Jerald was more than ready for Shelia to leave. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he pushed her away.

“Then go. Go now! And make sure you take care of Caden today!”

Shelia stared back at him, her face a mixture of despair and fury.

She had endured years as Jerald’s mistress, clinging to the hope that her loyalty and sacrifices might soften him, might change him. But she had been wrong—so terribly wrong. A heartless man remained heartless, no matter how much time passed.

Men really were the most cold-hearted creatures.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips, sharp and hollow. “Jerald, you don’t even care about your own wife and son. Don’t you fear karma?”

Jerald scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. “Karma? Really? You dare mention that word?”

His tone grew harsher, his eyes narrowing. “When my wife was pregnant with our second child, you forced your way into my life with Joshua. It was your actions that led to her death during childbirth. If anyone is due for karma, it’s you!”

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Shelia’s voice rose in anger, her body trembling. “I’m not the reason she’s dead! You are! You’re the one committing all these sins. Don’t you dare pin her death on me!”

Jerald’s expression darkened, his gaze ice cold. “You think I killed her? Where’s your proof?” he sneered. “You seduced me and used Joshua to blackmail me into a divorce. That story’s old news—everyone knows it. You say I killed her? Who would ever believe that?”

Tears streamed down Shelia’s face as she struggled to maintain her composure.

Jerald leaned closer, his voice low and threatening. “If you keep slandering me, I’ll make sure you end up in prison. And trust me, you’ll rot there.”

Shelia stiffened, her entire body shaking with fury and humiliation. Years of suffering, degradation, and manipulation had brought her to this moment.

She wanted to retaliate, to destroy him, to make him suffer as she had suffered. She knew she could ruin him if she truly wanted to.

But Joshua’s safety held her back. She couldn’t risk it—not yet. As much as it disgusted her, she was forced to depend on Jerald for now.

Through gritted teeth, she spoke bitterly. “Jerald, Caden is merciless, and he’s determined to destroy the Yates family. Now that he’s targeted Joshua, do you really think you’ll be spared? How long do you think you can remain untouched?”

Her words struck a nerve.

For the first time, Jerald’s confidence wavered. She was right.

He had distanced himself from his family, always an irritant to Caden. If Caden truly unleashed his wrath, not even Jerald’s position as Caden’s father would shield him.

Jerald’s eyes flickered with urgency. “We need to take a risk to save Joshua.”

Shelia managed to rein in her anger and asked, “What do we do?”

Noticing her agitation, Jerald softened his tone, trying to pacify her as one might calm a frightened animal. “Shelia, we can sort out our differences later. For now, we need to work together.”

Joshua had been receiving covert medical treatment, known only to a select few.

The Green family, however, was aware.

Joshua’s company, which he had painstakingly built, had been destroyed overnight. Adding to his plight, he had sustained severe injuries. A recent surgery had left him unmanly, and he was also undergoing treatment for his damaged vision.

Whether he would regain his sight remained uncertain.

If the treatments failed, he would be both blind and impotent—utterly defeated.

Lilliana was devastated by the news. She cried uncontrollably, causing chaos at home as she pleaded with Cedric to intervene.

But Cedric hesitated.

Eventually, he dismissed the matter altogether. “You’re engaged, not married. We don’t need someone so broken. I’ll find you someone better,” he told Lilliana coldly.

However, Lilliana’s love for Joshua was real. Beneath her usual pride, she cared deeply for him. She wouldn’t have risked pregnancy before marriage if her feelings hadn’t been genuine.

Now, with Joshua in dire straits, her desperation consumed her. She went so far as to threaten Cedric with her own life and that of her unborn child.

“If you don’t save him, I’ll end my life and my baby’s! You’ll regret this forever!” she cried, her voice trembling with emotion.

Faced with Lilliana holding a knife to her throat, Cedric was both powerless and anxious. “Lilliana, you don’t understand the situation,” he said, his voice low but firm. “My hands are tied. Even if I wanted to save Joshua, I couldn’t. Caden is bent on seeing him dead, and no one can change his mind!”

“Why does he want Joshua dead? They’re brothers! Why would he do that?” Lilliana shouted, her voice breaking with desperation.

Cedric answered bluntly, “Why do you think? Old grudges, a woman, and because Caden wants to defend Alicia! Don’t you know what Joshua did last month?”

Stunned by the revelation, Lilliana murmured in disbelief, “For Alicia?”

Cedric had been equally shocked when he first learned the truth. “I can’t fathom what’s going through Caden’s mind. To go this far over a woman, even turning against his own brother…”

Lilliana’s face turned deathly pale, and her legs gave out as she collapsed to the ground. Her expression twisted in shock and disbelief.

“How is this possible?” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Alicia—that woman? How could Caden care for her after Joshua left her?”

Her thoughts spun wildly. She wouldn’t have pushed Joshua to confront Alicia if it hadn’t been for the rumors linking Yolanda and Caden. Their schemes had backfired spectacularly, and the consequences now seemed unbearable.

Lilliana covered her face with trembling hands, overwhelmed by the weight of it all.

“Joshua was her husband for two years and barely gave her a second glance,” she muttered bitterly. “How did she suddenly become so valuable to Caden? I can’t accept it. It doesn’t make sense…”

The sheer magnitude of their loss was crushing enough, but the knowledge of Alicia’s newfound importance to Caden was a devastating blow to Lilliana. It struck her like a hammer, shattering what little composure she had left.

She crumpled completely, collapsing in a helpless heap on the floor.

The shock was too much for her body to bear, and it triggered a sharp, searing pain in her abdomen.