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"Mommy, are you threatening me? Daddy, did you hear that? Mommy is threatening me again!"
Alexander's voice came through the phone,
"Evelyn! If you dare lay a finger on Isabella, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"
I already regretted it.
I regretted marrying him, letting my innocent child suffer like this.
The sixth nail came out.
Lily had already passed out.
I gently patted her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me weakly.
"Mommy… I'm in pain…"
"I know, sweetheart. It'll be over soon."
My tears fell onto her face.
Seventh nail.
Eighth nail.
The wolves had reached the edge of the cage. Their claws reached in, almost scratching Lily's feet.
I used my body to block them, feeling the sharp pain of claws scraping my back.
Ninth nail.
Only one left.
Lily had lost too much blood. Her face was as pale as snow.
My hands shook as I gripped the pliers, aiming at the final nail.
This one was driven in the deepest, almost piercing straight through her calf.
With a squelch, the last nail was pulled out.
Lily completely lost consciousness.
I picked her up and stumbled toward the cage door.
It was locked.
Lily was bleeding more and more. Her little face was white as paper.
I desperately beat against the iron bars, my voice gone hoarse.
"Help! Is anyone there? Save my daughter!"
But only the low growls of beasts answered me.
My phone vibrated. Alexander's voice came through, cold as a knife,
"Evelyn, haven't you had enough? My men say you're too into the role. Still not wrapping this up?"
I screamed myself hoarse,
"Alexander! Lily is really dying! Come save her, now!"
"Don't test my limits! Stop your ridiculous performance immediately, or you'll face the consequences!"
The call ended.
The bodyguards outside were chatting. Their voices carried clearly,
"Madam's acting is really something. Crying so realistically."
"Yeah, the prop nails look pretty convincing too."
I shook the cage like a madwoman. Lily's blood dripped onto my face, warm and stinging.
My phone rang again. It was a video from Isabella.
In the clip, she and Alexander were sitting in a fancy restaurant.
Candlelight flickered as she giggled and fed him cake.
Caption: [Mommy, Daddy says if you keep causing trouble, he'll have to personally ‘coach' Lily's acting skills next time~ Don't say I didn't warn you.]
