Before I could stop her, she threw a glass of water right into Cerise’s face. Cerise gasped, stumbling back, while her daughter Sofie crying beside her.

And that was when the door opened.

A tall figure walked in, his voice cutting through the chaos. “What’s going on here?”

Justine.

Of course. He always showed up when she needed saving.

The moment he walked in, Cerise’s whole face changed. Her eyes turned red, and she clutched her daughter tight, shaking as if she was the one who’d been wronged.

“I just wanted to treat Emily to dinner,” she said in a trembling voice. “I don’t even know what I did wrong. She got angry and told her friend to hurt my child…”

The little girl pointed straight at me, crying. “Bad woman! You bully my mom! I hate you. I hate you! You killed your own child.”

I froze. My throat tightened. Before I could even speak, Justine’s face turned dark. He stepped forward, placing himself between us like I was some danger to them.

“You’ve had a child before, Emily!” His voice cut through me. “Why can’t you be kind to another one?”

The words hit harder than any slap.

Yes, I’d had a child. My baby. My little girl who used to laugh when Justine threw her in the air. The baby he once held so tenderly, kissing my forehead and whispering, “Thank you for completing my life.”

But he ruined mine.

And then came the voices behind him.

“Isn’t that Emily? The one who went to jail?”

“She used to brag about being a brilliant doctor. Guess she couldn’t save her own kid.”

“Imagine killing your own daughter. What a monster.”

I looked up and saw a few of his colleagues walking in, all staring at me. I didn’t even bother to defend myself. What was the point?

Justine lowered his voice and said coldly, “Go home. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

Cerise smoothed her dress, wiped her face, and started greeting his colleagues like she was the wife of the house.

I grabbed Lila’s wrist before she could speak and pulled her toward the door. I didn’t say anything. My face felt numb.

As we walked out, Justine’s eyes flickered toward me. For a moment, he looked almost human, almost regretful, when he saw the scars on my arms. But he didn’t say a word.

After I sent Lila home, I bought ballons, candles, and small toys. Then I took a taxi to the cemetery.

.....

When I saw the grave, my knees nearly gave out.

Weeds everywhere. The soil was cracked, untouched. No one had been here. Not once.

And then I saw it.

Someone had written two words in red paint across the tombstone: bastard.

I froze. My chest felt tight, my vision went blurry. I stumbled forward and started rubbing the paint with my hands, crying her name. “No, no, no…”

The paint wouldn’t come off. It mixed with my blood until the word stood out darker, redder, uglier.

I kept scrubbing until my palms split open. Until I couldn’t breathe. Until I fell to my knees and screamed.

Then the rain came heavy, cold, soaking everything.

I don’t know how long I cried. By the time I stopped, the sky was gray. I went to find someone to make a new tombstone, cleaned the weeds, wiped the mud off her photo, and lined up the toys in front of her grave.

My voice shook when I whispered, “Mom will make them pay. All of them.”

By the time I got home, the sky was starting to lighten.

The door hadn’t even closed behind me when Justine’s voice came from the living room. “Didn’t I tell you to go home?! Where were you? I called all night! Do you even know—”

He stopped when I walked past him. I didn’t even look his way.

“Today’s our daughter’s death anniversary,” I said quietly.

And before I could take another step, everything went black.

When I came to, I heard a voice through the haze. It sounded soft, tired. Maybe it was him.

“Emily… I’m sorry.”

Then a ringing sound broke through, sharp and real.

I opened my eyes to an empty room. Just a dream.

The phone kept ringing. I reached for it and answered.

When my phone rang, I didn’t even check who it was. My hands were shaking too much. But when I heard Lila’s voice, my chest tightened.

“Emily,” she said, her tone trembling and excited. “I found it. I found proof that Cerise was the one who killed your daughter.”

For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t even think. I just ran out of the house. My heart was pounding so loud it hurt.

When I met Lila, she handed me a small USB. Her eyes darted around, nervous. “This has a recording,” she whispered. “Cerise admits it herself. She said she hit her. Killed her. You need to bring this to court. Go straight to the judge. The judge is new. Not Cerise broher. I can’t be seen with you right now.”

I didn’t ask questions. I just nodded and left.

By the time I got to the courthouse, my clothes were damp with sweat. The assistant told me the Chief Justice wasn’t there yet and asked me to wait inside his office.

I stood by the table, gripping the USB so tight my fingers went white. My whole body felt wired. I couldn’t sit. I couldn’t even blink.

Then I heard the door open behind me.

