An unscrupulous company discharges toxic wastewater into the river, causing my whole family to be poisoned because we rely on that river for survival.

Everyone in my family, including my aunts and uncles, lives in the same village. We're all waiting for an urgent antidote delivery to save our lives.

My boyfriend is Harrison Somers, and his company is the only one with the antidote. So, I ask him for it. He agrees to come but doesn't show up after a long time.

Ultimately, my family members die after being tormented by the toxic wastewater because they don't have the antidote.

Meanwhile, Harrison shows up at the hospital with his childhood sweetheart because she accidentally sliced her finger while peeling a fruit.

My mom, dad, and other relatives were all in the emergency room. The doctor said that there were only two hours left before the time window for receiving a cure closed up.

I called my boyfriend, Harrison Somers, who promised to come with the cure. But two hours had already passed, and he still hadn't shown up.

I held my parents' hands tightly as I heard my relatives crying in agony beside me. I begged desperately for them to hold on.

My young nephew clung to the hem of my sleeve and sobbed, "Aunt Mikayla, you said Mr. Somers would save us. You lied!"

I couldn't hold back my tears. I sobbed uncontrollably as I watched them take their last breaths right in front of me.

At that moment, I was paralyzed by grief. A doctor supported me as I walked to the hallway outside dejectedly. My tears had already run dry by then. Yet, there was no reply from Harrison.

"Please accept my condolences, miss. I know how sad you must be feeling, but I still need to ask you to go and get the paperwork done," the doctor said softly.

I followed the nurse downstairs in a daze. But just as we reached the staircase, I saw Harrison walk in with his arm around a young woman.

"Why are you so careless?" he scolded her.

The woman replied, "Oh, it's just a little cut. It's no big deal. You're such a worrywart!"

Harrison frowned deeply. "That knife was rusty. What if you get an infection?"

I had never seen that expression on his face before. He seemed tense and worried.

When he looked up and saw me, he froze and blurted out, "Mikayla?"

I must've looked terrible with my red, swollen eyes. I didn't even know how I managed to walk up to him.

"Where's the medicine you promised me?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The woman giggled and spoke up. "Oh, so you're Harry's girlfriend? I'm so sorry about this. I accidentally cut myself. Harry was so worried about the cut that he drove me here to have it treated."

Fury surged within me, and my voice shook even more. "Where's the medicine, Harrison?"

He frowned and replied, "Alright, alright. I'll get someone to send it over. Look at you. You should go freshen up. I'll see you later."

He walked off with the woman in his arms. At that moment, I could only see the pained faces of my parents before they died. My vision went black, and I passed out.

When I woke up, a young nurse was by my side. "You're finally awake! The doctor said you were too upset and overwhelmed. Just rest, and you'll be fine. Here's your file. Let me know if you need anything."

I thanked her weakly and forced myself to sit up. On the nightstand was a stack of death certificates. I was so stricken by grief that I had no more tears left to cry.

My relatives from far away were hurrying over, and I couldn't collapse just yet.

As for Harrison, he gave me hope and then shattered me with a fatal blow. The lives of over a dozen of my family members now lay between us. I was going to make him pay.

I got up and went back to our apartment—our little home together.

It still looked the same as when I left. Harrison hadn't come back for four days.

That suited me just fine. It gave me time to take care of things. I cleaned every nook and cranny. After that, I installed surveillance cameras. Then, I threw out the photo we took together and all our matching couple items.

I spent the whole day cleaning, and Harrison finally came back at night.

He was surprised to see that I was in the living room. He said indifferently, "I had the medicine sent over. They're fine now, right? I told you that it was only mild poisoning. It's nothing serious."

"How did you know?" I caught the slip of his tongue and immediately grew alert.

Harrison immediately realized he'd said too much. "I mean… Just think about it. Which company would dare discharge highly toxic wastewater into a river?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. I had never told him that my family was poisoned by wastewater.

This indicated that he knew everything all along but still chose not to come. My family was gone because of him. No matter who was responsible for the poisoning, I was going to seek justice.

When I didn't respond, he stepped closer and wanted to hug me. I turned aside, avoiding his arms.

His hand froze awkwardly in mid-air before he grew angry. "What's the matter with you, Mikayla Redwood?"

"I'm breaking up with you," I said to Harrison.

"How can you break up with me over something so small? Didn't I give you the medicine? Don't push your luck, Mikayla. My patience is limited," Harrison fumed.

I looked up at him with a bitter smile. This was the man I had loved for years—a man so heartless in the face of life and death. He knew exactly what I needed most but still chose to walk away from me.

Summoning every ounce of strength I had, I slapped him hard across the face.

Harrison was stunned. He quickly grabbed my wrist to stop me from striking him again.

"Are you crazy?" he shouted.

"I said, we're breaking up!" I shouted back.

"Okay, we're done. You'd better not regret this!" Harrison said with a scoff.

Then, he shoved me aside and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Moments later, he returned with bloodshot eyes that he used to glare daggers at me.

He spat, "This time, I'll never forgive you!"

I let out a scornful laugh. "Get out!"

This apartment belonged to Harrison—it wasn't until I threw him out that I realized it. It seemed I was the one who needed to leave.

Without hesitation, I packed my things while he was gone.

When I came across a family photo buried at the bottom of my suitcase, my eyes welled up with tears. It had been taken during the New Year when I went home to celebrate with my family. Now, I was the only one left among the people in the picture.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully tucked the photo away. Then I threw out everything in the apartment that had anything to do with me. When that was done, I picked up my suitcase and left.

There was only one photo of Harrison and me. We had taken it at an amusement park when we got on the Ferris wheel on our first date. In the photo, Harrison had his arm around my shoulder, smiling faintly and casually. His aloof demeanor had completely captivated me back then.

