She met his gaze with chilling indifference.
"Hailey, if you put something in the cake, just admit it. I won’t blame you."
Boom, her world shattered.
Another baseless accusation. Another attempt to frame her. Rage surged through Hailey like a storm, her entire body trembling. Her gaze turned razor-sharp.
"I didn’t bake that cake for an Alaskan Malamute. You were the one who insisted on feeding it. What was I supposed to do? If you hadn’t force-fed that dog, the one lying dead might’ve been you instead."
She turned to Jasmine with a regretful look. "I’m sorry. I wanted to treat you to a good meal today."
Jasmine, however, merely smirked, shooting Enzo a look of amusement. "Your wife doesn’t want you anymore."
Enzo ignored her entirely. His focus remained locked on Hailey as he seized her wrist firmly. "You’re coming back with me. Hailey ate your cake, after all. You have to come with me."
His grasp tightened, making Hailey wince. She glared at him coldly. "Let go."
But Enzo didn’t care. Without another word, he pulled her toward the car and shoved her inside. The entire ride was steeped in suffocating silence as if he had already convicted her.
Hailey suddenly remembered there was a time when, every time she was wronged, she would break down, desperately trying to defend herself.
But ever since she chose to return to Belmond, no matter how unfairly she was treated, the urge to explain simply vanished.
It wasn’t Allison’s mockery at the pet hospital she had to endure. No, it was far worse: her own parents, who didn’t even bother to ask for the truth before striking her across the face.
Her father’s furious voice boomed through the room. "Unbelievable! How can you be so cruel?"
"What did Allison ever do to you? How could you do something so vicious to her?"
His contempt, her mother’s relentless scolding, and the judgmental murmurs of the onlookers all fused into a suffocating weight, crushing her beneath it.
The man beside her didn’t spare her a second glance. He didn’t defend her. He didn’t even hesitate. Instead, he rushed toward the Alaskan Malamute, his voice thick with concern.
"How is Hailey? Is she okay?" he asked urgently.
Allison, eyes swollen from crying, collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don’t know what happened either! Come see her!"
The two of them, plus a dog, are a perfect little family.
And her? Just an outsider.
She wasn’t only enduring the disgusted stares of the crowd and the humiliation of being scorned by her parents.
She had been abandoned once, taken in by Maddox, and only reunited with her biological parents a decade later.
Maddox had told her, "If you ever feel wronged over there, come back."
But she had believed, foolishly, that her parents cared about her. That she belonged.
Yet, in their hearts, Allison was always first.
She had fought to carve out a place for herself, struggling to be seen and matter. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing changed. To them, she would always come second.
Fine. She didn’t want it anymore.
Her voice remained steady, indifferent. "That cake wasn’t meant for the dog. If you want someone to blame, find the real culprit."
She gave them a cold glance before adding, "Keep your dog on a leash while you’re at it. Don’t let it run wild, biting people."
Her father’s face twisted with fury. He let out a sharp snort and seized her arm. "Try walking out that door, and I’ll make sure you pay for what you did to Allison. I’m not your so-called foster father; let’s see what the police have to say about you!"
Her mother’s glare burned with pure hatred. "Absolutely vile!"
The police arrived swiftly. Two officers restrained her, gripping her arms so tightly she couldn’t move.
A female officer turned to Allison and Enzo, her gaze sharp. "Did she deliberately poison the dog?"
Allison didn’t speak. She merely turned to Enzo, her tear-filled eyes brimming with helplessness.
Enzo hesitated, his gaze wavering as it landed on Hailey.
