Completely desperate, I dragged my weak body to visit my grandfather.

In the ward, he lay alone. His oxygen mask had slipped halfway off, and no one seemed to care. My heart clenched at sight. I rushed over, hands trembling, and adjusted the mask back onto his frail face. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.

A nurse in uniform walked over, her pace slow and her expression impatient.

"Why are you making such a scene?" she snapped. "Can't you see we're busy?"

"My grandfather’s oxygen mask fell off," I said, trying hard to stay calm. "Why wasn’t anyone watching him?"

She scoffed, arms crossed. "Watching a conman? We don’t cater to scammers like him."

Her words made my entire body shake with fury. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn’t utter a word. The lump in my throat was too heavy.

“Emily…” my grandfather murmured, his voice thin and weak.

I immediately leaned in and grasped his hand. “Grandpa, how are you feeling? Is anything hurting? Do you need the doctor?”

He looked at me with a weary smile. “Don’t cry, child. Grandpa’s fine. I won’t die so easily.”

At his words, I finally broke down, sobbing as the emotions I had held back for days poured out.

He gently stroked my hair, just like he did when I was a little girl. Then he glanced around and, noticing we were alone, asked, “Where’s Daniel? Why isn’t he here?”

My tears fell harder. I choked on every word as I recounted everything—Daniel’s betrayal, the trial, the torture, the humiliation.

Grandpa's eyes grew red, but he said nothing. The pain was written all over his face.

I forced myself to sound strong. “Don’t worry, Grandpa. We live in a country governed by laws. They won’t be able to cover up the truth forever.”

“You just need to rest and heal. Lily and I are waiting for you to come home.”

Just then, my phone buzzed. It was a private investigator. He had found a new witness.

Without wasting time, I rushed to the address he gave me.

But as I arrived at the entrance of the club, a group of heavily built security guards blocked my way.

“I’m just here to meet someone,” I explained quickly. “I’m not selling anything, I promise!”

They didn’t budge. Instead, they sneered.

“Get lost!”

“This is a high-end place. You think someone like you can walk in here?”

“Please, the person I need to see is very important. Please just let me talk to him!”

I was still pleading when one of the guards suddenly pulled out a gun and pressed it against my forehead.

“Leave now. If you disturb our VIP guests, don’t blame us for getting rough!”

I froze, too terrified to breathe.

Then, a familiar voice echoed from behind them. Mocking. Cruel.

“Ah, so this is the noise that’s been bothering everyone. Turns out it’s just a stray dog barking.”

The guards immediately stepped aside and stood respectfully. “Ms. Blake.”

It was her—Vanessa. She wore a tight-fitting designer dress and stilettos, the picture of smug satisfaction. And right behind her was Daniel, holding her bag like a loyal servant.

I locked eyes with them, rage burning through my veins. “Was this your doing?”

Vanessa tilted her head, wearing a fake look of innocence. “Emily, why do you always misunderstand me?” She smirked, her voice dripping venom. “I don’t have to lift a finger to deal with someone like you. There are plenty of people who would do it for me with just a glance.”

Before I could respond, the guards grabbed my arms. One of them turned to her and said, “Should we toss her out now, Ms. Blake?”

She turned to Daniel and snapped, “Didn’t you promise me this woman would never show up in front of me again?”

He immediately lowered his voice, coaxing her until she smiled again.

Then he turned to me and slapped me, hard.

"Emily," he said coldly, "I suggest you apologize to Miss Blake right now, or things will get much worse for you."

"If you insist on being stubborn, you’ll be the only one who suffers!"

“Go home! Stop embarrassing yourself like this!”

I stood frozen, half my face stinging from the slap. My ears rang. It was only when I saw Vanessa’s satisfied smile that I realized—I hadn’t imagined it. He really did it. He hit me.

I stared at the man I once loved, the man who once vowed to protect me, and I hated him more than I ever thought possible.

“I don’t believe justice and the law don’t exist!” I shouted with what little strength I had left.

With a wave of her hand, Vanessa ordered, and the guards carried me out like trash. They flung me hard onto the pavement.

Blood dripped from my elbow. My whole body ached.

But I didn’t have time to wallow in pain.

This was my last chance—my only hope for justice for me and my grandfather.

I bit my lip, forced myself to stand, and wiped away the tears and blood from my face.

Just wait, I thought, clenching my fists.

I’m going to the police. I’ll make sure the truth comes out.

Soon, the wail of police sirens tore through the afternoon noise. Several squad cars screeched to a stop at the club entrance.

A flicker of hope ignited in my chest. These were the officers assigned to my grandfather’s case—maybe now, finally, justice would speak.

