I was raised by my brother's own hands. No one knows better than I do how much he loved Elena Abbott.
Back then, if Elena hadn't threatened to kill herself, my brother never would have agreed to the divorce. After she left, Noah became his only emotional anchor.
Given how much my brother cares about Noah, if he ever found out what Serena did to him today, he wouldn't let it go.
Serena stiffened at my words. The security guards exchanged glances, hesitation creeping onto their faces.
"Principal Fox, this kid… he isn't really Mr. Weiss's son, is he? He does look a little like him."
"Impossible! Jason told me himself—this kid is from Alex sleeping around. Some bastard whose father she doesn't even know!"
Serena glared at me.
"Don't think I don't know what you're trying to pull! This brat isn't Jason's. He took you in out of kindness, and you coached the kid to call him 'Dad'?"
Hearing her words, meeting her mocking gaze, my heart sank.
So this is how my brother introduced me and my child to outsiders?
Before I could even process the hurt, Noah started convulsing. I thrashed against the guards, pointing desperately at him.
"No—he's having an asthma attack!"
I spotted my bag on the ground nearby.
"Medicine! There's medicine in my bag. Hurry—save him!"
Serena covered her ears, annoyed.
"Gag this woman. I'm calling Jason myself."
A large hand clamped over my mouth. I could only whimper, watching my nephew's small body seize, praying Serena would get through to my brother fast.
"Jason, when are you taking me to meet your son? I got him so many gifts."
My brother's voice came through the speaker.
"No rush. We'll talk after this busy stretch."
Serena glanced at Noah and softened her tone.
"He's not that young anymore. Shouldn't he be starting kindergarten? How about sending him to mine?"
A pause on the other end.
"Sure. He's home right now. I'll bring him to enroll in a few days."
After she hung up, Serena let out a strange, snorting laugh. She studied me with an unreadable expression—then slapped me hard across the face.
The world spun. I hit the ground, blood pooling at the back of my throat.
"You slut! Can't take you anywhere—every word out of your mouth is a lie. You really think I'm that stupid?"
I forced myself to crawl up. My cheek burned, but I swallowed my rage. I grabbed her pant leg, begging.
"Serena, you can't just watch him die. Please—just give him the medicine first."
"What an actress! If Jason hadn't already told me that little bastard is perfectly healthy, I might've actually believed you."
She jerked her leg free and kicked me for good measure.
"Enough. You've wasted enough of my time today. That gold locket is my compensation."
She turned to the guards.
"Throw this woman and the bastard out. Far away. They're bad luck."
"If my dad finds out you treated me like this, he won't let you off!"
Noah's face was deathly pale. He barely got the words out before his breathing seized up entirely.
Smack!
Serena backhanded him without hesitation. His head snapped to the side. His body went limp.
And a panic I'd never known flooded through me.
