Chapter 4No Second Chances For My Ex

I screamed, charging forward like a lunatic to pull them apart.

My reason shattered. I raised my hand and slapped Caspian with all my remaining strength.

“Caspian! How dare you do this in front of my mother!”

He licked the blood from his swollen lip and sneered.

“Tessa Thorne, by what right do you question me?”

“Don’t forget, you’re not Mrs. Thorne anymore. At best, you’re a worn-out toy I tossed aside.”

I knew he was retaliating.

My whole body was shaking. I roared in uncontrollable rage.

“You are a disgusting, pathetic bastard, Caspian!”

“Get out, both of you. Get your dog and your mistress and get out of my sight!”

Hailey hid behind him, smiling at me, a triumphant, challenging glint in her eyes.

“Why so angry, old lady? We were just trying to help your half-dead mother.”

“Maybe a little excitement will wake her up!”

My vision went red. I raised my hand to hit her, but she caught my hair and violently smashed my head into the doorframe.

Blood streamed down my forehead, but I barely felt it, grappling with her, fighting dirty and without restraint.

The next second, a piercing scream erupted beside me.

I spun around and saw my mother, her eyes wide with fear and heartbreak.

She was tottering on her feet behind me, clutching a blood-stained scalpel.

Hailey fell to the ground, clutching her stomach.

My mother's fingers were trembling with terror, yet when she saw me, she managed a faint, reassuring smile.

“Don’t be afraid, my little girl. Mommy will protect you.”

Tears streamed down my face. I wanted to hold her, but a powerful force slammed into me. I watched helplessly as Caspian kicked my mother to the ground.

He grabbed her neck, his eyes filled with absolute malice.

“Who in the hell gave you the right to touch Hailey?”

“If anything happens to her, I swear, I’ll make both of you pay for it!”

He threw my blood-soaked mother onto the floor like a rag doll. Then he picked up Hailey and rushed out, never looking back.

The surgery light stayed on all night. He knelt outside the door the whole time.

When they confirmed the baby was gone, he looked at me with pure hatred.

He grabbed my collar and dragged me to the foot of a remote mountain. He pointed to the temple at the summit, a cruel smile on his face.

“Your mother killed my child. You will atone for her sin.”

“Crawl up. One prayer for every step you take. Pray for my child.”

His eyes were savage. I knew this was not a game; he was truly enraged.

I didn't argue. I bit back the pain and knelt down.

One step, one bow. By the time I reached the summit, my knees were raw flesh and blood, and my forehead was lacerated. Every inch of my body screamed with agony; my consciousness began to fade.

Caspian had me locked in the chapel. I was pinned to the floor. He leaned down, his face utterly devoid of emotion, and handed me a tablet.

On the screen, my mother was curled up, shaking uncontrollably in her hospital bed.

The next instant, the door was kicked open. A group of disheveled, menacing figures—junkies and unhoused men—poured in.

They swarmed her, tearing off her gown. Her broken, desperate screams tore through me, making my entire body tremble with sharp, excruciating pain.

I cried hysterically, slamming my head against the floor, begging Caspian.

“Please! I beg you, let my mother go!”

“Caspian, if you need revenge, take it on me! I’ll give you my life. Just let her go!”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Caspian’s eyes when he saw my utter despair. But he didn’t relent. He just pulled me close.

His chilling voice whispered in my ear.

“Tessa, your mother made a mistake, and she must be punished.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to her. As soon as Hailey feels better, I’ll bring you both home. No more fighting, alright?”

I grabbed his shirt, the tears turning into a desperate, wretched cry.

“Caspian, I won’t fight anymore! Never again! Please, let my mother go!”

He gently pried my fingers off his shirt and affectionately stroked my face.

“That’s a good girl, Tessa. Just stay here and reflect for a while. When Hailey calms down, I’ll come back for you.”

He didn't look at me again. He turned and walked out of the chapel.

The door slammed shut, plunging the room into darkness.

I scrambled to the tablet, my trembling hands clutching it.

The men finished, zipping up their trousers, their faces sickly satisfied, and then they left the room.

My mother lay there, covered in blood and filth, like a dying fish.

After a long time, the door to the room opened again. Hailey walked in, leaning on someone for support.

She stood over my mother with a victorious expression, then brutally slapped her twice.

“Filthy old thing. Just as pathetic as your daughter!”

“How was that? Was it fun? All those men after being asleep for so long? You must be thrilled.”

She grabbed my mother’s hair, forcing her to look into the camera.

“Your daughter is watching this whole depraved show.”

“You’ve been asleep for so long, you probably don’t know how miserable your daughter is. A discarded wife who stayed with him, without a shred of dignity, just for you.”

“Caspian said that as long as you’re alive, Tessa will never leave him. No matter how much he humiliates her, she’ll just endure it.”

“If you don’t die, she’ll only suffer more. If you really love her, then you should just die!”

My mother raised her head, her eyes vacant, and smiled.

“Fine. I’ll die. Just let my daughter go.”

I clutched the tablet, shaking with hopeless despair.

“No! Mom, please, don’t!”

She couldn't hear my cries. With desperate resolve, she crawled to the window, pushed it open, and threw herself out.

From eighteen stories up, she would be completely shattered.

My chest felt like it was being pierced by a thousand arrows. The pain was beyond imagining.

I struggled to my feet, throwing myself at the bolted door of the chapel.

Again and again, I slammed into it. My shoulder felt like it was breaking, and blood poured from my forehead.

I didn't care.

My mother was gone. The light in my world had been extinguished…

Caspian tended to Hailey all night.

He finally left her room at dawn, his face exhausted, and motioned to his assistant.

“Mrs. Thorne is afraid of the dark. An entire night locked up should have taught her a lesson.”

“Bring her home. And her mother, too. Tell Tessa I’ll be back to see her in a couple of days.”

He looked up, smiling, only to see his assistant fall to his knees, his face ashen.

“Mr. Thorne, Mrs. Thorne’s mother… she jumped out the window and died yesterday.”

“The people at the temple said that last night, Mrs. Thorne violently broke the door down and then, in front of everyone, jumped off the cliff.”