”
Still seething, Christine backhanded her across the face, as if wishing Rita torn limb from limb.
Shirley had just returned from the Gates of Hell, her body still frail. Those two slaps made her vision go dark, a trick- le of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Alexander clenched his fists and stepped forward, blocking his relentless mother.
“Mom-”
“You still want to protect her?!”
Christine cut him off sharply: “She harmed your own daughter! Who knows what other underhanded tricks she’s pulled behind the scenes? Our poor little grandson suffered so much.”
“Rita, you shouldn’t let this slide either. How could we allow some low–class Temptress to run wild in the Johnson family? Your kindness is why she manipulates you like this.”
A sudden scoff echoed from the doorway.
Everyone turned to see Sean leaning lazily against the hospital doorframe. “With all the Johnson wealth, wouldn’t you have security cameras? Just check the footage to settle this.”
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