Chapter 6

"What happened to your face?"

Adeline anxiously gathered Lily into her arms.

The child had injuries on her cheekbone and at the corner of her mouth, with even a red mark on her forehead.

"Did someone hit you? Tell Mommy, and I'll make it right."

Lily buried her face in Adeline's chest. "Mommy, the kids at preschool said I don't have a daddy. They called me a bastard. I told them I'm not—I have a mommy."

The rest was too awful to repeat.

She couldn't bring herself to say how they had insulted Adeline, calling her an unwed mother, saying she'd been abandoned. It was too much to bear.

Young as she was, she understood plenty.

So she'd fought back.

Adeline froze, feeling as if a wad of cotton had lodged in her throat.

Lily suddenly asked, "Mommy, you said Daddy went somewhere far away. Where did he go? When is he coming back?"

The man's face hazily appeared in Adeline's mind.

She closed her eyes and held Lily gently.

"Your daddy was a great hero who went on a mission. It's not that he doesn't want to come back—he can't come back."

"Did Daddy die?"

Adeline pressed her lips together. "Yes."

Lily had never met her father, and while she yearned for him somewhat, it hadn't reached the point of desperate need.

There was just a vague emptiness inside her.

But she didn't fully understand.

"That's so sad for Daddy."

Adeline said, "Remember, your father was a brave warrior. Don't mind what others say. Your daddy loved you very, very much."

Lily's tears gave way to a smile.

"I'll listen to Mommy."

Her hug was tight, and as Adeline sat sideways on the bed, it pressed against her injured knee. Pain shot through her entire body.

She carefully tucked her daughter into bed without showing her discomfort, then slowly made her way to the living room, where she lifted her skirt.

Her left knee was swollen and shiny, as if someone had stuffed a dinner roll under her skin. The skin stretched taut, and when pressed, it left a shallow dent that took ages to bounce back.

Adeline gasped. She had thought she would get better in a few days, but seeing it getting worse, she knew she had to go to the hospital.

Worried that Lily would panic if she woke to find her gone, she left a note.

[Food is on the table. Remember to eat. Mommy went out to buy something.]

She headed straight to the hospital.

A female doctor treated her, arranged by Frank.

When the results came in, he immediately found Adeline.

"You have capillary rupture with fluid collecting in the synovial cavity, causing the severe swelling. Fortunately, there's no damage to the ligaments or bones, but immediate treatment is necessary. You'll need infrared therapy twice daily to reduce swelling, along with oral medication to improve circulation. Apply this special ointment three times a day."

Frank wrote out the prescription as he spoke.

Adeline's heart sank.

Therapy at forty-five dollars per session, ointment patches at fifteen dollars for two applications daily, medication at seventy dollars per box, plus ultrasound follow-ups... altogether nearly six hundred dollars.

Six hundred dollars.

Enough to buy Lily imported nutritional supplements for three days.

She leaned against the wall and tried to bend her knee, which tightened painfully at just thirty degrees.

Walking on level ground would be manageable, but stairs would require her to move sideways, inch by inch.

She couldn't go back to Midnight Ember.

The stairs at the bar were steep and slippery. She wasn't afraid of falling, but those expensive bottles of liquor, if she broke anything, she couldn't afford to pay for it.

She gently touched her swollen knee. The pain wasn't severe, but it felt like a heavy stone pressing on her heart.

Frank sensed her distress. "This injury was caused by that car accident, right? Shouldn't the driver bear some responsibility?"

His words reminded Adeline.

She still remembered the license plate.

Frank volunteered eagerly, "Do you remember where the accident happened? I'll help you track them down. We're not trying to extort money—they hit you. If you hadn't been injured, we could let it go, but with your condition this serious, they should compensate you."

After his rambling, he contacted the traffic police.

Soon, he had concrete information.

On Pine Road, during that torrential downpour, a Bentley had indeed grazed Adeline. The security footage made one's heart clench.

With the surveillance video as evidence, plus the license plate Adeline provided, the police quickly contacted the owner and arranged a meeting time.

Adeline and Frank waited at the police station. Frank reassured her, "Don't worry. Once we get the compensation, you can go back to Lily."

"Ahem."

The officer cleared his throat.

Frank and Adeline instinctively turned around.

The station's fluorescent lights were disorienting. Adeline's fingers whitened around her medical records, and the dull pain in her back felt like a snake occasionally striking.

Her mind went blank.

How could it be him?

The officer tapped his desk. "Mr. Thomas, Ms. Brown claims that last Wednesday at 8 PM, your car sideswiped her at the Pine Road intersection, injuring her knee. She's seeking compensation for medical expenses and ongoing treatment."

Edward had been pulled from a meeting, irritation etched between his brows.

His gaze fell on Adeline.

She had lost even more weight, like a leaf that could be blown away by the slightest breeze.

Frank stood beside her like a protective knight.

Another fool, deserving to be deceived.

Ice crystallized in Edward's eyes as his lips curved into a mocking smile. "My car's bumper doesn't even have a scratch. You say it hit you?"

Adeline's throat tightened.

Just as she was about to explain, he cut her off, "Now you're resorting to insurance scams? You must be desperate for money."

Perhaps because of her previous experience,

She didn't even feel particularly hurt—just calmly explained, "That night I was trying to get to the hospital, and you were driving so fast—"

Her voice was interrupted.

"I demand to see the surveillance footage and verification report," Edward said without even looking directly at her.

The surveillance footage existed, of course.

But the heavy rain made it extremely blurry.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "How can you be sure this car is mine?"

Adeline was taken aback. "Your car should have a dash cam."

"Sorry, the recorder broke yesterday, and all the footage was damaged. I haven't had time to get it fixed yet."

This was the truth.

Edward said coldly, "Without concrete evidence, I won't pay compensation."

"But I know your license plate. If I hadn't seen your car with my own eyes, how would I possibly know?"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Because she met Edward's mocking gaze.

"You're so desperate for compensation money—who knows if you researched wealthy men to target?"

"After all, you're very short on cash."

Adeline's throat constricted.

Edward turned his attention back to the screen, suddenly asking, "Who is this child?"

Frank immediately said, "Right, Lily can testify—"

"No!"

Adeline's reaction was extreme.

Everyone was startled.

Edward regarded her expressionlessly. "What's your relationship with this child?"

"That's my business." Adeline's face tensed with regret. She should never have pursued this compensation.

"The child is sick and staying with her mother for recovery."

She lowered her head, fingers turning white.

"Forget it. I don't want the compensation anymore. Dr. Nelson, please take me home."

She sat in a wheelchair.

Though Frank disagreed, he could see she had some unspoken difficulty and couldn't bear to force her.

"Stop."

They had barely turned around when they halted again.

A stack of cash was thrown onto the table—about ten thousand dollars. Several bills fell to the floor, mirroring Adeline's fallen dignity.

Humiliated to dust.

"Is that enough?"

Edward towered over her.

It felt less like compensation and more like tossing spare change to a homeless person.