Chapter 2

At the crematorium, I stood behind the thick glass window, watching two tiny caskets being pushed into the roaring incinerator. I didn't shed a single tear.

Perhaps when a person endures pain beyond the limits of sanity, the brain simply shuts down in order to survive. I was completely numb.

However, Eleanor collapsed in the viewing room, clutching her chest as paramedics rushed in.

When it was all over, I sat on a wooden bench, tightly holding two small, delicate urns. They were so light.

My vibrant, cheerful, beautiful children had all been reduced to ash.

I pressed my lips against the warm wood.

"Let's go somewhere far away, my sweet angels," I whispered to the quiet room. "Mommy is taking you far, far away. We're never coming back to this awful place."

That night, the Vance estate was covered in flowers and candles. In the center of the massive living room, two large portraits of Liam and Lily were surrounded by a sea of white lilies. In the photos, their smiles were bright, their missing front teeth making them look heartbreakingly innocent.

I knelt on a cushion before the altar, keeping vigil day and night. I didn't eat, barely drank water; I just kept a silent watch, keeping my children company on their final journey.

This world is too cruel, my babies, I thought, looking at their radiant smiles. In your next life, just be a little kitten or puppy. But make sure you find Mommy. Okay?

For three days, Julian never showed up once.

The security team I sent to find him returned looking deeply ashamed.

"Mrs. Vance... we couldn't reach him," the head of security stammered. "His assistant said he flew Ms. Bennett to Switzerland to consult with a world-renowned obstetrician about the baby's health. He turned off his private phone."

Grandma Eleanor, who insisted on staying at the estate in her wheelchair, looked at me with a gaze of agonizing shame.

She had called him dozens of times, but every call went straight to voicemail. In a fit of rage, she hurled her phone against the marble wall, smashing it to pieces.

"Absolutely lawless!" she roared, tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. "To miss his own children's funeral for a homewrecking whore! The Vance bloodline should never have birthed such a beast!"

She wheeled herself over to me, took my cold hands, and wept. "Serena, our entire family has failed you. I failed to discipline Julian. I let him turn into this monster. I am so, so sorry."

I didn't react, my gaze locked on the urns. "It's okay, Grandma. It's not your fault."

"Now," I said, "I just want to take my babies and leave."

It wasn't until the third night that Julian finally appeared.

He strolled leisurely into the grand living room with Chloe on his arm. Dressed in designer resort wear, they were tanned and relaxed. They didn't even glance at the altar.

Wrapped up in their own little world, they completely failed to notice me kneeling in the shadows of the floral arrangements.

Chloe pressed her manicured hand against Julian's chest, lightly tracing his collarbone, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Baby, this room is so big and spooky. I've never done it in a place like this before... it makes me kind of want you."

Julian chuckled softly, a hint of doting in his voice, and pulled her close by the waist. "Whatever my good girl wants, she gets. Right here on this rug."

Their eyes filled with lust, they started kissing passionately, their moans echoing through the cavernous room.

Right in front of my children's memorial.

I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted the warm, coppery tang of my own blood. My nails dug into my palms until the skin broke.

I wanted to grab the ceremonial candle snuffer and drive it through their skulls.

Suddenly, Chloe pulled back to catch her breath and saw the altar. She shrieked, burying her face in Julian's chest. "Oh my god! Julian, look!"

Julian's head snapped up. When he saw the portraits and me kneeling in the corner, the lust in his eyes instantly morphed into blazing fury. He stormed over, towering above me.

"Serena, have you completely lost your mind?!" he roared. "Faking phone calls wasn't enough, and now you drag my grandmother into this sick farce? Have I been too lenient with you?!"

He looked around, staring at the solemn memorial with utter disgust.

"You really went all out! A fake funeral, hanging the kids' pictures? Are you trying to curse this house?! If you scare Chloe into losing our baby, I will make you pay with your life!"

I looked up at the man I had loved for ten years. There was nothing left in my chest but endless hatred.

"I'm not acting, Julian," my voice was dead. "Believe whatever you want."

My defiance seemed to trigger something dark inside him. His face twisted, and without warning, he kicked me squarely in the chest.

The force threw me backward, my ribs cracking as I slammed into the hardwood floor.

"How dare you talk back?!" Julian bellowed. "Since you're so unrepentant and clearly unfit to be a mother, bring the twins here immediately! Have them acknowledge Chloe as their new mother!"

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll never learn to know your place!"

A dull, suffocating pain radiated from my chest. But I didn't make a sound. I absolutely would not give him the satisfaction.

Seeing me silent and expressionless, Julian became convinced I was still putting on an act.

He sneered. "Bring me the pliers."

His private bodyguards hesitated for a second, but Julian's glare commanded absolute obedience. Two men pinned me to the floor. Another handed Julian a heavy pair of metal pliers.

"I'm going to expose your lies right here and now," Julian said softly.

The agony was blinding. A sickening crunch echoed in my skull as he ruthlessly yanked out two of my back teeth.

Blood poured from my mouth, making me choke and gag.

Through the blood and tears of pain, my gaze locked onto him, burning with a demonic hatred.

"They're dead," I mumbled, blood running down my chin. "Their ashes are in the urns right behind you. Are you satisfied now, you monster?"

Julian froze.

For a split second, a flash of panic crossed his eyes.

But then, he let out a harsh bark of laughter.

"Serena, you truly have no bottom line. First a fake funeral, and now fake ashes?"

"I never realized you were so malicious. Do you really think I don't know what you're up to? You're terrified that Chloe's baby will threaten you and the twins' inheritance. So you orchestrated this disgusting stunt!"

He threw the bloody pliers onto the floor. "Listen to me loud and clear. I don't need your family's backing anymore. Stop acting like you're still the boss. Vance Enterprises is mine now."

He turned around, wrapped an arm around Chloe, and started to walk away.

Watching his retreating back, my thoughts drifted to the past.

When I was twenty, my parents died in a plane crash. I had to drop out of Stanford to take over the Sterling family's business empire.

I spent my days sparring with ruthless executives, negotiating deals while pushing through sickness, bearing the weight of thousands of employees on my shoulders.

When it came time to marry, I had plenty of aristocratic heirs to choose from. But I chose Julian.

He was brilliant but came from a poor background, born into a declining family.

Back then, he was gentle and humble, and he looked at me like I was his entire world. I handed my entire empire over to him and stepped into the background, letting him shine and regain his dignity.

Then Chloe returned from Europe. His "first love."

The first time he hired her, he hid it from me.

Then came the second lie, the third lie, until my marriage was nothing but an empty shell. Every time I looked at Liam and Lily, I had to swallow my pride, just to keep their family intact.

But I never in my wildest dreams imagined he would kill them for her.

In just six years, the man who had sworn to protect me turned me into an accessory and completely suffocated my soul.

I loved the wrong man. And the price I paid was my children's lives.

Just as they reached the living room doors, Chloe suddenly gasped, clutching her slightly swelling belly with an exaggerated look of pain on her face.

"Julian! Oh, it hurts!" she whimpered. "The vibe in this room... it's so gloomy, it's making the baby uncomfortable. He's kicking... I think Serena's curse is hurting him!"