I refused to play Truth or Dare with Joseph Bell's childhood sweetheart, so he ordered someone to forcefully take away our daughter Emma Bell and lock me up in a dark room.

...

Our daughter was seriously injured in a car accident, and the hospital called me to go and see her for the last time.

I called and begged Joseph desperately, but he blocked me.

When I jumped out of the window and rushed to the hospital with a broken leg, my daughter already passed away.

At this time, Joseph's childhood sweetheart posted a photo of the two of them watching the sunrise on Instagram.

"He said that he wants all my wishes to come true, and this is his biggest wish in his life."

After burying our daughter, I calmly asked for a divorce.

But he couldn't accept it no matter what. I no longer loved him.

***

"Joseph, let's get a divorce!"

I could accept that he didn't love me and tolerate his teasing me and scourging my dignity for Ashley's sake.

But I couldn't forgive him for ruining Emma's life.

He clearly knew that our two-year-old daughter was still running a fever and receiving intravenous drips.

But he still took Emma away to punish me just because I embarrassed Ashley by not playing Truth or Dare with her.

...

How ironic!

I had been married to Joseph for seven years, and our daughter was two years old. But neither my daughter nor I were as important as Ashley.

After cremating Emma, I suddenly remembered how timid and sensitive she was. She must be scared down there alone.

I wanted to bury her with her bunny doll so that she wouldn't feel so lonely and scared.

I held her ashes and returned to the large flat where we used to live.

I thought there would be no one at home as usual, but when I pushed the door open, I saw Joseph and Ashley embracing each other.

There were muddy shoes, walking sticks, and backpacks scattered on the ground.

At the sight of me, the two of them calmly let go of each other, and Ashley half lay on the sofa.

Joseph walked up and ordered me coldly.

"Ashley sprained her ankle. You know how to do massage, don't you? Give her a massage now."

He didn't see the crutches I was leaning on, nor my swollen eyes, let alone the urn I was holding in my hand.

Perhaps in his heart, I was just an insignificant and humble servant.

Every time he brought Ashley home, he pushed me around, saying that the dishes were too salty, the soup was too bland, and the bath water was too hot.

I got exhausted every time, but I couldn't refuse flatly.

If I dared to do that, Joseph would make me surrender by threatening me with my mother and later my daughter.

Ashley consciously put her injured foot on the coffee table and raised an eyebrow at me smugly.

"Daphne, can you do me a favor? I originally wanted to go to a massage parlor, but Joseph said you are a good masseuse. He carried me down from the mountain and insisted that I stay here for a few days. I hope you don't mind."

I recalled the post on her Instagram. They were probably camping and watching the sunrise when Emma had an accident.

Ashley was particularly addicted to the game of Truth or Dare. She kissed Joseph in front of everyone throughout the game and used this to tease and play tricks on me again and again.

Last week, Emma had acute pneumonia and fever and was hospitalized.

And I happened to have acute gastroenteritis. I endured severe pain and took care of her until she finished her drip.

At 12 o'clock in the evening, Ashley called and said that Joseph drank too much and asked me to pick him up.

This was already the 99th time she played a trick on me. Joseph didn't want me to pick him up at all, and besides, my stomach was hurting so much that I couldn't even stand up straight.

So I refused her over the phone.

I had no idea what she said to Joseph, but that night, while I was sleeping, Joseph sent someone to the hospital to take Emma away.

And he threw me, who was still sick, into the small dark room in the attic and locked the door.

"Daphne Brown, am I far too good to you? You actually ignored me!"

"You reflect on yourself inside and think about how to be a good wife."

"If you can't figure it out, then stay there forever!"

The next morning, I received a call from the hospital. Emma woke up and couldn't find me, so she secretly went out and was hit by a car.

Now she was in critical condition in the hospital, calling for me. The doctor asked me to go and see her for the last time as soon as possible.

I desperately called Joseph and begged him to let me out.

"Daphne, you are really desperate to escape punishment. You even cursed our daughter!"

"It seems that you haven't learned your lesson. You gotta stay there longer!"

He hung up on me. No matter how many times I called him, he never answered again.

In a moment of desperation, I broke a small window in the attic and jumped down, with one leg severely fractured.

When I arrived at the hospital despite the pain, my daughter Emma was already gone from this world forever.

Her small body was wrapped in white gauze, with tears still wet in the corners of her eyes.

I was overwhelmed with grief and wanted to ask Joseph why he was so cruel, but he blocked me.

It turned out that at that time, he was camping with Ashley and watching the sunrise.

Just the thought of my daughter's fear, sadness, and despair before her death made my heart ache so much that I couldn't breathe.

I forced back the tears in my eyes and looked up at the man who had shared the same bed with me for seven years.

"Joseph, let's get a divorce!"

