Delane’s POV
On our fifth wedding anniversary, my husband’s precious and pampered foster sister kidnapped my daughter—just to force me to leave him.
When the video call connected, I saw with my own eyes Sherree Frohlich yanking my little girl’s hair and shoving her head into the water over and over again.
By the time I arrived, my daughter’s face was already blue. She already fell into a coma.
That day, I promised my daughter, “I’ll make sure you get justice. This time, Sherree has gone too far!”
I tried to file for divorce. But Payton had rushed to the airport, stopped my plane, and dragged me back home. Since then, he had stopped tolerating Sherree. Time and again, he had taken my side instead.
Thinking he had truly changed, I took the recorded video as evidence and headed for the courthouse to press charges against Sherree.
But halfway there, Payton suddenly sped up from behind and slammed my car into the guardrail.
“Sherree was just fooling around. I’ve already scolded her. There’s no need to take this to court,” he said. “She’s the sister I personally raised. Her life cannot have a single stain. Do you understand?”
He cradled my bleeding head against his chest… only to snatch my phone—where I had stored all my evidence—and smashed it to pieces!
That was when I realized—Payton had never changed. In his heart, that woman who shared no blood with him was still his only true family.
This time, I would leave him for good. I swear, I would never look back!
As for Sherree, she needs to be held accountable for the crimes she committed. On the day Payton and I divorce, I will reveal everything about Sherree, prosecute her, and send her to jail!
——
When I woke, my head throbbed in waves of pain.
Before I could recall what had happened, I saw Payton sitting at my bedside, his head lowered as he carefully dabbed some ointment onto my wound.
For a moment, it felt as if I had returned to the years when he had shielded me from the world and loved me as if I were the only one who mattered.
But in the next instant, memories came crashing down in my head.
My daughter. Sherree. The car crash!
I jerked up, trying to push him away. But the movement pulled at my stitches, and a sharp gasp tore from my lips.
Payton caught my hands and held me down, his voice low and coaxing. “Don’t move. You just had surgery. Don’t be stubborn. Listen to me—there’s no need to go to court.”
My voice was hoarse, my teeth clenched as I forced out every word.
“Absolutely not. I will sue Sherree! She has to pay for what she did to our child!”
“Payton, our daughter isn’t even five years old! She’s our flesh and blood! And Sherree—she’s not related to you by blood. Why do you always protect her?”
His eyes darkened, his expression unreadable.
“I know you’re angry right now, but I’ve already punished Sherree severely. Look, she’s the sister I raised. I can’t let her carry out a crime like this for the rest of her life.”
“We can always try to have another child,” he added, his voice low.
“W-What did you just say?” I stared at him in disbelief. He spoke of our daughter’s life as if she were no different from a stray dog on the street.
“I saw it with my own eyes—your dear foster sister gripped our daughter’s hair and forced her under the water again and again. Hallie’s fighting for her life, and instead of saving her, you’re talking about replacing her with another child? She is my own flesh and blood! I carried her for ten long months! She is our daughter, not some commodity you can trade away!”
“Don’t say it like that…” Payton’s tone softened, almost like he was trying to soothe me. “If we have another child, he could inherit the family company and stay by your side for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t that be enough?”
A roaring filled my ears. I could hardly hear the rest of what he said.
“If I’d known you were like this,” I gritted out, “I should have divorced you six months ago.”
The moment the word “divorce” left my lips, his face turned cold. Whatever gentleness was in his eyes vanished without a trace.
He pressed down on my arm, stopping me from pushing him away.
His voice was lower now and harder. “Delane, even when you’re upset, there’s a limit.”
From his pocket, he pulled out his phone, opened the photos app, and swiped to a set of pictures. He held them up for me to see.
In the photos was my brother, dining with several business partners, smiling faintly, tipsy, completely unaware someone had set their sights on him.
“If you insist on suing Sherree,” Payton warned calmly, “then I’ll have no choice but to slip something into your brother’s drink.”
The blood in my body surged straight to my head. My chest heaved violently as I snapped, “Payton, are you insane?!”
His expression remained calm, almost gentle. “Delane, as long as you cooperate, nothing will happen. Listen to me—children aren’t something we’re short on, right?”
