Chapter 3

Vivian's POV

My entire body went rigid.

Leo stood in the doorway, pointing directly at me.

"I saw her take Serena's ring last night!"

I stared at him in disbelief.

I'd already promised not to fight Serena for him anymore, but hearing those words still felt as if someone had reached into my chest and crushed my heart.

"Leo, I was only there to deliver the divorce papers—"

Before I could finish, Adrian shoved me hard onto the bed.

He looked down at me.

"He's just a child. And he's your biological son. Why would he lie about something like this?"

"Adrian..."

Serena immediately pulled Leo into her arms and kissed his cheek.

"Thank goodness we still have Leo. Otherwise, people might actually think I was deliberately framing you."

Leo's little face turned bright red.

Serena looked up, her smile never reaching her eyes.

"Vivian, even your own son isn't on your side. Do you really think there's anything left for you to explain?"

She paused, then added with feigned generosity, "Of course, you don't have to admit anything."

Adrian suddenly laughed.

"My legal team hasn't handled a criminal case in a while. This might be a good opportunity for them to get some practice."

My heart sank.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

Serena held Leo in her arms, her red lips curving into a smile.

"Don't be nervous. I'm your elder, after all. How could I actually send you to prison?"

"Let's do this instead. That ring belonged to my mother. Just pay me its value."

"How much?"

"Ten million dollars."

I froze.

Her so-called family heirloom was nothing more than a cheap imitation.

And ten million dollars just happened to be the total amount Adrian had given me over the years as his so-called compensation.

Adrian frowned.

I swallowed.

"I already burned it."

Serena sighed softly while holding Leo.

"Vivian, if you don't want to pay, just say so. Why make up such a ridiculous excuse?"

As she spoke, her eyes turned red again.

"Forget it. It was only something my mother left me. It wasn't worth much, anyway. But it was the only thing I had left to remember her by."

She turned to leave.

But Adrian reached out and stopped her.

"She took something. She should pay the price."

He looked at me casually.

"If you can't afford to pay, there are other ways to make up for it."

"Adrian!"

I stared at him in shock.

"I really don't have ten million dollars! I'm not lying!"

"I know."

He leaned down and grabbed my wrist.

"Don't you still have a husband?"

The next second, he dragged me forcefully out of bed.

My knees slammed against the cold floor.

Adrian ordered his men to take Leo outside before putting an arm around Serena's waist.

"Whatever I tell you to do, you'll do it."

The door closed in front of me.

A short while later, I heard Serena let out a surprised cry from inside.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

For ten whole hours, I was repeatedly summoned into that room.

I had to serve drinks, bring water, clean up the mess, and kneel to apologize whenever they demanded it.

After each task, they had someone record a sum of money against the supposed debt I owed.

Whenever the servants passed by, they whispered and laughed at me.

"One trip into that room earns her a million dollars off her debt. Not a bad deal."

"If it were me, I'd rather die than suffer that kind of humiliation."

"Imagine that. The young mistress of the Moretti family reduced to this."

"That's what you call enduring humiliation for the greater good."

"Hahaha! Nicely put!"

Only the old butler, who had always taken care of me, couldn't bear to watch.

He quietly approached and tugged at my sleeve.

"Madam..."

"I'm fine."

I lowered my eyes to my palms.

The places where my nails had broken the skin had already begun to scab over.

Back then, Adrian had knelt before his mother, begging her not to let anyone humiliate me like this.

Now he was the one making me kneel outside his room with another woman.

The fourteen-year-old Vivian Hayes could never have imagined that she would end up like this.

But fourteen had been fourteen years ago.

I closed my eyes.

"It was time to grow up."

The last time they summoned me into the room, I finally stood up.

Apart from the ten million dollars deducted from my supposed debt, another six million had been deposited into my account.

That was the additional compensation Adrian had transferred to make sure I continued cooperating.

I didn't look back at the closed door.

While they were still occupied inside, I carefully arranged the divorce papers and placed them neatly on the table.

Then I picked up my bank card.

As I turned to leave, a small head appeared around the corner of the hallway.

It was Leo.

He looked nervous.

"Mommy... I..."

I didn't answer.

I simply walked past him.

This time, I never looked back.