My daughter was violated and killed, yet her death was ruled a suicide.

After seven failed appeals, I kidnapped the chief prosecutor’s daughter.

I tied the chief prosecutor’s daughter to an autopsy table and publicly addressed the prosecutor’s office in a live stream.

“I performed the autopsy myself. My daughter didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

“I’ll give you seven chances. Release the actual evidence and name the murderer publicly. Each time a chance runs out, I’ll remove one of her body parts.”

The chief prosecutor and his wife knelt on the floor. They begged me desperately to spare their daughter.

“The evidence proves your daughter took her own life. Stop this madness now and let my daughter go. She’s innocent.”

Viewers in the live stream called me insane. They said I had lost my mind with grief and was taking it out on an innocent person.

I ignored their contempt. With a sneer, I picked up a scalpel and pressed it against the judge’s daughter’s abdomen.

“The clock is ticking. Hurry up and reveal the true murderer now.”

I knew perfectly well the real murderer was watching the stream at that very moment.

When they saw their daughter tied to the autopsy table, the chief prosecutor, Davin Elkin, and his wife, Portia Elkin, broke down completely.

“Ms. Lance, your daughter committed suicide. What gives you the right to kidnap mine? She’s only eight!

“You’re a parent too. How could you be so cruel?”

The police officers standing behind Davin urged me to calm down. My colleagues also pleaded with me not to throw away my future in a moment of confusion.

“Fable, get a hold of yourself. Don’t hurt an innocent child. Mavis really did take her own life.”

“You know the law. For your sake and everyone else’s, don’t throw everything away. If Mavis were watching, she would not want to see you like this.”

“That’s right. Mavis is still in the morgue. She’s waiting for you to bring her home.”

Some viewers in the live stream chimed in to support them.

[Is she sick in the head? Her own daughter is gone, and she has the nerve to take it out on someone else?]

[I heard she couldn’t accept her daughter’s suicide. All seven appeals were rejected. It sounds like she’s just taking revenge on Mr. Elkin!]

[Seven failed appeals prove her daughter must have killed herself. Otherwise, they’d have found the real murderer by now.]

[Her daughter committed suicide. Shouldn’t she, as the mother, reflect on her own problems?]

They believed they were right. So did I.

My daughter, Mavis Lance, absolutely could not have committed suicide.

Three months ago, she passed away. She was supposed to go to university in Nexopolis.

They recovered her body from a river. When they found her, she was fully nude and covered in bruises.

Though I was a forensic doctor, the department assigned a different forensic doctor to perform the autopsy due to the conflict of interest presented by her being my daughter.

I thought the autopsy would bring justice for Mavis, but the final ruling concluded that she had died by suicide.

Mavis was a bright and cheerful girl. She could never have taken her own life.

After claiming Mavis’ body, I conducted the autopsy myself through tear-blurred eyes. I discovered that Mavis had been violated before her death.

I gathered all the evidence I could find and filed appeal after appeal for a new trial. Every single one was denied.

By the seventh attempt, I even submitted photographs of Mavis’ severe and shocking tears as proof. That appeal was also rejected.

I refused to accept it. That was why I kidnapped Davin’s daughter, Valarie Elkin.

I wanted them to confess the truth themselves.

But I still had hidden secret, not so far as to lose my humanity.

I twirled the autopsy scalpel in my hand as I approached Valarie.

“I’ve told you, Mavis did not take her own life!

“Mr. Elkin, I’ve given you the opportunity. Whether or not your daughter stays in one piece falls to you. After all, this could get very messy, very fast.”

I would always remember Davin’s dismissive attitude when my seventh appeal was rejected.

I screamed frantically, “This evidence was found on Mavis herself! It’s more than enough to prove a crime was committed! Seven times! I did the autopsy myself seven times. If this isn’t enough, what other evidence would possibly satisfy you?!”

Davin merely glanced at me calmly. He said in a cold and ruthless tone, “Ms. Lance, given your mother-daughter relationship with Mavis, the materials you’ve provided may have been intentionally fabricated. They are insufficient to serve as evidence of deliberate harm.”

His words made it perfectly clear that no matter how many times I appealed, it would be useless.

Even my own lawyer shook his head helplessly at me and said, “Ms. Lance, just accept it.”

Accept it?

How could I? Every time I thought of Mavis’ face, I just could not accept it.

When they watched me move in to make a cut, everyone in the room drew sharp, horrified breaths.