I was shaking all over.
Ruddy, my brother—he was the one who had once fought side by side with Payton to build his family’s company.
Seven years ago, when Payton had just inherited the Frohlichs Industries and the company was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was Ruddy who used our family’s network to stabilize his position, one step at a time.
Later, when I was kidnapped, Ruddy charged into the hideout alone and carried me out. I’d clung to him in tears that day, believing this man—Payton—was worth my whole heart.
When we dated, he showered me with love, indulging in grand and romantic gestures. I’d truly believed he was a man of loyalty.
And yet now, for Sherree’s sake, he had rammed my car, stopped me from going to court, and threatened my brother’s life—without a shred of shame.
Tears stung my eyes, spilling over with the heat of my rage. “Payton, you ungrateful, treacherous coward!”
He only sighed, taking my hand as if to calm me. “Delane, I love you. I respect your brother. But Sherree… She’s the only family I have left.”
He tried to reassure me. “She’s been locked up for days now. She knows she was wrong. This time, it’s real—she won’t do it again.”
Real?
I didn’t believe a word.
It would be the same as always—barely a slap on the wrist.
I thought of all the times over the years Sherree had tried to destroy my life.
She had threatened to take her own life to make Payton cancel our dates.
When I was pregnant, she rammed my belly, trying to make me miscarry.
The day I went into labor, she locked herself in a bathtub and slit her wrists, forcing him to leave me at the hospital…
Every time, Payton’s excuse was the same.
“Sherree is just immature. She has no parents. I’m the only family she has left, so she acts a little too far. I’ll teach her properly.”
But she never saw him as just a brother. What kind of sister would even drug herself and try to get into his bed?!
A month ago, I’d finally had enough. I’d taken our daughter and headed for the airport, determined to fly abroad. But before the plane could take off, Payton had rushed in to stop the flight.
His eyes were red as he knelt at the boarding gate, begging me to come home.
I had thought… maybe he truly would change. I had remembered all his kindness from years past and, foolishly, I’d relented.
And now?
For Sherree, he had rammed my car. He had forbidden me from pressing charges. He had threatened my brother—and he acted like he was in the right.
I stared at those photos, and the world before my eyes became a bottomless abyss.
My daughter lay in the ICU, her fate uncertain. I could not risk losing my brother, too.
It felt as if something tore open inside my chest. My lips trembled. My tears fell in torrents.
“Fine. I won’t sue her.”
Payton’s eyes softened, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Of course. I knew you were the most understanding, Delane,” he said. “When the time comes, we’ll make up for our wedding anniversary with a big celebration, alright?”
He spoke with deep emotion, his gaze burning, as if he truly held me at the very center of his heart.
But my own heart felt nothing—only an icy chill.
I promised Payton not to prosecute only to protect my family and my daughter in the short term.
In Payton’s heart, that woman who shared no blood with him was still his only true family.
This time, I would leave him for good.
As for Sherree, she needs to be held accountable for the crimes she committed.
At that moment, I called my best lawyer friend without hesitation: “Honey, I want to file for divorce, and at the same time, I’m suing the person who hurt my daughter again!”
My lawyer friend, knowing everything I was going through, replied: “One week, just one week, and your divorce agreement will be ready.”
“As for suing Sherree, you need to prepare all the evidence again, and we’ll send her to jail all at once!”
My voice choked, but I was incredibly firm: “Understood.”
In one week, just one week, I could personally avenge my daughter and my brother!
Delane’s POV
That night, dragging my frail body still weak from surgery, I made my way to the ICU.
Hallie had yet to wake up. Her tiny frame was covered in tubes, her pale face ghostly white beneath the oxygen mask.
I sat beside her bed, gently holding her small hand. My tears fell, one after another, onto the back of it.
“Baby… please… wake up…” I muttered desperately.
“Mommy will never let anyone hurt you again…” I promised.
I didn’t close my eyes for a single moment that night.
The next afternoon, Sherree arrived in a black dress, holding a bouquet of lilies. She stood at the ICU door, her face plastered with a false, sweet smile.
“Delane, I’m here to apologize to Hallie,” she began.
I shot to my feet and glared at her. “Get out!”
