In the days that followed, Yvonne lived in constant fear, terrified of being attacked again.
She and Silvia, wrapped up like mummies, lay in their hospital beds groaning in pain. The more they stewed on it, the angrier they became.
When Julius heard what had happened, he sent his men to ask around about the assailants, but they came up with nothing.
The police investigated, but the lack of leads only served to prove one thing: the group of thugs from that night weren't the ones who attacked Yvonne and her mother.
At the time of the assault, the thugs were still partying at a bar.
The case had hit a dead end.
Yvonne was consumed by a mixture of fear and rage, made worse by the fact that there was nothing she could do.
As she recovered, Yvonne's temper grew shorter and shorter.
She frequently lashed out at Silvia, blaming her for not protecting her properly.
Silvia felt wronged, but looking at her injured daughter, she could only swallow her retorts and endure the abuse in silence.
“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t dragged me to that bar, none of this would have happened!” Yvonne screamed at Silvia.
Silvia felt a surge of injustice. Some bastard had beaten her up too; she was a victim just as much as Yvonne was. The fact that her daughter showed no sympathy and instead blamed her made her blood boil.
She immediately shot back, her tone sharp, “I only took you because you were in a bad mood. I thought you needed to relax. How was I supposed to know something like this would happen?”
Yvonne snorted. “Relax? I think you were trying to get me killed! Do you have any idea how many enemies you have out there? How many men you’ve provoked? You know better than anyone.”
Yvonne was seething. She had always known her mother fooled around, and as long as it didn’t affect her, she turned a blind eye. But now, it had endangered her life.
She was filled with a burning hatred.
The relationship between mother and daughter grew increasingly tense.
In addition to their external injuries, they had both suffered several broken ribs. The doctor said they would need to stay in the hospital for over a month. Their arguments were often loud enough to be heard outside their room.
Meanwhile, Janina continued her daily training at the boxing gym. Under Baker Neal’s guidance, her skills were improving by leaps and bounds.
“You’re a fast learner, Janina. You could definitely handle a couple of thugs now,” Baker said with satisfaction, observing her progress.
Unwilling to let herself be bullied, she began searching for a private investigator, hoping to find the people who had attacked her.
“I don’t care how much it costs. You have to find them,” Yvonne told the investigator.
The PI took the case and began his investigation.
*
The late August weather remained hot and muggy.
Janina looked at Leo and Lily sleeping soundly in the back seat, a gentle smile touching her lips.
Time flew so quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the two little ones were already three months old.
They seemed to change every single day.

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