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I was just about to show Mom my trophy when I heard shouting and screaming from inside the apartment.

I quickly opened the door and saw William pushing Mom into the corner.

I approached Mom, who was lying on the floor. Her temple was bleeding profusely, and she was holding her stomach, groaning.

“What did you do to my mother, you bastard?!”

“Get out of my way, you bitch! This is my business with this whore.”

“How dare you torture my mother? I’m going to report it to the police.”

I immediately searched for my phone in my bag while pushing Mom away from the savage man whose blood was flowing through my body. This wasn’t the first time William had tortured Mom over a minor matter, but he had done it repeatedly just because she still held on to her hellish marriage.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“Hello, I need—”

Suddenly, my hand jerked away, and my phone flew under the table. William grabbed my hair, forcing me to stand in front of him.

“Do you think you can escape me, Stephanie? You and your mother are going to die right now.”

“You bastard!”

I pushed the man until he nearly fell. But his woman tried to hold him up.

It turned out he didn’t come here alone, but with that bitch!

I hurried over to the woman.

I grabbed her hair, and she tried to break it up, until finally, a slap landed squarely on my cheek.

“Stop this madness, Stefani!” he snapped.

Heat crept up my cheeks, mixed with a palpable sting.

However, the heat in my heart was far more palpable.

I couldn’t accept his behavior.

I couldn’t accept him defending the bitch who stole my mother’s husband, and I couldn’t accept that he intended to kill me and my mother!

“Haven’t I told you countless times, Mr. Chang, to stop bothering my mother and I?!” I snapped.

The old bastard didn’t answer, just grinned smugly as he wiped the corner of his lip, which was bleeding from my attack.

William Chang, the man who gave his sperm to my mother that was leading to my birth.

That was it.

Because during my mother’s pregnancy, until she gave birth to me, and until I grew up this big, the honorable William never cared for me.

My mother was willing to work hard to provide for everything, but William didn’t care.

I didn’t even want to call him… Father.

“Don’t you know it’s over? Your mother and I are over.”

“Then divorce my mother if everything is really over as you say, William, instead of coming and intending to finish us off!”

He fell silent.

Unable to answer.

I grinned, putting my hands on my hips. I grabbed the long hair of the woman next to William again.

“You shameless bitch! Does it mean that by having this man, you feel victorious over me and my mother, huh? You’re just a worthless whore!”

The woman was still very arrogant, puffing out her chest, then flipping her blonde hair arrogantly.

“Trust me, you’ll be the umpteenth woman he’ll dump after he finds another one, Bitch!” I continued.

The woman, who was probably only a few years older than me, couldn’t accept it.

Now she slapped me.

This hurt even more because she had a ring on her finger.

I felt my cheek wet, and it stung even more.

When I checked, it was already bleeding.

“Can you please get out of our sight?” she said.

I looked at her fearlessly.

“Even that frail old woman can’t be straddled by my lover. So go away, stop begging here, it’s embarrassing.”

Her words made me even more uncomfortable.

Wasn’t this my apartment, so how can she pretend to own this place?

I tried to grab her hair again, but William immediately shielded her. He pushed me until I fell to the ground for the umpteenth time.

William grabbed the butterfly knife on the kitchen table and walked toward Mom with that terrifying grin.

I couldn’t stand William anymore, so I grabbed Mom and we ran out of the apartment.

William chased after us, making me lose my train of thought. I didn’t realize I was rushing across the street, and the black car hit me, sending me flying.

Mom screamed in panic on the side of the road. I felt my body instantly crumble after being hit by the metal object. Luckily, the car wasn’t going too fast, otherwise I might have died.

The car door could be heard opening, and a pair of shiny black shoes appeared faintly in my eyes.

He stood in front of me as William approached. I saw William slow his previously fast pace and quickly hide the knife.

“He… he wants to kill my mother and I,” I plead for help.

I tugged slightly at the hem of his pants, and the tall, slender man lowered his head and glanced at me.

His gaze was cold and sharp, but when he saw me, his eyes widened as if he were shocked and momentarily stunned.

Was my head… injured badly?

“Sir, I’m sorry if my family has troubled you. They’re insane. I was going to take them to the mental hospital for a checkup, but they ran away. Could you please ignore them? I’ll take care of them later,” William spoke in a terrifying manner.

I grabbed my hand, which was still holding the man’s pants in front of me.

The man took out his cell phone, calling someone.

“Hello, 911, can you come to the Brentwood area immediately? I see a madman trying to kill two helpless women here.”

Hearing those words, William immediately backed away. Then he ran without warning, disappearing from our sight.

Relief.

That was what I felt now. It seemed I’ll have to find a new place to live with Mom after this.

I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn’t even move. My palms stung. It turned out my ankle was sprained and I had some cuts.

“Are you okay?” the man asked.

I shook my head, it wasn’t a good idea to bother him too much.

“It’s okay, it was my fault. I’m sorry I accidentally crossed the street and hit your car, and… thank you.”

The man knelt in front of me as I sat down, taking my injured hand.

His eyes met my face with a warm gaze, his cold face softening into a soft, yet incredibly warm expression.

“This is my fault. I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said.

I was hypnotized, shaking my head and smiling faintly.

“Your face looks quite familiar, Miss. If I may ask, what’s your name?” he asked.

“Stefani… my name is Stefani Chang,” I replied.

He then smiled sweetly, then licked my bleeding palm. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it firmly. Strangely, the wound on my palm suddenly dried up and the scar disappeared.

When I realized that, I accidentally saw the man’s eyes glow red. It only lasted for a moment, before they returned to their beautiful caramel brown color.

He was… not a human?