Daniel gently carried Sophia and set her down in her wheelchair.
Watching him, I remembered the times I had cried from stomach pains, only to be brushed off with,
“Men are naturally careless. If you don’t say it, how would I know what you need?”
Now, he was tenderly covering Sophia with a blanket.
It turned out he wasn’t incapable of being gentle—he simply chose not to be with me.
Ms. Anderson and I waited at the orphanage gates early, though no one else could see me.
Daniel Harris saw only the director waiting and forced down his anger as he asked,
“Where is Grace Miller?”
Ms. Anderson trembled as she replied,
“Mr. Harris, Grace is truly dead.”
Daniel sneered,
“Then what, that brat was conceived out of thin air? Lies have their limits.”
“Same as before—if Grace doesn’t show herself within ten minutes, I’ll gouge out an orphan’s eyes and throw him from the rooftop.”
Hearing this, Ms. Anderson dropped to her knees, begging,
“Mr. Harris, I’m not lying. Lily was born through an emergency C-section after Grace passed away. Please, spare these children.”
At those words, Sophia Lee’s eyes flashed with cruelty and satisfaction.
I remembered how, years ago, when she disfigured my body and dumped me in the mountains, she had whispered,
“This way, not even God could recognize you.
If you carry that child to term, how could I ever become Mrs. Harris?”
Daniel raised his eyes, and at his signal, a bodyguard dragged out a random orphan and blinded him.
I cried out desperately,
“I’m right here, Daniel, I’m right in front of you!
Don’t do this to these children—they are innocent!”
Ms. Anderson rushed forward to stop him but was kicked to the ground. She could only watch as the blinded orphan was thrown from the rooftop.
I tried again and again to catch the child as he fell, but my hands grasped only air. I could only watch in horror as his body hit the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
Ms. Anderson crawled to the boy, holding him in her arms, and pointed at Daniel:
“No wonder Grace never let Lily acknowledge you. A man like you will get what’s coming sooner or later!”
Daniel stepped forward, breaking her finger with a snap, and wiped his hands as he said coldly,
“This was only the first. If Grace refuses to show herself, I’ll keep throwing more.
It’s just a liver donation for Sophia—yet she clings so tightly to her life.”