Chapter 3

3.

Maisie's biggest dream had always been to travel across the country and see the vast blue ocean.

That was why I chose to give her a sea burial.

The maritime paperwork and permits were complicated, so I had to wait patiently at our penthouse before everything was cleared.

Once I received the official confirmation, I held my daughter's urn closely against my chest and boarded the luxury cruise ship.

I had barely settled into my private cabin when the wooden door was kicked open with tremendous force.

Caught completely off guard, I stumbled and nearly crashed to the carpeted floor.

After frantically checking that the urn in my arms was completely unharmed, I exhaled a long breath of relief.

A split second later, Bennett's furious roar exploded like thunder across the room.

"Unbelievable, Janna! Lucinda is suffering in a hospital bed, and you sneak out here for a glamorous coastal getaway? I saw your booked flight tickets!"

His little mistress stood timidly behind him, trembling delicately with a face as pale as paper.

Bennett screamed out our daughter's name in a rage and kicked over a heavy wooden chair beside him.

"Janna, tell that little brat to get out here right now! I am going to teach her a lesson she will never forget!"

On such a solemn day, Bennett still dared to drag his mistress here to make a scene.

I clutched the urn tighter, doing everything in my power to suppress the roaring fire inside my chest.

"Bennett, take your mistress and vanish from my sight this instant. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee I will not tear her apart with my bare hands."

My warning instantly triggered Bennett's volatile temper.

"I have not even held you legally accountable yet, and you dare to act so arrogant? If Lucinda had not stopped me, I would have had my lawyers sue you into oblivion already!"

Sue me? A cold, mirthless laugh escaped my lips.

Bennett was truly willing to go to such disgusting lengths just for Lucinda's sake.

I stared him down and questioned, "Then tell me, Bennett, what crime exactly have I committed?"

"You brainwashed our daughter and sent her to set fire to Lucinda's apartment!"

His accusation struck my ears like a sudden lightning bolt on a clear day.

How could that even be possible?

Bennett sneered coldly, continuing his tirade.

"You thought you could hide behind the juvenile protection laws, did not you? Janna, if it were not for my mother, I would have dumped you on the street years ago!"

Before I could even speak, Lucinda wiped away fake tears and gently grabbed Bennett's arm.

"Bennett, please, it is all my fault. Maybe our love was a mistake from the very start. But Maisie is still so young, she just needs proper guidance..."

"If this toxic woman had not drugged my drink back then, would I have ever been forced to marry her? Lucinda, she is a venomous viper who would even weaponize her own child!"

My scattered thoughts snapped back into sharp focus as I stared at Bennett with absolute disgust and despair.

"Bennett, she is your biological daughter! Do you really refuse to believe your own flesh and blood?"

I could endure his lack of love for Maisie, but I would never allow him to pour filthy lies over her innocent soul!

Bennett crushed the very last shred of my hope under his expensive leather shoes.

"Believe her? Lucinda lost her parents young and fought so hard to survive, yet you tried to murder her out of pure jealousy! Who is the truly innocent one here?"

Who was the innocent one?

The fact that my six-year-old daughter had suddenly ended up at Lucinda's apartment was already extremely suspicious, yet he stood side by side with this mistress to accuse our child.

"You instructed Maisie to wait until Lucinda stepped out, then turn on the kitchen gas stove to cause an explosion and burn the whole place down! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"And after finding out Lucinda survived, your daughter even sent her a vicious text message wishing she would drop dead!"

I immediately fired back, "That is completely impossible! When I taught Maisie home safety, you were sitting right beside us! She knew exactly how lethal a gas leak was!"

Bennett let out a cruel, mocking scoff.

"Precisely because she knew how lethal it was, she used it to try and kill Lucinda!"

No matter what I said, Bennett was dead set on framing our six-year-old daughter as the ruthless arsonist.

I refused to yield an inch.

"Fine! Show me the evidence right now! Let us see whether my daughter is at fault, or if someone else orchestrated this whole evil plot!"