Chapter 2

Grace turned to see Charles rushing out of the villa like a madman. He was wearing a black shirt, looking particularly handsome in the sunlight.

He jumped into the pool without hesitation, quickly holding Emily, his face full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Emily, like an injured bird, leaned against Charles, her face pale, indistinguishable between tears and water. "Charles, my belly hurts," she murmured.

As soon as she finished speaking, blood stained the pool water.

Charles looked up and glared at Grace. "What did you do to her?"

Grace instinctively shook her head. "I...I didn't push her, she..."

Charles was furious, his expression cold. "Do you think I'm blind?"

Emily trembled as she grabbed Charles' shirt. "Charles, our baby, the baby..."

Charles' face was filled with concern as he carefully lifted Emily from the pool. He gently reassured her, "Don't worry, we're heading to the hospital."

Grace's heart ached as if someone had stabbed her. He didn't even give her a chance to explain and directly condemned her. She was his wife!

Watching Charles carry Emily, Grace took small steps forward, tugging at his shirt, softly explaining, "Charles, I really didn't..."

Charles' mind was all on Emily. He forcefully pushed Grace's hand away. He snapped, "Get lost! Stay away from her!"

Grace stumbled, almost falling, and Charles didn't even look at her.

At the door, Charles stopped, slowly turned around, his eyes full of cold killing intent. He warned, "You better pray that Emily is okay, or I won't let you off!"

Grace felt a sharp sting from Charles's cold gaze, and an overwhelming sense of powerlessness washed over her.

As she watched him anxiously leave with Emily in his arms, Grace instinctively touched her belly and bit her lip.

"Sorry, but you need to leave," the servant of the mansion said, issuing an eviction order.

Grace was kicked out of Serenity Manor, utterly humiliated.

From that day on, Charles gave an order: except for necessary prenatal check-ups, Grace was not allowed to step out of the house, effectively putting her under house arrest.

At the same time, Grace received a divorce agreement. The moment her fingers touched the divorce papers, it was as if she saw Charles's indifferent face and the cold fury in his eyes.

From the day she received the divorce papers, Grace never saw Charles again.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the second month after Grace had given birth.

On this day, Grace was playing with her child as usual when she suddenly noticed something amiss. Her hand holding the toy suddenly stopped, and she frowned, "Mia, why is the baby's face so red?"

Mia Wilson came over, shaking a bottle, "Ms. Windsor, is he sick?"

Mia touched the baby's forehead and exclaimed, "So hot, Ms. Windsor, the baby seems to have a fever."

"Let's go to the hospital!" Grace said. She panicked, not even bothering to change her clothes, and rushed out with Mia and the baby.

Since becoming a mother, Grace couldn't bear to see her child suffer even a little. Looking at the baby's flushed face, tears welled up in her eyes.

Fortunately, there was no traffic today, and they arrived at the hospital smoothly.

After a series of examinations, an hour had passed. Mia went to the pharmacy to get the medicine. The baby's fever had subsided, and Grace held him, his little mouth occasionally moving, looking adorable.

Watching the baby sleep peacefully, Grace couldn't help but smile. Although Charles didn't care about her, at least she still had her children.

Just as Grace was immersed in happiness, the light above her suddenly dimmed.

Thinking it was Mia returning, Grace looked up with a smile, "Mia, look at him…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Grace stopped, her expression instantly turning cold, "Emily, what are you doing here?"

Grace never expected to run into Emily when she took her child to the hospital.

Emily raised her slender eyebrows and reached out with her long nails to touch the baby's face. She smirked, "Why can't I be here? The hospital isn't owned by your family! Look at this child, sleeping so soundly."

Grace was startled and quickly stepped back with the baby, watching her warily, "What do you want? Stay away from my child!"

Emily sneered, folding her arms and looking at her disdainfully, "Grace, don't forget, the divorce agreement clearly states that this child will be raised by Charles. And he has already signed the divorce agreement with you."

Emily paused and smiled with triumph, "I'm marrying Charles soon, and I'll be this child's mother. You should be reasonable and let me see the child, so we can bond."

The provocation and smugness on Emily's face deeply stung Grace.

Grace's hands clenched into fists at her sides. The thought of this malicious woman becoming her child's stepmother made her tremble with anger.

But what could Grace do in her anger? She couldn't change the terms of the divorce agreement, nor could she fight Charles for custody of the child.

Suppressing the urge to hit Emily, Grace forced herself to stay calm, her face cold. "Charles isn't here. I won't let you see the child!" she said firmly.

With that, Grace turned to leave with the baby. Although she still had feelings for Charles, she no longer had any illusions about their marriage. The child was very important to her. She would never let Emily take him away easily.

Emily wasn't about to let her go so easily. She quickly blocked her path and tried to snatch the baby. She snorted, "You want to see Charles? Stop dreaming! Today, you must give me the child!"

Grace had just given birth and hadn't fully recovered. She was thin and weak, and with the baby to care for, she was no match for Emily.

After a few rounds of struggling, Grace was already exhausted. Emily took the opportunity to push her hard, causing Grace to lose her balance and fall.

As a mother's instinct, she protected the baby as she fell, landing on her back with a muffled groan of pain.

"Ms. Windsor!" Mia shouted. She had just returned and, dropping the medicine quickly, helped Grace up.

Seeing the whole process of Grace's fall, Mia didn't hesitate and slapped Emily.

Emily was stunned, covering her face and glaring at Mia in shock, "You, you actually dared to hit me!"

Mia angrily retorted, "So what if I hit you? How dare you bully Ms. Windsor!"

