Chapter 2
He was wearing a crisp suit, looking impossibly out of place in this filthy town.
After five years, he seemed even more severe, colder.
Well, it made sense. Now, he was the head of Hale Group.
He was no longer the young man who used to lean on my shoulder, seeking comfort and affection.
Rowena followed close behind and linked her arm with Everett's.
She said, "Everett, see? I told you it was just a lie.
"How could Liora be in such a place?"
I reached out to pinch his cheek in the air, wishing I could really touch him just once.
Idiot, he had been letting Rowena fool him for so many years.
Everett didn't speak. His gaze was fixed on the street corner.
He strode over and looked down at Celeste.
He demanded, "Kid, did you call me just now? Where is Liora?"
Celeste looked up. The instant she spotted him, her eyes lit up.
She called out, "Daddy, you're here!"
She wanted to rush over, but her excitement faltered under Everett's icy stare, making her freeze in place.
Everett snapped, "Your eyes are the same as hers. It's disgusting.
"Don't call me 'Daddy.' Where's Liora? Let her come here right now!"
Celeste's face turned pale from his roar.
She whispered, "My mommy's not here. She is in the black hole."
That was not just a dark hole, my silly girl.
That twisted bastard Gideon threw my body in a dry well.
Everett sneered, "Hiding away, doesn't even dare to face me, and make up such a lie? She's got some nerve."
Rowena leaned in and asked in a gentle but dangerous voice, "Come on, tell me. Did Liora teach you to say that?"
Celeste shook her head desperately, her eyes welling up with unshed tears.
Everett was out of patience, and then, he yanked Celeste's arm.
He threatened, "So you won't tell me? Well, I'll take you away. Let's see if she dares to show herself then.
"After all these years, she's still so damn selfish. Did your dad get into trouble, too? Did she just ditch you both?"
He grabbed Celeste's arm hard, making her wince in pain, her little face twisted up.
I looked at this scene, my whole body shaking with grief.
How could Everett do this to our Celeste?
We used to curl up together, laughing and imagining what our future baby would look like.
Back then, he'd get all serious and say, "When we have a baby someday, if it's a boy, we'll name him Eric. If it's a girl, we'll call her Celeste."
But now, he not only forgot, but also couldn't recognize Celeste.
Celeste suddenly stretched out her little hand, the one she'd been clenching so tightly the whole time.
She said, "My mommy asked me to give this to you."
She opened her palm, and inside was a talisman smudged with dirt.
Everett suddenly paused, his hand frozen in mid-air.
It was the talisman I got for him after praying at the church, hoping he'd stay safe. He cherished it and always kept it close.
The day he got into a car accident five years ago, the talisman was gone.
Rowena frowned for just a moment, and she said quickly, "Everett, that can't be yours.
"When you were unconscious, Liora never even showed up at the hospital."
She was totally lying.
The day I rushed to the hospital, I barely got to Everett before Rowena drugged me.
I only had time to yank off that talisman before I blacked out.
Everett's gaze turned cold again.
He threw the talisman to the ground and stomped on it hard a few times.
He sneered, "Figures, Liora's kid, lying comes naturally, even at this age.
"She made a fake to make me sentimental? Go easy on her? No way!"
He grabbed Celeste and shoved her into the car.
My soul followed the car, my heart feeling like it was shredded.
On the way, Celeste got carsick and said, "I feel sick. I want to throw up."
After the driver stopped, Celeste threw up right by the roadside.
Everett stood aside, his face full of disgust as he said, "Such a hassle."
He handed her a bottle of water and accidentally touched her little hand.
Everett asked, "Why are your hands so cold?"
"I lost my gloves and shoes while I was running," Celeste whispered, her voice weak.
Only then did Everett notice that her bare feet, purple from the cold, were covered in cuts and scrapes.
He paused for a moment, but said nothing.
Celeste looked at him and muttered softly, feeling wronged, "Mommy, no one will ever like me."
My heart twisted painfully.
Celeste had always been so strong. Whenever Gideon hit me, she'd throw her tiny body in front of mine, trying to shield me.
I'd whisper to her, "Just wait until we get out of the mountain, everything will be okay. Your daddy will love you so much."
But now, Everett, whom she'd been waiting for, had broken her heart.
When they arrived at the Hale family, Everett called a servant and ordered, "Take her to take a bath. She's filthy."
The servant paused, unsure what to do, holding the dirty, torn clothes Celeste had changed out of, but ended up approaching Everett anyway.
"Everett, she's got bruises and marks all over her. She said some bad guy used to hurt her mom all the time," the servant said.