Portia’s legs gave way. She dropped to her knees and begged me. “Please... don’t hurt my child.”

Then, she turned to Davin, shoving him and urging him to act fast. “Get them to release the evidence now, or Valarie will die!”

Davin frowned. He took a deep breath and said, “Ms. Lance, how many times do I have to say it? Mavis killed herself—”

Before he could finish, I had already severed one of Valarie’s ears. Blood streamed from the cut.

Though drugged unconscious, Valarie’s body jolted violently from the pain.

I spoke coldly, “That leaves six more chances.”

Seeing that I was serious, everyone panicked.

Portia nearly fainted from terror. She screamed hysterically, “You maniac! Don’t you touch my child! She’s innocent!”

Davin looked frantic. His eyes were already welling up with tears as he hurriedly called his superiors at the prosecutor’s office.

The police scrambled to locate my position.

Unfortunately for them, they could not find me.

I had used an account registered with an overseas ID. They would not trace my location for a while.

During the wait, the barrage of comments was filled with hate.

[She’s pure evil. She deserves to go to hell!]

[Why isn’t she dead already?]

[What are the police even doing? Arrest this psychopath now!]

...

Countless netizens wished me a terrible death, but I did not care.

I would do anything to clear Mavis’ name.

Moreover, they did not know my secret.

I ignored them. After ten minutes, Davin publicly presented the evidence they had gathered in the live stream.

I barely glanced at it before turning around and cutting off Valarie’s thumb.

“You have five chances left.”

I had seen the evidence Davin presented a hundred times. It all pointed to Mavis having died by suicide.

I remained unconvinced.

Those so-called pieces of evidence were nothing but carefully fabricated lies. Their flimsy veils failed to hide the truth.

I continued moving the scalpel lightly along Valarie’s arm, leaving a shallow, bleeding trail.

“Mr. Elkin, you know very well this isn’t what I asked for.”

My voice was ice-cold as I said sharply, “I want the real murderer. I want the evidence that he assaulted my daughter. I want the evidence you’ve been hiding. Stop wasting my time with this nonsense, or next time, I’ll take more than a finger.”

Davin’s face instantly turned pale, but he still refused to yield.

“This is the evidence! It proves Mavis killed herself!”

Portia threw herself toward the camera, her cries raw and desperate.

“You’re insane! Let my child go! We gave you the evidence! What more do you want?!”

Watching her lose all composure, I let out a bleak laugh.

“We’re both mothers. You can’t stand to see your child hurt, and I can’t stand to see my daughter’s death go unanswered.”

The livestream’s comment section erupted once more.

[The evidence is right there. She just refuses to see it.]

[She’s completely delusional.]

[We have laws for a reason. Facts are facts. What’s her problem?]

The online abuse grew even fiercer than before, but I ignored them all.

All I saw was the truth that refused to surface and the image of my daughter, who had died unjustly.

Every second that passed was a slow death for my heart and a countdown for another piece of Valarie.

The third time, they still tried to fool me with fake evidence.

I knew they were stalling for time while trying to find a way to deal with me. I would not give them that chance.

My resolve hardened. I directly severed the tendons in Valarie’s wrist.

“I have all day to play this game, Mr. Elkin. But your daughter doesn’t.

“So tell me, are you really going to throw away your own daughter to protect a murderer?”

Davin choked at my words. His body shuddered as his hanging hands clenched into tight fists.

Portia was already unconscious.

The police were still trying to persuade me. They even brought out my mentor, Gabriel Edwards.

Gabriel stood before the camera. His clouded eyes narrowed as he spoke.

“Fable, you’re a voice for the people. How could you turn on them? I know you are grieving for Mavis, but listen to me. Don’t do this.”

I looked at Gabriel, who had once cared for me like I was own daughter. My heart ached.

He was the one who had performed Mavis’ autopsy, yet he had concealed the truth.

“Gabriel, you watched Mavis grow up. How could you cut her open and not feel anything? Why did you help them cover it up?”

I could not understand why everyone was helping to hide the murderer.

Gabriel sighed. “Fable, Mavis did take her own life. I’m not lying. The police aren’t lying, and neither are the prosecutor’s office or the judge!”

After speaking, he exchanged a glance with Davin and called someone in from the door.

He then continued, “Mavis killed herself because she was depressed. We have a witness.”

I gasped when a girl emerged on the monitor.