On the day of my daughter’s dance competition, a madman suddenly charged at her with an iron rod.

To protect her, I took dozens of hits, and my arm was brutally broken.

My husband, William Zafron, caught the madman on the spot and rushed us to his private hospital.

In the hospital room, I woke up from the pain and tried to call for William.

Then I overheard the doctor asking him, “Weren’t we just replacing the knee joint? Why did you hurt Ms. Nina and kill Ella?”

“Nina only has a broken arm and some wounds. Her injuries aren’t fatal.”

William replied, “Ella’s purpose was to be an organ carrier for Sophia’s daughter. Now that she has fulfilled her role, there’s no need for her to live.

“After all... Sophia’s daughter is my own child.”

That was when I realized that my daughter was just an organ carrier to him.

What he did not know was that Sophia’s daughter was not even his.

The doctor tried to stop the bleeding from my broken arm, but the multiple wounds had left me drenched in blood.

“Ms. Nina’s current injuries require the special medicine we got at a high price from that source. It could potentially reattach her broken arm. Mr. William, you should retrieve it from Sophia for now.”

William Zafron frowned at me and said, “Nina always recovers quickly. She doesn’t need this. I’ll save it as an emergency treatment for Sophia in case she catches a cold or develops a fever.

“Also, if Noa feels pain after the knee joint replacement, she can take it.”

The doctor stammered in shock, “B-but the pain can be managed with painkillers. An artificial joint can be used for the knee replacement. There’s no need to sacrifice anyone for this, and there’s certainly no need to use such a precious medicine.”

“An artificial joint can only last for a dozen years. I can’t let Noa go through that pain again.

“That’s enough. You work for me, so just focus on researching knee joint transplants.”

At that moment, his assistant entered and handed him a phone. It was a voice I would never forget—the voice of the madman.

“Thanks for disabling the cameras and ensuring everyone at the competition was on your side. I was able to vent freely.”

William said impatiently, “I gave you a mansion so you would keep your mouth shut. Don’t let it ruin my marriage with Nina, got it?”

The doctor and nurse quickly treated my wounds and left in a hurry.

When they were gone, I finally broke down and cried. Tears fell on my broken arm and stung the wound. However, the pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

It turned out that the mastermind behind all this was my husband of eight years.

His and Sophia’s child had knee arthritis. Therefore, he chose to take my daughter’s knee joint rather than use an artificial one, even if it meant harming her.

Just yesterday morning, my daughter asked me excitedly, “Mom, I’ve been practicing this dance for a long time just to show Dad today. Do you think he’ll like it?”

She loved William so much, but he only saw her as a way to replace a knee joint.

William Zafron, you did not deserve such a good daughter!

William heard my heart-wrenching cries and came over. He awkwardly wiped away my tears and said in a hoarse voice, “Nina, don’t cry. Is the wound too painful? The doctor has already applied medicine. Just bear with it a little longer, and the pain will go away.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect you both. I couldn’t save Ella, and now your arm is broken. But I’ll cherish you from now on and never let you cry again.”

But he was the one who caused all this pain!

I hit him with all my strength. My voice was hoarse. It nearly broke as I said, “Give me back my Ella!”

William grabbed my hand and kissed it tenderly. “I’m sorry for letting the madman in during the dance competition. To let Ella rest in peace sooner, I had her cremated early and placed her in her favorite dance studio.”

He did not even let me see Ella one last time. How cruel he was!

The pain made me break out in a cold sweat, which mixed with the blood and soaked my clothes.

I stared straight into his eyes and asked, “What about the dance studio you put so much effort into? Why didn’t you place Ella there?”

William averted his gaze as he replied, “That studio cost over ten million dollars. Since Ella is gone, there’s no need to waste it. I donated it to an orphanage so they could hold dance lessons. That way, it would be doing some good in Ella’s name. I’m sure she wouldn’t blame me. She had such a kind soul, after all.”

I chuckled sarcastically.

On the day Ella started her dance classes, I found out William had bought a building in the city center and turned it into a dance studio.

I even overheard him telling the designer to make it one of a kind. The first three floors were shopping areas, the fourth and fifth floors were entertainment zones, the sixth floor was a fitness area, and the top floor was the dance studio.

A month ago, he was still picking out seasonal princess dresses for the shopping area and hiring world champion dance instructors for the dance studio. I thought he was treating Ella like a princess.

But in reality, it was a gift for Noa to celebrate her cured knee joint.

To William, Ella and I were nothing more than useful sacrifices.

William panicked when he noticed how pale my face was. He quickly called the doctor to check on my wounds and dress them.

When he saw that I was not getting better and was even worsening, he scolded the doctor angrily, “Can’t you be gentler?”

He took the medicine and carefully applied it to my wounds. It seemed as if he was afraid of causing me the slightest pain.

In the past, I would have been moved to tears. But after looking at the ordinary hemostatic medicine, my mangled arm, and Ella’s death, I felt nothing but despair.

While William was in the shower, I picked up his phone and entered my birthday for the password.

It was ironic that he used my birthday as his password. I had trusted him so much that I never checked his phone before.

When I opened the chat app, I saw his pinned chat titled “Sophia’s Baby.” The latest photo in the chat showed Noa standing up and smiling happily.

William had commented under the photo.

[Our baby looks so beautiful standing up. If knee replacements weren’t only possible at eight, she wouldn’t have suffered for so many years.

