1 On a long holiday weekend, my twin boy, Lucas, and girl, Luna, innocently asked to go to an amusement park. That simple request derailed my husband, Jude’s, carefully laid plans to accompany his mistress to her prenatal appointment. In what he cruelly termed ‘discipline,’ he abandoned our children in the desolate, unforgiving desert. When I learned of this monstrous act, I immediately fell to my knees outside Jude Vance’s towering corporate headquarters, pleading for mercy. “Please, I beg you, spare our children! The desert is so dangerous, they could die out there at any moment. I promise, I’ll manage them better from now on, we won’t ever trouble you again!” But through the thin walls of his office, I heard it—the low moans of a man engaging in an illicit rendezvous, intertwined with his chillingly indifferent voice. “Get out! They’ve attended elite private academies since birth. If they can’t even handle simple survival, they’re not fit to be my children!” A week later, in the cold stillness of the city morgue, I identified my son and daughter. They had died of dehydration, their tiny bodies ravaged by scavengers, barely recognizable. That very night, the sky over Northwood City erupted in a dazzling display of fireworks, celebrating the impending arrival of his new child. “I can have more obedient children whenever I wish. Did those two disobedient brats finally learn their lesson?!” I forced a desolate, bitter laugh. “They’re… they’re dead.” Seeing the horrific state of my son and daughter, I felt as though the very heavens had caved in. My raw, heart-wrenching wails of agony echoed through the sterile silence of the morgue. “Lucas! Luna! My precious children!” The gut-wrenching agony of losing them felt like a thousand knives twisting in my heart. A sudden, coppery taste filled my mouth, and I collapsed, losing consciousness then and there. When I awoke, a breathtaking cascade of fireworks illuminated the hospital window. Nearby, nurses whispered excitedly. “They say the CEO of Vance Enterprises personally arranged this display to celebrate his beloved’s pregnancy. Such love is truly enviable.” “Spoiled rotten even before birth. It’s like they’ve stepped straight into a fairytale, the children of a novel’s heroes.” I merely managed a twisted, grotesque smile. Beneath the showering pyrotechnics, my heart slowly turned to ice, inch by agonizing inch. The image of my children’s lifeless, accusing faces, their eyes still open, flashed before me. Silently, I wiped the faint trace of blood from my lips and reached for my phone. I dialed Jude’s number. The cold, empty ringtone stretched on, an eternity of unanswered hope, before his impatient voice finally cut through. “Clara Hayes, I’m working.” “Didn’t I send someone to bring the children home today? At this hour, instead of soothing them to sleep, what new game are you playing?” But I knew. This lifetime, I would never again tell my Lucas and Luna a bedtime story. The thought choked me, words dissolving into incoherent sobs. “Jude, the children… they’re never coming home.” At my words, Jude’s voice instantly turned frigid. “Genna’s people have already reported back to me. Both children are perfectly fine. Stop trying to stir up drama!” “A doting mother spoils her children. If I didn’t harden my heart and send them away for a bit of training, what kind of future would they have? Don’t let your own spineless nature rub off on them!” “Alright, I don’t have time for your theatrics. Go home and reflect on yourself!” With that, he ruthlessly hung up. His scathing words fell, by sheer misfortune, into the ears of Grandma Vance, who had just arrived. She gasped, nearly fainting from rage, her face contorted in fury. “That monster! How dare he commit such a heinous, unspeakable act! I swear, he’s courting death!” “Clara, wait. I’m going to confront him right now!” I merely clutched the tiny charms I had made for Lucas and Luna, trembling uncontrollably from the depth of my grief. “There’s no need.” All Lucas and Luna had wanted was their father’s company, yet they were tortured and left to die! I finally saw it clearly: in Jude’s heart, Genevieve came first. Any attempts at reconciliation now were utterly futile. At the crematorium, watching my Lucas and Luna being pushed into the incinerator, I didn’t shed a single tear. Perhaps when a person reaches the absolute extreme of pain, only numbness remains. It was Grandma Vance who collapsed, clutching her chest, suffering a seizure on the spot. Finally, I tightly embraced the two small urns of ash. My voice was a barely audible whisper. “Let’s wander together, my darlings. We’ll never come back here again.” That night, the entire Vance family estate was draped in white mourning cloths. Portraits of my two children, their innocent and sweet smiles adorning the frames, stood at the very center of the grand hall. I knelt there in silence for six days and six nights, accompanying my Lucas and Luna on their final journey. This world was too cruel. Next life, my little ones, be reborn as kittens and puppies, and come find your mother, alright? Throughout those six days, Jude never even showed his face. The people sent to find him returned meekly, reporting, “Madam, Mr. Vance’s whereabouts are unknown.” “The company says he’s with Ms. Beaumont abroad, consulting a renowned gynecologist about her pregnancy.” Grandma Vance shot me a glance, her face burning with