Zia’s body was roughly shoved backward, and her head slammed into the table.
Zia groaned in pain. She touched her head, feeling blood trickling down the side of her temple.
Brian paid her no mind and hurried away anxiously, carrying Rachel in his arms.
Rachel looked down at her from over Brian’s shoulder with a triumphant smile.
Zia clenched her teeth.
Brian, you don’t know that the woman you’re defending is faking her pregnancy.
She got up, enduring the pain in her head, and grabbed the first-aid kit to treat her wound, then began packing her belongings into a suitcase.
All the wedding photos and pictures of her little family were thrown into the trash.
She continued packing the remaining items, then contacted a moving company to dispose of them.
Suddenly, a commotion could be heard outside her room.
“Where is that slut!”
Her bedroom door was flung open roughly. Her mother-in-law, followed by her bodyguards, entered the room.
Zia stood facing her mother-in-law. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
Emily pointed at her face in anger.
“You’re still asking after what you did to Rachel? She had a miscarriage because of you! Grab this wretched woman! Ever since the day you married my son, you’ve always brought bad luck. Today I’ll teach you a lesson you deserve!”
The bodyguards rushed to grab Zia’s hands and dragged her out of the room.
They forced her to kneel in the living room.
Zia struggled, but Emily’s bodyguards were strong enough to hold her down, so she remained on her knees.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brian standing at the door with Rachel and their children. He wanted to step inside, but stopped when Rachel clung tightly to his arm. The children just stared at Zia but made no move to protect their mother.
Emily swung the whip mercilessly at Zia’s body.
Zia flinched as a sharp pain tore through her skin.
She felt blood running down her back.
On the fifth lash, Brian finally moved and snatched the whip from his mother’s hand.
“Mom, that’s enough.”
“Brian, it’s not over yet! She killed the child in Rachel’s womb, a descendant of the Ridge family! Your child….”
“Mom, that’s enough!” Brian’s voice was loud, cutting off Emily’s words.
Emily glared at him, clearly dissatisfied. “You’ve been too soft on her all this time. She even apologized after what she did to Rachel.”
Brian shifted his gaze to Zia and whispered in a low voice.
“Zia, you have to apologize to Rachel. Only with an apology will she forgive you and this punishment will stop.”
Zia shook her head stubbornly. Her lips trembled with pain. “I don’t believe that woman was pregnant, let alone that I caused her miscarriage. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Rachel approached her and said in a hurt voice. “Zia, I’ve lost my baby. Why are you hurting me with that painful slander?”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her face and began to cry.
Hendry shouted. “Mom, apologize to Aunt Rachel. Don’t make Aunt Rachel sad.”
Alec nodded. “If Mom doesn’t apologize to Aunt Rachel, we won’t acknowledge you as our mother.”
Zia’s eyes reddened as she stared at the children. When she was punished by Emily, they just stayed silent. But when Rachel started crying, they forced her to apologize and even threatened not to acknowledge her as their mother.
Zia kept her mouth shut and shook her head, refusing to apologize.
Brian’s expression hardened.
“Zia, apologize to Rachel!”
Zia pressed her lips together stubbornly.
“You’ve really made me so angry!” Brian’s gaze turned icy.
He gave an order to the maid.
“Bring that urn of ashes here.”
Zia’s eyes widened; she tried to stand, but the bodyguard behind her held her down, forcing her to remain on her knees.
“What are you doing to my father’s urn!”
Brian didn’t answer. Shortly after, the maid arrived with the urn and handed it to Brian.
“Brian, what on earth are you doing! Give my father’s urn back!” Zia screamed.
The bodyguards held her down so she remained on her knees.
Brian’s expression was cold as he held the urn in his hands.
“If you don’t apologize, I’ll smash your father’s urn right in front of you.”
Zia’s eyes turned red with rage and pain.
“Why are you doing this to me? What did my father ever do to you! Have you forgotten that my father saved the Ridge Group from bankruptcy! You ungrateful bastard,” Zia screamed like a child, thrashing to break free from the bodyguards behind her.
“Zia!” Brian’s face hardened as he heard his wife call him an ungrateful bastard in front of everyone and the maids who were watching.
“Apologize to Rachel! Now! I won’t repeat myself!” Brian was about to drop the urn.
“Fine! Fine! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Zia cupped her hands in supplication before Brian and Rachel. Tears streamed down her face.
“Please give me back that urn, I beg you... it’s the only thing left of my father.”
Brian exhaled. “You should have said that earlier.”
He then turned his gaze to Rachel. “Zia has apologized to you, can you forgive her?”
Rachel nodded with a feigned, weak smile. A cold gleam flashed in her eyes as she stared at the urn of ashes in Brian’s hands. She clutched her head, and her body swayed.
“Brian, my head is spinning....”
“Rachel!”
As Brian embraced her, Rachel pretended to accidentally knock the urn out of Brian’s hands. It shattered into a thousand pieces, the sound echoing loudly through the room. Ash flew everywhere.
Everyone fell silent.
“No!”
Zia’s eyes turned red, her body trembling. She crawled to gather the ashes from the shattered urn, heedless of the shards cutting her hands. She pressed them to her chest. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.
“No, Dad... no…”
“Zia, I’m sorry.... I didn’t mean to....” Rachel’s eyes widened, looking remorseful as she clung tightly to Brian’s arm. “Brian, I really didn’t mean to....”
Zia glared at Rachel until the woman hid behind Brian, terrified.
She stood up and lunged at the woman. Brian shielded Rachel and held Zia back. “Zia… I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’m the one who dropped the vase… blame me. I’ll replace your father’s vase with a new one.”
Zia paid him no mind, raging and striking Brian until Emily’s bodyguards pulled her away.
Zia began to tire; her chest felt tight until she couldn’t breathe. Her consciousness slowly faded.
Before she lost consciousness, she faintly saw Brian shouting with a panicked expression.
“Zia!”
