Chapter 4 The Truth About My Daughter

Jon's expression was just as cold as he added, "Ian and I had everything planned. Once you accepted the reality that Caspian was dead, we were going to forgive you and treat you well.

"I can't believe you found this place and ruined everything!"

Tears blurred my vision.

I struggled to turn toward Caspian, only to hear him say, "Lydia, from the moment you heard that I'd died, whatever bond existed between us ended.

"And all the grievances and debts there were between the four of us have been settled."

Then, his voice turned threatening. "If you keep kicking up a fuss, I'll take our daughter away too."

At that, he ordered his bodyguards to go to the postpartum care center and bring our daughter away.

I'd gone through hell to give birth to her—I couldn't lose her.

I knew Caspian could very well do it, and Ian and Jon would help him.

I hurried forward to stop him, my voice trembling with panic and tears. "I'll stop. I'll go. Please, don't take our daughter away."

I glanced at my innocent little boy and forced myself to leave despite the pain in my heart.

When I accidentally stumbled and fell, Caspian and Jon both frowned and reached out to help me. Startled, I immediately shook their hands off.

I needed to get back as quickly as possible to protect my daughter, but just as I reached the front door, Tia called out to me.

She walked over with the corners of her lips curled into a mocking smile, her contemptuous gaze sweeping over me from head to toe.

"You really are an idiot. The son you gave birth to won't acknowledge you, and the daughter you gave birth to has nothing to do with you either."

My entire body stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Tia let out a mocking laugh, her voice dripping with malice. "You still don't know, do you? I hired people to kill your biological parents. They should pay the price for sending me away as soon as they discovered we'd been switched at birth. It's a shame, though—you were lucky to survive the car crash."

My mind exploded with a deafening roar, and I stared at her in disbelief.

Seeing the shock on my face, she laughed even more brazenly. "That's not even the worst of it. The daughter you gave birth to isn't yours or Caspian's.

"My ovaries were damaged so badly that I couldn't even undergo IVF. So, why should you have been able to give birth to his child? I bribed the doctor and had the embryos switched. Also, the embryos I switched in belonged to my biological brother and his wife."

I trembled violently, my voice hoarse. "You're bluffing!"

"I'm not." As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a round birthmark on her arm. "Familiar, isn't it? It's a hereditary family mark. I have one. Your adopted brother has one. And your daughter has one too."

My daughter did have a birthmark on her little arm, but I had been so consumed by grief that I hadn't stopped to think it through.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Look at what you have left," Tia whispered, leaning close to my ear. "Your two brothers don't like you. Caspian doesn't want you. Even your only son is attached to me. So what if you're the true heiress? In the end, you're nothing more than a stepping stone for me."

All the grief and rage I had kept bottled up suddenly surged into my head. I completely lost control and lunged at Tia, but the moment my hands closed around her throat, Caspian rushed over.

He shoved me away and carefully shielded Tia behind him. "Tia was kind enough to make it up to you with money. What are you doing, acting like some madwoman?"

Ian and Jon hurried over as well and reproached me with undisguised disappointment. "Lydia, do you really have to turn everything ugly?"

Seeing the way they unquestioningly protected Tia, I screamed with all the pain in my heart, "Do you even know Tia killed—"

"Ugh, my head hurts… Lydia, I only wanted to comfort you, but you hit me so hard…" Tia interrupted me before I could finish my sentence.

Caspian frowned as he looked at me. "Lydia, I can't believe you tried to kill Tia—when did you become so vicious? I'm taking our daughter away right now!"

When he saw Tia actually pass out, panic flashed across his face, and he immediately carried her outside. Ian and Jon, too, rushed to get the car started after shooting me a disapproving glance.

But I was hyperventilating then, trembling involuntarily and having trouble breathing.

I stared at the place where they had disappeared. Helplessness and despair drove me into my car one step at a time.

I stepped on the accelerator and chased after them. A crazed hatred consumed my reason—I only wanted to die with them.

But just as I was about to accelerate, an SUV suddenly swerved in front of my car and blocked my path.

The man who got out hurriedly opened my car door, panic written across his face.

"Lydia, don't do anything reckless. Give me two hours. I'll make sure you see with your own eyes what happens to them after everything they've done to you."

…

Two hours later, Jon called.

The moment I answered, his panicked, frantic voice came through. "Lydia, Ian and Caspian are in trouble. Come over right away…"