Chapter 4
The doctor said, "The surgery wasn't very successful. The child was underwater for too long, and now he's suffering from acute kidney injury, liver damage, and other complications.
"More importantly, he was deprived of oxygen for over four minutes, which has led to irreversible brain damage. He could likely end up in a vegetative state."
The doctor held Olivia back outside the door, his tone full of apology.
The devastating news crashed over Olivia. She took several steps back in utter disbelief.
"No. No way. This can't be true!" she cried.
Frantic, she tried to dash into the hospital room, but someone stepped in to block her path.
"Olivia, I'm so sorry for what happened earlier. I should have kept a closer eye on Nina, and now this is all my fault," Grace said. She nervously wrung her handkerchief, her head hung low as she apologized.
Olivia was already on the verge of a breakdown, and seeing the person responsible for all this only made her blood boil.
She shoved Grace aside. "Get lost. If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened. Lucas wouldn't be stuck in that hospital bed, maybe never waking up."
Grace tried to step forward to apologize, but before she could, a tall figure stepped in front of her and caught Olivia's hand.
"What are you trying to do now? You couldn't look after your own child, so why are you blaming others?" Richard snapped. "You can't even protect your own kid. What's the point of you?"
Richard looked more menacing than ever, his gaze icy and frightening. "Guards, lock her up in the attic. No one is to let her out without my permission. Never."
Olivia's eyes were red with rage as she fought wildly to break free. "Let me go! Richard, you can't lock me up. This is illegal, do you even know that?"
"In Harbor City, I am the law," Richard replied.
He pulled Grace behind him with authority, watching Olivia being dragged away, her silhouette fading from view.
Olivia was completely subdued by Richard's bodyguards.
On the way, one of the bodyguards delivered some grim news to her.
He said, "Mrs. Stone, Mr. Stone advises you not to act rashly. Your brother has already been found by his creditors. The moment Mr. Stone gives the order, your brother will lose a few fingers."
Tears welled up in Olivia's eyes and fell straight down as overwhelming despair swallowed her. In the end, she gave up struggling.
Olivia clenched her fists tightly. If she ever got the chance, she would make them pay for every bit of suffering they caused her.
Right before Olivia was locked away in the attic, the private investigator she had hired managed to slip in, blending in perfectly as one of Richard's bodyguards.
He pressed close, whispering urgently in Olivia's ear, "Mrs. Stone, we've discovered you never had any miscarriages. Every single birth went off without a hitch.
"But Mr. Stone couldn't stand having daughters, so he lied to you, said you had lost them. Then he shipped all your girls off to some dirt-poor family way out.
"Those five girls were treated worse than livestock. The oldest refused to marry some creepy old bachelor thirty years her senior, so she ended up taking her own life."
At that moment, Olivia coughed up blood, all the pain and rage she had been holding in finally bursting out.
Blood stained her vision.
Her daughters. Her poor, poor girls!
If it weren't for Richard, the girls would never have suffered like this.
Olivia hated it. She hated herself for being so blind, for letting Richard play her like a fool.
"Mrs. Stone, I know you're devastated, but right now you need to stay strong and figure out how to escape," the detective whispered urgently.
Even the detective who uncovered the truth couldn't stand to see her like this. After a few quick words of comfort, he blended back in with the bodyguards and disappeared.
Olivia suffered from claustrophobia, and now she was locked away in a pitch-black attic so dark she couldn't even see her own fingers.
Days blurred together. Whenever Olivia tried to fight back, the bodyguards would give her a harsh beating.
Only when Olivia stayed obedient would Richard allow the bodyguards to show her a video of Lucas lying in his hospital bed, from afar, letting her catch a glimpse.
It wasn't until a month had passed that the door finally swung open, sunlight bursting in, eager to fill the room.
"Olivia, have you learned your lesson?" Richard asked.
He stood above her, radiating an air of absolute superiority.
Olivia flexed her numb fingers, finally letting go of any resistance. With her head hanging low, she muttered in defeat, "Yeah, I know I was wrong."
"Let her out," Richard ordered. He shot her a cold, dismissive glance, but the moment Nina's startled cry rang out from nearby, he instantly tensed up and rushed toward the next room.
Olivia watched Richard's back as he left, her eyes clouded with mixed emotions.