"I worry about her working so hard on the case every day, and in the end, showing concern for her makes me the villain!"

If this were before, I might have thought Caroline didn’t want to return to the old house just to protect me. But now, knowing the truth, I couldn’t feel anything at all.

She didn’t want to go home because she didn’t want to deal with Karl in the guise of being my sister. She didn’t want me to mention the murder case in front of everyone and risk embarrassing Karl.

A chorus of voices echoed, praising Karl for taking such good care of her. They marveled at how youthful she still looked, despite traveling the world and enduring all sorts of hardships.

I was left standing at the door, forgotten in the cold.

The wind swept past me just as Caroline arrived. She wrapped her arms around me and lovingly touched the tip of my nose.

"Why are you standing out here? Did your parents scold you again?"

When Caroline entered, my mother-in-law softened her tone immediately. "How could I scold the eldest son of the Crow Family? Your husband is too precious. Please, go upstairs and rest."

Karl, ever the actor, feigned concern. "Mom, I’ve booked dinner at the hotel. It should be here soon. You should rest, don’t worry about any of this."

Carol’s relatives surrounded him, praising his thoughtfulness, while I was left to fade into the background.

Caroline gently pushed me into the bedroom to rest.

I turned around to explain to my mother-in-law that I was feeling unwell, hoping she wouldn’t take my behavior the wrong way.

But Carol’s relatives couldn’t care less. They weren’t interested in me. They were too busy praising Karl for being such a good son-in-law. Every few moments, I could hear their laughter, each burst of sound making the air feel even more suffocating.

When I finally tried to leave and find some peace, Karl appeared out of nowhere, his smile growing more smug when he saw my pale face.

"Long time no see, old classmate," he said with a mocking tone.

"Five years have passed, and you still don’t recognize me?"

He paused for a moment before adding, "By the way, I have to thank you. If you hadn’t taken me home that night, I wouldn’t have found my enemy."

I clenched my fists, my entire body stiff with cold fury as I glared at him.

"Enemy?" I spat, my voice thick with rage. "What do you mean by that? What did my parents ever do to you that justified you going to such lengths to dismember them and kill them so cruelly?!"

In front of me, Karl dropped the pretense, his expression turning vicious.

"Sorry to you?" he sneered. "You should be asking them how they're sorry to me! If it weren't for them, my father's company wouldn't have gone bankrupt, and he wouldn't have been driven to jump off a building. You destroyed everything I had, and now I'm just taking revenge. Can't stand it?"

His words stabbed through me like daggers.

"Why," he continued, his voice dripping with malice, "are you so uncomfortable seeing the real murderer—the one who killed your parents—standing right in front of you, without retribution?"

He paused, a twisted grin spreading across his face.

"Speaking of which, I owe a lot to your fiancée and wife. If it weren't for them, I wouldn’t be living so well today."

The words hit like a freight train. Before I could process what he said, Karl added, "Before your father died, he was still thinking about you, his son. I even have a video of him begging for mercy. Want to see it? Kneel down and beg me."

The horrifying images of my parents’ tragic end flashed before my eyes. My heart raced, and a red-hot fury surged through me. Without thinking, I swung my fist at him.

The blow landed with a sickening thud.

But instead of anger, Karl only laughed—his laugh cold, detached. With the force of my punch, he staggered backward, falling hard to the ground.

Before I could even react, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

Caroline, having rushed in, had kicked me squarely in the heart. The sheer force of her strike, honed by years of training, left me gasping and crumpling to the floor in humiliation.

She then crouched down, gathering Karl into her arms, her gaze full of fury as she glared at me.

"Victor, what the hell are you doing? Are you insane?" she shouted, her voice laced with venom. "Karl was just trying to call you to dinner, and you hit him?"

The sound of footsteps echoed, and Carol’s relatives appeared, eyes full of contempt as they glared at me, wishing they could stab me with their gazes.

Karl, weakly propped up in her arms, began to sob, playing his part perfectly.

"Caroline," he whined, "I'm sorry... I just wanted to apologize to Victor for the misunderstanding from five years ago... I never thought he'd suddenly... do this..."

“Forget it, Doreen broke off the engagement five years ago, and we were wrong. Today's incident should be seen as compensation. Don’t blame Victor.”

The broken ribs throbbed painfully, and I felt a cold sweat break out across my skin.

“Misunderstanding?” I hissed, my voice trembling with fury. “How dare you call it a misunderstanding?”

“Caroline, what happened five years ago? Don’t I deserve an explanation?”

Her eyes flickered with panic, but she forced herself to speak.

“I’ve been investigating the murderer of that case,” she said, her voice wavering. “I’ve told you, it has nothing to do with Karl. Why are you blaming him? I’m a police officer. Don’t you trust me?”

Her words stung like a slap. "What right do you have to defend Karl when the matter isn’t clear? Victor, you need to apologize to him!”

Before I could respond, my mother-in-law’s face turned icy. Without warning, she rushed at me and slapped me hard across the face.

“Are you crazy? You want to accuse Karl now? My daughter’s investigative skills are well-known. She’s already said it has nothing to do with him. Who do you think you are to attack him?”

Her voice dripped with contempt. “You’re just an orphan whose parents are dead. Do you think you have any standing here?”

“If it weren’t for my daughter saving you, you wouldn’t even know how to sell yourself at that hotel to pay off your debts! It's said that all businessmen are deceitful. Maybe your parents’ death was just karma for their evil deeds.”

“Caroline, don’t waste your time on him. Take Karl to the hospital first.”

Without another glance in my direction, Caroline walked out of the house, Karl cradled in her arms. Five years of love—gone in an instant.

Blood began to trickle from the corner of my mouth as Carol’s parents drove me out of the house. Passersby took me to the emergency room, where I learned that my broken ribs were dangerously close to my heart.

Late that night, Caroline sent me a message. Her words were soft and apologetic.

“Victor, don’t think too much about what happened tonight. I know you didn’t mean it. Karl is my brother-in-law after all, and I can’t explain things to Doreen if you hurt him. Once Karl is out of danger, I’ll apologize to you in person, okay? Go to your favorite restaurant. Don’t be angry. My parents are just talking nonsense in their anger.”

So, she still remembered she had a home, didn’t she?

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Well, I'll wait for you to come back."

“Thank you for understanding, husband.”

That night, Karl posted a photo with the hospital location. The woman beside him, lying on the bed, looked worried, her face a mix of tenderness and care. The next morning, I discharged myself from the hospital, packed my bags, and headed straight for the airport. On the way there, Caroline sent me the location of the restaurant.

“Husband, I have a surprise for you. I’ll pick you up at home soon. Wait for me.”

I opened Karl’s latest update, posted just minutes ago. In the video, the woman lovingly fed him white porridge, her eyes filled with a tenderness I’d never seen before.

I quietly liked the post, then deleted all their contact information.

As the plane took off, I sent a complaint letter to the director, attaching the records from Caroline’s phone.

I also sent her the signed divorce agreement.

At the restaurant, Caroline was preoccupied with organizing the scene, instructing her colleagues to spread petals across the floor.

Her phone lay on the table, the message I sent her still unread, stirring a feeling of unease deep in her chest. She reached for it, her finger hovering over the screen, tempted to call, but hesitating.

Then, a colleague in a police uniform rushed in through the door, his face drained of color.

"It's bad, Captain Carol," he said, breathless. "You need to get back to the bureau, quickly. The Crow Family case has been reported, and the director is looking for you everywhere! Mr. Crow is in trouble too!"