"Victoria, this trick of yours, pretending to be caught and then pulling back, won't work on me." Dexter picked up the lamp again and began to break my right hand fingers, one by one.
The family photo and Leslie's blood-stained shirt fell out of my pocket.
He casually kicked them aside, ordered the bodyguards to threw me into the saltwater pool in the basement.
I didn't cry out in pain the whole night, but instead, I laughed and murmured strange phrases.
The maids passed by outside said that Madam had truly gone mad.
In truth, I was just closing my eyes, chanting incantations for Leslie, gathered his soul and prayed for his blessing. I was also waiting for that moment to come.
At that time, Leslie and I would have no further connection with Dexter. Let those past memories be a dream! I silently counted the hours.
Until the evening of the next day, the sound of the basement door opening interrupted my thoughts.
Dexter entered, he held a phone stand for a livestream, with Emma beside him.
He said, "Huh, this group of bodyguards still can't find Leslie's whereabouts, but it's fine, he cares so much about you, his mom. If he sees the livestream and sees you like this, he will definitely come out obediently and it will be a great way to boost Emma's popularity."
Emma had been supported by Dexter for many years and had long become a big-time streamer in the metaphysics channel, with millions of followers.
As soon as the stream started, fans saw my tragic appearance and the heat quickly surged.
They said, "Damn, who is this? She's so beautiful, but her whole body is covered in blood, so stimulating."
"I heard she's the wife of Mr. Nelson, who killed her son and disposed of the body, leaving no trace of him ..." one of the viewers chimed in.
"Oh my god, so vicious, what a waste of her face and figure, she doesn't deserve it. Emma and Mr. Nelson are much better matched, we must punish this third party!" Another person commented.
Heard that Dexter not only didn't avenge Leslie, but also turned the truth upside down, my wounds hurt even more, a sharp pain stabbed through me.
I numbly clutched the soul gathering stone and crawled out of the saltwater pool, hoped to find a quiet place to continue.
But I angered Dexter, who dragged me back and struck me with a whip. He said, "Looks like you're still being disobedient, time for some proper punishment."
He whipped me several more times, made my already frail body rolled on the floor. With a thud, the soul gathering stone fell from my arms and hit the ground.
In an instant, my body trembled and my previously numb eyes showed intense fluctuation.
I reached to pick it up, but Dexter grabbed it first, suspiciously asked, "What is this?"
"Give it back to me!" I cried out helplessly.
The livestream room was full of metaphysics enthusiasts, eagerly answered, "I recognize this, it's the Soul Binding Stone, a very sinister item."
"Yes, I've heard it can make a person's soul waver, even causing their soul to scatter." Another person said.
Dexter suddenly raised his head, gritted his teeth and questioned me, "No wonder Amanda has been unwell these past few days and I've been feeling a discomfort in my heart, so you've been using this thing to harm people!"
He repeatedly claimed he didn't believe in feudal superstitions, but when it came to something potentially dangerous for his precious child, he panicked more than anyone else.
A mortal eye couldn't tell the difference between the Soul Binding Stone and the Soul Gathering Stone, one small difference in name, but their effects were completely opposite.
"No, this is the Soul Gathering Stone! It's used to gather Leslie's soul." I barely propped up my bloody body and glared at him with hatred and said, "If you still care about Leslie even a little, then put it down!"
Fans in the livestream room started mocking, "Oh, still arguing? So fierce, don't give it to her."
Dexter tightly gripped the Soul Gathering Stone, his gaze uncertain.
Emma's eyes flickered and with a sound of 'oh', she walked over, "How about I ask Victoria? After all, we're both mothers, we can talk."
But after she got close to me, she secretly spat on my face and smugly whispered.
