The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 448

Tiana had already taken the elevator. The descending numbers on the display showed she had just reached the ground floor.

Winona and Julian scrambled down the emergency stairs.

They burst out of the building's entrance just in time to see Tiana's small figure disappearing around a corner. She was heading for the main gate of the complex.

Where was the little girl going?

She was barefoot, her hair a wild mess, and her jeans were slipping down as she ran.

Behind her, a chorus of desperate cries from Julian, Winona, Janetta, and Forrest filled the air. "Tiana, don't run! Where are you going?"

Tiana never looked back. She just kept running.

A terrifying thought struck Julian. Was Tiana trying to kill herself? Was she going to run into traffic?

But she was just a child!

Julian sprinted, catching up to Tiana and sweeping her into his arms. "Sweetheart, what's wrong? Tell Daddy what's wrong!"

Held by Julian, Tiana began to scream and shriek like a wild animal. "I don't have a daddy! I don't have a daddy!"

Her cries were the kind of heart-wrenching sound a child makes in the dead of night, a sound that could twist the gut of any listener.

She struggled to break free, but at only five years old, she was no match for his strength. Her little legs kicked relentlessly, each blow landing on the site of Julian's recent surgery. After a while, the pain became almost unbearable, but he refused to let her go.

When kicking didn't work, she started headbutting him, again and again, with such force that Julian's head began to ache. But the small child didn't stop.

When that failed, she resorted to biting.

She sank her teeth into Julian's arm, her whole body trembling with the effort. Julian felt the skin break and blood begin to seep through his shirt.

Then, something felt wrong.

Tiana had already run out of the main gate. The street was busy with traffic. Even though cars slowed near the complex entrance, they still carried significant momentum. But Tiana seemed oblivious to them.

She fixed her eyes on an approaching car and, without a moment's hesitation, threw her small body in front of it.

"Tiana!" A raw, gut-wrenching scream tore from Winona's throat.

She lunged forward, and in the final split second, she wrapped her entire body around Tiana, turning her own back to the oncoming car and squeezing her eyes shut in despair.

"Screech!" The sound of tires protesting against the asphalt filled the air.

The driver leaned out of his window, his face contorted in rage. "What the fuck, are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

Winona didn't turn around. She just held Tiana tightly in her arms.

Her voice was as raw and broken as a crow's caw. "Sweetheart, tell Mommy. What did you go through that made you not want to live anymore?"