I held back for my daughter's sake.

She was the one beautiful remnant of a love that had died, my precious treasure.

My eyes welled up as I traced the delicate curve of my daughter's face. After so long apart, the seven-year-old's gaze held a mixture of pure joy and a tiny spark of fear.

Valentina cradled our daughter, her smirk a challenge directed at me.

"Selena, darling, tell Auntie what you've been learning in school lately?"

The Walker clan erupted in a chorus of praise for Valentina.

As Sebastian's right-hand woman, Valentina had wormed her way into every corner of my daughter's life.

I knew the Walkers saw her, a woman from an equally esteemed background, as the only one truly fit to raise a Walker child.

Sebastian's mother, in particular, was convinced. She’d always made it clear she thought my own background was too common, my upbringing too rough, and she never missed a chance to make my life difficult.

Back then, for Sebastian and our daughter, I’d swallowed my pride and endured it all.

Valentina set Selena down and handed Sebastian's mother a few membership cards.

"Auntie, Sebastian and I recently found this amazing chiropractic and wellness clinic. Their methods are top-notch. Sebastian’s eyes have been bothering him, and after just one session, he felt so much better. I got a few memberships for you all too."

Naturally, the Walkers fawned over Valentina once more.

Sebastian looked at me, his expression one of stunned disbelief.

I knew exactly what he wanted to ask. The clinic was the one run by my apprentice, Aurora.

But I had zero desire to give him the satisfaction.

I knelt beside my daughter, speaking softly.

Who cared what she was learning? All that mattered was that she was healthy and happy.

My daughter fidgeted, her small hands twisting the hem of her dress. She seemed to want to speak, but darted a fearful glance at Valentina.

A white-hot anger ignited within me. Valentina controlled every aspect of my daughter's life—her schedule, her studies, her playtime.

What had Valentina done to her to make a seven-year-old child so terrified?

"Sebastian! From this moment on, I am raising our daughter!"

Tears streamed down my face as I pulled my daughter into a fierce hug. She clung to my arm with equal desperation.

"Natalie, what kind of upbringing did you have that you think you're qualified to teach a Walker child?"

Before Sebastian could utter a word, his mother launched into a scathing attack.

Sebastian's face darkened. He rose to his feet, his gaze locking onto mine.

"What are you trying to stir up now?"

Valentina, never one to miss an opportunity to twist the knife, chimed in:

"Natalie… I know you resent me, but everyone knows your mother was a murderer…"

Sebastian spun around, snapping at her, "Enough!"

I gently set my child down and walked calmly towards Valentina. I slapped her, hard.

Silence descended, thick and suffocating.

Then Sebastian’s furious roar split the air: "That’s enough! Natalie! What the hell is wrong with you?"

He was struggling to keep his rage in check.

"Is this how you act as a mother, in front of our child?"

I let out a broken laugh.

"I admit, I’m not a perfect mother. But are you a perfect father?"

My laughter died, replaced by a cold dread as I stared into Sebastian's increasingly panicked eyes.

"Sebastian. Have you ever considered this?"

"If I have a murderer for a mother, that's my father's fault."

"Then if I become a crazy mother, whose fault would that be?"

Valentina seized the opening. Clutching her cheek, she played the victim.

"Natalie, you can hit me if you want, but don't take your anger out on Sebastian. Let's just talk this through calmly. You're scaring the child."

She stepped forward, feigning concern for my daughter, reaching out to pull Selena away.

I wouldn't let her.

Grabbing a coffee cup from a nearby table, I hurled its contents directly into Valentina's face.

"Since when do you get a say in my daughter's life?!"

Valentina shrieked and stumbled back, hiding behind Sebastian, trembling and begging for mercy. Her pathetic display only stoked the protective instincts of everyone present.

"Enough, Natalie! Do you even look like a mother right now? Throwing a tantrum in front of your child?"

"Valentina may not have the Walker name, but I watched her grow up. She’s practically a daughter to our family. She cares more about Sebastian than you ever did. She knew his eyes were bothering him and took him for treatment."

"Unlike you, you shrew. You’re not fit to be a wife, let alone a mother!"

Sebastian's mother, unable to tolerate my outburst any longer, unleashed a torrent of abuse.

Her words fanned the flames of my fury.