Chapter 200
The icy wind howled as Phoenix stumbled out of the house. Her thin school uniform offered no protection against the biting cold, but she barely felt the chill—her heart was far colder.
"Get out! Worthless brat!" Her grandmother's curses still echoed in her ears. The image of her father's twisted expression as he kicked her in the stomach was seared into her mind like a knife wound.
All these years of so-called love had been nothing but a pretense—conditional on the money her mother sent. Now that the payments had stopped, she was nothing but a burden.
Clutching her stomach, Phoenix trembled, her back drenched in cold sweat. Every step sent sharp pain shooting through her body, making her vision blur. The streets were crowded with hurried passersby, but no one noticed the frail girl swaying unsteadily.
"Mom..." Suddenly, she remembered the look in Lily's eyes at the hospital earlier that day. There had been no resentment—only pain. Even after being publicly humiliated by her, Lily had still slipped fever medicine into her pocket.
The hospital entrance was just ahead, but Phoenix couldn't hold on any longer.
"Miss!" A security guard rushed forward, catching her as she collapsed.
The emergency room lights glared harshly. When Lily arrived, her lab coat was even on backward.
"Internal bleeding! Prep for surgery!" A colleague's shout made her legs buckle.
Outside the operating room, Lily clutched the medical chart with white-knuckled intensity. The X-ray clearly showed an intestinal perforation—caused by blunt force trauma. She suddenly recalled the vicious glint in Frank's eyes when Phoenix had confronted her at the hospital earlier.
"Dr. Collins..." A nurse hesitantly handed her a phone. "The police station called. The Fergusons reported that their child stole money and ran away."
Lily let out a cold laugh. Gently brushing her fingers over her daughter's bruised forehead, she dialed her lawyer.
"I'm suing Frank Ferguson for child abuse," she said, her voice terrifyingly calm. "And pull the surveillance footage from the hospital entrance today."
In the ICU, the heart monitor beeped steadily. As Lily leaned over to tuck the blanket around her daughter, a tear fell onto the cast.
"This time, I'll protect you," she whispered, wiping the tear from Phoenix's cheek. "I won't let go again."
Down the hallway, officers were taking statements. The security footage clearly showed Phoenix clutching her stomach, staggering toward the hospital in agony.
"The evidence is solid," the senior officer closed his notebook, glancing at the small figure in the hospital bed. "This kid's got a strong will to live."
Outside, the first light of dawn broke through the clouds. Lily tightened her grip on her daughter's cold hand, standing tall in the morning light.