It was supposed to be a happy day on our daughter’s birthday.

Vanessa James-Crawford, my wife, promised our daughter a surprise and took her away for a while.

Less than half an hour later, a video of our daughter, Lara, running barefoot on the ice rink at the James's estate went viral. She was wearing a thin outfit, shivering from the cold. The skin on her soles was rubbed raw, and every step she took left a bloody footprint.

Her physical education coach, Keith Turner, remained motionless, showing a cruel indifference.

Instead of helping, he scolded our daughter for not being tough enough.

I didn’t hesitate.

My heart was pounding, and I rushed there, ready to do whatever it took.

But when I arrived, it was already too late. Our daughter had stopped breathing.

Vanessa was there, her eyes bloodshot from crying.

She grabbed me tightly, like she was holding on for dear life.

"Gabriel, don’t worry," she said, her voice hard, almost like she was trying to convince herself. "I’ll make sure the person who killed our daughter goes to hell."

But when the trial came, Vanessa stunned everyone. Right there in front of everyone, she forgave Lara's physical education coach for his negligence and signed the papers.

Looking at the judge straight in the eye, she said, "It's not Keith's fault. My daughter’s body was just too weak…"

I couldn’t take it anymore. I lost control as I stormed up, determined to reveal the truth.

But then, Vanessa publicly claimed I had a mental illness and had me committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Overnight, all the videos that had spread online mysteriously vanished.

And inside that hospital, they subjected me to electroshock therapy every day.

Three days later, Vanessa entered with Keith beside her, acting like nothing had happened.

"Gabriel," she said, her tone cold and distant, "as long as you stop causing a scene, you can still be the James family's respected son-in-law. But if you don’t, you’ll stay here as a crazy person for the rest of your life."

Tears welled up in my eyes, falling into my hands.

The woman I had loved for ten years had turned into someone I didn’t recognize.

——

I grabbed the iron bars in front of me with my bruised, battered hands.

My chest tightened with anger and sorrow.

"Vanessa, you’re a monster!" I shouted, my voice breaking with raw emotion. "Lara was our daughter! That bastard next to you killed her with his own hands, and you forgave him. And now, you’re still backing him? You’re an accomplice!"

Her face twisted with disdain.

Without saying a word, she pulled out an electric baton and thrust it into my abdomen. The shock hit me like a freight train, and dizziness followed.

I sank to the ground like a mess of mud. I tried to stay steady, but my hands were torn and left bloody streaks on the bars.

Before I could even recover, Vanessa stepped on my bleeding hand, her foot pressing down hard through the bars.

"Gabriel, how dare you say Keith killed our daughter?" she spat, her voice full of venom. "You let Lara end up like this! As her father, you're the real culprit! Why is it that things other kids can handle, our daughter couldn't? You made Lara weak!"

As she spoke, she ground her heel harder.

The pain in my chest was unbearable, but I forced myself to look at her, tears running down my face.

"Vanessa, tell me, what child can run five kilometers barefoot on ice at the age of three?" I shot back, my voice shaking with disbelief. "Forget about the child. Could you do it? Could Keith?"

"Keith says if someone can do it, they can," she said, sounding cold, like it was no big deal. "He’s a top-tier coach, Gabriel. Do you really think he’s lying to me? Look, I’m done arguing with you. Keep this up, and you’ll stay locked up in that psychiatric hospital for the rest of your life!"

After saying that, Vanessa snuggled into Keith's arms, clearly ready to leave. But as soon as she turned around, the hospital director came rushing toward us, out of breath.

He shot Keith a glance, then stepped forward, kicking my limp body, sneering as he did.

"Aren’t you the one who’s been threatening to confront Ms. Vanessa James and Keith Turner about that video?" the hospital director mocked. "Now that they’re here, where’s all that courage of yours?"

Before I could even respond, Keith’s voice, shaking with fear, broke through.

