Chapter 3

Michael grabbed Helen, stopping her in her tracks.

His voice shook. "Grace, what do you want?"

He changed how he addressed me.

He went from calling me "Mrs. Stone" to "Grace."

That meant, in his mind, he'd already drawn a line between us; we were enemies now.

"What do I want?" I echoed, a cold, mocking smile tugging at my lips. "Actually, that's a question I should be asking you.

"Michael, Linda, you took my daughter and raised her as your own for eighteen years. What did you think you were doing?

"Helen, you lied to me for eighteen years, made me your workhorse for eighteen years. What did you think you were doing?

"And Richard wanted me to walk away with nothing, not even a penny, even as he was dying. What did he think he was doing?"

My voice kept getting colder, and the air in the room felt like it had turned to ice.

"Every single one of you owes me," I said. "Now it's time to pay up."

Linda finally couldn't take it anymore; she fell to her knees with a thud.

"Grace, I'm sorry. We messed up! It's all our fault," she wailed.

She grabbed onto my legs, bawling her eyes out, snot and tears running down her face.

"It was all Mom and Richard's idea to swap the babies. I didn't dare say no," Linda sobbed. "Please, for the sake of all our years as sisters-in-law, just let us go."

She started shifting the blame.

She threw all the blame onto the dead and the old, hoping nobody would call her out.

Helen was so furious her whole body was trembling.

"You heartless woman. Who was the one crying and begging for a son just to make sure she had a foothold in the Stone family?" Helen snapped. "And now that things have gone wrong, you want to wash your hands of it?"

The Stone family was in chaos.

An epic dog-eat-dog drama was unfolding in the hospital room.

I watched with a cold gaze, unmoved.

Emily sat on the floor, dazed, looking at her biological mother, Linda, and then at Helen, who had always treated her like a treasure.

Everything she believed in since she was a kid shattered in an instant.

She wasn't some pampered princess.

She was nothing more than a bargaining chip for her real parents.

Micah cleared his throat, trying to take control of the situation.

"Everyone, please calm down," he said. "Things are complicated right now. I suggest we all sit down and talk this through."

"Talk?" I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Mr. Cole, there's nothing to talk about.

"First, I'm taking back my legal share of Richard's inheritance. As for the other half, since Emily isn't his real daughter, we'll let the court decide if that will stands.

"Second, every dollar in this ledger was given to his family by Richard during our marriage, without my permission. I have the right to take it all back. We'll see each other in court, just like before.

"Third..."

I paused, letting my eyes scan everyone in the room before finally landing on Linda.

"I'm taking my daughter, Anna, back with me right now," I said.

I was the one who named her Anna.

All I ever wanted was for her to live a peaceful and happy life.

But what did she ever get from the Stone family?

Linda's sobbing came to an abrupt halt.

She looked up, her eyes frantic and full of panic.

"No please, you can't" Linda pleaded. "Anna she's gotten used to living out in the countryside. If you take her away now, she won't be able to handle it"

"Not able to handle it?" I snapped.

It felt like needles were stabbing my heart.

"Linda, be honest with yourself," I said. "Is Anna really 'living' out there?

"You left her with your gambling-addicted brother. How many times have you actually gone to see her all year long?

"Did you ever give her a single cent for her upkeep?

"Did you ever buy her even one brand new outfit, or a new backpack?"

All these years, I never dared to visit Anna openly.

I could only visit her in secret, pretending to be a kind-hearted lady from town.

I'd bring her food, clothes, and help her with her homework.

Every time I saw her, so tiny and frail, wearing those ill-fitting old clothes, and she'd call me "Auntie" in that timid voice, my heart shattered every single time.

I saw her so-called uncle, always either beating her or screaming at her, drunk out of his mind.

I saw her, just a little kid, already doing laundry, cooking, and taking care of that deadbeat.

I hated it all.

I hated everyone in the Stone family.

And I hated myself even more for being so helpless.

All I could do was endure.

I kept enduring, waiting for the day Richard Stone finally went down, and waiting for the day I could get back everything they owed me.

My questions left Linda completely speechless.

All the color drained from her face.

Michael was getting anxious too.

"Grace, don't go too far," he snapped. "We have raised her for eighteen years—"

"Shut up," I snapped, cutting him off. "Do you even have the right to say you 'raised' her?

"Michael, seriously, how many times have you actually seen her?

"You don't even know her name, or what grade she's in, do you?"

Michael was left speechless, his face shifting from pale to red with shame and anger.

I didn't spare them another glance.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.

"Hello, Nathan?" I said. "It's me, Grace."

"Yeah, he's gone. We can start the process now.

"First, apply for asset preservation. Freeze every account Richard owns, plus the main assets under Michael and his wife's names.

"Second, file for divorce and reclaim every dollar Richard handed out behind my back.

"Third, and most importantly."

I looked straight at Linda, my voice cold as ice.

"I'm filing to change custody and take Anna back," I said. "Right now. No delays.

"You have half a day to send someone out to the countryside and bring Anna back to me, not a scratch on her.

"If even a single hair is missing, Linda, I swear you'll pay dearly for every single thing you've done to her."

With that, I hung up.

The hospital room fell into a dead silence.

The Stone family stared at me, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

They finally realized I wasn't here to negotiate.

I was here to give them a warning.

The war had already begun.

And I was ready for battle, with every weapon at my disposal.

Emily scrambled up from the floor and rushed over to me.

"Grace!" she was practically screaming. "What about me? What am I supposed to do now?

"You raised me all these years, and now you're just going to throw me away? Are you really going to ruin me like this?"

I looked straight at her.

At the face that had once meant everything to me, but now was just a stranger.

I didn't feel a thing and said, "Emily, from this day forward, you and I are nothing to each other. Your real parents are right there."

I pointed at Linda, slumped on the floor, and Michael, his face drained of color.

"Go to them," I said. "Ask them what they can actually give you."

With that, I didn't spare her another glance and turned to leave.

I wasn't staying in this hellhole a second longer.

I needed to wash all this filth off me and change into something clean.

Then, I'd go get my Anna.

My daughter.

I was here to take her home.

I walked out of the hospital room.

Behind me, the Stone family erupted into chaos, yelling, cursing, and wailing.

Helen was cursing Linda.

Michael was pulling at Linda, trying to restrain her.

Emily was screaming.

None of it had anything to do with me anymore.

I walked into the hospital restroom, turned on the faucet, and kept splashing cold water on my face and hands.

The icy water slowly cleared my muddled mind.

In the mirror, I saw a woman I barely recognized staring back at me.

Her face was ghostly pale, with dark circles under her eyes, but her gaze was shockingly bright, almost fierce, like it could burn right through anything.

That look held hatred, resolve, and a glimmer of something new, like the start of a whole new life.

From now on, I was living for myself and for Anna.