Vanessa scoffed and casually waved her assistant over. The assistant walked straight to the lead officer and whispered something in his ear.

I couldn't see her face, but I saw the officer's. His expression shifted in an instant—from stern authority to obsequious grinning. He nodded repeatedly, practically groveling.

Then he turned to me, his demeanor suddenly icy and dismissive.

“Emily, stop making trouble. Go home.”

His voice was indifferent, like I were an unreasonable child.

At that moment, I understood everything—he had been bought off. Just a few words from her, and he was theirs.

I quietly took out my phone and began recording. My voice was calm, but my hands trembled. “Officer, I’m here today as a witness. I trust the police will help uncover the truth.”

Daniel spotted my phone and immediately stepped in, shielding Vanessa with a bathrobe, then shot a look at the officer.

The officer nodded and suddenly straightened, putting on a professional front.

“After investigation,” he announced, “your grandfather’s case has been classified as an ordinary accident, with him fully responsible.”

“As for the witness you’re referring to, he made an error. He saw nothing. Continuing to disturb public order will result in your arrest.”

My breath caught. They weren’t even trying to hide the collusion!

They had trampled the law right in the open!

I watched, stunned, as the lines between right and wrong blurred under their lies. I pushed past the guards and ran straight toward the man hiding behind Daniel.

“Please,” I begged. “Tell them what you saw! What really happened that day?”

But the witness stepped back, avoiding my gaze, trembling. His eyes flicked nervously between me and Daniel, lips sealed tight.

His fear was real—and revealing. He’d been silenced. Controlled.

Daniel stood nearby, smirking as if he'd already won.

They’d planned all this. Every step. Even the witness was just another puppet in their show.

As the officer began to turn away, I collapsed to my knees and clung to his leg.

“Please, officer! Help us! My grandfather is in the ICU, accused of fraud he didn’t commit! He’s an old man! How can this be justice?”

My voice cracked, drowned in grief and desperation.

“Careful! She’s attacking the police!” someone shouted.

In the next instant, I was kicked hard and thrown to the ground. My phone was snatched from my hands.

“No! Give it back!” I cried.

Pain shot through my body as I struggled to rise. The security guards lunged, pinning me down. I couldn’t fight them off.

The officer looked down at me, sighed, and said in a falsely kind voice, “Forget it, Emily. Take care of your grandfather. Stirring up trouble won’t help either of you.”

“You’re an adult now. Learn to bow your head.”

Bow my head?

No. The law is not meant to bow to power!

The roar of police engines faded in the distance, taunting me, leaving behind nothing but silence and defeat.

Vanessa bent down, lifted my broken phone between two fingers, and slammed it down on my head. A warm trickle of blood followed.

Still not satisfied, she stepped forward and pressed her high heel into my face. Her beauty was twisted by cruelty.

“You really think the police will go against the Blake family—for you?” she sneered. “That’s hilarious.”

I tried to resist, but the guards held me tightly. I couldn’t move.

Pain radiated through me, and my vision blurred. Still, I spat through clenched teeth, “The law will punish you. One day.”

“The law?”

She laughed. A cold, gleeful laugh that echoed off the club walls.

“Hasn’t Atty. Harvey told you? In City A, the law is ours.”

“You’ve gotten in my way too many times.”

She raised her heel, pressed it into my face with venom. “I gave you a chance. You couldn’t take it. Don’t blame me.”

With that, she turned and walked away. Daniel followed without a word.

I lay motionless for a long time.

Shame, pain, and despair crashed over me like a tidal wave. I saw no light, no hope.

But eventually, when my blood dried and my tears stopped, I rose. Slowly.

I couldn’t surrender.

My grandfather always told me—never give up.

I picked up the shattered pieces of my phone and held them close.

I would stay calm. I would find real evidence. I would make them pay.

I had to.

But as I turned to leave, a shadow fell across my path.

A group of men suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Before I could react, rough hands grabbed me.

They dragged me off the street and into a dark, narrow alley.

They wore flashy hip-hop masks that didn’t even bother to conceal their faces.

Their leader held a baseball bat, tapping it rhythmically against his palm. “Sorry, you messed with someone you shouldn’t have.”

Then, without warning, he slammed the bat against my leg.

A second man clamped his hand over my mouth. My screams came out as muffled groans that echoed helplessly in the alley.

“Don’t worry,” someone snickered. “Our client was clear—cripple her, but don’t kill her.”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The blows didn’t stop until my vision blurred from the pain. My legs felt like they were being ripped open. I was sure the bones had snapped.

Then the leader pulled out his phone and started recording. “Boss, check this out.”