“Vanessa, do you think the hospital director’s talking about that video? I’ve already done everything the court asked. It seems like Gabriel’s not gonna let this go. Vanessa, I’m fucking terrified. What if they come for me?”

Vanessa suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She turned to face me, her eyes hardening.

"Gabriel, why can’t you let Keith go? What are you holding onto that video for? Are you trying to ruin him on purpose?!"

My rage exploded. I clenched my teeth so tight I could feel my lip tear. A thin line of blood trickled down my chin, but I didn’t care.

"Vanessa, he killed Lara! As long as I’m alive, that bastard isn’t getting away with it. How could you do this to your own daughter? You're a monster like him, and I won’t let our daughter’s death be in vain!"

Vanessa stared at me with disgust. Without a second thought, she grabbed my phone from the director’s hand and threw it to the ground, shattering it.

She then slapped me across the face, the sting sharp and biting.

"Gabriel, you can't force something that isn’t meant to happen."

I barely held back my anger, my voice thick with fury. "It’s useless to throw it away, Vanessa. I’ve made hundreds of copies of that video. Unless you kill me right now, as long as I breathe, I will expose the truth."

Vanessa’s breath came in quick bursts, her anger rising. She shoved the director aside, grabbed the cage, and yanked it open. She rushed toward me, eyes blazing with fury.

Grabbing my head, she slammed it hard against the bars, the metal rattling violently.

As she dragged me out of the cage, her teeth grinding, she hissed, "Gabriel, today’s the day I make you pay for Keith. There’s gotta be something in this world you’re scared of!"

She signaled to two of her assistants, who pulled me toward a waiting car. Thirty minutes later, the scene in front of me shattered my spirit. I felt the heaviness of hopelessness settle in my chest.

Vanessa grabbed my head again, pressing it against the glass of the ICU. She pointed at my mother, lying still on the hospital bed.

Her voice was a screech, full of raw anger. "Gabriel, you'd better remember this—if your mom dies right now, it’s all on you!"

"Vanessa..." My legs gave way, and I collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. I reached out, grabbing at her pants in desperation. She kicked me away, not even sparing me a glance, and stormed into the ICU.

Without a word, she reached for my mother’s oxygen tube and yanked it out of her throat, her eyes locked on me, filled with nothing but fury.

"Gabriel, apologize to Keith!"

I crawled toward her with what little strength I had left, my voice cracking with desperation. "Vanessa, my mom was hurt trying to save you. What are you doing?"

My words only seemed to make her angrier.

She tightened her grip on the oxygen tube, and within seconds, all the warning lights in the ICU flashed bright red, the alarm screaming into the sterile room.

"Gabriel! I told you to apologize to Keith!"

At that moment, I completely broke. I scrambled to find Keith in the room, my heart pounding in my chest.

When I finally spotted him, I rushed toward him, pounding my forehead against the floor, begging. "I’m sorry, Keith. I was wrong. I’m sorry…"

Keith crouched down, his grip tightening around my throat. He shot a smug look at Vanessa, a grin spreading across his face.

"Vanessa, looks like Gabriel is still obedient. I’m not as pissed off now..."

Vanessa’s eyes brightened with relief as she finally loosened her grip on my mother’s oxygen tube. The heart monitor beeped steadily, and my mother’s heart rate appeared to stabilize. I was able to get to my feet, leaning against my mother’s bed, struggling to stay upright.

I wanted to leave the room, call a nurse to check on my mother, but as I took a step, Vanessa grabbed my wrist.

"That day in court, you terrified Keith," she said in a low and cold voice. "You need to apologize to him in front of everyone. You’ll also need to repeat everything I said in court, in front of the reporters, stating that Lara's death is not Keith's fault."

My whole body trembled, a sense of helplessness threatening to swallow me whole.

I turned to face her, my disgust clear in every line of my face. "Vanessa, do you even have a soul left? Do you have no conscience?"

Vanessa didn’t answer right away. She just extended her hand toward my mother’s oxygen tube with a cold, detached look on her face.

