Chapter 3

The gate was violently pushed open from inside.

Blake walked out in expensive designer pajamas, cursing under his breath.

"Hurry up! Don't let her die in the house, it's bad luck!"

"So disgusting. All that blood. Makes me sick."

He walked while shaking water droplets off his hands in disgust.

Those droplets had an unmistakable tint of red.

Right behind him, Mrs. Elena followed in high heels, clicking rapidly.

Her hair wasn't even mussed. Her makeup was flawless.

"Blake, watch your step. Don't let that filth touch you."

She pulled out a handkerchief, looking at him with nothing but sympathy, and wiped his hands.

"It's all that damn girl's fault. Couldn't even cooperate with a simple game. Ruined everything!"

Blake kicked the doorframe.

"It's okay, sweetie. I'll buy you that new sports car. Don't be upset."

Mrs. Elena coaxed him gently, her tone dripping with indulgence.

Two paramedics rushed out pushing a gurney.

The person on it was covered by a white sheet already soaked halfway through with blood.

A lifeless hand dangled off the side of the gurney, so thin it looked like it would snap in the wind.

Around the wrist was a deep ligature mark.

In that moment, I felt my breathing stop.

That was my Aria! The Aria I'd raised from a tiny baby with my own hands!

I'd thought being reunited with her biological parents would be a blessing.

"Move! The patient has lost too much blood and needs a transfusion immediately!"

The ER doctor, drenched in sweat, shouted at Blake, who was blocking the path.

"Are you blind? How dare you talk to my son like that?"

Mrs. Elena's eyes flashed. She pointed right at the doctor's nose and started screaming.

"Do you know who we are? One phone call and I'll make sure you never work in New York again!"

The doctor's face went pale with rage, but a life was on the line. He could only grit his teeth and bear it.

"Family needs to come with us. We need signatures!"

The nurse pushed the gurney into the ambulance and urged them anxiously.

"I'm not going to that depressing place!"

Blake took a step back, his face full of revulsion.

Mrs. Elena frowned and covered her nose.

"Why would we go? Blake's been traumatized. He needs rest. Just take her. I'll pay double the medical bills!"

"Are you even human? That's your biological daughter in there!"

The nurse finally couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes red, she shouted.

"Smack!" The sharp sound of a slap rang out in the quiet morning.

The nurse clutched her face, staring at Mrs. Elena in disbelief.

"Who do you think you are to lecture me? I gave birth to her. Her life belongs to me. Whatever I tell her to do, she does!"

Mrs. Elena shook out her hand, sneering.

"Get lost! Stop blocking my view! I'll go to the hospital myself later."

The ambulance doors slammed shut and it roared away.

I hid in the bamboo grove, shaking like a leaf. My teeth bit into my lip until it bled, the taste of rust spreading through my mouth.

I clamped my hand over Adrian's mouth.

He was already crying so hard his whole body convulsed, like an injured animal desperate to break free.

"Don't move! Going out there now won't change anything!"

I pressed my mouth to Adrian's ear, my voice shaking but carrying an undeniable ferocity.

"They have money and power. You can't beat them, and you'll just get yourself destroyed!"

Adrian looked at me in despair, tears falling in fat drops onto my hand.

The Wilsons turned and went back into the villa. The gate slammed shut with a bang.

I let go and pulled Adrian to his feet, running down the hill.

"To the hospital!"

We flagged down an Uber and headed straight for New York Central Hospital.

In the car, the driver kept glancing at us in the rearview mirror.

"Going to the ER this early in the morning?"

I forced down the churning in my gut and nodded.

"Did you see that ambulance just now?"

The driver sighed and jerked the wheel.

"I saw it. What a tragedy. That came from the hillside estates, right?"

"You know about it?" I asked tentatively.

The driver snorted.

"Anyone who drives Uber in New York knows about that bastard from the Wilson family."

"That Blake kid is a born psychopath."

"I heard when he was little he liked torturing animals. As he got older, it only got worse."

"Too bad they're rich. They can throw money at any mess he makes and it all goes away."

I gripped the hem of my jacket.

"No one does anything?"

"Do anything? Alexander only cares about money, and Mrs. Elena only has one son. She loves him like he's the center of the universe."

The driver lowered his voice.

"I heard from a driver who worked for them—the Wilsons recently found their biological daughter."

"They call her their daughter, but really they just brought her back to be that psycho's punching bag."

"After all, beating outsiders causes trouble if it gets out. But your own family? Even if you beat them to death, who's gonna say anything?"

My heart felt like it was being fed through a meat grinder, crushed over and over.

My Aria, that sweet angel who felt sorry for stray cats.

In that house of horrors, she'd been treated like a toy for an animal!

"Mom."

Adrian grabbed my hand. His hand was freezing.

"I'm going to kill him."

I squeezed Adrian's hand back, staring at the hospital building ahead.

"You don't have to."

"I'll send them to hell myself."