Chapter 2 Don't Hurt My Mom

(Esme's POV)

"Doctor, no matter how much it costs, no matter what you have to do, you must save my daughter!" I clung to the doctor's sleeve, my voice trembling as I pleaded.

The attending physician handed me a lab report. "Her condition is critical. The best option is combination therapy using lymphocytes and bone marrow from both parents. Treatment could take seven or eight months, possibly two or three years. If either parent refuses to cooperate, she could crash at any time."

I turned sharply to Sebastian. "Did you hear doctor? You are her biological father. You must immediately come with me for a bone marrow match!"

Sebastian frowned, impatient and disgusted. "Two or three years? Do you know how much of my time that would take? I have a dozen urgent DIA matters every day. I can't keep running to the hospital to have blood and marrow drawn for a girl who's going to die anyway."

"She's your daughter!" I was so enraged my body shook, my fingers digging deeply into my palm.

Sebastian didn't care. Just as he opened his mouth to refuse, Jessica suddenly stepped close, lifting her toes and whispering a few words into his ear. In an instant, Sebastian's expression shifted from resistance to calculation.

He cleared his throat, arranged his face into an expression of noble concern, and patted my shoulder. "All right, Esme. I was upset earlier. She's my own flesh and blood. Of course I won't abandon her. I'll donate, but remember, I'm making a major sacrifice for this family."

His concern was transparently fake, and Jessica was smirking beside him. A chill crawled down my spine. They had no intention of saving Lily without exacting a price. They were digging a deeper trap.

Sebastian glanced at his watch and said coldly, "Jessica and I have an important dinner tonight. I can't stay here wasting time. You stay and watch over her yourself."

With that, he wrapped his arms around Jessica's waist and left the room.

Moments later, Lily slowly opened her eyes on the hospital bed. When she saw me, tears burst from her eyes. "Mom... is it really you? Am I not dreaming?"

"Yes, Lily, it's me. Mom's back. Mom won't leave you again." I rushed to hug her, my heart breaking beyond words.

Lily's little body trembled violently in my arms. "Mom, I was so scared," she whispered through her tears. "Jessica is awful. When you were gone, she wouldn't feed me. She hit me..."

My heart leapt. I immediately pulled back her hospital gown.

Purple bruises covered her thin back and arms, the marks of repeated pinching. Tiny black punctures dotted her skin where someone had jabbed her with needles.

"How dare she treat you like that!" My eyes burned, my vision stinging.

I had left when she was only two because DIA sent me on a mission. I had left her at the mercy of those two monsters for years. Guilt and fury crashed over me at once.

I forced down my rage and managed a reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid. Mom is home."

Lily looked at me with total dependence. I gently patted her arm, soothing her to sleep.

After Lily fell asleep, I tucked the blanket over her, called a nurse to watch over her, then turned and stormed out of the hospital, heading straight for Sebastian's mansion.

I kicked open the front door and found Jessica lounging on the living room sofa, casually painting her nails.

I grabbed Jessica by the hair and smashed her head into the coffee table. Glass exploded beneath her with a deafening crash.

"Aaaah! You crazy woman! What are you doing!" Jessica shrieked, her nail polish scattering across the floor.

"You abused Lily! You pinched her and stabbed her with needles! I'll kill you!" I straddled Jessica and slapped her again and again across the face.

Jessica wasn't my match. She was beaten senseless, her nose and face bleeding, begging for mercy.

"Stop! What are you doing!" Sebastian burst from the study, seeing the scene, his face pale with shock. He shoved me aside and stepped between me and Jessica, shielding her.

Jessica immediately clung to Sebastian's leg and dissolved into theatrical sobs. "Sebastian, save me! I only went to the hospital to check on Lily. Esme came back and tried to kill me for no reason. She's insane!"

Sebastian's face hardened as he glared at me. "You're asking to die, Esme. Listen carefully. If you touch Jessica again or refuse to obey me, I'll stop every one of Lily's medications. I won't donate another drop of marrow. I'll make you stand there and watch her die."

"You..." I clenched my fists until my nails cut into my palms and blood struck the floor.

For Lily, I had to take it.

I buried my rage and bloodlust and stared at the two of them. Once Lily recovered, I would make them pay for every wound. Then I would take her far away.

I turned and walked toward my own room, my body exhausted and crushed with defeat.

As I reached the second-floor hallway, Leo suddenly stepped out of his room, blocking my path.

"Why did you have to come back and ruin our lives?" Leo glared at me. "You spent five years with the mafia. You should have stayed their dog or died there. Don't hurt Jessica again. She's my mother."

Hearing my own son speak such venomous words, my heart slowly went numb.

I met his stare without emotion. "How I live is none of your business. If you think your father and Jessica are better, stay with them. I hope they give you the life you deserve."

With that, I simply walked past him.

Leo froze. He had expected me to cry, kneel, and beg for his forgiveness and love. My indifference left him speechless, his face draining of color.

I pushed open the door to my room and stepped inside, preparing to close it, only to find Sebastian already sitting on the edge of my bed.