shame. She made countless calls, but none were answered. In a fit of rage, she smashed her phone. “Utterly lawless! For the sake of that woman, he even missed his own children’s funeral! My family does not breed such a beast!” Then, with tears streaming down her face, she apologized to me. “Clara, our Vance family has wronged you. We couldn’t control Jude, and he’s become this disgraceful mess.” But I remained, from start to finish, perfectly calm. 2 Only a heart that had withered and died could describe my feelings at that moment. When I spoke, my voice was dry, hoarse. “Grandma, it’s not your fault. Now, I only wish to leave with Lucas and Luna.” “From this day forward, I will have no ties whatsoever with the Vance family.” At my words, Grandma Vance’s aged eyes swam with tears, brimming with both pity and guilt. After a long silence, she agreed. “As you wish, my dear child. After all, the debt our Vance family owes you can never be repaid in this lifetime.” It wasn’t until the seventh night that Jude finally appeared. He sauntered intimately into the solemn quiet of the mourning hall, his arm around Genevieve’s slender waist, neither of them noticing me in the corner. Genevieve’s painted lips brushed his Adam’s apple, her voice a sickly sweet purr. “Darling, I’ve never tried it in a mourning hall before. I’m a little… excited, what should we do?” Jude pulled her close, thrusting against her, his voice tender. “Anything my darling wants, I’ll give you right now.” Lust shone openly in both their eyes as they passionately embraced, the portraits of my two children standing directly before them. I bit down so hard on the inside of my cheek, tasting the metallic tang of blood. I wanted nothing more than to tear them limb from limb. Soon, Genevieve spotted me, gasping in alarm and hiding her face in Jude’s chest. But Jude showed no sign of being caught off guard. Instead, he launched into a furious tirade, showering me with accusations. “Clara Hayes, have you gone mad with your theatrics?!” “Lying to me on the phone wasn’t enough, now you’ve dragged Grandma into this charade at the estate? It seems I’ve been far too lenient with you!” He then surveyed the room with a disgusted sneer. “To think you’d stoop so low! Deliberately setting up a mourning hall and putting the children’s black-and-white portraits here, just to bring ill fortune upon the family, right?!” “If you frighten Genna’s baby, I’ll make you pay with your life!” For the man before me, only pure hatred remained. My voice was utterly devoid of emotion. “Jude Vance, I’m not acting. Believe it or not, I don’t care.” Seeing me dare to talk back, his face turned ashen, and he kicked me hard in the chest. “Oh, Clara Hayes, you have the audacity to argue with me!” “Since you are so unrepentant, you’re not fit to be the children’s mother. Call Lucas and Luna out now and have them accept Genna as their new mother!” “If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll never learn!” A dull ache immediately spread through my chest. But I remained silent, unwilling to hear another word from him. Seeing my silence, Jude, still convinced I was acting, bristled with rage. “Bring the implements of family discipline!” Soon, several men approached with pliers, pinning me down mercilessly. With piercing, agonizing pain, two of my bloody teeth were brutally extracted. Struggling against them, my eyes blazed crimson. “The children are dead! Their coffins are in the backyard! Are you satisfied now?!” Jude visibly froze, then a mocking sneer twisted his lips. “Clara Hayes, you truly have no bottom to your depravity if you’ll stoop this low just to deceive me.” “First a mourning hall, then coffins… what, are you going to conjure up ashes next? I never realized you were so malicious before.” “Don’t think I don’t see your little game. You’re afraid Genna’s baby will threaten your status, so you’ve gone to all this trouble! But let me tell you, I no longer need your pathetic 'support.' Stop trying to pull that domineering act on me!” His handsome face twisted slightly as he turned and walked away, holding Genevieve. Watching their retreating figures, my thoughts drifted back to the past. My parents died young, leaving me, barely more than a girl, to shoulder the heavy burden of the Hayes family business alone. Haggling over drinks at dinner, closing deals with a fever… that was Clara Hayes at twenty. I fought to propel Hayes Industries higher, refusing to be a lamb targeted by hungry wolves. When it was time to marry, many arranged marriages were proposed. But amidst a throng of wealthy scions, I chose the struggling Jude Vance. Back then, he was humble, polite, and seemed to love me with every fiber of his being. After we married, I stepped back from the limelight for him, entrusting my entire fortune to him so he could revive Vance Enterprises. It wasn’t until his 'fated one,' Genevieve, returned from abroad that he first, secretly, placed her by his side. That was the first time. Then came the second, the third… The man who had once held me, promising repeatedly, “My love, I will always adore you,” felt like nothing more than a phantom of my imagination. Yet, every time I saw my adorable Lucas and Luna, I endured it. But I never imagined he would sacrifice our children for Genevieve. In just six short years, I became his first disposable accessory, enduring the unbearable pain of losing my children. In that moment, I had to admit that I had, after all, loved the wrong man. Just after the two walked out the door, Genevieve suddenly clutched her stomach, her face contorted in pain. “Jude, my stomach hurts so much.” “Is it… is it because this mourning hall has too much morbid energy, making our baby uncomfortable, causing these pains? It must have upset the baby…” 3 Jude’s face tightened with alarm. He quickly tried to soothe her. “Don’t worry, Genna, I’ll have this mourning hall torn down immediately.” My eyes shot open wide in disbelief. