Chapter 1974

Bentley was shaken by what he saw, but he managed to keep it together—way

more than Lucy did.

Even though he was rattled, he didn't let it show. He turned to Lucy, gave her ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ finḑnovel.net

hand a reassuring squeeze, and gently guided her to a chair so she could pull

herself together.

Lucy sat there for a long moment, struggling to catch her breath. It wasn't until

then that she finally noticed Amy lying on the floor. Her hand trembled as she

pointed at her daughter. "Honey, Amy's still there—we have to help her!"

Amy was the daughter they'd fought so hard to get back. The last thing Lucy

wanted was to see her hurt again.

"Just take care of yourself first," Bentley said with a frown, his tone edged with

impatience. "She's not going to die." Even so, he listened to Lucy and went over

to Amy, carefully helping her sit up.

That's when he saw it: tiny shards of glass stuck in Amy's face, her body covered

in cuts and bruises. Bentley glanced at the broken antique vase on the ground,

then gently shook Amy by the shoulders. When she didn't respond, he pressed

his fingers to the spot above her lip, trying to wake her up.

Slowly, Amy's eyelids fluttered open, her vision foggy. For a second, she thought

she was back in that dark, locked room. Ignoring the pain in her body, she curled

up into herself, shaking like a scared little kid.

"Please don't hit me. I'm sorry, I really am. I won't sneak out again, I promise. I

won't steal food anymore," she whispered, holding out half a pomegranate to

Bentley with trembling hands, like she was desperate for forgiveness.

Even Bentley felt a pang in his chest. No matter what, she was still his daughter.

"No one's going to hurt you," he said, his voice softer this time. "Can you tell

Daddy what happened?"

But his words only scared Amy more. She tried to pull away from him, struggling

to escape his arms, but she was no match for his strength. Bentley held her firmly,

worried she might hurt herself. In the end, Amy just slumped over and fainted in

his embrace.

The family doctor showed up soon after. Once Amy got a sedative, her panic

faded, and her breathing slowed. She finally calmed down.

Lucy stayed by Amy's bedside, her face filled with gentle worry. She held Amy's

hand tight, and as soon as Amy opened her eyes, Lucy leaned in, her voice soft

and warm. "Amy, how are you feeling? Are you still in pain?"

For a moment, Amy just stared, dazed. Then she caught something calculating in

Lucy's eyes, and her heart went cold.

"I'm fine, Mom. It doesn't hurt anymore," Amy replied, forcing a smile as she

struggled to sit up, every movement making her wince.

"Mom," she said quietly, "did you see her?"

Bentley and Lucy exchanged a look—they knew exactly who "her" meant. Bentley

quickly cleared the room until only the three of them were left.

"Amy," Bentley said, "please, just tell us what happened."

Amy's eyes filled with fear, making her look so small and fragile.

"I bought some fruit on my way home. When I got back, she was sitting on the

couch and told me to wash it for her. Before I even got a chance, she just

snapped—started hitting me, shoved me into the vase. Everything went fuzzy

after that. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was this loud explosion.

Then...it all went dark."