When My Daughter Needed Him Most

My daughter's life was hanging by a thread.

I knelt on the ground, clutching at my husband Lucas's pant leg.

But he shielded his first love beside him, looking down at me with cold eyes.

She just lost a bit of blood. Winona's been traumatized because of Sweetieher situation is more urgent.

Later, he personally blocked every way out, letting our child grow cold bit by bit.

I signed the divorce papers with a smile and disappeared without a trace.

Three years later, he searched the entire city, red-eyed as he cornered me outside my newly opened gallery.

"Vivian, I was wrong. Our daughter..."

I wrapped my arm around my new boyfriend's and interrupted him casually.

"Mr. Lucas."

"That child died the day you chose to save someone else."

The day my daughter participated in the dance competition hosted by Lucas Corporation, the stage collapsed.

I held my blood-covered daughter and begged Lucas to take us to the hospital.

But he coldly stepped past me, turning instead to help up Winona Sullivan, who had only minor scrapes, along with her crying daughter.

"Vivian, you know Winona has a heart condition. Sweetie's been traumatized too. If we don't get them to the hospital and her condition flares up, it could be life or death."

I felt my daughter's warm blood soaking through, and enormous fear made my voice tremble.

"Natalie's bleeding so much. Please look at her! Your daughter is seriously injured."

Lucas glanced at our daughter, hesitated for only a second, then frowned.

"Lucas Corporation's medical team will be here any minute. Natalie probably just has surface wounds. You stay here with herI'll take Winona to the hospital."

Lucas left with his arm around Winona and her daughter.

All my strength drained away in an instant.

My daughter's face was deathly pale in my arms. I held her, not daring to move.

"Quick, Assistant, please help me get Natalie to the hospital."

Assistant looked at me expressionlessly.

"Mrs. Natalie, Mr. Lucas instructed that since the situation happened suddenly, it needs to be handled properly. We can't have any negative press. The others aren't seriously injuredonly Miss Natalie lost some blood. There's no need to alert the hospital."

"No need to alert the hospital?"

My hands were shaking.

"Can't you see Natalie's covered in blood? She's already unconscious! This is Lucas's child. If something happens to her, can you take responsibility?"

Assistant glanced at Natalie once, then turned away to calmly direct staff members to evacuate and comfort the other participants.

I forced myself to stay calm.

After laying Natalie down, I frantically searched for my phone with shaking hands.

I'd just pressed 9-1-1 when Assistant snatched the phone away.

"Mrs. Natalie, Mr. Lucas instructed us not to alert the hospital."

Tears fell uncontrollably. My blood-covered hands desperately clutched at Assistant's pant leg.

"Give me back my phone. Natalie's unconsciousI'm begging you, look at her! Lucas won't blame you. This is his daughter."

Assistant hesitated for a second, but still refused coldly.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Natalie. I'll urge the medical team to hurry."

I cried out desperately.

"I don't want the medical team! I need to take my daughter to the hospital! Please, I'm begging youtake my daughter to the hospital!"

A staff member ran over after hearing my cries. Seeing Natalie's injuries, they instinctively moved to help, but Assistant stopped them with a single look.

I knelt beside my daughter.

"Please, someone call 9-1-1. My daughter really can't hold on."

Parents and children who'd come for the competition looked over. Some wanted to help, but Lucas Corporation staff quickly ushered them away.

Soon, only Lucas Corporation employees remained in the venueplus me and my blood-soaked daughter.

No one would help me.

I could only rely on myself.

I picked up my daughter, letting fresh blood drip onto the floor as I tried to rush outside, but Lucas Corporation workers blocked my way.

"Assistant, Mrs. Natalie is trying to take Miss Natalie to the hospital."

Assistant forcibly took my daughter from my arms.

I screamed with every fiber of my being.

"Don't touch my daughter!"

But no one cared what I said.

Two security guards came forward and grabbed my arms.

Assistant gave cold orders.

"Take Mrs. Natalie and Miss Natalie to the break room."

I was dragged toward the break room.

My daughter's blood left a trail the whole way. I cried and pleaded.

"Please, my daughter needs a hospital. Please, call an ambulance."

The staff members had mixed expressions.

A young woman couldn't help but try to comfort me.

"Ma'am, we've already called the medical team. They'll be here soon."

"It'll be too late when they arrive."

I shouted in complete breakdown.

"She's lost too much blood. Please, just look at her!"

The next second, the break room door slammed shut.

"Watch them. No one leaves before Mr. Lucas returns."

Time crawled by, each second like torture.

Natalie's body temperature was dropping. Her little hands were ice cold.

I pounded on the break room door, my voice hoarse but still shouting.

"Go find an ambulance! If anything happens to this child, you're all accomplices! Lucas won't let you get away with this!"

Soon, the break room door opened.

Lucas Corporation's medical team entered.

"She's lost so much blood. She needs surgery. Please help her."

The medical team examined Natalie's injuries, their brows furrowed tightly.

"The situation really isn't good. She needs immediate surgery. We don't have the conditions for surgery here. We need to immediately"

"Mr. Lucas is calling."

Assistant handed his phone to the doctor.

I couldn't hear what was said on the other end.

But the doctor's expression changed from grave to hesitant, and finally to calm as he hung up.

"Mr. Lucas instructed us to use the best medication to stabilize her condition and wait for him to return before making any decisions."

My whole body went cold. I looked at the white pill in the doctor's hand and shook my head frantically.