I turned fast, expecting to see the judge.

But my body went cold.

It was Cerise.

She walked in with two bodyguards behind her, wearing a soft pink dress and that same fake smile she always had. “Sister Emily,” she said sweetly, “what are you doing in my dad’s office?”

My mind froze. Her father was the Chief Justice.

“I went the wrong way,” I muttered. “I was looking for Justine.”

I tried to move toward the door, but she stepped in my way. Her voice turned sharp. “Really? Or were you planning to overturn your conviction with some secret recording?”

My stomach dropped. She knew?

I bolted for the exit, but the bodyguards caught me before I could take two steps. One of them slammed me to the floor. My cheek hit the tile. Pain shot through my arm.

Before I could even cry out, a sharp heel came down on my hand. I screamed. The USB was still in my fist, but I felt my grip slipping as she crushed it under her shoe.

“This is the court!” I gasped. “If you dare to touch me here, you’ll regret it!”

Cerise knelt down, her perfume stinging my nose. She pried the USB from my bleeding hand and twirled it between her fingers. “This little thing?” she said softly. “This is what you came here for?”

“Give it back to me!” My voice cracked.

She smiled and plugged it into the computer on the desk. “Let’s see what’s inside then. Since you’re so confident.”

I froze as the audio started playing.

It wasn’t Cerise’s voice.

It was Justine’s.

His voice was low, heavy with lust. “Ceri… you’re amazing…”

Cerise giggled. “What about Emily?”

“She can’t compare to you.”

The room started spinning. My throat closed. The sound of them breathing, whispering it made me sick. I ran to the trash bin and threw up.

Cerise covered her nose and laughed softly. “Pathetic. Your husband betrayed you, and your best friend used you. What do you even have left?”

I stared at the floor, shaking. Her words didn’t even hurt anymore. I felt hollow. Empty.

Lila had been visiting me in prison for ten years. She said she believed me. Said she’d never leave me. She cried with me, prayed with me.

And yet... she sold me out.

Before I could react, someone punched me in the stomach. I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the cold.

My body was pressed against the damp floor. It smelled of rust and mold. For a moment, I couldn’t move. Then I heard it—dripping. Slow, steady.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I turned my head. Water was leaking from the ceiling, sliding down the cracked walls, gathering around me. It was rising, inch by inch. The shock of it stole my breath! It was ice-cold, seeping through my clothes, biting my skin until I could barely feel anything.

My teeth began to chatter. I tried to move, but my limbs were heavy, stiff. When I pushed myself up, the chains on my wrists rattled.

From outside the iron door, I heard Cerise’s voice.

“Watch her carefully,” she said. Her tone was lazy, almost amused. “Justine said she can suffer, but she can’t die here.”

Justine?

I laughed a little. It came out broken.

He was part of this too.

Should I feel angry? Should I scream his name? But all I felt was emptiness.

The water reached my waist. My body trembled violently, but inside I was quiet. Hollow.

I leaned my head against the wall, listening to the sound of my own breath turning ragged.

I thought that was how I’d die... frozen in that dark basement, alone.

I didn’t cry in prison. I didn’t cry when Cerise crushed my fingers under her heel. Even when the water rose higher, when my lips turned blue and my lungs began to ache, I didn’t shed a tear.

But when I thought of my daughter, of how Amy’s death would never be avenged, how her killer was still smiling and loved... I broke.

The tears came on their own. Hot, helpless, disappearing into the freezing water.

I used whatever strength I had left to drag myself toward the door. My hands shook. My voice was gone. I wanted to call for help, but my throat burned. No sound came out.

Then, just before everything faded, I heard someone shouting my name.

“Emily!”

The door flew open.

Justine ran in. His face looked wild, desperate. He lifted me into his arms. I could hear him whispering telling me to wake up, saying sorry over and over.

The world went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed. My body hurt everywhere. Justine was sitting beside me, eyes lowered.

“This is just a small punishment,” he said flatly. “You should learn from it. Stop bringing up the past. Don’t hurt Cerese or her daughter again.”

My vision was blurry, but I looked at him anyway. My voice came out small. “Who’s hurting who?”

He didn’t answer. His jaw clenched. Then he turned and walked out.

For the next three days, he came to visit me. Brought food. Adjusted my pillows. Acted like we were still husband and wife. Like he hadn’t thrown me to hell.

On the fourth day, he came in wearing a suit. “Tomorrow’s my promotion ceremony,” he said, almost smiling.

