“Daddy!” Leo tugged at his sleeve, interrupting his thoughts. “Look, Sofia is rubbing her arms. Is she cold? Can we go get a shawl for Sofia?”
Connor snapped back to reality and glanced at Sofia mingling with guests not far away. She was indeed hugging her arms.
He was probably overthinking it. Eliza loved him, the kids, and their family so much; there was no way she did not care. She was just… throwing a temporary fit, or perhaps she had truly come to terms with it.
Pushing aside the inexplicable restlessness he felt, he took the children to fetch a shawl for Sofia.
Once Connor and the kids walked away, the gentle smile on Sofia’s face faded slightly. With a wine glass in hand, she glided over gracefully to Eliza.
“Eliza, do you see this? Your husband’s and your children’s lives revolve around me now. You’re like a pathetic joke, forced to share your birthday with me. How does it feel?”
Eliza had no desire to pay Sofia any mind, so she walked away. However, Sofia grabbed her by the wrist, her fingernails digging deep into her skin.
“What’s the rush? I’m not done yet!” Sofia leaned in close, her expression sweet, but her voice dark. “Eliza, I heard your mother killed herself by suicide back then because her husband cheated on her.
“Who would’ve thought that after all these years, you’d turn out just like her, a total loser who can’t keep her man? At least your mother gave birth to you. You, on the other hand, gave birth to two ingrates. Hahaha–”
A loud slap landed squarely across Sofia’s face.
Eliza flung Sofia’s hand away, her eyes cold. “Sofia, I’ve put up with you for a long time. If you utter another word about my mother, I’ll rip your mouth apart!”
Sofia’s head snapped to the side from the blow, her cheek rapidly swelling and turning red. She held her face in her hands, tears immediately welling up in her eyes.
Yet, instead of screaming like she usually would, a faint, triumphant smile stretched across her face. It was because Connor and the children were walking over right now, holding the shawl.
“What happened?” Connor’s brow instantly furrowed when he saw Sofia’s red, swollen cheek and Eliza’s cold expression.
Sofia’s tears spilled over instantly as she threw herself into Connor’s arms.
Through choked sobs, she made herself the victim, saying, “Connor, it’s not Eliza’s fault… It was my mistake. I accidentally spilled champagne on her… She had every right to hit me…”
The two children erupted at once.
Leo pointed at Eliza, shouting in accusation, “It was just a glass of champagne! How could you hit Sofia?”
Maya’s little face turned red with rage as well. “You evil woman! We hate you!”
Looking at the weeping Sofia in his arms and then at the expressionless Eliza, Connor was filled with rage!
“Eliza! Here I was, wondering why you were so generous and reasonable today. It turns out you were just waiting for this moment to vent all your anger on Sofia! I was the one who decided to host the birthday party together. If you’re upset, take it out on me! Why lash out at someone else?”
Eliza looked at the furious man standing in front of her. His words felt like a knife plunging deep into her chest, hurting her so badly that she could hardly breathe.
She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but Sofia rushed forward right on cue, clutching Connor with tears streaming down her face.
Sofia cried, “Connor! Please don’t fight! It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have come… I’m the one who ruined Eliza’s birthday party… I-I’ll leave right now!”
With that, she covered her face and ran out of the ballroom in tears.
“Sofia!”
“Sofia, don’t go!”
The children immediately shouted and chased after her.
Connor glared at Eliza and spat, “Look at what you’ve done!”
With that, he ran out after them.
Eliza was left standing alone, enduring the various looks cast upon her by the surrounding guests. Exhausted, she ignored everyone’s whispers, picked up her bag, and quietly left the so-called birthday party.
Back home, she washed away her exhaustion and the scent of alcohol with a shower before getting into bed early. She did not know when Connor and the kids returned, nor did she care. It was not until the middle of the night that a faint rustling noise woke her.
Opening her eyes, she caught the faint moonlight filtering through the window and discovered that Leo and Maya had snuck into her room at some point. They had ropes in their hands and were tying up her hands and feet!
“What are you doing?” Eliza sat up abruptly.
The children were startled by her, but almost immediately, a hateful expression appeared on Leo’s face—one far too mature for his age.
“What are we doing? You slapped Sofia today and made her run out crying for so long! Daddy had to comfort her for a really long time before she felt better! We’ve never seen Sofia so heartbroken! You evil woman! We’re going to get revenge for Sofia and teach you a lesson!”
Maya pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. Under the moonlight, fine powder could be seen clinging to the fabric.
“Mommy, you’re severely allergic to pollen, aren’t you? I’ve put so much pollen on this handkerchief… You’re going to feel like you’re dying. I hope you learn your lesson this time and stop picking on Sofia!”
Eliza’s eyes widened in shock.
She had a severe pollen allergy. Any contact would trigger respiratory spasms, suffocation, and could even be life-threatening—a fact known only to her closest family members. Yet, they were using that to teach her a lesson.
She was trembling all over and had not even had time to react when, in the next instant, Leo and Maya joined forces to press the pollen-covered handkerchief firmly over her nose and mouth.
“Mmph!”
As pollen invaded her airway, Eliza struggled desperately, but the two children seemed determined, pressing the handkerchief down on her with all their might!
Suffocation took hold rapidly. It felt as if countless hands were clutching her throat, her lungs burned like fire, and her vision began to go dark.
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