Ethan Thorne, at the lavish baby shower for his son from an affair, announced to all the high-society guests that he was sending my ten-year-old daughter, Lily, to boarding school in Switzerland, all just to impress his new love. He looked down at me, advising condescendingly, “Sending Lily abroad is for her own good. Don’t be unreasonable and affect my relationship with my wife.” I clutched the cold steak knife, staring at his hypocritical face, and suddenly laughed. He still didn’t know. Three years ago, the woman he personally poisoned to death—Eleanor Hayes—was his true wife. And I am Eleanor’s twin sister, Natalie Hayes. For three years, I’ve endured humiliation and suffering, solely to protect the only remaining trace of my sister in this world: her daughter. Since Ethan is practically begging for his downfall, it’s time to settle all our scores – past and present. Today was the celebration party for Serena Davies, Ethan’s executive assistant, being promoted to Group Vice President. He had specially booked the entire top-floor ballroom of the hotel. All the prominent figures in the corporate world were in attendance. He sat at the head of the main table, the usual cold, ruthless look of a corporate mogul replaced by an expression of pure tenderness as he gazed at the delicate Serena Davies beside him. And I, Ethan’s legally recognized wife, was relegated to a table in a quiet corner. I watched this ridiculous charade with a detached gaze. Beneath my blouse, my chest was still wrapped in thick gauze. Three weeks ago, the company’s overseas project ran into trouble, and the opposing party hired people to ambush him one night. I took a knife for him. The wound was so deep, you could see the bone. But the first thing he asked when he woke up was if Serena Davies had been scared. “Mrs. Thorne, Mr. Thorne is asking you to join him for a toast.” His assistant’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked at the glass of red wine on the table, already cold, and didn’t move. The music in the ballroom stopped. Ethan raised his glass, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing coldly on me. “Ellie, today is Serena’s big day. As the lady of the Thorne house, you should offer her a toast.” I looked up, meeting his eyes directly. “My wound hasn’t healed yet. I can’t drink.” At my words, the entire ballroom fell silent. Serena gently tugged on Ethan’s sleeve, her eyes instantly welling up. Her voice was so fragile, it sounded like it might disappear with a whisper. “Ethan, it’s all my fault. Ellie must still be angry with me, angry that I held this celebration. I should apologize to her right away…” With that, she actually stood up, feigning an apology. Ethan pulled her back into her chair, his face abruptly darkening. “Eleanor Hayes! How long are you going to keep this up?” His voice was low but filled with undisguised fury. “Serena is under a lot of work pressure and her health isn’t great. I just wanted her to be happy. You’ve been riding horses and skiing since you were a kid; you’re tough as nails. What’s a little stab wound? Do you have to embarrass me today?” Tough as nails? What’s a little stab wound? I forced a smile, finding it utterly absurd. Three years ago, my sister, Eleanor Hayes, was pregnant. In this very ballroom, Serena suddenly fainted. A private doctor claimed she suffered from heart palpitations and weakness. A psychic even emphatically declared that the baby Eleanor was carrying would bring Serena bad luck. Ethan believed it. He personally brought her that so-called prenatal supplement and forced Eleanor to drink it. “Ellie,” he said, “you have a strong constitution; you can have more children later. But Serena, she’s delicate, she won’t be able to handle it.” Eleanor died that winter night. Even on her deathbed, she clutched my hand and made me promise to look after Ethan for her. And now, he was using the same excuse to trample on “Eleanor Hayes’” dignity. I hadn’t even spoken, but Ethan had already lost his patience. He slammed his hand on the table, making a champagne flute topple and red wine spill everywhere. “Today, I have an important announcement to make.” He scanned the room, his gaze finally landing on the side of my table. There sat my ten-year-old daughter, Lily. “Lily is ten now; it’s time she learned independence. I’ve already arranged for her to attend boarding school in Switzerland. She’ll study there and won’t need to come home for holidays; the school will handle everything.” Boom— A collective gasp of shock rippled through the ballroom. Everyone stared at Ethan in astonishment. Lily was only ten. This so-called Swiss boarding school was just a way to send Lily far away, to abandon her in a foreign place where she’d have no one and be forgotten. Lily’s small face instantly turned pale. She clutched my sleeve in terror, trembling uncontrollably. “Mom… I don’t want to go… I’m scared…” I reached back and squeezed her cold little hand, then slowly stood up. The knife wound on my chest tore open from the abrupt movement, warm blood seeping through the gauze and staining my white blouse. But I felt no pain. I stared intently at Ethan, asking each word distinctly. “What did you say? Where are you sending Lily?”