When it came to Sherree, I felt both hatred and fear. I was terrified she would lose control again and hurt my daughter once more.
Sherree put on an innocent, confused look. “Delane, I really know I was wrong. That day, I lost control… I was scared too… I didn’t mean it. Please, let me in, just for a moment. I just want to say one thing to her. Just one.”
My whole body trembled with rage. I stepped protectively in front of my daughter’s bed, my voice almost a roar.
“I said get out! What right do you have to apologize? Hallie almost died, and you think one ‘I didn’t mean it’ can make up for that?!”
Payton appeared then, standing in the doorway with a frown.
“Delane, Sherree truly regrets it. She cried the whole way here, bought her favorite flowers, and insisted on apologizing in person. You can’t just shut her out like this…”
A coldness spread through me.
“Payton, have you forgotten? Hallie is allergic to lilies! This woman’s bringing them here now—what else could she mean but to try to kill my daughter again?”
Payton fell silent.
Sherree, however, took a few delicate steps toward me, her eyes glistening as if she were holding back tears.
“I only bought the flowers I like… I didn’t think about it. Delane, I truly meant no harm. Please… forgive me, alright?”
She reached out to take my hand.
Instinctively, I stepped back, shaking her off.
Her foot slipped. She fell to the floor, her skirt pooling around her as a wounded expression crossed her face.
“Delane!” Payton’s brows knit tightly. He hurried to help her up. “You’re being too impulsive! Sherree came here to apologize—why would you hurt her?”
“She’s already humbling herself. Are you really this heartless?” he yelled in disappointment.
I gave a short, cold laugh. “She humbles herself, and that means I have to forgive her? Payton, my daughter is lying here, kept alive by machines, and you think I’m the one being heartless?!”
Sherree wept pitifully, clutching Payton’s sleeve.
“Payton, it’s all my fault… I was just too scared. I didn’t mean to hurt her, I only—”
“Only pressed a five-year-old child’s head underwater?” I cut her off, my voice sharp as a blade. “Sherree, do you have any idea that’s attempted murder?”
Her grip on Payton’s sleeve tightened. Her expression flickered.
“Delane,” Payton’s voice dropped into a stern tone, “enough. Sherree has already suffered enough. She’s been having nightmares lately. Isn’t that punishment enough?”
My throat constricted. I opened my mouth to speak. But then I caught the sudden twist of Sherree’s expression.
In a flash, she stood, her gaze darting across the room—then locking onto my daughter’s oxygen tube.
“She’s just a kid! I’ve apologized—what more do you want?!” Sherree shrieked.
“Murder, huh? Delane, do you just want me to beg you? Dream on!” she shouted. “You wretched woman!”
The next second, she lunged toward my daughter, her hand reaching for the oxygen tube.
I sprang forward, shoving her away with all my strength. “No!” I screamed.
The tube was half-yanked from its place. Right then, the nurse rushed in as I shielded my child with my body.
Sherree thrashed wildly, shouting, “She’s just dead weight! I’ve never wanted to see her! Why can’t you forgive me? You’ve turned my brother against me!”
Her hand came up to strike me. I blocked it, but then her foot shot out, slamming into my belly.
The force knocked me backward. I crashed into the monitor.
Pain ripped through my lower abdomen, and I felt the sudden, terrifying rush of warm blood.
I looked down. A scarlet stain spread across my gown.
“Doctor! Nurse! Hurry! She’s pregnant!”
I heard the nurse’s shout and saw Payton’s face drain of color.
I clutched my belly, the world spinning violently around me.
When I woke up again, a nurse stood at my side.
“Your daughter’s condition has stabilized,” she said softly. “But… your baby… I’m sorry.”
I laughed then until tears streamed down my face.
A month ago, it was because of this child that I softened and returned to Payton.
I had planned to wait until the baby was three months along before telling my husband—and to demand that Sherree be sent abroad.
After the car accident, the baby was unharmed. I thought he was lucky.
But now, one child lay in a coma, and the other… was gone—both because of those Frohlich siblings!
I lay back on the bed, closing my eyes.
At that point, no more tears would fall.