"From now on, we'll never contact each other again!"

Joseph's face changed slightly. He wanted to say something, but I turned around and left for Emma's room.

I put her bunny doll into my backpack and picked up the urn of her ashes, ready to leave.

When I reached the living room door, I saw Joseph and Ashley drinking red wine.

Seeing that I was about to leave, he blocked my way with displeasure.

"Daphne, you are getting bolder now. How dare you ignore my words?"

"You haven't apologized to Ashley for the last incident, and today you dare to disregard what I say. You never want to see Emma again?"

Leaning on the crutch, I barely stayed steady on my feet and instinctively tightened my grip on the urn.

Joseph knew exactly what my weakness was.

He shamelessly used it to force me and hurt me again and again.

But now, my mother was dead, and so was Emma. My weakness was gone, and from now on, I would not compromise.

The moment my daughter died, the marriage between me and Joseph also came to an end.

Seeing that I was silent, he thought I once again gave in to him and disdainfully snorted at me.

"I thought you were tough, but it turns out you're just playing dirty tricks to get what you want."

"Go kneel in front of Ashley and kowtow three times, and I will forgive your rudeness last time."

"If you want to see Emma, take good care of me and Ashley for the next few days. Make us happy, and maybe we will bring her back to you!"

Emma?

Emma's ashes were in my hands now. Where else could he get me another daughter?

He looked indifferent when he mentioned Emma, and I hated his guts.

"Joseph, who the fuck do you think you are? I don't care about you!"

"As I just said, I want a divorce! Are you deaf?"

In the past, when my mother was sick, I begged him to buy imported medicine. Later, when I gave birth to Emma, I endured everything to give her a complete family.

For so many years, I had always spoken softly to him and never dared to throw a tantrum. When did I dare to openly contradict him like this?

Joseph's face had a look of surprise and then clouded over with anger.

"Daphne, don't test my patience!"

"If you're not clear about your identity, I don't mind making you see the reality!"

It had been five years since Ashley returned. Joseph had told me countless times how humble I was.

When my mother was hospitalized, I cooked a dish with a little bit of cilantro that my mother liked while Ashley disliked. Joseph called and stopped giving my mother imported medicine.

It wasn't until I knelt on the ground and finished the plate of mangoes Joseph brought me, covered in a rash, that he let me go.

On the day when my water broke, I begged him to take me to the hospital.

But he frowned impatiently and said, "Women have a duty to have children. Can't you stop being so dramatic?"

Then he hurriedly went to a concert with Ashley, afraid of missing the exciting parts.

As long as Ashley asked for something from him, he would unconditionally satisfy her and abandon me and hurt me again and again without hesitation.

I grew up in a single-parent family and envied those who grew up with parents.

To make sure that Emma grew up with her parents, I endured everything.

Ashley hopped and bounced over, leaning on Joseph as if she had no bones.

"Daphne, even if you don't want to greet me as a guest, there's no need to ask Joseph for a divorce!"

"In marriage, the taboo thing is to use divorce as a threat. Only Joseph can tolerate your tantrums. You should count your blessings."

As I watched her lips part and then close, a lot of pent-up resentments crashed over me.

"Who are you to judge me?"

"Joseph's married, but as his childhood sweetheart, you're clinging to him like his mistress. What are you to swagger here?"

Ashley blushed and bit her lip in frustration, snuggling up against Joseph's shoulder.

"Daphne, I am doing this for your own good. I didn't expect you to get me wrong."

"It's my fault. How about I apologize to you on my knees?"

Ashley was hypocritical. I looked at her face coldly. "Get down on your knees then."

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly as if she had suffered a great grievance.

Joseph, however, felt sorry for her and suddenly slapped me.

He exerted all his strength and, being caught off guard, I lost my balance and fell to the ground with a broken leg.

The urn slipped from my hand and the ashes scattered all over the floor.

"No."

I went crazy trying to collect the scattered ashes.

"Emma, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Ashley stepped on Emma's ashes in high heels.

"Daphne, how careless you are! What is this? It looks like laundry detergent. Why are you looking so sad?"

There was a hint of malice in Ashley's eyes, and I instantly became furious and pushed her hard.

She slumped down on the ground and held her ankle, whimpering in pain.

"Daphne, if you're unhappy with me, just say it. Why did you have to resort to violence?"

Joseph nervously approached and carefully examined her injury. Seeing that she was unharmed, he turned around and stared at me fiercely.

"Daphne, how dare you push Ashley?"

I ignored him and collected the ashes on the ground.

He angrily kicked away the ashes that I had painstakingly gathered and then picked up the red wine from the table.

Sensing his intention, I crawled over and tugged on his trouser leg, begging him.

"Joseph, please don't! I beg you, don't do this. This is our daughter's ashes!"