[To make it up to her, I built her a dance studio and designed every part myself. I’ll also help her achieve her dream of becoming a dancer!

[Hehe! The knee joint she’s getting must be in perfect condition. The nutritionist I hired has been preparing special meals for Ella. She even made her dance to keep the joint active. She wasn’t allowed to eat anything greasy.]

Tears streamed down my face as I stared blankly at the screen.

How could he be so cruel? Ella had been his daughter for eight years.

I stiffly scrolled up the chat. In the first year of our marriage, he had gifted Sophia an island and a private amusement park for her birthday.

The second year, he bought them a one-of-a-kind luxury car.

Every year after that, William gave them the best things he could offer.

Meanwhile, all I wanted for my and Ella’s birthday was for him to come back and spend the day with us.

He would just say, “It’s just a birthday. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

Feeling heartbroken, I booked tickets for the day after tomorrow to take Ella to her grandmother’s house. It was thousands of miles away.

The next morning, William came in with a bowl of homemade oatmeal he had made himself.

“Are you hungry? I made this nutritious oatmeal. Eat it all. I really put my heart into it.”

The nutritionist looked at us enviously and said, “That’s right. Mr. William got up at 5 a.m. today to ask me how to make it.”

When I heard the word “nutritious,” the image of Ella’s death flashed before my eyes. I forced myself not to knock the bowl over.

Ella was still waiting for me to bring her home and leave this filthy place.

“Where is Ella’s funeral being held?”

William noticed the blood seeping from my broken arm again. His eyes filled with pain as he said, “I don’t think you should go. I’m really worried about your health. Ella never liked big crowds, so I kept it small. I only invited a few people. I’ve also made arrangements for her to be taken to the cemetery right after the funeral.”

He tried to pat my head, but I pushed him away and said, “No, I’m going.”

When I arrived at the dance studio where my daughter had died, I saw Sophia holding her daughter, Noa. She was chatting and laughing with my mother-in-law, Dorothy Zafron, as if nothing had happened.

Dorothy took out the bracelet that was passed down only to the Zafron family’s daughters-in-law and happily placed it on Sophia’s wrist.

Sophia noticed me and immediately put on a false show of modesty. She pushed the bracelet away. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept this. Nina’s here. Let her have it instead.”

Dorothy rolled her eyes at me, shoved the bracelet back onto Sophia’s wrist, and sneered, “How is she supposed to wear something this valuable with that broken arm? She doesn’t even bother to cover the blood that’s oozing out. It’s disgusting. Look at how radiant you look in that bright red dress!

“Why do you still look so pale? Isn’t it just one bad seed that died? Of all the people, why was Ella the one a madman killed? She must’ve done plenty of bad things. The wicked always get what’s coming.”

Dorothy had always believed I seduced William into a shotgun wedding. She never treated me kindly, even going as far as calling me a loose woman. When Ella defended me, Dorothy cursed both of us. She called Ella a cursed child as well.

William used to at least speak up for Ella and me. But ever since he set his sights only on Sophia and their child, he had completely ignored me. He started behaving as if I did not exist.

Sophia leaned against William’s shoulder and smiled. “Hello, Nina. This is my daughter, Noa. Noa and your Ella both love dancing. Noa, come say hello.”

Noa hid behind Sophia. “No! She reeks of blood and medicine. She’s filthy and disgusting.”

William gently patted Noa’s back. “Be good. Just endure it a little longer. The funeral is almost over. If you’re bored, why not do a little dance to cheer everyone up?”

He instructed his assistant to bring out an outfit crafted by a top-tier fashion designer. It was woven with countless strands of gold thread and adorned with pink gemstones. Every detail showcased exquisite craftsmanship.

Everyone gasped in awe.

Sophia could not help but throw her arms around William and kiss him. “It’s stunning! Do I get one too?”

He kissed her back. “You raised Noa well. Of course, you deserve a reward. Come with me.”

Just as he was about to take her hand and leave, he suddenly remembered me. He hesitated before offering an explanation. “She and I have something to discuss. We won’t take long.”

Without waiting for my response, he left with Sophia. He was holding her hand.

Noa casually complained that decorations were unlucky and refused to dance. In response, the remaining guests tore down all the funeral decorations and threw Ella’s offerings into the trash.

I desperately tried to stop them. I did not want my daughter to witness such a scene, even after her death.

Noa shoved me to the floor. “Don’t fight over someone else’s husband again. Otherwise, no matter how many daughters you have, they will all be cursed to die.”

My severed arm hit the hard floor. The piercing pain shot straight to my heart.

I could only clutch Ella’s memorial photo and urn tightly. I endured the pain as I left.

On my way downstairs, I passed a room. Through the open door, I saw that Sophia was undressed and entwined with William.

“William, why don’t we spread Ella’s ashes downstairs? That road hasn’t been paved yet anyway.”

William hesitated. “But… that doesn’t seem right. We should just buy a burial plot and lay Ella to rest properly.”

Sophia’s hand slid downward as she teased him. “Pretty please? It’s cheaper and eco-friendly. What, don’t you love me anymore? You never listen to me. Boohoo…”

“Alright, alright.”

William’s voice was hoarse as he lost control and lunged at her.

My stomach churned in disgust, and I gagged. I turned away and left with Ella.

William was a monster!