I waited, thinking he’d bring up the divorce. Maybe finally let me go. But instead, he said, “I told you before I’d never let you down. I meant it. As long as you want, you’ll always be Mrs. Halley”

I stared at him, stunned, and then I laughed. It came from deep in my chest, bitter and ugly. “If this isn’t betrayal,” I said quietly, “then what is it? You already destroyed me. Isn’t that enough?”

Before I could finish, his phone rang. His face changed as soon as he answered. “I’ll be right there!” He rushed out, leaving me staring at the door.

The sedatives kicked in soon after. My eyes grew heavy, but before I fell asleep, I made up my mind. I was leaving the hospital tomorrow.

When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t in a hospital. The air was cold. My hair whipped around my face.

I was standing at the edge of a cliff. Below me, the ocean roared. In front of me stood Justine, his face pale and hard.

“Because of you,” he said slowly, “Cerese left with my daughter. You need to apologize. Swear you’ll never try to clear your name again. Tell her you were wrong and beg her to come back.”

His voice was colder than the wind.

“Impossible,” I said. My throat hurt, but I didn’t care.

He took a step closer. I didn’t move. For the first time, I wasn’t afraid.

“This started with you,” Justine said. “Only you can end it.”

He took a step back, and that’s when I saw it. A black urn sitting by his feet. My breath stopped. I didn’t need to look twice to know what it was.

Ten years ago, I held that same urn against my chest, walked out of the funeral home, and buried it with my own hands. My daughter’s ashes.

My knees went weak. “Justine, what are you doing? Are you insane?”

My voice cracked halfway. I could barely believe what I was seeing. He looked calm, too calm, standing there in the cold wind with Amy’s ashes at his feet.

He just sneered. “You’re the one who’s insane. She’s dead, Emily. But I’m still alive.” He tugged at his tie, his patience slipping. “You don’t get it. Cerise’s father is my superior. If Cerese doesn’t come back, he’ll destroy me. Everything I’ve worked for! All these years, it’ll be gone.”

I just stared at him. I couldn’t even breathe. He was talking about promotions. Careers. While holding our child’s ashes.

“You’re really doing this?” I whispered. “She’s your daughter, Justine. Your own flesh and blood.”

He didn’t even look at me. Instead, he picked up a lighter. He held it over the photo album sitting on the rock nearby, the one filled with our pictures. His hand didn’t even shake as he flicked it on.

“No, don’t!” I tried to run, but the bodyguard behind me grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down.

The flame caught fast. The edges of the first page curled. Amy’s tiny face smiled up at me before the fire ate it.

When the first page turned black, I remembered being fifteen, when my parents divorced and left me behind. Justine held my hand and said we’d face everything together.

When the second page burned, I saw the beach in my mind. We were eighteen, barefoot, laughing, running until sunset. He hugged me tight and said he’d give me the best future.

When the third page fell apart in flames, I saw him kneeling in front of me, holding a fake diamond ring, tears in his eyes, promising me that one day he’d make it real.

Each memory turned to ash right in front of me. He’d reached his “highest position.” And he didn’t need me anymore.

“It’s almost morning,” he said, glancing at his watch. “You don’t have much time left.”

Then he lifted the urn.

It hit me what he was about to do. He was going to throw Amy’s ashes off the cliff.

My heart felt like it was on fire. I dropped to my knees. My forehead hit the stone hard. I didn’t even feel the pain.

“I’m sorry, Cerise” I said hoarsely. “I shouldn’t have tried to clear my name. I was wrong.”

Another bow, harder this time. “I’m sorry, Cerise. I shouldn’t have gone against you and your child. I was wrong.”

Blood ran down my face. My vision blurred. I kept going. “I’m sorry, Cerise. I shouldn’t have come back. I shouldn’t have taken what was yours. I was wrong.”

The bodyguard’s boots shuffled behind me, and I heard Justine’s voice again. “Is the recording done?”

Someone answered yes.

He stopped me then. Pulled out his phone and called Cerise.

“It’s done,” he said.

Her voice came through, light and pleased. “Then come pick me up. Sofie and I will live with you from now on.”

“Of course,” he said softly.

He turned back to me after the call. “Emily, go home first. We’ll talk later.”

Then he walked away.

I stayed there, kneeling, shaking, my face wet with blood and tears. I had waited for him for ten years. I had believed him through everything. And this was how it ended.

Something in me snapped. I pushed myself up. The bodyguards didn’t expect it. I broke free, ran straight to the cliff, and grabbed the urn.

“Emily!” Justine shouted, spinning around.