Chapter 13

"Lilia has just woken up!"

"Okay, Mommy's going to check on her first."

Joanna changed her clothes, washed her face and hands, disinfected herself, and then went to her daughter's room.

"Lilia, Mommy's home!"

"Mommy!"

Lilia Haynes lay in bed, a big, bright smile on her skinny little face. (The sentence about the website has been removed as it is irrelevant and inappropriate.)

The little girl had suffered from a congenital heart defect and hemolytic anemia since birth. Her body's hematopoietic function was impaired, requiring a hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

For over three years, Lilia had been confined to her bed, unable to stand. Her skin was covered in needle marks and scars.

The mounting hospital bills and treatment costs weighed heavily on Joanna, pushing her forward. Joanna's greatest wish was for her daughter's recovery and to see Lilia stand again.

"Lilia, does it still hurt?" Joanna held her daughter's thin hand, her heart aching. She always fought back tears when seeing her daughter.

Lilia shook her head slightly. "Not anymore."

Joanna bit her lip, battling the sadness welling inside. Her daughter had just undergone major surgery; the child was pretending to be fine. "Mommy, can I have some chocolates?" Lilia whispered weakly.

The medicine from the surgery had left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she craved something sweet.

"Oh, Lilia, you just had your pills. How about this? When you get better, Mommy will buy you a whole pack of chocolates!"

Lilia's eyes lit up with anticipation. She nodded obediently. "But can I just look at the chocolate? I won't eat it." "Yes, of course, you can."

Joanna placed a piece of chocolate in her daughter's hand.

"I won't eat it, Mommy, not until I'm better."

This broke Joanna's heart. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew her daughter wasn't lying; the little girl was too weak to eat.

"Yeah, isn't my Lilia the sweetest!" Joanna sobbed, rising quickly. "Miranda, please take good care of Lilia!" Unable to bear staying any longer, Joanna left, on the verge of a breakdown.

Miranda, one of the nannies, looked at Joanna sadly. "I'll take care of Lilia. But you need to take care of yourself, too, Joanna."

"I will. Thank you."

Joanna left her daughter's room, stood at the door, took a deep breath, and then saw her two sons sneaking around the laptop.

"What are you doing?"

"Huh? Nothing!"

Davian and Irvin immediately shut down the laptop.

Her sons loved the internet and spent too much time on it. Joanna, however, had been too preoccupied with work to supervise them. "Don't stare at the screen for too long. It's bad for your eyes."

"Yes, Mummy!"

"Alright, you two, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner!"

"Right away!" The boys slid from their chairs, giggling as they ran to the bathroom.

"Oh, my, it's such a nice surprise for that bad guy. I can't wait to see his face tomorrow!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. We don't want Mommy to know."

"You're right. Humph, that bad guy. How dare he bully Mommy? We'll show him"

After dinner, Joanna tucked her sons into bed, read them stories until they fell asleep, and then finally returned to her work.

She closed her laptop at 3:00 a.m. and went to bed.

Chapter 13

Joanna had slept only four hours a day for years, a lifestyle that left her exhausted and unable to think clearly.

Morning arrived quickly.

Buzz, buzz, buzz

Before Joanna could get up, Jaydon's call flooded her phone.

"Jay? What are you calling me for at this hour?"

Jaydon's worried voice replied, "Joanna, have you seen the news?"

"What news?" Joanna rubbed her eyes, confused.

"Check your phone and read the entertainment news."

Joanna's heart pounded. She had a terrible feeling.

She remembered the vicious online attacks six years ago, a time when she'd felt so hopeless she'd considered suicide. She prayed history wouldn't repeat itself.

She shivered and unlocked her phone. More than five notifications, all about her, popped up instantly.

"After hooking up with her brother-in-law and getting kicked out, Joanna Haynes has moved on to her next victim."

"The former lady of Greyport fell out with her family over inheritance! Her father was ousted from the board, and she seized the family business."

"Joanna Haynes unwed yet pregnant. The father unknown"

Overnight, news about Joanna had spread across the internet.

With trembling fingers, Joanna opened one article. As she feared, the comments were unbearable. It was like six years ago, only worse. "Hello? Joanna? Are you still there?"

Joanna stared blankly at the comments, feeling drained of happiness and joy. People even dredged up the false news from six years ago. She couldn't bear to read more.

"Joanna, wait there! I'm coming to you."

"Jay"

"Listen to me, Joanna, pull yourself together. Don't be afraid. Wait for me!" Jaydon said, grabbing his keys and rushing downstairs.

This revised version corrects grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure for better flow and clarity. It also removes the inappropriate website plug.