Chapter 2

Hudson turned and glanced at Wendy. Noticing that she was unaware of Terry's arrival, he felt a sense of relief.

When he turned back, his face was filled with nothing but disdain. "Did that shameless father of yours send you here? Didn't he tell you? This isn't your home anymore. Get lost, you little bastard."

Terry flinched at Hudson's malice, and his eyes quickly turned red. "You're lying! Daddy isn't shameless! You're the evil one! I want to see Mommy!"

He glared at Hudson like an angry calf ready to charge.

Hudson scoffed. When no one was looking, he shoved Terry hard.

Terry was caught off guard. His forehead slammed into the iron gate with a sharp sound.

Wendy's heart skipped a beat as she asked, "Who's out there?"

Hudson quickly covered Terry's mouth and offered an excuse. "No one. Just a cat. It's cold. You should take Gracie inside."

Once Wendy left, he immediately pinched Terry with a cruel look in his eyes. "You little bastard. You're just like your father, born to be a thorn in my side."

Terry struggled. Blood mixed with tears dripped down his face.

Hudson spat on Terry, then shoved him into the snow. "Disgusting."

Terry pushed himself up and continued shouting, "You're the disgusting one! Evil monster! I want to see Mommy! Let me see her!"

Hudson sneered, then kicked the dog door in the gate with his custom-made pointed shoes. His eyes gleamed with amusement. "If you crawl through this dog door, I'll take you to see your mom. How does that sound?"

I stood there, glaring at Hudson. My eyes nearly bled with rage.

How dare he? How dare he humiliate my child like this?

The pain and fury almost consumed my mind.

I waved my hands frantically at Terry, trying to get him to refuse.

I was dead now. I didn't need him to do this for me. I just wanted him to go home.

Terry raised his head, his gaze drifting past me to the lively villa in the distance. "Do you actually mean that?"

Hudson paused for a moment, then bent over laughing, clearly enjoying the situation. "Of course."

Terry bit his lip. Trembling, he bent down and stiffly crawled through the dog door.

As he crawled, he whispered to himself, "I'm okay. I won't cry. I'm going to wake Daddy up."

But tears still flowed down his face, wetting the collar of his shirt.

Hudson pulled out his phone and recorded the scene. The excitement and smugness in his eyes were barely contained.

"What a good boy, Terry. You're Elijah Heath's son through and through—a lowlife from the day you were born. Come on, bark like a dog for me. Give me a little entertainment."

Just as he was enjoying himself, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind, her tone unreadable. "What are you doing?"

Panicked, Hudson quickly threw his phone to the ground and helped Terry up, even brushing the dirt off him.

"It's nothing. Terry came to see you. I was just playing with him for a bit."

"Really?"

Wendy found it strange, but Hudson quickly shifted her focus. "Wendy, it's so cold out here. Let's take Terry inside. We don't want him to catch a cold."

Hudson frowned, his face filled with concern.

Terry raised his head to reveal the wound on his face, hoping to see some sympathy on Wendy's face.

He hoped she would hold him and comfort him like she used to.

But Wendy only gave the wound on his head a brief glance. Her gaze faltered for a split second, flickering with an indescribable rage.

"Is this how Elijah plays the father? It was one thing when he used you to win favor before, but now he's actually resorting to this pathetic act? Does he think this will make me feel sorry for you? Hmph! He's dreaming."

She then turned to Hudson. Her voice dripped with sympathy as she said, "Hudson, you're just too kind. That's why people keep using you."