Ethan looked at me, his brows tightly furrowed, a flicker of impatience in his eyes. “That school is the top private institution in Europe; countless children from elite families would kill to get in. Lily studying there will only benefit her future.” “I’m her father. Do you think I’d harm her? This is your overprotective love, and it’s ruining her prospects.” “The bigger picture, Ellie. As the lady of the Thorne house, you should understand what sacrifices need to be made more than anyone.” The bigger picture. Always the bigger picture. He forced Eleanor to her death to preserve his beloved’s “bigger picture.” Later, he stripped me of my management authority in the corporation to appease shareholders – the “bigger picture.” And now, he wants to abandon his ten-year-old daughter in a foreign country without a second thought, all for the “bigger picture.” I was so angry I laughed, my voice piercingly harsh in the empty ballroom. “The bigger picture? Ethan, you’re willing to throw your ten-year-old daughter to the wolves in a foreign country just to please another woman, and you call that ‘the bigger picture’? What a truly devoted father you are!” “Shut up!” Ethan erupted in fury, slamming to his feet and pointing at me. “Eleanor Hayes, how dare you speak to me like that?!” Serena, feigning fear, shrank behind Ethan, advising in a sugary voice, “Ellie, Ethan is just thinking about the child’s well-being. Lily staying here, seeing us like this, wouldn’t be good for her development. How can you be so selfish, only thinking of yourself and not wanting to let go of her, without considering her future?” I spun around, my gaze like a sharp blade piercing Serena. “For her well-being?” I walked step by step towards the main table, glaring at her. “If you’re so concerned about children, your daughter, Isabella Thorne, is already fifteen. She should see the world, so why not send her?” Serena’s face paled, and she shook her head frantically. “Isabella… she’s not well. She can’t handle hardship. And… and Ethan said Lily needs the training more…” “Lily needs the training more?” I scoffed. “Aren’t you always bragging to people that the Thorne family will eventually be yours, that you’re the one Ethan truly cares about? So, when it comes to making sacrifices, why are you suddenly remembering that Lily is the legitimate Thorne daughter?” Serena was speechless, reduced to hiding behind Ethan, sobbing softly. “Ethan, look at her… I was only trying to help, and she’s humiliating me like this in front of everyone…” Ethan protectively shielded her, his gaze towards me colder than ice. “Eleanor Hayes, I’m not discussing this with you today; this is a decision!” He waved his hand, and an assistant, trembling, presented a document to me. “Mrs. Thorne, this is the school enrollment agreement. Please sign it.” Lily cried and rushed forward, clutching Ethan’s leg tightly. “Daddy! Please don’t send me away! I promise I’ll be good and never make you angry again! Daddy…” Ethan didn’t even glance at her, coldly pushing her away. “Guards, take Lily upstairs! No one is to see her without my permission!” “I’d like to see who dares!” I snarled, pulling Lily behind me. The lethal aura from years of special forces training instantly erupted, forcing the bodyguards who were about to advance to take a collective step back. Ethan narrowed his eyes, staring at me dangerously. “Eleanor Hayes, are you trying to defy me?” “What if I am?” I looked at him coldly, then suddenly reached out and snatched the document from the assistant’s hands. To everyone’s horrified gazes, I tore it with both hands. “Rip—” The enrollment agreement was ripped in half and thrown at Ethan’s feet like trash. “Ethan, listen carefully. As long as there’s one Hayes family member alive, Lily will never be sent to a place like that by you!”
“Slap!” A resounding slap echoed through the ballroom. Ethan’s hand hung in mid-air, trembling with rage. I turned my head, my cheek burning, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of my mouth. But I didn’t flinch, only looked at him with eyes that saw a dead man. Lily shrieked, rushing forward to shield me, glaring at Ethan like an enraged cub. “Don’t hit my mom! You’re a bad man! I don’t have a dad like you!” Ethan froze. Seeing the hatred in his daughter’s eyes, a flicker of panic crossed his face, but it was quickly masked by fury. “Fine! Fine, Eleanor Hayes! What a daughter you’ve raised!” He pointed at me, gritting his teeth. “You think I won’t touch you just because of the Hayes family connections? Believe me, I’ll divorce you right now!” Serena, behind him, secretly curled her lips, her eyes full of malicious triumph. “Mr. Thorne, please calm down.” She feigned concern, stepping forward and speaking in a soft voice. “She’s just not thinking clearly. After all… after all, she once lost a child, so she’s naturally a little overprotective of Lily.” Lost a child. How dare she bring that up! A murderous rage instantly boiled within me, and I stared at Serena, my eyes burning red. “Serena Davies, say one more word, and I promise you won’t live to see tomorrow’s sun.” My voice was quiet, but it carried an icy chill that cut to the bone. Serena flinched, taking two steps back, trembling as she hid behind Ethan. “Eleanor Hayes! You’re completely insane!” Ethan was furious. “Guards! Take my wife back to the suburban villa! No one is to see her or let her leave without my permission! Lily’s affairs are now entirely under Vice President Davies’s charge!” The bodyguards rushed forward like hungry wolves. I didn’t resist, only cast Ethan one last cold glance. “Ethan, you will regret this. Everything you owe Eleanor Hayes, I will make you pay back a thousandfold.” I took Lily’s hand and turned, walking out of the ballroom. The night wind was biting, chilling me to the bone, but it couldn’t extinguish the fire of anger in my heart. The suburban villa—that was the most secluded property owned by the Thorne family. Calling it a villa was a euphemism for a place of confinement. As soon as we stepped through the front door, the heavy sound of a lock clicking shut echoed behind us. Lily clung to me, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mom, what do we do? I don’t want to go abroad, I want to stay with you…” I knelt, gently wiping away the tears from her face. My eyes were filled with both tenderness and fierce determination. “Don’t be scared, Lily. With Mom here, no one can send you away.” I stood up, surveying the empty villa. This place wouldn’t hold me. The Hayes family’s network already spanned this city. With just one phone call, the top legal team could ruin Ethan’s reputation. But I couldn’t do that. I not only had to save Lily; I also had to make Ethan and Serena Davies pay. I would make them answer for Eleanor’s death!
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