Delane’s POV
The curtains in the VIP ward were drawn tightly shut. Post-surgery weakness and the lingering aftereffects of a miscarriage still clung to me, yet I insisted on staying in the same room with my daughter, who had yet to regain consciousness.
These past few days, Payton had been unusually gentle to me. He was so gentle that he’d even tested the temperature of my food several times before feeding me, his voice low and coaxing.
“Delane, I know you’ve suffered too much,” he murmured. “It’s my fault for not protecting you… and our baby.”
“You can’t have children anymore, and I can’t give you another baby. But if you’d like, we can adopt one. I’ll treat them as if they were my own flesh and blood,” he suggested.
I pulled my hand from his grasp, unable to even look at him without feeling sick.
He froze for a moment, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes. But quickly his brows knitted, irritation creeping in.
“I know you’re still mad at Sherree… but she’s just spoiled. Growing up in the Frohlichs, she never suffered a single grievance. She truly wants to apologize this time,” he said. “I’ll wait for you to come around.”
Seeing I remained unmoved, he had no choice but to leave.
He’d been gone for less than ten minutes when the door to the ward was suddenly shoved open from the outside.
A group of young people, grinning and laughing, strolled in. They carried bottles of alcohol and lugged in a portable speaker.
At the front stood Sherree, her posture bold and her smile triumphant. “Delane, it’s my birthday today, and I thought—why not share my happiness with my dear sister-in-law?”
“This is a hospital ward, Sherree!” I shot to my feet, ready to throw them out.
But her smile only widened. She leaned in, her tone dripping with mockery. “Oh my, such a big temper. But I guess it’s understandable—you lost both children, and I heard you can’t have any more… So what will you use to compete with me for my brother?”
Her smirk stretched even wider. “The more miserable you are, the happier my birthday feels!”
My face went pale, fury rising in my chest. I couldn’t stop myself—I slapped her hard across the face.
The sharp crack rang through the ward.
Sherree’s smile froze. For a heartbeat, she stood still—then she lunged at me, her hands wrapping around my throat.
“Bitch! Who do you think you are to hit me? You think you’re still the rightful wife of my brother?” Her face twisted with rage, her eyes wild.
I struggled weakly, my body still frail from the miscarriage. Not even a cry could escape my lips.
The suffocating pressure closed in; darkness crept into my vision until suddenly, she released me and smiled.
He scoffed. “I almost killed you there. But no, no, that won’t do. If you die, then my brother and I will have no one left to take the bullets for us.”
Before I could react, several women at her side rushed forward. They forced me to the floor, covered my mouth, and bound my wrists and ankles with strips of gauze.
I thrashed in panic, but I was no match for them.
“Put her in there,” Sherree ordered with a wave of her hand.
The next thing I knew, I was shoved into the wardrobe of the VIP room.
I fought to make noise, but not a single sound escaped.
Outside, Payton finally returned.
“Why are you here alone? Where’s Delane?”
Sherree leaned against him, her voice soft and sweet. “She wouldn’t let me help buy food. She insisted on going out herself. I tried to stop her.”
She sighed dramatically and commented, “She’s been in a bad mood lately, always taking it out on me. Don’t blame her.”
She pouted, and then she added, “Her emotions have been so unstable lately… But hey, since I’ve been taking such good care of her and her daughter, shouldn’t you reward me?”
She suddenly leaned closer, her voice soft and flirtatious. “Besides… she’s not here, and there’s only a living corpse in the room. Why don’t we have a little… fun?”
My breath hitched. My ears roared.
A moment later, I heard movement right outside the wardrobe door.
“Sherree…” Payton’s voice dropped. “No.”
“But I want you, Payton…” that lunatic whined coquettishly, rubbing against him.
I bit down hard on my lip, bile rising in my throat. Every word they spoke made the disgust churn hotter in my chest.
“If Mom and Died hadn’t died so early, and if adoption couldn’t be undone, you would’ve married me. That woman would’ve never stood a chance,” Sherree purred.
“She’s just a shield,” Payton’s voice rasped. “If we acted too close as siblings, people would start talking.”
“She’s been wanting a divorce anyway. You were terrified back then and begged her to come back. But now it’s fine—she can never have children again. I don’t have to worry about her clinging to me anymore.”