"No, you can't. What is that medication? My daughter can't take that. She needs to go to the hospital. She needs surgery."

The doctor remained expressionless, coldly pushing the pill closer.

I couldn't tell if my face was covered in my daughter's blood or my own tears. I turned to Assistant, who'd been giving all the orders.

"Assistant, look at Natalie! She's just a child! She's covered in blood! She'll die if we don't go to the hospital! If anything happens to her, Lucas won't forgive you. Neither will I."

A flicker of emotion crossed Assistant's cold face.

Suddenly, his phone rang again. After hearing just one sentence, the hesitation on his face vanished instantly.

"Yes, Mr. Lucas."

He hung up, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Mr. Lucas's orders: follow the medical team's conservative treatment plan."

As soon as he finished speaking, two security guards immediately came forward and pulled me away.

I struggled desperately, but my body was pinned down. I could only watch helplessly as they forced the white pill into my daughter's mouth.

"Natalie, my baby, you're killing her! You're killing her! I'll kill you allI'll kill all of you!"

Assistant frowned and instructed the doctor.

"Mrs. Natalie is out of control. Give her a sedative so she doesn't hurt herself or Miss Natalie."

Cold liquid pierced my skin. I collapsed to the floor, finally achieving complete "calm."

Tears fell uncontrollably.

I'd once naively believed that this marriage arranged between families could be warmed if I just tried hard enoughthat I could eventually melt Lucas's heart of ice.

I respected him, loved him, holding onto humble hope. I thought that by giving birth to our child, I could preserve at least a thread of affection between us.

I never imagined that in the face of Lucas's first love, Ihis legally wedded wifeand the daughter I'd risked my life to bear were nothing more than pawns in his eyes. Pieces to be sacrificed at any moment to maintain his and Winona's dignity and safety, all in service of family duty.

I stared at that small figure in the distance, her clothes soaked through with blood, my heart sinking into an abyss.

"Lucas, if anything happens to Natalie, I will never forgive you."

The sedative made my consciousness fade gradually.

I sank into the break room sofa, watching my daughter in the distance as despair washed over me.

Suddenly, I dimly heard the doctor respectfully call out "Mr. Lucas."

Hope flickered instinctively within me. I thought Lucas had remembered us, thought he was going to send Natalie to the hospital.

I struggled to cry out.

"Lucas, is that you? Take Natalie to the hospital quicklyshe needs surgery immediately."

The doctor glanced at me with a complicated expression, then pressed the speakerphone button.

However, what came through was Winona Sullivan's affected voice.

"Vivian, are you and little Natalie okay? Lucas is with Sweetie for a full-body checkup and can't get away, so he specially asked me to check on you both."

Hearing her voice, I went numb, unable to even react.

Winona's tone lifted with a hint of laughter.

"Lucas said that what happened to the children at Lucas Corporation today absolutely cannot get out. Lucas Corporation has a medical teamthere's no need to make a big fuss going to the hospital and tarnishing the company's reputation. So you all know what to do."

"Winona Sullivan."

I couldn't believe it. My voice trembled.

"Let Lucas answer the phone. I want to hear him say it himself."

A contemptuous laugh came from the other end.

"Vivian, how can you still not face reality? Right now Lucas only has eyes for traumatized Sweetie. Where would he find time for you two? Tell little Natalie to hold on a bit longerit's just some blood loss. She won't die. It's all for Lucas Corporation's greater good."

Assistant looked at Natalie on the sofa, his brow furrowed.

"Miss Sullivan, Miss Natalie really has lost quite a bit of blood. She still hasn't woken up. We have a medical team here, but we don't have the conditions for emergency treatment. Could we perhaps ask Mr. Lucas if we could send her"

"Assistant."

Winona cut him off sharply, her voice ice cold.

"She just got hit by a falling prop. How serious could it be? If she won't wake up, feed her more pills. If the bleeding won't stop, wrap her with gauzelayer after layer until it doesn't leak. Do I have to teach you everything?"

The doctor nearby paled.

"Miss Sullivan, that won't work. The child's condition really requires a thorough examination at the hospital. If we continue treating her this way, in case"

"In case what?"

Winona's tone grew increasingly impatient.

"Children all heal quickly. What could possibly happen? Lucas gave me his phonehis meaning is my meaning. Don't you understand?"

"Think carefully, all of you. If the media catches photos of a blood-covered child being carried out of Lucas Corporation today, how much will Lucas Corporation's stock price drop tomorrow? Who among you can take that responsibility? Are you really going to destroy Lucas Corporation's reputation for the sake of one little girl?"

I shook my head frantically, tears mixing with blood.

"Impossible. Lucas wouldn't do this. Natalie is his child. Winona Sullivan, you crazy woman, you'll get what's coming to you! This is murder! You can't listen to her, you can't"

Winona sounded like she'd heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Vivian, don't you understand even now? In Lucas's heart, what you gave birth to has never counted as his child."

The call was mercilessly disconnected.

I looked desperately at Assistant.

"Don't listen to that woman. Lucas wouldn't do this to his own child. He wouldn't..."

But he simply avoided my gaze, coldly giving orders.

"Do as Miss Sullivan said. Get more medicationincrease the dosage. Find more gauze to... stop Miss Natalie's bleeding."

He didn't even dare look at Natalie again as he added:

"Everything else waits for Mr. Lucas's return."