A voice replied from the other end, cold and unmistakable: “No need to show me. Just make sure she never walks again.”

That voice.

It was Daniel.

I couldn’t believe it. The man who once told me to stay out of the kitchen after I burned my hand—was now the one behind this?

The bat came crashing down on the back of my head. Everything went black.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.

Both of my legs were broken. The doctor said steel rods had been inserted.

The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet. My body felt heavy and numb, but my heart was heavier. Numbness couldn’t block out the betrayal.

Daniel was sitting next to my bed, his expression unreadable. He reached forward and gently placed two documents in front of me: a divorce agreement and a property transfer contract.

This was the calmest I’d seen him in weeks. And yet, it felt like a boulder was crushing my chest.

“Don’t hate me,” he said quietly. “This is the only way to keep you from clashing with Vanessa again.”

He sounded almost gentle.

“Vanessa’s just a spoiled girl,” he added. “She overreacts. And look—your grandpa’s awake. At his age, losing a leg doesn’t change much. You need to stop dwelling on it.”

“Just focus on healing. After this all blows over, I’ll still take care of you and Grandpa. For life.”

I clutched the edge of the bedsheet, trying to keep my rage from spilling over. My voice trembled as I forced the words out: “You two are really a match made in hell. For her, you ignored Grandpa’s accident, faked the surveillance footage, leaked my private videos, and even hired thugs to break my legs. Do you even know how much this hurts?”

“Daniel,” I hissed, “do you even have a heart left?”

“My grandfather saved your life. And this is how you repay him?”

He leaned in, his eyes red, almost glowing with frustration. “Yes, your grandfather saved me. But Vanessa saved me, too. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“What more do you want from me? Should I worship your family every day to show my gratitude?”

“Didn’t I marry you? Didn’t I let your whole family move into the villa? Gave you luxury cars, private schools for our daughter—wasn’t that enough?”

He gestured at his shiny leather shoes, the sleek tailored suit, the Patek Philippe on his wrist.

“Everything I have now, I earned myself. No one—not even you—is taking it from me.”

After his tirade, he adjusted his tone, but the threat remained sharp beneath the calm.

“Just sign the documents and stop being difficult. We’re still husband and wife—for now. But if you resist... don’t blame me when I file for divorce first. Who’s going to want a cripple anyway?”

Before he could say more, I picked up the pen and signed my name on the divorce papers.

He didn’t expect that.

His eyes widened, but after a moment of disbelief, he let out a low, sarcastic chuckle. “Well, well... look at you, Emily. You've finally grown a spine.”

He slid the property transfer agreement toward me. “Sign this one too. I want to see how far you make it on your own, with no house, no money, no man.”

Instead, I tore the document in half—then into shreds.

“You’re dreaming. I’m keeping the house and custody of our daughter.”

Rage twisted his face. His chest heaved. “She’s a Harvey not a Carter! She's my daughter! You’re crippled—how will you raise her?!”

He stormed out of the ward.

Moments later, my phone rang.

It was the nanny.

“Miss Emily! Something happened to Lily!”

Just three words—“something happened”—and my heart dropped.

I tried to call the police, but my smashed phone was dead.

Its cracked screen reflected my broken, bloodied face.

I looked down at my legs, both wrapped in thick plaster. I couldn’t walk.

But I could crawl.

I pulled myself off the bed, inch by inch, gripping furniture and dragging myself across the floor. Every movement sent bolts of pain through my body, but I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

Lily needed me.

I didn’t know how I made it—only that by the time I got to the emergency room, my arms were shaking, and my fingers were raw and bleeding.

Then I saw her.

Lily lay silently on a cold hospital bed, covered with a white sheet.

My baby girl—like a broken doll.

Just days ago, she’d hugged me and begged to go to the amusement park. I had told her we’d go next week.

But there will be no next week.

Her body was bruised and scratched, signs of horrific abuse. I reached for her, holding her limp hand and trying to place it over my heart. Over and over.

It wouldn’t stay.

I cried out, my sobs echoing through the sterile hallway. My voice cracked, and I screamed until I couldn’t breathe.

Lily had been bullied to death—pushed off the building by Vanessa’s niece.

They covered it up. Bribed the school. Erased classroom footage.

I didn’t tell Grandpa. I didn’t have the heart.

Despite my injuries, I filed complaint after complaint. The police refused to open a case.

Meanwhile, Daniel quietly buried our daughter, hiding the truth.

I rushed to the cemetery in my wheelchair. When I reached her grave, what I saw ripped what was left of my soul into pieces.

Daniel and Vanessa stood in front of her tombstone, locked in a passionate kiss.