Austin longed to see Nicole, believing that meeting her might bring a chance to reunite with Roscoe, whom he missed terribly.

“If you do as I say, I'll take you to see your mommy," Vicki assured him softly.

“Okay, I'll do as you say." Austin nodded compliantly.

Vicki spoke softly. "Now, go to bed. You need to be well-rested and strong to visit your mommy, right?"

Austin agreed and quickly lay down to sleep.

Vicki's voice was just loud enough to be heard by the servants outside the door. Jarrod had given strict instructions that Austin should never be left alone in a room.

Although Vicki was there, the servants were cautious about leaving her alone with Austin.

Reports of stepmothers mistreating their stepchildren were not uncommon, and these servants did not want to be responsible for any harm to Austin. However, as they listened to Vicki calmly and patiently soothe Austin, they felt somewhat reassured.

Unseen inside the room, Vicki had pulled the blanket off Austin, who had rosy cheeks, and laid him down on the bed in just his thin pajamas.

The half-open window angled just right, sending a breeze straight to Austin on the bed.

Vicki sat beside the bed, observing Austin who bore a strong resemblance to Jarrod, her eyes filled with envy. She whispered silently to herself, "You should never have been born."

At the hospital.

Jarrod had been attentively watching over Nicole, observing the bruises covering her body. He remembered that even when they were together previously, she often appeared bruised.

Many of those marks had been caused by him in moments of anger, and although he occasionally felt remorse afterward, he would justify it as punishment she deserved for not obeying him.

But now, these injuries were imposed by someone else, and a fierce anger surged within him, an urge to destroy whoever was responsible.

That disgusting Derek... How dare he! How could he possibly dare?

Jarrod's chest tightened painfully, a torment that seemed beyond understanding. It was a crushing sensation, almost like he was losing his ability to breathe.

He hated losing control. Years earlier, while overseas in violent situations, he had vowed never to let anything related to him escape his control, even if it meant using extreme measures.

However, whenever faced with things related to Nicole, he felt his control slipping more than once.

"You.. What do you want me to do.." Jarrod sat beside the bed, holding her hand.