I remembered when I gave birth to my daughter—it was difficult labor, and Anthony was only two streets away, having dinner with a client.

I thought I was going to die.

Terrified, I called him, begging him to come see me just once.

All I got was his cold reply, “Diana, it’s just childbirth. Every woman has to go through it. Even if I come, I can’t help you give birth. I don’t like doing this kind of pointless, ceremonial stuff."

"You’ll be fine. Be strong. I’ll bring you a gift when I get back.”

Upstairs, laughter spilled down the walls—birthday songs, the clinking of glasses.

The sound pierced my chest like needles.

Whenever our daughter wanted Anthony to celebrate her birthday with her, he would push her away with the same cold dismissal.

“I’m busy with work. You’re six years old already. You should be mature enough not to bother adults all the time.”

Love or the absence of it—it was that obvious.

I didn’t know when Anthony came home that night.

All I knew was that when I woke up the next morning, he had already set the table with a full spread of dishes.

“Diana, I made these myself. Come taste them and see if they’re good.”

I glanced at the food and almost laughed aloud. Yes, he had “made” them.

But I’d seen Vanessa’s social media post last night—these were nothing more than their leftover dishes.

“Oh, by the way, Diana,” he said casually, “after I left yesterday, you stayed in the bedroom the whole time, right? You didn’t see anything in the living room?”

Looking at his probing expression, I found it almost amusing.

“No. I was too tired and slept straight through.”

Hearing this, he relaxed, hiding it behind a practiced calm.

“You’ve been holding off on cremating Cherry because you wanted justice for her, so she could rest in peace. But since it was just an accident, it’s time to let her be buried. Let’s set the funeral for tomorrow."

"I’ve already informed the relatives. Mom rushed back. Tonight, we’ll have dinner with the family, and tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the crematorium.”

I didn’t answer. But a heavy bitterness welled in my chest.

Yes—witnesses had been bribed, and even the evidence was destroyed.

Maybe even Cherry wouldn’t want to stay in this filthy world any longer.

The only one to blame was me—blind enough to love the wrong man.

When I entered the private dining room, I froze.

My mother-in-law was cradling a five-year-old boy in her arms, doting on him as if he were the jewel of her heart.

Vanessa was standing nearby, and my mother-in-law pulled her down to sit beside her, chatting and laughing like old friends.

That seat—was supposed to be the daughter-in-law’s seat.

I hadn’t known they even knew each other.

Anthony had never told me.

When Vanessa saw me, her tone dripped with mockery.

“Auntie, didn’t I tell you? Of course Diana would come to an occasion like this. As for what you said earlier—about me standing in as the Jimenez family’s hostess to help Anthony entertain guests—you’d better forget it."

"After all, Diana is still his wife. I wouldn’t want her to get jealous and accuse me of something I didn’t do. I can’t afford that kind of trouble.”

My mother-in-law shot me a contemptuous glance and scoffed, “A useless thing like you—only capable of giving birth to a money-losing girl—what right do you have to be angry? That brat dying was a blessing from the heavens, saving our family money. And yet you made a fuss, falsely accused Vanessa, and even dragged her into court. Aren’t you ashamed?"

"You’re worthless. You even let someone beat you until you can’t have children anymore. With so many people in this neighborhood, why did they target you? Maybe because you don’t behave yourself—probably your own shamelessness brought that trouble home."

"Vanessa is the capable one—her first child was a boy. If it weren’t for that, our family would’ve been in trouble. Anyway, I like Cooper, so I’ve already recognized him as my god-grandson. From now on, Vanessa’s status will be the same as yours.”

My mother-in-law was different from those who cared about social class or family background—she cared about one thing only: whether you could give her a grandson.

She had only escaped her bitter life because she gave birth to a son.

Back when Anthony had no money, she went out of her way to flatter me—just so my family would give him the funds to start his business.

Later, when Anthony’s company went public and his business grew, my own family was framed and our company went bankrupt. My only brother fell from a cliff, his body was never found. I lost my worth to them overnight.

From then on, she decided my education was too high, my looks too eye-catching—women like me were hard to control, restless by nature. She could never stomach me.

Vanessa covered her mouth and laughed happily, then led Cooper over to me. She pulled a few crumpled bills from her bag.

“Ms. Brooks, although you falsely accused me, it was still our Cooper Jimenez being naughty. This money is my token of goodwill to you and Cherry. You must accept it.”

She deliberately stressed the word Jimenez.

I lowered my gaze. Not too much, not too little—666 dollars.

Go to hell.

“Ms. Brooks,” she went on with a faux-innocent smile, “don’t blame me for being blunt, but I do know a little about face-reading. Your daughter—well, she looked short-lived from the start. Even without our Cooper, she would have died sooner or later.”

So—she was saying my daughter’s death was deserved?

I shoved her hard.

“Shut your filthy mouth! You, a murderer, have no right to speak of my daughter. Take your bastard and get out!”

Vanessa stumbled backward, caught just in time by Anthony. He gave me a cold look.

“Diana, watch your mouth. You’ve already lost the lawsuit. Cherry’s death was an accident. What right do you have to speak to Nessa like that—let alone lay hands on her?! Apologize, now!”

Nessa? How affectionate.

“Anthony, have you forgotten who your wife is? Your mother deliberately invited Vanessa to this family gathering to disgust me. She and you both insulted me and Cherry, and you just stood there."

