My father was one of the best scientists in the world, and he was kidnapped. Three days later, they found his corpse by the river.

I kept vigil for an entire night.

Henry Franke, my husband, pitied me and swore to find the murderer so that he could help me take revenge, but after the funeral, I heard the university student he was sponsoring say, “Henry, I just couldn’t stand Professor Smith insulting me during his lecture, and I wanted to scare him a bit. I wasn’t expecting the kidnappers to kill him. I don’t want to go to jail!”

Henry sighed. “You were too impulsive, but Professor Smith was in the wrong too. I’ll get this settled for you, but I suppose Luna won’t get her revenge.”

I felt my mind go blank in shock, but I suppressed my rage and left quietly.

What Henry did not know was that the medicine that could help him stand again had eight doses. The first seven were all slow-acting toxins, and only the last one was the antidote that could truly cure him.

However, they had killed the only person who could create the antidote.

My phone rang, but I ignored it and went in.

Upon seeing me, Henry hung up and handed a case closure form to me. “I’ve found the murderer. Sign this.”

I skimmed through the contents and felt my heart twist in pain.

In the morning, Henry had promised to help me take revenge, but at this very moment, he was protecting the murderer and had just found a scapegoat to deceive me.

“You’re saying that a terminal-stage cancer patient killed my father as a middle finger to society. Do you really think I’d believe that?”

Henry averted his eyes in the face of my demands. “I know that you can’t accept it, but that’s the truth. You want your father to be able to rest in peace, don’t you?”

If I signed this, my father would truly never be able to rest in peace.

I tore the case closure form right in front of him and turned to Violet Sunder, Henry’s sponsored student. “Violet, you were the last person who called my father before he was kidnapped.”

The sudden accusation stunned Violet, and she looked at Henry for help.

“That’s enough!” With a dark expression, Henry shielded Violet and rebuked me, saying, “Luna, stop kicking up a fuss here. The murderer has been executed, and the judgment bears the court’s official seal. If you really want to blame someone for this, blame your father for being unlucky.”

I teared up and stormed forward. “My father spent months in the lab researching the cure to treat your legs. Don’t you have a conscience?!”

Violet then shielded Henry. “It’s not as if Henry killed your father! Why are you yelling at him?!”

When I saw the murderer standing in front of me, looking all innocent, I slapped her. In the next second, the security guards rushed in to pin me to the floor.

The moment Henry saw the bruise on Violet’s face, his gaze turned cold.

“Don’t hold back,” he ordered the security guards, and they immediately started slapping me rapidly on the face.

Henry then yelled at me, “Violet is an important guest of mine and my savior. How could you hit her?!”

As I lay on the floor, I felt my heart grow numb from pain.

No professor wanted to take Violet as their student, and Henry had begged my father to take her, but he ended up bringing danger on his heels.

Henry stared down at me. “I know that you claimed credit for Violet’s work. If you don’t want all your father’s horrid deeds to be made known to the world, you’d better sign the form.”

“I refuse to! My father never did those things!”

However, the security guards ignored my struggles and forced me to sign the case closure form.

Once she saw this, Violet kicked me. “Don’t worry. I’ll take over Professor Smith’s research and cure Henry’s legs.”

As I lay on the floor, I watched Violet push Henry out.

Once they were far away, I opened Henry’s drawer and took out his medical record.

It said that he was going to get his last injection in a week.

Then, I called someone overseas. “Mr. Finean, I’ll come to you in a week.”

It was just a week. I could wait.

When I went back to the university to pack up my father’s things, the dean summoned me to a lecture hall. Violet was standing on the stage with a grin on her face.

“Your PhD thesis is the same as Violet’s. Explain yourself.”

Violet immediately spoke first. She said, “Professor Smith guided me through the thesis while he was still alive. Professor Thompson can be my witness.”

I had met Professor Thompson before. His daughter was working at Henry’s law firm.

‘I see,’ I thought.

The dean publicly announced that I had plagiarized Violet’s thesis and expelled me.

All my years of hard work went down the drain.

I did not defend myself because it was not the time for that yet.

It would only hurt more if they fell from a greater height.

Once I returned to the villa, I put the prepared divorce agreement on the table. Henry had just come back. When he saw my luggage bag, he rebuked me, saying, “Luna, can you stop being so childish? I can’t believe you’d actually try to run away from home.”

When he saw that I was still giving him the cold shoulder, he was displeased. “I’m talking to you. Why are you pretending to be mute?”

He scoffed, but when he saw the divorce agreement on the table, he was stunned. “You want a divorce? Just because of that stupid thesis?”

However, I still refused to react, so he decided to soften his tone. “Violet isn’t the same as you are. She has no family supporting her and has to depend on herself. Just let her win this once.”

I just found Henry’s sweet tone disgusting. “You don’t have to say anything. Just sign it.”

Henry just lit the agreement up in flames and threw it at my feet. “My patience has limits. If you just swallow your pride and stop with this, I’ll pretend that nothing happened.”

When I saw Henry’s cold gaze, I remembered that this was how he acted in court too. Regardless of what evidence the opposing lawyer brought out, he would fight until the very last moment.

