"The child you left behind all those years ago is long gone. She didn't even have a proper name, so your parents sent her to an orphanage," I said.
"That's enough!" Jody snapped, cutting me off.
She continued, "Back then, Henry and I left our child with you while we traveled around the world. I know you're still angry about that, but Henry is her biological father. Give the kid back to him!"
Once her words fell, she shoved me aside and snatched Natalie out of my arms.
Natalie frantically struggled against her hold. Her face turned bright red as she screamed, "Let me go, you bad lady!"
Jody, however, turned a deaf ear to her cries and immediately handed her over to Henry.
Henry handled Natalie roughly and left several red marks on her arm. Despite that, he acted as if he hadn't noticed and continued to grip her arm tightly.
"I'm your actual daddy, sweetie," he told her.
I felt my chest tighten. While Jody blocked me from reaching Henry, I could only watch helplessly as Natalie screamed and struggled to break free.
Leaning close to me, Jody asked in a cocky and smug voice, "Did you miss me, Dami?"
Miss her? I wanted nothing more than for her to disappear right this second.
"Move out of the way, or I'm calling the police!" I demanded.
At that moment, Natalie suddenly lowered her head and bit down on Henry's wrist. When he cried out in pain and loosened his grip, she immediately rushed back to me.
Standing between me and Jody, she stretched out her arms and said, "Stop picking on my daddy, you bad lady!"
Clutching his wrist, Henry sounded about to cry.
"I know Damian is still mad about our relationship, Jody, but the kid is innocent. He must've taught her to reject her biological parents. Otherwise, there's no way she'd treat us this way," he said.
Upon hearing his words, Jody grew furious. She marched forward and grabbed Natalie before lifting her off the ground by her collar.
"You ungrateful little brat!" she spat. "How dare you hurt your own father? I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Natalie's face paled as she dangled in midair. She kicked and flailed around desperately while crying in fear.
I was mortified. Natalie's clothes were custom-made from silk. It couldn't withstand that kind of rough handling at all.
"Put the child down, Jody! We can talk this out," I urged.
More and more travelers began to gather around us.
The crowd whispered among themselves, but I could barely register what they were saying. All of my attention was fixed on Natalie's collar, which looked like it could tear apart at any moment.
All of a sudden, Henry dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around my legs.
"If you're upset at me, you should've just hit me or berated me. How could you deliberately turn my daughter against me?
"It's one thing to stop her from acknowledging me as her father. I can't believe you taught her to hate her mother too. Jody has never stopped thinking about you and Natalie…"
Jody turned toward me and flashed me a disappointed and angry look.
"Dami, I entrusted my child to you because I believed you'd take good care of her. I can't believe you taught her to reject her biological parents! How can you be so evil?" she spat.
She continued, "Now that Henry and I are back, this kid should come with us. From now on, you should stay out of her business."
I found her words utterly ridiculous.
Back then, she abandoned a child with congenital heart disease and eloped overseas with Henry without so much as an explanation. If Ivy hadn't stepped up and chosen to marry me, I would've become a laughingstock.
