My head rang, and my vision was blurry from the slap. A metallic, sweet taste of blood filled my mouth.

“David, you don’t believe me either?”

I stumbled to my feet. The crowd was pointing and whispering. This made my vision blur even more.

I had no idea what I had done wrong. I could not understand why they were blaming me for everything.

Then, I looked up and saw Margaret standing in the distance. She was staring at me. She slowly walked toward me.

I felt like she was my last hope. I rushed toward her in a frenzy.

I knew Margaret had a fiery temper, but she was always an objective and reasonable person.

If she believed me, maybe there was still a chance to fix this.

“Margaret! You know me! Do you think I would ever hurt Chloe? I’ve always been good to her. I didn’t even know Chloe was coming to meet me.”

I blurted out, but she just stood there and stared at me coldly.

“Why did you hurt Chloe? Did you really kill her? Where is she? Why is she missing?

“The evidence is clear as day. How long are you going to keep denying it? Do you really think I’ll believe you?”

I stared in disbelief at the video Margaret was holding. I played it repeatedly.

The video showed Chloe knocking on the door of my rental apartment. After a while, the door opened, and Chloe skipped excitedly into my apartment.

“How is that possible? I never saw Chloe that day.”

I grabbed Margaret’s phone and watched the surveillance video over and over again.

But there was no denying it. The little girl in the video was definitely Chloe, and the apartment she entered was mine.

“Grace Carter, you’re not even fit to be a human! How could you be so vicious? Why did you hurt Chloe?”

Margaret’s voice was cold, but there was a strange smile on her face.

She lunged at me and slammed me against the wall. Without a second thought, she poured a pot of hot oil onto my face.

“Die, you filthy woman! Give me back my daughter! If you don’t, I’ll make you regret being alive!”

The scorching hot oil ran down my face as it burnt every inch of my skin. I collapsed to the floor and cried out in pain.

I could feel the oil seeping into my skin and clothes. It felt like every inch of me was on fire.

My mouth, fingertips, and scalp were all scorched and swollen from the hot oil. I could not even speak a full sentence. Those who were watching thought that the punishment was not harsh enough.

Even when Emily gave up on my treatment in the hospital, I could not understand where that strange surveillance footage had come from.

In my final days, every moment was filled with excruciating pain.

But luckily, when I opened my eyes again, fate gave me a second chance.

When the car stopped downstairs in the neighborhood, I noticed Emily acting the same way she had in my previous cycle. My once kind and amiable relatives glared at me with disgust.

“Grace, if you want to blame someone, blame me. Please, give Chloe back to me. What did you do to her?”

She scrambled to her feet. She was half squatting and half kneeling. She genuinely looked heartbroken.

By this point, a crowd had gathered. They craned their necks and stared at me curiously.

“Grace, you’re a sensible child. If you’re angry, don’t take it out on a child. Hurry up and bring Chloe here. Otherwise, you could really end up in prison.”

“David and Margaret are going crazy trying to find Chloe. Look at how devastated Emily is. Do you really have the heart to do this to a child and to them?”

The relatives criticized me all at once. It was clear that they believed Emily’s lies.

I frowned and said calmly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never even seen Chloe.”

David, who had been standing nearby, said, “What more are you going to say? Do you want me to bring out the evidence? I never thought you could be this vicious!”

David was so furious that it seemed like he might charge at me and slap me right then.

But I was not worried. I calmly took a settlement agreement out of my bag.

“I’ve been at the police station since yesterday. How could I have hurt Chloe? I have a solid alibi.”

I opened the settlement agreement in front of everyone. Emily’s face instantly darkened.

I ignored her feelings and said without hesitation, “My landlord and neighbors can confirm that I’ve been at the police station. It was even posted online just now.

“So, where’s the evidence you keep talking about? Why are you slandering me? What have I done wrong? Why are you trying to frame me?”

I fired off question after question. David, who had been so angry just moments ago, suddenly lost his steam.

The crowd surrounding Emily finally broke their silence and decided to speak up for me.

“Grace gave away her house and money. How could someone like her possibly harm Chloe?”

“I’ve been walking near the police station for the past few days, and I saw Grace there every time. She never went home. She didn’t have time to commit a crime.”

“Could it be that Emily wants a grandson and secretly sent Chloe away? Now, she’s here trying to find someone to blame.”

Everyone considered that possibility as they looked at Emily.

I had always had a good reputation and was easy to get along with. Emily’s years of mistreatment of me were well-known, and people were fed up with her.

Under the pressure of the crowd, Emily could not hold it in anymore. She threw herself on the floor and acted wild.

“Give Chloe back to me! If you don’t, I’ll stay right here and refuse to leave!”

Her gaze darted around. She was still trying to figure out how to manipulate the situation to her advantage.

“Chloe got lost because she was looking for you. Of course, it’s your responsibility!”

I scoffed and smirked. Then, I made a call to the police station.

“Officer, have you found a little girl named Chloe?”

The officer’s voice on the other end was serious. “We’ve found her. We’ll bring her over now. She says she wants to talk.”

The phone call went smoothly. Emily sat awkwardly on the floor. The relatives who had supported her earlier were speechless.

I looked around at everyone with a mocking smile.

“Instead of reporting a lost child and looking for Chloe, you’re here questioning me? What’s more important to you? Finding Chloe or harassing me?”

I crossed my arms and stood in front of everyone. I was ready to expose Emily and David as the hypocrites they were in front of our relatives and neighbors.

Less than half an hour later, a police officer brought Chloe to me.

“This child has been crying at the police station. Someone from your family should comfort her,” said the police officer.

When Emily saw Chloe, a look of panic flashed across her face.

I thanked the police with a smile. Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at Chloe, who had gotten thinner.

I knew that only Margaret comforted and protected her usually. David and Emily often hit and yelled at her, so I could not help but feel sorry for her.

I pulled Chloe into my arms and gently caressed her back. I glared at Emily and David.

I lifted Chloe’s sleeves while everyone was watching.

“How much longer are you going to abuse this child? There’s a limit to how much favoritism you can show toward sons over daughters!”

Chloe’s injuries were red and swollen. It was clear that someone had hit her hard.

The crowd gasped in shock. David’s face instantly turned as red as a tomato from embarrassment.

I felt Chloe pulling my hand. When I looked down, I saw her trembling uncontrollably.

I reached out and patted her head. Before I could say anything comforting, she burst into tears.

“Aunt Grace, please don’t hit me anymore! I won’t bother you again. Please, don’t kill me!”

My mind went blank. It felt like someone had struck me over the head as I looked at my beloved niece. At that moment, my heart felt as if it were being ripped apart.

The more she cried, the harder she sobbed. Then, she suddenly bit my arm and crawled straight into Emily’s arms.

“Grandma, save me! Aunt Grace is going to kill me! I thought I’d never see you again!”