"Fine—I’ll treat it as you wanting to play the dutiful son. But Cherry died so miserably, and Vanessa still dares to mock me, bringing this money to provoke me. Don’t tell me you don’t know that 666 sounds like go to hell. Are you going to keep pretending you’re blind?”

A flicker of hesitation crossed Anthony’s face—he seemed to realize how inappropriate this was.

But before he could speak, Cooper, who had been standing between us, suddenly burst into loud sobs.

Rolling up his sleeve, he revealed bruises on his arm and pointed at me in accusation.

“Daddy, this bad woman pinched me on purpose! She must be taking revenge on Mommy. Cooper hurts so much...”

At once, Vanessa’s eyes shimmered with tears.

“Ms. Brooks, you’ve misunderstood me. I left the house in a rush today, so I only had this money with me. I sincerely wanted to compensate you. I’m a simple person—unlike you, I don’t have so many schemes."

"I know you dislike me, but if you have a problem, take it out on me. Why bully a child?”

My mother-in-law looked ready to faint from distress. She slapped the table and shouted at me to get out.

“Anthony, I didn’t—”

Anthony cut me off impatiently, his face dark as iron.

“Diana, Cooper is only five. You think a child that age can lie? He didn’t hurt Cherry on purpose—what would a kid know? Must you blow everything out of proportion?"

"Mom said Cooper is her grandson now—so that makes him my son. I have to stand up for him and Vanessa.”

He shoved Cooper toward me.

“Cooper, Daddy will teach you something today: if someone bullies you, you bully them back. Whatever this auntie did to you, you do it back to her.”

A sly smile flashed in Cooper’s eyes before he put on an innocent act.

“But Daddy, I’m just a kid. My strength isn’t as big as an adult’s. She definitely won’t hurt as much as I do. That wouldn’t be fair!”

“Then bite her! Bite until you think she’s in enough pain.”

The next second, Cooper lunged at me, sinking his teeth viciously into my arm.

He didn’t stop until he’d torn out a chunk of flesh, spitting it onto the floor with disgust.

My mother-in-law praised him as if he’d done something commendable, glaring at me.

“You heartless wretch! How dare you bully my eldest grandson? Taking a bite of your flesh is already letting you off lightly. Get out of here—you’re an eyesore!”

Anthony didn’t even glance my way.

One arm holding the boy, the other wrapped protectively around Vanessa’s waist, they coaxed the child in perfect harmony—so intimate that my presence felt utterly redundant.

Mocking gazes closed in on me from all around. I said nothing, turned, and walked away.

I had just finished getting my arm bandaged at the hospital when my phone rang.

It was the funeral home—panic laced the voice on the other end.

“Ms. Brooks, something terrible has happened... your daughter’s body has been desecrated. All twenty-four of her ribs have been removed...”

“What?!”

I sprinted to the funeral home’s morgue, my mind blank with horror.

Several staff members stood there, faces pale with shock.

“This is too cruel... How could anyone do this to the dead—especially a child...”

One of them stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Ms. Ruiz sent people to do it and said her son wanted a bracelet made of human bones. They dragged your daughter’s body out by force..."

"We refused, so we called Mr. Jimenez. But before we could even finish explaining, he just said, ‘Whatever Miss Ruiz wants to do, let her,’ and hung up.”

I looked at my daughter’s remains—her small chest cavity torn open as if savaged by a wild beast.

I felt my breath being crushed from my lungs.

Finally, I understood the true meaning of heartbreak.

It took me a long time to find my voice, trembling uncontrollably. “The security footage... is it still there?”

“No. They smashed the cameras as soon as they arrived and said Mr. Jimenez ordered it.”

I shut my eyes in despair. I had expected this, I could never win against Anthony.

I begged the staff to cremate my daughter immediately. I couldn’t risk giving Vanessa another chance to harm her.

When it was over, I held the tiny urn in my arms, tears falling endlessly.

“Cherry... I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry...”

I left the urn in the funeral home’s care and made a phone call.

“Have you returned to the country? I need your help.”

But no matter how I tried, the images wouldn’t leave my mind—my daughter’s cruel death, her body mutilated.

Rage burned through my veins.

Without hesitation, I went straight back to the neighborhood, and headed upstairs, to Vanessa’s apartment.

The door was slightly ajar.

Her smug voice drifted out.

“Cooper, you did well today. Otherwise Daddy might’ve pitied that horrible woman. Here—this is Mommy’s reward for you: a bracelet made from human bones.”

“Mommy, this bracelet smells disgusting—just like that horrible woman’s daughter. You’re amazing though! You knew that little brat always played near the flowerbeds downstairs, so you smashed her with a toy car and killed her. Now no one will fight me for Daddy’s attention!”

“Of course. Mommy practiced for a long time to make sure it’d be a perfect kill. Oh, I can’t wait to see Diana’s face when she finds out. She must be crying her eyes out! So what if she’s the legal wife? She’s been dancing to my tune all along!”

My whole body shook with fury. I couldn’t hold back any longer.

I stormed in, slammed Vanessa to the ground, and pinned her there.

Cooper froze in shock, while Vanessa shrieked hysterically under me.

“You murderer! I’ll make you pay for my daughter’s life!”

My vision went red as I raised my hand—but in the next instant, a kick sent me flying across the room.