Worried about causing a scene, Grace quickly handed the baby to Mia and stood in front of her, warning in a low voice, "Emily, this is a hospital, a public place. You'd better not go too far!"

Grace knew Emily's character well and was worried she would cause trouble here. Emily might not care about her dignity, but Grace did.

Emily suddenly pursed her lips, revealing a calculating smile.

Grace immediately had a bad feeling. She looked up and saw Emily slap herself hard on the other side of her face. Her face instantly turned red and swollen.

The sound of the slap was crisp, and Emily, covering her swollen face, tearfully and pitifully said, "Grace, I was just concerned about the child. Please don't misunderstand."

Grace and Mia were completely stunned, not knowing what Emily was up to.

Grace tensed as she heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind; she already knew what was about to unfold.

Hearing the slap, Charles quickly walked over. When he saw Emily's red and swollen cheek, he turned and glared at Grace, his face instantly darkening with rage.

Grace's already pale face turned even whiter, and she stared at Charles without blinking.

Seeing her backer arrive, Emily threw herself into Charles's arms, sobbing, "Charles, I saw Grace and the baby at the hospital and wanted to show some concern, but Grace was really hostile and wouldn't let me get near them."

Emily sniffled, clutching her chest, crying so hard she could barely breathe, "Charles, if our child were still here, it would be born by now. I miss our child so much."

Charles's cold face was full of heartache. He held Emily tightly and gently said, "Don't cry. I'll make it right for you."

Emily lowered her head, slightly pursing her red lips, revealing a triumphant smile.

Charles held Emily in his arms and turned, his cold gaze falling on Grace. "Did you hit Emily?" he questioned. His imposing manner made Grace take a step back in fear.

Mia stepped forward to explain, but Grace pulled her back, protecting her and the baby behind her.

Grace knew Emily's tricks before. Mia was straightforward and no match for Emily. No matter what Mia said, Charles wouldn't believe her.

Grace took a deep breath, raised her head to meet his gaze, and coldly said, "I hit her."

Mia tugged at her sleeve cautiously, full of guilt. Emily was also stunned, not expecting Grace to admit it so easily.

Charles's face turned even colder. He looked down at Emily and asked, "How many times did she hit you?"

Emily blinked, her eyes glistening, and whispered, "Just once."

Looking at Emily's red and swollen face, Charles coldly asked again, "How many times did she hit you?"

Emily sniffled, pretending to be reluctant to tell the truth, "Five times."

Mia was anxious and loudly defended, "You're lying! It wasn't Ms. Windsor who hit you, it was me…"

"Mia!" Grace quickly pulled her back, cutting her off, "Mia, the baby must be hungry. Take him to the nursing room."

Grace turned her back to Charles and Emily, winking at Mia.

Mia had no choice but to hold back, glaring coldly at Emily before taking the baby to the nearby nursing room.

After Mia left, Grace turned around, bracing herself to face them. She said, "It was wrong of me to hit you. I apologize."

Charles narrowed his eyes, looking at her coldly.

Emily sniffled, pretending to be magnanimous, and softly said, "Grace, we're good friends. It's okay, I won't blame you."

Grace pursed her lips and sneered. This scene felt all too familiar.

Emily looked up, tears streaming down her face. "Charles, my face hurts so bad. I need to see a doctor."

Charles' face darkened immediately. He tightened his grip on Emily's shoulder and said, "I'll take you to the doctor after I get justice for you."

He turned to Grace, his voice icy. "Come with me."

The hospital was packed, and he didn't want to draw attention.

Grace lowered her eyes, nervously clutching her clothes as she followed him.

In an empty office, Charles sat on the sofa with his arm around Emily's waist. Grace stood in front of them, her heart aching as she watched their affectionate display.

Charles looked up and told the two bodyguards who had followed them in, "She hit Emily. Hold her down and give her fifty slaps."

Grace's head shot up, her eyes wide with pain and shock. The man she loved so deeply looked at her with nothing but coldness and disdain. She never imagined he would order fifty slaps for her because of Emily!

Tears welled up in Grace's eyes as she looked at Charles. His face, still handsome, now appeared distant and unfamiliar to her.

Biting her lip, she let out a bitter laugh, her heart aching unbearably. Crying, Grace pleaded, "Charles, can you hit me somewhere else? Please don't hit my face."

Her red, pleading eyes were filled with desperation. Fifty slaps would ruin her face!

Charles remained silent, his lips pressed together, his fingers clenching.

Sensing Charles' emotional shift, Emily tugged at his sleeve, pitifully saying, "Charles, let it go. Grace didn't mean it."

After a pause, Emily glanced at Grace, her tone aggrieved. "My face hurts so much. Take me to the doctor."

Emily's words seemed to reignite Charles' anger. He immediately ordered the bodyguards, "What are you waiting for? Do it!"

The bodyguards nodded and quickly moved to restrain Grace.

Grace had no strength to resist and fell to the ground. Before she could react, a bodyguard began to slap her face, causing a burning pain on one side of her face.

The continuous sound of slaps echoed in the empty office.

Grace didn't know how long it lasted. She tasted blood, and her mind was in a daze.

When her face and mouth were numb from the beating, the bodyguards finally stopped.

"Mr. Montague, we've finished. Exactly fifty slaps," one of the bodyguards reported respectfully to Charles.

For a moment, a look of smug crossed Emily's face. Still not content, she tugged at Charles' sleeve and said pointedly. "Charles, Grace should know her mistake now."

Charles raised an eyebrow, his cold gaze fixed on Grace. "Kneel and apologize, and I'll let you off today," he said.