The Levines had all gone abroad. William left James in Victoria's care. Without consulting Elise. Without asking if James wanted to stay with Victoria.

Elise gritted her teeth. She had to accept this reality. She was reluctant to bother William under the current circumstances.

His text messages over the past few days were sparse. There was nothing to say. Ethan wasn't recovering anytime soon.

Yet Victoria constantly shared updates about her time with James. It was a complete mess. Feeding him. Bathing him. Leaving his little face covered in soap bubbles.

She took James outdoors. Hiking. Amusement parks. They played on all sorts of thrilling rides.

Elise remained silent. Watching Victoria perform her maternal role.

Until Victoria sent a photo of James with a hurt leg.

In the picture, the boy hung his head. He stared at his leg. It was wrapped in white bandages. His expression was blank.

Victoria's caption read: [I'm so sorry, sweetheart! Mommy was careless.] It was accompanied by crying emojis.

That was the final straw. Elise texted Victoria immediately. [What happened to James?]

Victoria replied: [It's nothing serious. Just a minor sprain from our hiking trip. The doctor said he needs rest. He'll be fine.]

Elise was skeptical. [Where is he right now? I'm coming to get him.]

[William left him in my care. I won't hand him over to anyone without his explicit permission. Don't worry—I'll take excellent care of him.]

Elise's fingers clenched around her phone. Victoria added another message: [As long as he remains my son, I will be responsible for him until the very end.]

It sounded like a normal statement. But it was a clear threat from Victoria. A warning that she could harm James if pushed.

Elise felt the air leave her lungs. She wondered if Victoria had intentionally hurt James. She was almost certain Victoria had been updating their usually inactive chat for this precise reason. To deliberately remind Elise of her power.

Naturally, Elise couldn't stay calm when James was involved. She called William immediately.

He sounded exhausted on the other end. Elise didn't care about the time difference. She spoke bluntly. "I want James with me."

She was frantic with worry leaving him alone with Victoria. That vicious woman was capable of anything to achieve her goals.

"I'll be back the day after tomorrow," William said. "I'll take him back then."

"I want James back now!" Elise snapped. Her tone was firm and severe.

"Just wait—"

"Do you honestly believe he's safe with Victoria?!" Elise demanded, her voice trembling with agitation.