Chapter 2

But when I reached the door of the storage room Mrs. Gable had just walked out of, her face turned pale. She dashed forward, trying to block the door.

"That's just a utility closet! You can't go in there!"

All the bottled-up terror and anger exploded. I violently shoved her aside.

"Get out of my way!"

I slammed the door open.

The scene inside printed itself into my mind forever.

My Lily...

Her tiny body was kneeling on the freezing concrete floor. Her hair was a tangled mess, her face covered in tears and dirt. And her mouth was sealed shut with a thick strip of heavy-duty yellow duct tape.

She was whimpering softly, her body shivering with terror.

The moment she saw me, her big eyes lit up. She struggled to throw herself into my arms, but her small shoulders were pinned down by four women.

Audrey, Brenda, Claire, and Diana. The PTA moms.

They looked shocked to see me, but their expressions quickly morphed into pure sneer and arrogance.

3

"Lily!"

I screamed, my heart tearing to pieces. Like a wild animal, I lunged forward to grab my daughter.

But Claire and Brenda, who were closest to the door, grabbed my arms and pinned me back.

"Are you all insane?! What do you think you're doing to my daughter? Release her!" I thrashed wildly, glaring at them with murderous rage.

Audrey, the PTA President, slowly walked up to me with a cold smirk.

"Lily’s mom, this is an elite school. Your screaming is going to frighten the other children."

"Frighten the other children? Look at what you did to my daughter! She’s only six years old!"

My heart shattered as I watched Lily sob silently behind the tape.

Audrey let out a cruel laugh.

"We’re just helping you discipline her. Today, all the children cooperated, put on their costumes, and got their makeup done. But your daughter refused to participate. She has zero school spirit. If you don't teach her, we will."

Brenda piped up from the side, her voice dripping with venom.

"Exactly. One bad apple spoils the bunch. If she’s this selfish at six, she’ll grow up to be a menace."

Claire squeezed my arm harder, sneering, "Like mother, like daughter. The mom is a cheapskate who didn't contribute a single dime to the Teacher Appreciation fund. No wonder the daughter is a selfish, ungrateful little brat."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I don't even know how a family like yours got admitted into Oakridge Prep."

Looking at my trembling, terrified daughter, my last thread of sanity snapped.

"You sick monsters, let go of my daughter!"

I leaned down and bit Claire's arm as hard as I could.

"Ahhh!"

Claire let out a blood-curdling shriek and instinctively let go.

Using the distraction, I ripped my other arm away from Brenda and threw myself forward like a mother lion protecting her cub.

I shoved the women away, scooped Lily into my arms, and gently peeled the duct tape off her mouth with trembling fingers.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

The moment the tape was off, Lily burst into hysterical sobs. Her tiny body shook violently in my arms as she wrapped her hands tightly around my neck.

"Mommy, I'm scared! I want to go home!"

"Shh, baby, don't cry. Mommy's here. Mommy’s taking you home," I choked out, my own tears falling onto her cheeks.

I looked up, staring down the vile women and Mrs. Gable with pure hatred.

"You're going to pay for this. I'm calling the police. I will make sure every single one of you goes to prison."

At the word "police," Mrs. Gable's face went white, and she avoided my eyes.

But Audrey laughed as if I had just told the funniest joke in the world. She blocked my path, her face filled with arrogant amusement.

"The police? How cute. Do you honestly think the police can touch us? Look at you, wearing cheap clothes from a clearance rack. You couldn’t even afford the $1,000 class donation, and now you’re threatening us? Do you even know who I am?"

Brenda immediately bragged, "Audrey’s family is the biggest shareholder of Oakridge Prep! Everyone who is anyone in this city has to bow to her. Call the cops. Let's see who they drag away first."

Claire rubbed her bitten arm, glaring at me. "I've never once seen your husband show up since school started. You're probably some gold-digging single mom, or maybe she's just a bastard child from some dirty affair."

Diana let out an exaggerated laugh.

Lily seemed to understand the insults. She cried harder, squeezing me even tighter.

Seeing this, Audrey’s smirk widened. "A broke single mother? Or a dirty side chick? How pathetic. You think someone of your low status is worthy of shouting at me?"

4

Feeling my daughter shaking in my arms, and listening to their disgusting insults, my fear turned into a cold, calculating calm.

I looked directly into Audrey’s greedy eyes.

"Who told you I'm a single mother? I already called my husband before coming here. If you step aside and apologize to my daughter right now, I might show some mercy."

"Apologize? To you?"

The women burst into mocking laughter.

Audrey sneered, "Your husband? Please. There is no one in this city who can scare me."

I took a deep breath, holding Lily closer.

"My husband is Julian Vance. The Managing Director of Sterling Enterprises."

The moment I said the name, their laughter died.

Audrey froze. Then, she raised an eyebrow and stared at me with a twisted, amused expression.

"Julian Vance... is your husband?"

I scoffed and pulled out my phone, showing her my lock screen. It was a family photo of me, Julian, and Lily.

"Since you claim to know everyone in high society, you must recognize him. Do you need to double-check?"

Audrey stared at the photo, and then she burst into hysterical laughter. She laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach, staring at me like I was a madwoman.

"So, Lily's mother... your name is Vivian Sterling?"

My heart clenched. I had only registered as "Lily's Mom" on the WhatsApp group. None of them should have known my real name.

"How do you know my name?"

Audrey slowly stopped laughing, crossing her arms as she looked me up and down.

"Viv... i... an... Ster... ling."

"Audrey, this is hilarious! This woman is completely delusional!"

The other moms, who had been briefly tense, laughed even harder now, looking at me like I was a clown.

Diana pointed at me, tears of laughter in her eyes. "She claims to be Mr. Vance's wife? Oh my god, I can't breathe!"

I frowned, highly confused by their reactions.

Claire finally stopped laughing, shaking her head. "Do you have any idea who Audrey is? She is the real Mrs. Vance! You brought a photoshopped picture to claim you're married to Julian? Are you mentally ill?"

Mrs. Gable stepped forward to lecture me. "Lily's mom, lying like this is disgusting. Your daughter is going to copy your pathetic behavior. No wonder she’s an outcast. No one wants to be friends with a liar's child."

I stared at them in utter shock.

Julian was my husband. Even though he had always begged me to keep our marriage private to "protect his career," we were legally married.

I looked at their ugly, mocking faces, engraving each one into my memory.

"You have unlawfully confined and abused a child. The Sterling family will destroy you."

Audrey kept her smug, taunting smile. "Vivian, you are so incredibly stupid. Why don't you guess how I knew your name?"

I held my daughter tight, my mind racing with questions, but I chose to keep my mouth shut.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from the hallway.

"Mr. Vance, this way! They are in here!"

In the next second, the door was slammed open.

"What is going on here?"