He had his principles and would never admit defeat.

So, whenever we argued, I was the one who apologized and asked for reconciliation first.

The moment Henry saw that my expression was turning even darker, he said, “I know that you’re in a bad mood because your father passed away. Once I’m done with my tasks on hand, let’s go on a holiday to relax.”

He was giving in at this point, but before I could consider it, I received news that Violet had been elected as an academician.

With my father’s lifelong research results, she became the youngest PhD holder in the National University.

I trembled in rage. I was not going to let my father’s murderer claim credit for his work.

So, I got my father’s drafts and research data, organized them, and posted them online, but in less than ten minutes, someone removed them.

In the next second, someone flung my door open.

Violet stormed over to me and yelled, “Are you trying to kill me by posting those things?!”

I checked the trending tags. It might have just been up for ten minutes, but it still caused irreversible damage to Violet.

“That old man is already dead. Letting me claim credit for the data will allow me to bring out its full value. If he somehow learns about this, he’ll also be able to rest in peace.”

“Do you really think that my father will be happy that his murderer is claiming credit for his work?!” I shot back.

Violet’s eyes went wide with shock before ruthlessness flickered in them. “Yeah. I claimed credit for his work. What of it? As long as Henry still sides with me, you’ll never win.”

She then brought a flame to the papers on the table, and fire instantly spread out.

When I saw my father’s blood, sweat, and tears going up in flames, I tried to use my hands to extinguish the fire. I did not even care about the pain.

However, smoke still filled the room, and I heard Violet’s weakened voice. “I’m sorry, Henry. I couldn’t get Luna to forgive me. Don’t blame her. I was just too selfish.”

Henry rushed over and cradled her burned hands. His heart was full of pity for her.

He ignored my blister-covered hands and snapped at me, “Have you lost your mind, Luna?! I was the one who asked Violet to do it. She’s my savior. Why can’t I thank her by helping her get her PhD?!”

I was shocked and cried out, “What on earth are you saying? My father is the one who saved you!”

Upon hearing my words, Henry was first stunned before he snickered.

“Your father wanted me crippled forever. Violet has already given me the first seven doses. She has always been the one who’s saving me.”

Violet teared up in “sadness.” “Luna, you can choose not to forgive me, but you can’t lie to Henry.”

I glared at her. “Swear it, then. If any of what you said is a lie, you will die.”

The sound of a slap rang out. Then, Henry grabbed my swollen face and said, “Do you really hate the idea of me getting better? You’re just as selfish and snobbish as your father.”

Henry then forced me to slap myself in the face while apologizing to Violet before shoving his phone into my face. “You care about your father’s work, don’t you? I’m going to ruin him right now.”

Henry had gotten someone to falsely claim that my father stole Violet’s research results.

The only way to prove my father’s innocence was already burnt to a crisp.

I stared at the ashes of the papers, and as the embers died, the last remaining bit of love I had for Henry died as well.

Once the video was uploaded, it led to a major commotion in the scientific world.

Many people who looked up to my father started insulting him with the vilest words. Some even gathered together groups of people to throw trash at my father’s grave.

I was so furious that I started crying.

‘I’m sorry, Dad. I’m a bad daughter. I can’t protect anything you value,’ I thought.

Henry had also dragged me to the operating table. I felt him touch my face and say to the doctor, “Transfer the skin here to Violet’s hand.”

“Sir, your wife is allergic to anesthesia.”

“Then, don’t use it. Remember. No matter what, don’t leave behind any scars on Violet’s hand.”

There was no emotion in Henry’s voice.

The pain in my face made me drift in and out of unconsciousness. I could feel someone using a knife to cut my face.

The pain jolted me awake, and I felt as if every part of my face had been cut by a knife.

I heard Henry’s angry voice.

“How is she supposed to show her face now that you’ve ruined it?”

Violet sobbed sadly. “I was just worried that you wouldn’t want me anymore. I was just so jealous of Luna that I went mad. I’m sorry. I’ll cut my face up as an apology to her.”

Henry grabbed her hand with resignation in his eyes. “That’s enough. I’m not blaming you for this. Just don’t do it again.”

I staggered over to the mirror and saw that my originally smooth face was covered in ugly scars.

In my despair, I grabbed a pair of scissors and lunged at Violet, but Henry just frowned and shielded Violet while comforting me. “Violet was just throwing a tantrum. Don’t hold this against her. I’ll get the best doctors to treat you. Put the scissors down.”

The doctors and nurses also stood in front of me and shielded Violet.

Rage burned in my eyes, but I suddenly started laughing like a maniac.

“You’re going to suffer the consequences for your actions, Henry.”

When he saw my crazed state, Henry just looked annoyed. “Stop throwing a tantrum already, Luna.”

He then had the medical officers inject me with a tranquilizer.

As I started falling unconscious, I heard Violet’s smug giggles.

“Violet, even after I made you so ugly, Henry still refuses to blame me. It looks like he loves me. Do you really think that I can’t make the last dose after your father died? Tomorrow, I’m going to ask Henry to divorce you and marry me. We’re going to have a grand wedding. When that day arrives, I’m going to make you watch.”