Chapter 181

Chapter 181

Becky was dragged violently from the hospital bed to the floor by her mother, losing a shoe in the chaotic struggle. She was pulled out the door in complete disarray.

The nurses saw what was happening and hurried down the hall to intervene.

"What are you doing?"

"Ma'am, stop! The patient hasn't fully recovered yet—she can't be discharged!"

The nurses tried to pull Becky back, but Karena blocked them. She was strong, fueled by a reckless, desperate energy.. The nurses were no match for her aggressive shoving and were all pushed aside.

Karena said viciously, "Whether she can be discharged isn't for you to decide! I've already completed the discharge paperwork. I'm taking my daughter home. What's your angle here? You just want us to stay longer so your hospital can bleed us dry for more money, don't you!"

The nurses were furious, their faces flushed red with professional indignation.

Unable to stop her, they could only watch helplessly as Karena dragged Becky away. One nurse fumed, "Are we just letting this happen? The patient hasn't recovered yet!"

An older nurse beside her frowned. "There's nothing we can legally do. The mother demanded a discharge and assumed full liability. We cannot force her to stay against her guardian's will."

"What if we call Ms. Whitaker?"

The older nurse smiled. "Smart girl. Why didn't I think of that?"

With that, she dialed Elizabeth's number.

Elizabeth had just walked through the front door of her apartment, exhausted, planning to rest for a bit, when the call came. She hadn't even sat down before rushing back out the door.

But she didn't drive to the hospital. There was no point—the nurses had confirmed Karena and Becky weren't there anymore. Instead, she headed straight to Karena's house.

But when she arrived, she came up empty.

No one was home.

Elizabeth stood at the door, her expression grim. On the way over, she'd tried calling. But neither Karena nor Becky were answering their phones.

And now Karena's house was empty…

Unease gripped her heart. Had Karena sold Becky again?

Elizabeth dialed emergency services without a second of hesitation.

Half an hour later, the police arrived and immediately launched an investigation, starting with the building's security footage. The security guard was more than cooperative, pulling up the recordings. The footage this time was unexpectedly clear.

The guard explained, "After Ms. Harris went missing from the premises last time, our management was worried something like that would happen again. To give residents peace of mind, we replaced all the cameras. This time, we can guarantee that if they appeared anywhere in this complex, we'll have it on tape!"

The surveillance footage was quickly retrieved.

It clearly showed that Karena had indeed brought Becky home. The mother and daughter seemed to be arguing the entire way. Becky was clearly unwilling, while Karena's hand gripped her tightly.

They were inside the house for less than ten hurried minutes before coming back out.

But Karena was now dragging Becky with one hand while aggressively wheeling a large piece of luggage with the other.

The police immediately notified their colleagues to track Karena and Becky's whereabouts. Within minutes, the transport authority discovered that Karena had booked two seats on a 1:00 p.m. international flight—they were leaving the country.

Right now, there was exactly one hour until takeoff.

At the airport.

Becky sat in a chair, her face blank, not saying a word.

Karena kept anxiously glancing at her watch, clutching the handle of the luggage tightly. "You don't need to give me that look. Everything I'm doing is for your own good."

"You're doing this for Nash," Becky replied, her voice completely hollow but dripping with exhaustion and sarcasm.

Karena choked on her breath, her face flushing, then spoke with a shrill, defensive righteousness. "It doesn't matter who I'm technically doing it for. The most important person in my heart is you!"

Becky didn't believe that for a second.

Seeing her daughter's completely unmoved expression, Karena sighed heavily, playing the victim. "Your personality is just like Elizabeth's sometimes—too stubborn! But you need to understand, things aren't as simple as you think. Some bitterness, you just have to swallow!"

Becky's tone was numb. "Yeah. With a mother like you, I don't have a choice."

This ungrateful brat was getting too sharp-tongued!

Karena was about to explode.

Just then, her phone rang. She quickly answered, glaring hard at Becky and pointing a warning finger at her to stay put before walking a little distance away to take the call, covering the mouthpiece.

"Yes, I understand. Don't worry. I absolutely won't let this blow up!"

"Even if it's a crime, even if someone wants to press charges, they need a victim to do it. We're not filing charges. Rest assured. I promise—after today, we'll be out of this city for good!"

She spoke obsequiously, completely unaware of the people standing silently behind her.

When she hung up and turned around, Karena nearly jumped out of her skin, dropping the phone.

Seeing Elizabeth standing beside the police officers, Karena instinctively turned to run. But she'd barely taken two steps before the police grabbed her.

Elizabeth walked right past the struggling Karena without even glancing at her, heading straight for Becky.

The moment Becky looked up and saw Elizabeth walking toward her, the dam finally broke. Tears streamed silently down her bruised face. "Elizabeth…"

"Don't be afraid. I'm here." Elizabeth knelt down and gently patted her back, pulling her into an embrace. But over Becky's shoulder, Elizabeth's gaze was cold as ice as she looked at Karena, wishing she could end her right there.

How could such a mother even exist in this world?

At the detention center, Karena was still shouting indignantly, pacing restlessly even with her wrists securely cuffed.

"What right do you have to arrest me? I was taking my daughter on a trip abroad! We didn't commit any crime! Even if you're police, you don't have the authority to detain us!"

Her voice was so loud it made everyone's ears ring.

Elizabeth sat with Becky in the visitor's room outside, able to clearly hear hear the commotion from the detention area.

Elizabeth ignored it, pouring Becky a cup of warm water. "After you finish giving your statement, I'll take you back to the hospital."

She didn't ask any questions.

Becky was touched but also distressed. She said quietly, "My mom just didn't want me to go after Nash and Angelina. I don't know why she's protecting them so much…"

Hearing Angelina's name, Elizabeth wasn't surprised in the slightest. From the exact moment Angelina brazenly appeared in Becky's hospital room, she knew the woman was up to no good.

"Do what you want to do. Don't listen to anyone else."

Elizabeth said it, but Becky knew how hard that was. She sighed softly. "Actually, I know my mom has a point. I don't know what relationship Nash has with that Angelina woman, but I've heard of the Sullivan family's reputation."

She looked down at the rippling water in her cup, watching it gradually cool.

After a long pause, she said, "Elizabeth, maybe we should just let it go."

"Are you worried about me?" Elizabeth immediately guessed what the girl was thinking.

Becky didn't deny it. "Partly, yes. Not just because your husband knows Angelina, but also because I'm just an ordinary person. I can't fight the Sullivan family. They're rich—they can hire the best lawyers... And we don't have evidence."

It was true. That low-level thug, Nash, was entirely full of lies. At most, you could only believe three out of ten words he said. Without solid evidence, there was no way to prove Angelina was the mastermind.

Elizabeth patted her shoulder. "I'm only going to ask you one thing. Do you want to press charges?"

Becky hesitated for a long time before answering. "Yes."

Even now, sitting in the safety of a police station, she couldn't bear to recall the terrifying memory of being taken. That darkness and despair could drive a person mad.

"Then don't hesitate. I support you."

Elizabeth sat beside Becky, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, saying quietly, "Evidence? We'll just find it."