They Cuffed Me, I Destroyed Their World

Chapter 6

"Naomi..." Adele swallowed the blood welling in her throat and reached out cautiously to lift Naomi into her arms. "I'm sorry... I failed to protect you..."

Overwhelmed by crushing grief, a wave of fiery rage surged through her. She jerked her head up, her eyes bloodshot as she stared fixedly at Dora standing before her.

It was her... She almost killed my child, and now she buried my puppy alive!

Adele shot out a hand and shoved Dora hard. She roared, "Dora, I'm going to kill you!"

She charged at Dora like a madwoman, and Dora screamed in terror.

But the next moment, a strong hand suddenly clamped around her wrist, followed by a stinging slap across her face.

Adele toppled to the ground, blood instantly trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Xavier stood in front of Dora, shielding her, and snapped sharply, "Adele! Are you out of your mind? What are you doing to Dora?!"

"What am I doing?" Adele pressed a hand to her swollen cheek, tears pouring down her face as she screamed in sheer despair, "She buried Naomi alive! She killed my dog! Can't you see that, Xavier? Are you blind?!"

Xavier's gaze flickered for a split second. When his eyes landed on the lifeless puppy, he clenched his fist hard.

Just then, Dora threw herself tearfully into Xavier's arms. "Xavier, I just wanted to grow more puppies to play with me... Adele is so scary. Boohoo..."

Xavier's expression softened instantly.

"It's okay, Dora. Don't be scared. I'm here. She won't dare hurt you." He patted Dora on the shoulder, then turned to look at Adele with icy coldness. "It was just a dog. Do you really expect Dora to pay for it with her life? She just doesn't know any better. Can't you cut her some slack?"

Adele looked at the man in front of her and suddenly thought how utterly strange this man who shared her bed had become.

He was no longer the boyfriend who would walk a few miles through a blizzard just to bring her a donut; nor was he the husband who would hold her in his arms and say "I love you" a thousand times over.

She had once believed that if she just held on a little longer, found the evidence, he would eventually see the truth.

But she was wrong. She should never have gotten her hopes up at all.

Adele crawled slowly over to Naomi and clutched her puppy tightly to her chest. Her face was empty of all expression, and she could not even squeeze out a single tear.

"Xavier." Her voice was very soft. "I want a divorce."

The moment the words left her mouth, Xavier stepped forward sharply, his brow deeply furrowed, and warned her in a harsh voice, "Adele, stop this nonsense!"

Adele had nothing more to say. Holding Naomi's body, she walked out step by step.

There were no more tears on her face, no more anger—only a dead, empty stillness.

She wandered aimlessly for a long time with Naomi in her arms, until the last warmth faded completely. She found a hillside covered in daisies and buried Naomi with her own hands beneath the flowers.

"I'm sorry... You have to stay here. Because that place... isn't home anymore..."

She slumped onto the steps, her hand trembling as she pulled out her phone and booked two one-way plane tickets to leave.

She could not wait any longer. As soon as Charlie's condition stabilized, she would take her son and leave this place for good.

Just then, her phone rang again, sharp and insistent. Adele's heart seized, and she answered with trembling hands.

"Are you Charlie's mother?" An anxious nurse's voice came through. "Charlie suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest; his condition is extremely critical. Please come to the hospital immediately!"

Adele's mind went completely blank. She shot to her feet and stumbled toward the roadside. "I'm coming right now! Please save him, please! I beg you!"