Avery arrived at Elliot's mansion half an hour later.

She headed straight into the living room but found no one.

She was stunned.

"Layla!" she called out.

Soon after, she heard the sound of Layla's delicate voice.

"Mommy! I'm over here! Come save me! The dirtbag wants to hit me!"

Avery followed the sound of her daughter's voice into the dining room.

Layla was hiding under the dining table, looking afraid.

She had not dropped her guard till Avery had appeared.

"Layla! What are you doing under the table? Get out here!" Avery said as she walked over to the table and pulled her daughter from under it.

Layla threw herself into her mother's arms and began crying. "He's trying to hit me! I was so scared— That's why I tried to hide! I ran away quickly so he didn't catch me— If he caught me, then he would have beaten me to death!"

Of course, Avery did not believe a word Layla was saying.

Why would Elliot raise his hand to a child?

It was not like he knew that Layla was her biologi