The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 450

As her family surrounded her, Tiana's vacant gaze slowly began to focus.

Her large, tear-filled eyes looked at Winona, and she said through her bloody mouth, her words slurred, "Mommy, Tiana was so bad to Mommy…"

"A baby who knows she made a mistake is the bravest baby in the world. Will you come home with Mommy now?" Winona asked gently.

"I didn't want to make Mommy sad. I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and then I was going to leave and never bother Mommy again."

Winona pulled Tiana into a fierce hug. "Mommy knows. Mommy knows everything. Come home with me… Let's go home."

Seeing that Tiana was no longer resisting, Winona lifted her into her arms. Zane held his sister's hand tightly, while Aunt Mia and great-grandma flanked them on either side.

Tiana looked at the scene through her blurry eyes, initially disoriented. Gradually, she wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and whispered weakly, "Mommy, my mouth hurts…"

"It's okay, sweetie. You're just losing your baby teeth. New ones will grow in soon. We'll go home, rinse your mouth, and after a little sleep, it won't hurt anymore."

"Okay."

Julian and his parents started to follow.

Winona spun around, her eyes blazing with fury. "You bastards, don't you dare follow us. Once I get Tiana settled, I'm coming to settle the score with you!"

Seeing Tiana resting quietly in her mother's arms, Julian felt a wave of relief. He turned to his parents. "Let Tiana stay with her mother for now. At least she'll be safe there. We can figure things out after she's calmed down."

Janetta and Forrest both nodded. Janetta murmured, "I feel most at ease leaving my granddaughter with her real mother. Sob… she really is my good daughter-in-law…"

The three of them left the complex, pelted by the scornful glares of the crowd.

Back at home, everyone doted on Tiana.

Mia ran downstairs to buy saline solution for her to rinse her mouth. Zane got an ice pack from the freezer to help with the swelling. Yves Prescott held her in his arms, shining a flashlight into her mouth while Winona, her face streaked with tears, carefully examined the wounds.

After cleaning her up, Winona took off Tiana's dirty clothes and washed her face.

Winona felt a chill run down her spine. She took Tiana into the bedroom, gently parted her legs, and looked. For a moment, she froze, turning into a statue of ice.

The inside of Tiana's small, tender thighs was a horrifying tapestry of bruises, a mix of old and new injuries. There wasn't a single patch of undamaged skin; it was all a mottled mess of purple and black.

Two hours later, five cars pulled up outside Julian's villa.

Winona was the first to get out. In her hand, she held a black rubber baton. She used an electronic key to open the front gate and strode directly toward the house.

She entered the foyer and walked into the living room.

The entire Shepherd family was there, laughing and talking, creating a picture of domestic bliss—until they saw Winona enter, baton in hand.

Without a word, Winona raised the baton, aimed it squarely at Felicity's pregnant belly, and swung with all her might.

"Help me!" Felicity shrieked in terror.