As I looked back at our relationship, I realized he had rarely shown me any warmth. Harrison never displayed any emotional highs or lows. He had only shown those emotions when he was with that woman.

However, it didn't matter anymore. It wouldn't matter in the future either.

I dragged my suitcase with me. After letting out a long sigh, I called Nina.

She drove over to meet me right away. The moment she saw my exhausted face and trembling body, she couldn't hold back her anger and scolded, "Look at you! How can you allow yourself to be in such a state because of a man?"

Nina scolded me nonstop as she helped me into the car. Finally, I broke down and clutched her tightly.

Through broken sobs, I said, "Nina… My mom, my dad… My entire family… They're gone!"

Her eyes widened in shock as she slammed on the brakes. "What did you say? They're all gone? How…"

"You have to help me. I want the culprits to pay for this!"

I told Nina everything, not leaving out any detail of what had happened.

Nina was so furious she started cursing. "That scumbag! How dare he say such things? No, we have to call the police!"

I grabbed her hand tightly. "Call the police? We've reported it countless times. They keep saying the matter is under investigation, but nothing happens. Besides, I suspect that Harrison knows about this too… You know what he's capable of."

Upon hearing that, Nina patted my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry. Leave this to me. He can't silence everyone under the weight of public scrutiny. Now, come home with me and get some proper rest. Once you're better, we'll figure out what to do one step at a time."

I nodded and followed her back to her place.

When I lay on the bed in Nina's room, I fell into a deep sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I saw my parents and the others. Their faces were covered in blood as they gripped my arm wordlessly.

I cried and screamed. In my delirium, I heard a voice say, "Kayla, take your medicine."

Half-conscious, I took the medicine and drank some water before drifting off again.

When I finally woke up, Nina was sitting by my side.

She said with relief, "You're finally awake! You had a fever all night, you know? You scared me half to death!"

I tried to speak, but my throat hurt too much. Nina gave me some water while saying, "That worthless man called you. I gave him a piece of my mind."

Before she could finish her sentence, my phone rang again—it was Harrison.

"Should I answer it for you?" Nina asked me.

I shook my head. "I'll handle it myself."

The moment I picked up the phone, Harrison's cold voice came through. "Mikayla, where's my blue tie?"

"We've broken up. Find your stuff yourself. I'm not your maid," I retorted.

There was a stunned silence on the other end before Harrison spoke up again. "Mikayla, is this really necessary? Stop acting out and just come back already!"

He thought I was throwing a tantrum.

"Harrison, I'm not joking with you. You'll never be able to repay what you owe me in this lifetime!"

I hung up and blocked his number immediately.

Nina patted my shoulder. "Don't bother wasting any emotions on that piece of trash. Let's eat first. After you've had something to eat, we'll go find you a lawyer."

Thank goodness for Nina—without her, I wouldn't have known what to do.

My relatives were still staying at a hotel. The lawyer suggested I apply for forensic testing, gather evidence, and force those responsible to come forward by way of using public opinion to pressure them.

I followed all the advice given to a tee. My family stood firmly by my side—not for anything else but justice for our deceased members.

Nina took matters into her own hands. A week later, an explosive exposé she wrote set the Internet ablaze. The title of her article was: "Unethical Factory Dumps Toxic Wastewater Into River, Poisoning Over Ten Members of One Family".

Of course, Nina didn't reveal my name in the article. However, she included pictures of the polluted river and a clear video showing the factory situated upstream dumping the wastewater. She also stated that the police and relevant authorities were already investigating and collecting evidence.

I boosted the article on social media with the help of a content promotion tool. Within hours, it hit the top trending topics. The culprit, Pinnacle Manufacturing, was exposed by Internet sleuths.

I patiently waited for the chance to seek justice to come.

"Nina, this story is just a flash in the pan. We need to act fast," I said.

She understood exactly what I meant. Public opinion could expand the impact, but hard evidence was what truly mattered because someone was suppressing the story behind the scenes.

Sure enough, the trending topic lasted only a day before it dropped to the tenth spot by the next morning. Whoever I was up against had deep pockets and didn't care about Nina's exposé. They even hire ghostwriters to accuse us of exploiting the dead for money.

Despite Nina keeping my identity private, someone dug it up in no time. My phone number was leaked, and I was bombarded with harassing calls. Even my relatives received threats.

I told everyone to go back home while I faced this alone.

Nina refused. "Mikayla, I'm staying with you. Trust me."

I knew she meant well, but this was something I had to face on my own.

Three days later, I received a call from Zara Langdon. She said, "Let's talk, Mikayla."

I knew she couldn't hold back any longer.

At the meeting place, Zara handed me a check. "How much will it take for you to stop?"

"Is the factory run by your family?" I asked.

She crossed her arms and didn't answer.

I understood why Harrison had intervened right there and then.

"Over ten of my family members died from this. How much money do you think it'll take to heal the wound after suffering such a tragic loss?" I questioned resentfully.

Zara sneered. "Oh, stop faking it. This is all about money, isn't it? That day, Harry was only a few minutes late. Your family members were weak and couldn't hang on. Now, you're pinning all the blame on the factory.

"What you're doing is disgusting. You're profited from the deaths of your family. No wonder Harry's family looks down on you. If I were you, I'd take the money and leave before losing everything."

Her condescending tone made my stomach churn. Thinking of my nephew's final struggles before he died, I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Keep your money and buy a coffin with it. I won't let this go, nor will I compromise in any way!" I bellowed.

"Stop playing the martyr, Mikayla. You're doing all this because you want Harrison. Too bad for you—with just one phone call, he came running to me that day. To him, your family is nothing but garbage," Zara said disdainfully.

My patience snapped at that moment. I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

The next moment, a strong force yanked me backward. "Mikayla, what the hell are you doing?"