All Chapters of Paying the Price: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

I had severe allergies. So, on the doctor's advice, I moved to a villa halfway up the mountain to live alone. There was even a private family doctor living there with me. A few days ago, my son, Shawn Ziegler, told me he had finally won over the woman of his dreams. I sent a message to my husband, Derek Ziegler, on WhatsApp. I expressed my desire to meet my future daughter-in-law. Just then, I heard the sound of the door to the villa being smashed open by a heavy object. Immediately after that, there came the cacophony of noisy talking at the entrance. A woman with a bossy and shrill voice declared loudly, "You'd better get out of here now! I'm the future lady of this house, and anyone who dares come up against me will be taught a lesson!" "Celine, won't your boyfriend get angry if he finds out about this? Breaking in like this doesn't seem right," someone said apprehensively. "What nonsense are you talking about? He's been courting me for so long. Even if he finds out, he'll

Although Shawn was my adopted son, I had raised him single-handedly. It was only in recent years that I started living alone in the villa due to my serious allergies. Upon seeing their menacing expressions, I cautiously stepped back after getting up. Suddenly, a bracelet fell from the table. "That's right—the bracelet!" I exclaimed inwardly.Then, I said, "I really am his mother! Shawn said he picked this bracelet out with his girlfriend as a gift for me. You must have seen it, right?"I held up the golden bracelet to show Celine. She didn't react, so I picked up my phone from the floor and opened WhatsApp. "This is our family chat group," I said, pointing at the screen. The last message was sent the previous night, and it showed a voice message from Shawn. "Hey, Mom. You're the cutest mom in the world. I had a special hair dye mixed just for you, and it's totally safe for you to use. Didn't you say you wanted to color your hair pink? I'll come over and dye it for you." "Su

The moment Shawn stepped in, Celine's eyes were fixated on him. He entered wearing a black suit, exuding a casual yet rebellious air. I lay on the ground, desperately trying to catch his attention. But with my mangled tongue, I could only produce muffled whimpers.Shawn's gaze landed on me, and his pupils instantly contracted. His lips turned pale. Someone must have informed him, which was why he had arrived so quickly.But no one could have predicted the brutality of this group of women. They had broken my bones, shredded my tongue, and knocked out my teeth!Lying in a pool of blood, I probably looked like a corpse at first glance.Celine, noticing Shawn's shock, smiled and walked up to him. She clung to his arm and acted cute. "Aww… You came looking for me so soon after we've just parted? Are you that unwilling to be away from me?"Shawn was very anxious. Even his voice trembled as he asked, "What are you doing here? What did you do to her?"Clinging to his arm, Celine pouted

The next day, I was woken by a voice."Dear, what happened to you?"I opened my eyes to see Derek staring at me in shock and disbelief. He must have heard about my condition from the young woman and rushed back overnight. His face showed the look of exhaustion from a sleepless night.Having come so close to death, I could hardly believe he was in front of me right now—it felt like a dream. Tears streamed down my face as all the anguish I had bottled up poured out at once."Damn it! Who did this to you?" Derek's voice was trembling with suppressed rage. His eyes reddened, and he stroked my head gently.Hatefully, Derek hissed, "I'll make them pay for this no matter who they are. I promise they'll suffer the consequences!"My eyes were swollen from crying, and I desperately wanted to tell him everything that had happened. However, my tongue was still too damaged for me to speak clearly.Just then, Shawn entered the room holding Celine's hand."Dad… You're back." Shawn froze for a

The hospital room was filled with the sound of blows landing on flesh and Celine's muffled sobs.Shawn's face turned pale at Derek's cutting words. His anger disappeared entirely, and it was replaced by utter shock.He turned to Derek with disbelief written across his face. "She… She picked me up from the streets? No! That's impossible!"Derek's eyes were bloodshot as he slapped Shawn across the face."It's all because Arden pitied you! She felt sorry for you and wanted to give you a better life. She adopted you and made you her son! Who knew you'd turn out to be such an ingrate? We should have left you on the streets!" Derek shouted angrily.He then clutched his chest, trembling with rage. He had devoted years to grooming Shawn and teaching him the ropes to handle the family business so that he could take over with ease.But in return, Shawn grew up to be a traitor who bit the hand that fed him. He had very nearly caused my death as well.To Derek, Shawn was no longer part of t