Forged My Marriage, Stole My Baby—Now I’m the Judge You Kneel To - Chapter 81: Chapter 81

On the plane, the flight attendant came by several times to ask if Aveline needed any help.
Her complexion looked terrible.
"No, thank you."
Aveline forced herself to answer.
She was wrapped in a trench coat that covered all her wounds, and had used foundation to hide the injuries on her face.
Her hair had been trimmed at a salon near the airport so it no longer looked jarring.
She knew she'd only be safe once she reached Paris, so she tried her best to appear normal.
Aveline's gaze fell on her slightly trembling hands.
The only thing she was grateful for was that when she'd been brutally tortured, her hands had been tightly bound with rope.
So they hadn't been injured.
Her hands were too important.
After the long flight, the plane finally landed. Only after clearing customs did Aveline breathe a sigh of relief.
It felt like surviving a disaster, like coming back to life.
She collected her luggage and walked toward the exit.
Suddenly, a young girl in the distance caught her attention.
The girl wore light blue jeans and a white t-shirt, with a lively ponytail and a canvas bag casually slung over her shoulder.
She looked confident, sunny, and carefree.
Aveline's lips unconsciously curved into a small smile.
This girl reminded her of her former self.
The person she'd been before getting together with Sebastian.
Aveline watched the girl's retreating figure with gentle eyes, hoping she could continue being herself in the future.
Just as she was about to look away, Aveline caught a flash of cold light reflecting off the girl's backpack buckle.
A vicious-looking woman was holding a knife, aimed straight at the girl's back.
Aveline's breath caught as memories pulled her back three years.
That day, she'd also first seen the reflection in a photo frame on her desk, then Serena had burst in.
Serena had held a knife and without a moment's hesitation, slashed at her wrist.
That single cut had dragged her into hell and nearly destroyed her completely!
It had been so painful...
Having experienced that pain herself, Aveline couldn't just stand by when similar harm was happening before her eyes.
Her body reacted instinctively, faster than her brain could think, pulling the girl away.
They both tumbled to the ground.
The crazy woman had been certain of her strike. Missing her target, her eyes filled with crazed disbelief. She turned to stab the girl again.
But this time she didn't succeed—security guards rushed over and subdued her.
"Th-thank you."
The girl was on top of Aveline, still shaken but full of gratitude.
But Aveline didn't even have the strength to speak.
Her injuries, the sudden exertion, plus being knocked down and pinned—she felt like she was falling apart.
The world quickly faded to black.
When she woke up again, Aveline was in a hospital room with distinctly French décor.
"You're finally awake!"
The girl looked relieved, her gaze concerned and grateful.
"Thank you for saving me. That person's knife was poisoned—if she'd stabbed me, I'd probably be dead right now."
"Also—"
The girl hesitated, her tone becoming cautious.
"I don't mean to pry into your privacy, but when you fainted, I wanted to see where you were hurt and discovered you were injured all over. I wasn't sure if going to a hospital would cause you trouble, so I brought you to our family's private medical facility. You'll get excellent treatment here."
Aveline was silent for a moment, then accepted the girl's kindness and thanked her.
Then she texted her mentor Emily, telling her she'd be a few days late.
Emily, learning that she was coming to compete in a design competition, had proactively invited her to stay at her house.
Originally, Aveline had planned to go straight there after landing.
She'd been worried about how to explain her injuries.
If she could recover here for a bit until her wounds looked less frightening, she could explain that she'd had a fall back home, and Emily would probably believe her.
"If your injuries require reporting to the police..." the girl couldn't help but add, "just let me know. My family is very powerful, especially my brother Caspian Saintclair! Not just in Paris—even back home in New York, he can do whatever he wants."
Caspian Saintclair?
Hearing this thunderous name, Aveline was genuinely shocked.