Chapter 3: Her Daughter, Unworthy of Even Their Gaze Editor: Henyee Translations

"Child number 22’s phototherapy is complete. You can come get her."

The nurse’s voice made Cedric Grant’s worry turn to joy. "That’s great!"

Vincent Grant took the diaper-clad infant from the nurse’s arms, and Cedric Grant quickly handed over a swaddling blanket. Together, they carefully wrapped her up.

From Sophia Shaw’s perspective, she could clearly see the father and son’s bloodshot eyes from staying up all night.

In the phototherapy incubator behind them, Bun—who they should have been protecting—was all alone, her tiny hands struggling to grasp something.

A mother and daughter’s hearts are connected.

Sophia knew she was scared because her eyes were covered.

She just wants someone... to hold her.

If Vincent and Cedric had just turned their heads, they would have seen the name beside her and known who she was.

But their hearts and eyes were only for Joanna Sherman’s daughter; they wouldn’t spare a single glance for Bun.

Sophia watched, her heart aching terribly.

The three of them left together.

Sophia wiped the tears from her face and took two steps after them. Then she turned and ran into the phototherapy room, kneeling before the incubator.

Unable to hold Bun, she could only wrap her arms tightly around the machine.

In the days that followed, Vincent still didn’t call, not even once. Sophia, however, called Cedric every day without fail.

Cedric always seemed incredibly busy, finding an excuse to hang up after just a few words.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of her discharge. Ms. Archer went cheerfully to handle the discharge paperwork.

Sophia was in a good mood as well. When she came out of the restroom after changing out of her hospital gown, she saw Bun’s swaddling blanket tossed on the floor.

In the bassinet, the tiny child was wearing only a thin undershirt. Her face was blue and purple, and she wasn’t moving.

"AHH!"

Sophia’s mind short-circuited with a buzz, going completely blank. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, her body trembling uncontrollably.

It wasn’t until her hand touched the soft blanket that she scrambled back up and grabbed a passing nurse. "My baby... My baby!"

Medical staff rushed in. One of them picked up the wristband of the child in the bassinet and immediately understood.

"This child’s mother has a severe mental illness. She crushed the baby shortly after it was born."

"The family brought the baby here, but it couldn’t be saved. The mother, in a state of psychosis, grabbed the child and ran. We didn’t expect her to come here."

"She must have swapped your baby."

Hearing the words "psychosis" and "crushed," Sophia felt her soul leave her body. She collapsed onto the floor, on the verge of fainting.

But she can’t faint! If she fainted, who would look after Bun?!

She dug her nails hard into her palm, using the pain to stay conscious.

Sophia struggled to her feet, forcing herself to breathe deeply and calm down. "Quick, call the police! Get security!"

Security mobilized immediately but failed to stop the distraught mother.

Sophia chased her downstairs, only to see the woman jump into the roaring traffic, holding Bun. Cars, unable to stop in time, nearly sent them flying several times! Her heart shattered again and again with each close call.

Sophia desperately tried to rush in to save them, but was held back tightly by Ms. Archer, who had hurried over.

The police approached from the other side but didn’t dare intercept her. They were afraid of startling the woman and causing her to run back into traffic.

All they could do was wait for her to cross the road.

Though the road was short, Sophia’s heart stopped several times. She felt as if she were being tormented in hell over and over.

Just as the woman reached the other side, a truck pulled up.

A hand reached out from the truck, pulled the woman inside, and sped away just before the police could catch up!

No one had expected this to happen.

A hot stream suddenly rushed up Sophia’s throat!

"You’re spitting up blood!"

Sophia didn’t hear what Ms. Archer shouted; she just ran to the police car and jumped in.

Ms. Archer got in after her.

The siren wailed as the officer in the passenger seat communicated continuously with dispatch over the radio.

They learned from the distraught woman’s parents that the person who helped her escape was their son-in-law.

The son-in-law’s long-awaited child had died, causing him to have a mental breakdown, which is why he had fled with his wife.

The man rammed through several police cars that tried to block him, drove for a while, then abandoned the truck and fled into the mountains.

The forest was deep.

Rodents and ants scurried in swarms, and a thick cloud of mosquitoes buzzed about.

There was no signal.

The officers could only search blindly, like headless chickens. The sun slowly set. The mountains grew darker, and the wind became bone-chillingly cold.

Bun isn’t wearing many clothes! She hasn’t eaten in over ten hours... How can a seven-day-old baby survive this?!

Sophia’s heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife. She suddenly remembered that Vincent’s Star Chain System could locate targets deep in the mountains or seas, and she quickly dialed his number.

"Hello?" This time, Vincent answered.

"Save our child!" Sophia clutched her chest, crying uncontrollably, her voice hoarse and urgent.

"What child?"

"It’s our—"

Before she could finish the word, a baby’s sharp cry came through the phone.

The moment Vincent hung up, she heard Joanna Sherman’s panicked voice. "Oh no, the baby fell off the bed!"

That afternoon, Sophia couldn’t reach Vincent again. Her despair lasted from dawn until deep into the night.

When Bun was finally rescued, her body was covered in bruises. Her eyes were closed weakly, and she let out hoarse whimpers. She was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Sophia collapsed to her knees outside the treatment room. Never a religious person, she clasped her hands and prayed over and over to the heavens for Bun’s safety.

Her fallen phone automatically refreshed her social media feed.

Her husband and son were gathered around Joanna Sherman’s daughter, applying ointment to a small red mark on her forehead.

There was no caption, only the father and son’s identical expressions—lips pressed tightly together, faces filled with worry.

Sophia laughed through her tears, which fell drop by drop onto the screen.

After a thorough examination, it turned out Bun only had superficial injuries. Only then did Sophia slowly start to feel alive again.

Because of the ordeal, Bun had to stay in the hospital for a few more days.

She heard that the couple had jumped off a cliff to their deaths; their bodies had been recovered.

Both sets of parents, devastated, knelt before her to beg for forgiveness.

Unfortunately, Vincent Grant and Cedric Grant remained completely oblivious to all of this.

Sophia still felt that, as a father and a brother, Vincent and Cedric needed to know about Bun’s existence.

She went to Vincent’s rocket facility.

Ever since Vincent began preparations for a rocket launch a year ago, he had been living there.

Entry to the facility was restricted without authorization.

Sophia could only wait. She didn’t have to wait long before she saw them.

Vincent was beside Joanna Sherman, his eyes as deep as still water, exuding an overwhelming aura of nobility.

Joanna Sherman wore a sun hat, an ice queen with a cool and distant beauty.

The handsome man and the beautiful woman made a stunning, eye-catching pair.

A caregiver followed, pushing a stroller. Cedric was constantly adjusting the swaddled baby’s blankets, pulling this and tucking that, his movements careful and his eyes full of tenderness.

As they walked, the caregiver asked him, "If you had to choose, who would you choose to be the mother?"