Chapter 2

I had returned home in a rush, so I had not noticed that the corner where the piano should have been was completely empty.

I was shocked. “Where is the piano?”

Phillip glanced at me casually.

“Theresa’s sister liked it, so I gifted it to her.”

The moment he said that, I saw Wendy’s eyes well up with tears.

She was so well-behaved. She did not even cry; she just bit her lip hard.

That piano had been with her for ten years. And Phillip had just given it away because “Theresa’s sister liked it.”

Seeing the indifference on his face, I snapped.

“Phillip, are you out of your mind? How could you just give away our daughter’s things like that?!”

Theresa acted nervous and said, “Oh dear… I didn’t realize you hadn’t agreed to it, Mrs. Lawson. I shouldn’t have let my sister accept it.”

I glared at her. “You’re right, I never agreed to it. Return the piano.”

Phillip frowned.

“Danielle, must you always blow everything out of proportion? It’s just a piano. I will buy Wendy a new one tomorrow. Okay?”

Theresa quickly tried to calm him down. “Please, Mr. Lawson, don’t be angry. If your wife is unhappy with the decision, I’ll bring the piano back tomorrow.”

He clenched his jaw. “No need. It’s just a piano. Do you think I can’t afford to give one away? I’ll go and buy a new one right now.”

With that, he stormed out the door. Theresa shot me a quick glance and hurried after him.

The door slammed shut behind them, and my face was drained of all color. Bitterness and disappointment rose in waves through my chest.

Phillip had brought up Theresa in front of me many times.

He said she was a gentle girl. Every time he saw her, he was reminded of the spirited and radiant girl I used to be at eighteen.

That was why he always gave her a little extra attention.

I had once believed Phillip was someone who knew his boundaries.

What I did not expect was that he would defend her over and over, even argue with me over her.

And this time round, he had let Theresa’s sister hurt our daughter. He even gave away our daughter’s most treasured possession.

I had never been so disappointed. Stroking Wendy’s sad face, I looked down at the divorce agreement on the table.

I thought to myself, ‘Phillip, this time, I am not just divorcing you. I will make you pay back every single thing you owe me and my daughter!’

…

The next day, after dropping Wendy off at school, I found the piano competition staff and successfully retrieved the CCTV footage of her being locked inside the restroom.

Clutching the USB drive tightly, I let out a cold laugh.

Then, I gathered all the documentation from the proposals I had helped draft for Phillip’s company.

Everyone thought he was a genius in the business world. But they never knew every single proposal he presented had been carefully crafted, word by word, by me.

I wanted to see just how far he would get without me!

By the time I finished all this, it was already afternoon.

I slipped the divorce agreement into a folder and allowed myself a brief moment of rest.

But right then, I received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello, are you Wendy Lawson’s mother? Your daughter has been injured. Please come to the hospital right away!”

“What?”

My eyes widened in shock. I hailed a cab and rushed straight to the hospital.

When I finally burst into the room, I saw Wendy sitting at the edge of the bed with her right hand in a cast. Her little face was tense and drawn.

Standing in front of her were none other than Theresa and her sister, Cecilia Young.

The moment Wendy saw me, the tension on her face melted away.

“Mom.”

She threw herself into my arms. Her voice was trembling, and she was on the verge of sobbing.

I gently stroked her hair as my heart ached for her. Then, I looked up at Theresa with a frown.

“Explain yourself.”

I had already learned the full extent of Wendy’s injuries on my way here.