A Child's Death, A Wife's Betrayal

Hearing her insult Bastian so cruelly, I couldn’t stop my fists from clenching, my nails digging deep into my palms.

It was only after some time that the two finally noticed me standing silently in the doorway. Shena didn’t even bother fixing her disheveled clothes. Instead, she smugly pulled Billie’s hand and sauntered toward me, her expression dripping with contempt.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up. You disappear all night with the child and this is what you call being a father? Teaching him to pull stunts and play sick to get sympathy?”

Her eyes narrowed, voice sharper than ever.

“Don’t think I don’t know you ran off to complain to Grandpa again. You manipulated him into denying his own bloodline and used Bastian’s life to threaten me into keeping Billie out of this house.”

“In that case, pack up your things and take your precious Bastian back to the old mansion where you can go play the perfect little son-in-law. From now on, this house belongs to Billie and me. And where is Bastian, anyway? Bring him out now and make him kneel and apologize to Billie. Don’t think a little hospital stunt will make this go away.”

As I looked at her, this woman who had utterly abandoned all love for her son, I couldn’t stop the image from flashing in my mind—Bastian, alone and starving on that desolate island, terrified and clinging to hope.

I almost lunged at her, but then Bastian’s soft voice echoed in my memory, from the day before he was sent away.

“Dad, it’s my fault. I didn’t learn the house rules properly and I made Mom angry.”

“But don’t worry, okay? Mom said I’ll only be gone for five days. When I come back, I’ll be the rightful heir. Then Mom won’t have to work so hard anymore and she can be with you again, like before.”

I bit down hard, forcing myself to swallow the fury in my throat. I turned silently to leave—but she grabbed me by the arm.

“What’s this attitude? You’re just a glorified servant—how dare you act like you’re above us?”

Her voice turned venomous.

“If you and Grandpa hadn’t schemed to push Billie out, you’d never have become the Collins Family’s son-in-law. A bastard whose own parents were murdered dares to dream of marriage and children?”

“What is it now? Found another rich heiress to con into marrying you by flaunting that little life-saving act again? Having a father like you was the greatest misfortune of Bastian’s life!”

I let the words fall on me without reaction. But the calmer I remained, the more enraged she became.

With a snarl, she grabbed a whip from the wall and kicked my knees out from under me.

I collapsed to the floor and the whip lashed down hard, splitting my skin open in an instant.

“You still think you’re right? You’re the one who raised that unruly brat. If you won’t accept your mistakes, then I’ll beat them into you!”

“Grandpa might be blinded by your honeyed words, but I’m not. I see you for what you are—a greedy, low-born climber who only got here by stealing Billie’s credit. If it weren’t for you falsely claiming it was you who woke me up, I never would’ve married you.”

“I owe Billie too much. I won’t let him suffer even a fraction more because of you. Now get Bastian out here and make him kneel—both of you owe Billie an apology! If you won’t comply, I can assure you there are plenty of others waiting to claim the Collins Family heir’s title.”

At that moment, the pain in my body couldn’t compare to the pain tearing through my heart.

I couldn’t bear it anymore. I grabbed the whip mid-swing and flung it aside with all my strength. She stumbled backward, barely caught by Billie.

“Theo, how dare you resist?! So you finally drop the act, huh?”

I rose to my feet despite the blood and pain, meeting her gaze with icy clarity.

“You want Bastian to apologize?” I said with a hollow laugh.

“Fine. Then go find him—underground—and take Billie with you.”

“Bastian is dead.”

Shena froze. For a brief moment, her expression cracked. But then she burst into mocking laughter, flinging the whip aside.

“You really are a monster, Theo. You’d curse your own child to death just to threaten me?”

“Isn’t this all because you found out I’m pregnant with Billie’s baby? You’re afraid I’ll revoke Bastian’s heir status and that your little claim to the Collins Family will vanish with it. So you went and hid Bastian somewhere with Grandpa, didn’t you?”