Chapter 3
792 Words
When Avery rushed hurriedly to the hospital, her mother lay on the hospital bed, barely clinging to life.
"I never thought you would throw away your dignity just for money..."
She picked up the mobile phone lying on the floor. Playing on the screen was the video of her crawling into the dog cage.
"Mom, I can explain..."
She tried to speak, but her mother turned her head away, refusing to look at her again, her face etched with nothing but disappointment.
As her mother was wheeled into the operating room, her phone suddenly buzzed nonstop, flooded with abusive messages as countless people tagged and mentioned her.
A: [Mrs. Caldwell used to sell herself for money. She is utterly shameless and low.]
B: [Acting like a dog is what she does best. She's just going back to her old trade, isn't she?]
C: [I bet her family is absolutely mortified, probably sick of her to death. She deserves whatever happens to her!]
She quickly traced the posts back to their source.
It was Seraphina, who had twisted every detail and painted Avery as a woman who gave herself up just for cash.
Seraphina even maliciously edited the recording where Avery had revealed private matters, completely changing the context.
Seeing her mother's life hanging in the balance because of anger, Avery's self-control crumbled, consumed entirely by rage.
With trembling hands, she posted a verified clarification online.
These rumors were all made up by Seraphina Carrington. She forced me to crawl into that cage. Regarding what happened years ago, I was the victim, not the guilty party!
Within ten minutes, Seraphina appeared before her, tears streaming down her face.
She was covered in red paint from head to toe, and there were bruises and marks visible on her arms.
"Mrs. Caldwell, how could you turn the whole internet against me? People are crowding outside my house, threatening to kill me to 'punish the wicked.' Waaah, it's terrifying..."
Donovan stepped in right behind her.
When he saw Seraphina's state, he looked at Avery with eyes full of disappointment.
"Avery, I told you before," Lachlan snapped, his eyes blazing with anger. "You can fight with me or make trouble however you like, but you are never, ever allowed to hurt Seraphina!"
He stepped forward, glaring at her.
"She is the only person who can save your life. Have you no conscience left at all?"
Dark spots swam before Avery's eyes; she had to lean hard against the wall just to stay upright.
"She drove my mother to critical condition with her lies. Don't I have the right to clear my name?"
Donovan froze for a second, then understood what she meant, and let out a cold, knowing laugh.
"You dragged your own mother into this act just to frame Seraphina? Do you think it's fair to gang up on an innocent young girl like this?"
Seraphina's sobs grew louder and more pitiful.
"If Mrs. Caldwell truly hates me this much and wants to destroy me completely, I have no choice but to jump from the building! I have never suffered such humiliation or unfair treatment in my whole life..."
With that, she made as if to rush toward the balcony on the fifteenth floor.
Donovan moved quickly to stop her, then stood silent for several seconds.
Then his cold, harsh command exploded in Avery's ears, "Admit to everything Seraphina said about you."
It felt as if a bomb had gone off inside her head. She looked up at him, stunned.
"Donovan, I am your wife!"
She remembered how he used to hold her tight, shielding her in his arms, telling her none of it was her fault... that the real villains were the monsters who had hurt her.
Now, just to please Seraphina, he was ordering her, the victim, to publicly confess to crimes she never committed.
"I will never do it!" Her voice came out weak, almost breathless.
Donovan laughed, sharp and angry, took out his phone, and tapped rapidly on the screen.
Just then, the doctor rushed out from the operating room, sweat pouring down his face.
"Mrs. Caldwell, the payments from your mother's bank card were suddenly declined. Her condition is now extremely critical. We need roughly eight hundred thousand dollars to continue treatment and save her life!"
She lifted her head in disbelief, meeting Donovan's gaze, his eyes now hard and threatening.
"Go live online right away and admit that Seraphina never slandered you. Say you were the one who approached others and offered yourself for money. If you don't..." he paused, letting the threat hang heavy in the air. "If you don't, you will get no money at all... not for your own care, and certainly not for your mother's treatment."
- Writer
