Mom, Dad Is With Another Pretty Woman!

"Gianna, Steven doesn't love you anymore. Do you really think you can keep making trouble like before? Even if you don't care about yourself, you should think about your son."

Bella turned the knife toward me again.

Mom hesitated, her grip on my hand tightening. That was her way of telling me to be strong, so I squeezed her hand back with all my strength.

Then, as if shedding her gloom, Mom suddenly smiled—calm, almost serene.

"In that case, do as you please," she said.

Seeing Mom retreat, Bella's grin widened, her arrogance swelling. She tossed all my birthday gifts out, then split my cake in two with a vicious swipe.

But just then, the chandelier above groaned with a sharp creak.

Mom's eyes flicked upward instinctively. Too absorbed in smashing everything she could get her hands on, Bella didn't notice.

The next second, the chandelier snapped free and came crashing down, striking her squarely.

Blood splattered across the polished floor.

Mom quickly covered my eyes, but I still heard her voice, laced with a smile.

"Oops, Bella. I forgot to tell you—the chandelier is rusty. It could've fallen at any time."

Bella was carried out by an ambulance that night.

And I got a brand-new strawberry cake and fresh gifts from Mom.

The incident made the papers the very next day. Strangely, Dad didn't get angry at Mom the way he had before. Instead, he started coming home more often, and for the first time, he never mentioned Bella's name again.

I didn't understand why, until one late night when I overheard Mom speaking to the butler in the study.

"Bella's child died under that chandelier. Her face was ruined too. I suppose Mr. Pearson decided she was no longer of use, so he cast her aside. Now he's preparing to return to his family, to you and the young master," the butler said.

Mom stared out the dark window, her voice was cold. "Let's hope so."

In the days that followed, Dad really did change. He came home early, bringing me piles of toys and treats.

Mom's jewelry case filled quickly, and those designer clothes could hardly fit into the wardrobe.

Mom seemed to have also felt Dad's change, and the smile on her face gradually returned.

One day, Dad said he wanted to take us to visit Grandpa and Grandma. Their home was far away; and we drove for hours.

When the car reached a bridge, Dad suddenly stopped.

I thought he wanted to enjoy the view.

But in the next heartbeat, the doors flew open. Mom and I were dragged out.

Gone was his gentle facade—he looked at us with naked killing intent.

"Gianna, I told you Bella was no threat to your position, but you targeted her again and again. Because of you, she can't bear children anymore, and her face is ruined beyond recognition. Do you have any idea how deeply that destroyed her?"

"I've been coming home every day, treating you and Justin well, just so you'd let your guard down—so you'd agree to ride in this car today without your bodyguards."

With that, he gave the order. His men seized me and hurled me into the raging river below.

The moment I hit the water, Mom clutched me tight, her scalding tears falling onto my face.

Above the roar of the current, I still heard Dad's voice.

"Justin, don't blame me for being cruel. Your mother refuses to behave and is leading you astray. This is just a little lesson for both of you."

As the icy water swallowed me whole, I suddenly understood the words my mother once whispered, sitting alone in her room with red-rimmed eyes, staring at the wedding photo of her and my father in their youth.

"Times change, and people change with them."

My father's heart had grown as cold and indifferent as that river.

When I woke up again, I was in a hospital bed. Mom—wrapped in bandages—sat at my bedside, her eyes red and swollen from crying. She held me tight and kept apologizing, blaming herself for the pain I'd suffered.

But Mom was the one who had suffered the most, yet she never once complained.

That night she told me to sleep early because she had to go out to handle something. I felt uneasy and quietly followed her.

She went to the villa Dad had bought for Bella. With a group of bodyguards, she smashed the place, throwing everything into pieces, and then bound Bella.

When Dad arrived, windblown and furious, his face was ashen with rage.

“Gianna, must you push me to the grave to feel satisfied?” Mom sneered, toying the dagger between her fingers.

“I’m only treating you the way you treat others—how does that become forcing you to death when it’s you?” she snapped.

She pressed the blade to Bella's throat, and blood oozed out quickly.

Dad dropped to his knees without hesitation. "Gianna, please—please don't hurt Bella. She's innocent. If you let her go, I'll do whatever you want."

"You're doing this to force a divorce, aren't you?" he begged. "Fine—I'll sign."

He barked the words out, then had someone fetch the papers. With shaking hands he signed and pushed the agreement toward her.

Mom didn't even look at it—she ripped the page to shreds.

"You said when we got married, there's no divorce, only death. Today I must kill you both," she said, calm as a blade.