"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?"