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Jude Vance! How dare you!” But he ignored me completely, turning to bellow orders to the outside. “Guards! Demolish this place at once!” As a group of men rushed in with tools, I shrieked in terror. “No! You can’t! You can’t smash it!” Lucas and Luna’s vigil wasn’t complete yet. They hadn't even found their way home. With a deafening crash, half of the mourning hall was reduced to rubble in an instant. I cast aside all dignity, falling to my knees, weeping and begging them to stop. “Please don’t! I beg you, don’t smash it! I was wrong!” “Jude, stop them! I don’t want anything anymore, I’ll give up the position of Mrs. Vance, just please, spare my children!” My heart-wrenching sobs tore through me, yet they didn’t move Jude in the slightest. He sneered, then brutally smashed the children’s portraits to the ground. Then, he commanded, “And those coffins she spoke of in the backyard? Bring what’s inside!” Soon, several men brought in two small urns of ashes. I shook my head wildly, my voice a desperate, guttural scream. “No! Don’t!” I wanted to rush forward and snatch my children back, but I couldn’t move an inch. So I watched, helpless, as Genevieve casually took one of the urns, opened it, and peered inside. “Oh, it smells awful, darling. Who knows what kind of filthy things are in here.” “Clara, you’re truly vicious. Even if you hate me, you wouldn’t harm my baby like this, would you? I never even wanted to compete with you, not once.” With that, she deliberately loosened her grip, and the urn crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. “Oh, I didn’t mean to! It’s all because the baby is disobedient; it just kicked me.” She feigned delicate innocence, while I, kneeling on the ground, felt my eyes bulge with unbridled fury. “Lucas… Luna!” At that moment, the hatred in my heart reached its peak. But then Jude’s hand lashed out, slapping me across the face as he rebuked, “What are you screaming about?!” “It’s just two useless urns of ash. If you scare my and Genna’s baby, you’ll be sorry!” The force of the slap made me spit blood. My face instantly swelled, disfigured beyond recognition. Genevieve watched me with a triumphant smirk, then turned and clung to Jude’s neck, purring. “Darling, do you think Clara will resent me for this? Will our baby be born safely?” “I’m worried he’ll bear the resentment of some people, and it will affect his health. If that happens, then I don’t want to live either.” Jude pondered for a moment, then immediately stroked her head, coaxing softly. “Don’t worry, Genna. I’ll throw her into the scorpion pit right now, let her suffer a hundredfold, so she’ll never dare to harbor such evil thoughts again. Our child will definitely be born healthy.” And so, I was dragged like a discarded rag into the scorpion-infested basement. A myriad of stinging pains instantly spread through my limbs, an agony that made life unbearable. Yet, even that pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart. My Lucas and Luna must have suffered this much, or even more, before they died, and they were utterly helpless. Blood, mixed with tears, soon pooled beneath me. My agonizing screams clearly reached Jude’s ears. A flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes, and he almost gave the order to release me. Genevieve, nestled in his arms, sensed his wavering and squeezed out a few tears. “Jude, if I hadn’t been forced to leave you back then, wouldn’t we be married by now, with several adorable children?” “Instead of hiding like this, and still being bullied by Clara.” At her words, Jude’s last shred of pity for me vanished. He softly consoled her. “There, there, Genna, don’t be upset over that wretch. We’ll leave right now.” Before he left, he gave instructions to the servants. “Tomorrow, have Mrs. Hayes bring the two children personally to my company, and make them kneel and apologize to Genna!” It wasn't until midnight that Grandma Vance rescued me from the scorpion pit. She cursed Jude as she tenderly called for a doctor to treat my wounds. After my wounds were bandaged, I didn’t linger for a second. Instead, I carefully gathered the children’s ashes, repackaged them, and left the Vance family estate without a backward glance. That night, I canceled all my identities, leaving behind only a divorce agreement. I boarded a private jet with a hidden destination. The next day, Jude, who was in his office massaging Genevieve’s feet, didn’t receive the apology from me and the children he expected. Instead, his assistant rushed in, frantic. “Mr. Vance, it’s terrible! Mrs. Hayes… she’s gone!” Jude’s hand froze. He snapped, “Nonsense! If she dared to leave, what about the children?!” At his words, the assistant lowered his head fearfully. “Mr. Vance, Lucas and Luna… they’re dead.”
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