Chapter 2

I didn't stop until I'd run out of the hospital, my heart pounding wildly.

Jenny touched my haggard face, puzzled.

"Mommy, why did you lie to that man?"

I kissed her plump little cheek.

"Mommy was protecting you."

Protecting you from being taken away.

But Soren now had a wife and daughter. How could he possibly try to take my Jenny?

Even so, I still took Jenny to a small clinic instead.

By the time we got home, it was already two in the morning.

I couldn't sleep. I opened Fiona's social media.

Every day she showed off her wealthy lifestyle and her precious daughter.

The comments were full of people praising her gentle beauty.

Hard to imagine this same woman had personally used a knife to slash my face.

Even now, no matter how hot it got, I didn't dare lift my thick bangs to expose the ugly scar on my forehead.

I only requested half a day off for Jenny. In the afternoon, I took her to preschool.

On my way home, a luxury car brazenly blocked my path.

The window rolled down and an elegant woman poked her head out.

"Ella!"

I froze in place, meeting my mother Sylvie's gaze.

She looked younger than she had years ago.

If we walked together, people would probably mistake us for sisters.

I abandoned my electric scooter and quickly walked away. She opened the car door and chased after me in her sheepskin heels.

"Ella! Please turn around and look at me!"

Perhaps she was running too fast—her voice carried a hint of choking.

I didn't understand why she was chasing me.

Years ago, to gain Fiona's approval as a stepdaughter, she'd personally forged my pregnancy report, leading Soren to believe I was deceiving him and to sever our mate bond.

Back then, her scarlet nails had poked red marks all over my face.

"You've only survived this long because of me. What right do you have to criticize me? If I'd known you'd grow up to block my path to wealth, I should have strangled you at birth!"

After Soren threw me out of his house, Sylvie announced in front of everyone that I wasn't her daughter.

Lost in these memories, the driver suddenly braked at Sylvie's signal, blocking my path.

I stumbled and fell to the ground.

Sylvie reached out to help me up.

"Ella, I just want to see you."

I violently shook off her hand, my smile mocking.

"See me for what? To see if I'm dead yet? Or to see if I'm still stealing Fiona's man?"

"Don't worry. I've learned my lesson. I won't disturb Soren and Fiona's life. I'll stay far away from them and your wealthy lifestyle!"

Sylvie seemed hurt by my words, her eyes reddening slightly.

"Ella, I didn't mean it like that."

Her gaze fell on my custom phone case—a photo of Jenny and me together.

She abruptly changed the subject.

"That child from back then..."

At those words, my confidence vanished without a trace. I said frantically,

"What child? That child died the night Soren and I severed our mate bond..."

I desperately hid the phone case behind my back. The cold temperature of the ground made me recall that night four years ago, after Soren severed our mate bond.

That day, after he severed our bond, I was thrown out of Soren's house.

I endured tremendous pain, walking step by step.

Finally, passing through an alley, I couldn't hold on anymore. My whole body felt torn apart as I collapsed in a pool of blood.

The life inside my belly teetered on the edge in that instant.

I curled up in the dark alley, thinking I would miscarry, thinking my child would die.

A passing witch saved me.

She took pity on me, treated me, and helped me keep the child.

Now Jenny was my everything. I didn't want to experience almost losing her again, so I desperately insisted.

"That child really is dead!"

"I really don't love Soren anymore, and I won't go back to seduce him!"

"You know how painful severing a mate bond is! In that situation I definitely would have miscarried. How could the child possibly still be alive!"

The next second, she suddenly hugged me.

"Ella, don't be like this..."

I froze for a moment, then struggled frantically. She fell to the ground.

I went around the car and fled desperately.

I hadn't run far when I fell hard to the ground. Then I got up and kept running.

When I got home, I immediately packed up important documents and money.

Running into Soren last night, then Sylvie today.

This absolutely couldn't be a coincidence!

I called the company I'd worked at for two years to resign, then called my landlord to terminate the lease.

After buying train tickets, it was almost time to pick up Jenny from school. I went to get her and process her withdrawal.

I planned to take her away from here and never return.

However, when I reached the preschool entrance, Jenny's teacher looked surprised.

"Didn't Jenny's father already pick her up? Sorry, I saw Jenny looked quite similar to that man..."