"Stop with the nonsense, Gabriel," she said flatly. "Just tell me, are you going to do it or not?"

A wave of despair washed over me, like I was floating outside my own body, watching everything happen from a distance.

I met her cold gaze and nodded, barely able to speak.

"I’ll do it..."

Vanessa gave a small, almost cruel smile as she took Keith’s hand, pulling him away from me. Before leaving, she glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes like ice.

"Get it together. The reporters will be here soon."

As the door clicked shut behind them, I caught a glimpse of the smug satisfaction in Keith’s eyes. The sight made my stomach churn.

Once they were gone, I collapsed to my knees beside my mother’s hospital bed. Tears streamed down my face as I finally let everything go.

When Vanessa and I first got married, she was just a poor girl from a modest background.

My father, seeing her potential, took her under his wing, teaching her everything she needed to know about running a business.

After his passing, he entrusted her with the family company, confident that she was capable of managing it.

But that was before ambition turned her into something else.

Six months ago, Vanessa's ambition led her to make some dangerous enemies. Her rivals kidnapped her, and it was my mother—putting herself in great personal danger—who rescued her.

However, during the rescue, my mother was seriously injured and ended up in the ICU. Even when she was awake, my mother held my hand and continued to defend Vanessa.

"Gabriel, don’t blame her," my mother’s fragile voice said. "She’s under immense pressure trying to live up to your father’s legacy. She just wants to succeed in the business and has made some enemies along the way, but that’s understandable. Don’t blame her. As long as she treats you and Lara well, even if I die, it will be worth it…"

But this woman—this monster who had once been my partner—had not only harmed my mother, she had played a direct role in the death of our daughter.

I bit down on my lower lip, the sting of blood pulling me back to the present. Then, I took out my phone, my hands trembling as I dialed the number I knew by heart.

"Gabriel, what are you mumbling about in there?!" Vanessa’s voice rang out just as I ended the call.

She stormed into the room, her eyes narrowing when she saw the phone I had quickly tucked behind me.

"Can’t I say a few words to my mom?" I snapped back.

Vanessa glanced at my phone, suspicion in her eyes, but before she could approach, Keith called out from the hallway.

"Vanessa, the reporters are getting impatient. Is Gabriel not ready yet?"

Vanessa sighed, irritation clear in her posture. "Alright, alright, Keith, don’t rush."

She quickly crossed the room, nestled herself into Keith’s arms, and tried to soothe him, her voice soft. Then, without warning, she turned and grabbed me by the collar, yanking me out of the room.

"Gabriel, don’t even think about it. Your mother’s life is in my hands!"

Two minutes later, I was surrounded by a sea of reporters. The bright flashes of cameras and the noise all felt overwhelming.

The questions hit me like a tidal wave.

"Mr. Crawford, a few days ago, you identified Keith Turner as the murderer of your daughter in court. Do you have new evidence today?"

"Mr. Crawford, we’re all parents here. If you have proof, we’ll stand by you and fight for justice!"

Vanessa, standing to the side, pointed toward my mother’s room with eyes full of triumph.

"Honey, the reporters are asking you..." she said, her voice soaked in sweet sarcasm.

I felt my blood boil, but I forced myself to stay calm. I turned toward Keith, and without thinking, I dropped to my knees. My heart was pounding in my chest as I looked up at him, my voice hoarse and broken.

"Keith Turner, that day in court, I wrongly accused you. My daughter’s death had nothing to do with you..."

Hearing that, Keith smirked, his eyes cold with contempt.

"You wrongly accused me? Then you’d better apologize properly," he sneered. "You’re not just going to let this go, are you? You think our reputation means nothing?"

My lip was already raw, blood dripping down my chin, but I felt nothing.

I was numb.

Seeing that I hadn’t moved, Vanessa leaned in, her voice a low whisper in my ear.

"Gabriel, I’m starting to miss our mom. Maybe I should go see her..."

Her words cut deep, but I couldn’t find the words to respond. How much lower could this woman go?