Chapter 2

Henry, acting as if he had just spotted his savior, stumbled toward Celine. "Cece! He split my head open! It hurts so much…"

Celine's gaze lingered on my face for a second before she frowned. Then she looked at Henry's aggrieved expression and reached out.

Instead of pulling him into an embrace, she gently pressed a hand against his bleeding forehead. He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain.

A soft crack sounded, and Henry let out a scream before his whole body went limp and collapsed.

Celine's gaze, however, only grew fiercer.

"Justin." She spoke my name in a calm tone, but it carried an invisible pressure.

"We haven't seen each other in three years, and the first thing you do after coming back is give me such a grand gift?"

As I looked at Celine, I thought of how she had chopped off the hands of our daughter, Sophia Yarrow, right in front of me back then. I recalled how she used Sofie's life to force me to sign away everything in the divorce settlement.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth and gave her a smile devoid of warmth. "That was only the appetizer. If you like, Ms. Lynch, I can serve the main course now."

Terrified, Henry cried out miserably beside Celine. "Cece, it hurts so much… He's gone crazy! Kill him!"

Celine gently patted his back twice to comfort him. Then she continued speaking.

"Justin, it seems that these past few years haven't taught you how to behave. If anything, they've only made you even more reckless."

I leisurely tossed the used tissue into the nearby trash can before lifting my eyes to meet hers.

"Ms. Lynch, that's quite the joke. If we're talking about reckless people, I'd say the monster who let her lover abuse her own daughter fits that description even better."

"You!"

The vein at Celine's temple throbbed, and her grip around Henry's hand tightened suddenly. He let out a pained cry but didn't dare say a single word.

"Justin, take back what you said, and apologize to Henry." Her voice was low, carrying an unquestionable command. "After that, break one of your own hands. Then I might consider letting you crawl out of here and spare your worthless life."

I laughed out loud, as if I had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Celine, are you still living in that dream where you can control everything?"

I stepped forward, moving closer to her and ignoring the bodyguards who instantly went on high alert.

"Apologize to him? Then tell him to return Sofie's hands first!" I pointed at Henry, my face brimming with contempt.

Henry was so frightened that he shrank into Celine's arms.

Celine's expression darkened to a stormy degree as she retorted, "Sofie brought it upon herself! Who told her to upset Henry?"

Hearing the complete indifference in her voice only intensified the murderous look in my eyes.

"Just because of his baseless accusation, you could cut off your own daughter's hands? Celine, even a vicious beast won't harm its own cubs. You're worse than a beast!"

That night, Sofie had been pinned down on the dining table, her small hands held tightly in place.

Celine had held a kitchen knife and brought it down expressionlessly, causing blood to splash all over my body.

Sofie was in agony, screaming and crying until her voice turned hoarse. Eventually, she passed out, with her small body spasming uncontrollably.

Standing to the side, Celine coldly said to me, who had collapsed on the ground, "From now on, she won't upset Henry ever again."

At that moment, I knew that Celine and I would never stop until one of us was dead.

"Shut up!" Celine snapped.

She looked as if I had struck her where it hurt the most, and she shouted, "Justin Yarrow, I gave you a chance, but you've chosen to do things the hard way instead!"

She raised her hand, signaling the bodyguards to move forward. "Hold him down! Since he won't do it himself, you guys do it for him!"