As she spoke, her breathing grew shamelessly lustful.
Delane’s POV
‘Payton, you asshole!’
I clenched my teeth so hard they ached, my fingernails digging into the wooden cabinet wall until it splintered beneath my grip. Tears spilled uncontrollably down my cheeks, hot and relentless.
So it turned out—from beginning to end—I was nothing more than a cover-up, just a pathetic excuse to hide their incest!
So it turned out—all that sweetness, every apology, every so-called attempt to make it right—it was nothing but a performance for them, just so they could screw around behind my back without a shred of shame!
For Pete’s sake, they were being intimate on my hospital bed right next to my comatose daughter!
In the darkness, my tears finally ran dry.
I don’t know how long it was before the room fell completely silent.
When I heard the soft click of the door closing, I began to move, inch by inch, forcing myself to push the cabinet door open.
Cold air rushed into my lungs. I crawled out in a tangle of limbs, disheveled and trembling, bracing myself against the bedframe to catch my breath.
‘Sherree. Payton. I will make you both pay for this—down to the last debt!’ I swore.
Just then, the door opened again. A nurse entered, startled at the sight of me bound to the bed. She rushed forward to unbuckle the leather restraints on my wrists.
Instinctively, I turned my head—my eyes landing immediately on Hallie.
The heart monitor… was gone!
There was no steady beeping sound anymore!
My breath hitched. I stumbled forward, nearly tripping over myself.
“Hallie?!”
My throat felt raw as I reached out, trembling, to check for her breath.
A moment later, my world collapsed into a bottomless void.
“Doctor! Doctor!”
My scream tore through the air, ragged and frantic. My whole body shook as the nurse slammed her hand on the emergency button. Finally, the doctor arrived with a crash cart and emergency equipment.
But the moment the probe touched my daughter’s small and still body, the doctor’s expression shifted. He slowly shook his head, the verdict final.
“The patient’s heart has been stopped for over thirty minutes… I’m sorry.”
“No… no, that’s not true!” I shook my head violently, my lips trembling so badly I could barely speak.
I collapsed over Hallie’s icy body, sobbing until my voice broke apart.
The nurse’s own eyes reddened, but she could only gently pull me away so the doctor could begin the formalities.
I stood there, hollow and empty, until a familiar figure walked into the ward.
Payton approached me with his usual gentle, caring tone, wrapping his arms around me as if to comfort me.
“Don’t be afraid,” he murmured. “I’ve already arranged the best funeral hall for Hallie. She’ll have the most dignified farewell. In another life, she’ll be born into a good family.”
His voice was calm—too calm, as if Hallie had merely caught a fever, not… died.
And the faint scent of Sherree’s perfume clung to him, making my eyes turn to ice.
The heart monitor had been unplugged—this must have happened while they were in the middle of their filth just moments ago!
I said nothing, only pushing him away in disgust.
His fingers twitched, a sudden unease flashing in his eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak. In the end, he swallowed the words.
Behind him, Sherree smiled faintly, tugging open her blouse. Her pale skin bore a trail of red marks, fresh and fading.
I froze, my gaze locked on her smug, triumphant expression. My fingertips dug into my palms until they throbbed purple with hate.
The next thing I knew, the cremation was done.
When I left the crematorium, I cradled a small porcelain urn against my chest—Hallie’s ashes. My hands were so cold they’d lost all color, but I didn’t dare loosen my grip. It was all I had left of her.
Payton stood beside me, still on the phone with the funeral company, making arrangements.
I just ignored him.
I simply held the urn close and returned quietly to my parents’ home.
I acted so… normal, Payton didn’t notice where I’d gone.
When I came home, the house was empty. Taking the opportunity, I went straight to the study. In the drawer, my old spare phone still lay there.
I opened my contacts and found my lawyer’s number, sending every bit of evidence I had.
[Is this enough to put Sherree in jail?]
The reply came almost instantly. [More than enough. Child abuse leading to death, intentional homicide. She’ll spend the rest of her life behind bars.]
I pressed a hand to my temple, taking a deep breath.
[Then prepare the divorce agreement as well. Deliver it to the hospital.]
Payton, this is my last “gift” and “surprise” for you.
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