Chapter 2

Alexander Thorne paused, but what came out was,

“Elara, you’d stoop to such lies just for money now?”

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over me.

“Alexander, I’m not lying. My mother is in the hospital right now—”

I hadn’t finished speaking when Serena suddenly rushed at me, gripping my wrist tightly.

“Mrs. Thorne, I beg you, please understand how hard Mr. Thorne works. If you have grievances, take them out on me!”

She looked so frail and pitiful. I hadn’t done a thing, yet she just collapsed to the floor.

The next second, Alexander immediately helped her up, his face filled with concern.

When he looked back at me, his eyes blazed with suppressed anger.

“Elara, I never realized you could be so unreasonable, all for money!”

“When did you become so obsessed with money?”

Me, obsessed with money?

I thought of Serena’s golden throne and couldn’t help but let out a sarcastic laugh.

Alexander wished he could house her in a golden palace, but when it came to me, just ninety thousand dollars, and he thought I was materialistic.

It truly proved the saying: a man’s love follows his money.

I was about to speak when my phone rang suddenly.

It was Lily’s kindergarten teacher.

“Hello? Is this Lily’s mom? Please come to the kindergarten quickly, Lily’s been hurt!”

My face instantly tightened.

Without asking too many questions, I hurried to the kindergarten.

Half an hour later, I spotted my daughter, huddled and trembling in a corner.

She was covered in dirt, bruised all over, her face streaked with tears.

My heart instantly ached, and my eyes burned.

“What happened? How did Lily get such serious injuries?”

The teacher hesitated, then showed me the security footage.

Then, I saw a boy, maybe four or five, had Lily pinned to the ground, kicking her hard in the stomach!

Lily cried and begged him to stop, but the boy acted as if he didn’t hear her.

He even grabbed her hair, slamming her head against the floor again and again!

“Why are you hurting Lily!”

My face was ashen as I yelled at the boy.

He flinched back in fear, then suddenly burst into tears.

“Bad woman! You’re bullying me! I’ll tell my dad to kill you!”

I sneered, about to scold him.

But the next second, Alexander Thorne, who had just rushed in, suddenly changed his expression.

He grabbed my wrist forcefully, shoving me to the ground!

“Elara, what are you doing!”

“You’re a grown adult, bullying a child?”

I fell to the ground, my lower back slamming into the table corner, searing with pain.

But nothing hurt as much as the rage in my heart.

“Alexander, your own daughter is seriously hurt, and you’re ignoring her to care about the one who hurt her?”

Alexander, had he gone mad?

“Mrs. Thorne!”

Suddenly, Serena grabbed the boy and pulled him into a hug, saying, on the verge of tears,

“It’s one thing for you to bully me, but why can’t you leave my child alone!”

“Poor Devin is so small, and he doesn’t have a father to stand up for him…”

A flicker of sympathy instantly crossed Alexander’s eyes, and he looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated.

My mind exploded, a deafening ringing in my ears.

It turned out that Alexander and Serena already had a four-year-old child.

That meant he’d been cheating on me since the first year of our marriage…

“Ha…”

A profound irony flooded my heart, and an overwhelming sense of absurdity made me laugh.

“Alexander, take a good look at Lily’s injuries. Are you still going to side with Serena?”

Alexander Thorne’s gaze fell on Lily, cradled in my arms.

Lily’s small face was pale with pain, yet she was still pitifully calling out, “Daddy.”

Alexander Thorne frowned.

But the next second, his face grew indifferent as he said,

“Kids roughhousing is normal; why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Besides, Devin twisted his ankle too.”

With that, he picked up the boy and turned to leave.

“I’ll take Devin to the hospital first.”

I was struck dumb, as if hit by lightning.

I watched his resolute back, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

I never thought Alexander Thorne could be so heartless, abandoning even his own flesh and blood.

“Elara…”

Serena sneered at me, whispering in my ear,

“Do you know why Alexander is so indifferent to your daughter?”

“He once told me that you got pregnant not long after *those people* humiliated you. Who knows if the child is even his?”

The woman walked away with light steps.

Only I remained, plunged into an abyss of ice.

Back then, when I was humiliated and desperate enough to want to end my life,

Alexander Thorne stayed by my side, swearing repeatedly that he would love me with his life.

Yet now, he despised my own daughter so much!

“Ha…”

I gave a self-deprecating laugh and took Lily to the hospital.

After her injuries began to heal, I asked in a daze,

“Lily, if someday, Daddy and Mommy have to separate, who would you choose?”

Lily, though clearly still in pain, gave me a sunny smile.

“Lily loves Mommy very much, and she also loves Daddy.”

“But if Daddy is mean to Mommy, Lily won’t want Daddy anymore!”

My nose stung, and I pulled Lily into a tight hug.

The decision in my heart solidified.

The next second, I made a call.

“Mr. Davis, please draft a divorce agreement for me.”

“In three days, all of Thorne Corp.’s assets will be transferred to my name. Just go ahead and do it.”