My name was Ava Motley. My daughter, Emma Dunn, was bitten by a dog during an outing and was admitted to the ICU.

I called my lawyer husband, Doug Dunn, several times before he finally answered.

"Just stop being so unreasonable, OK? Claire's dog was frightened and is now very unstable!"

I suppressed the bitterness in my heart and asked him to transfer some money.

Upon hearing my request, he became furious.

"Ava, Claire is so right about you. You do whatever it takes to get what you want! How could you curse Emma just to trick me into giving you money?"

He hung up the phone, and Emma was pronounced dead.

Later, I found out that the dog that killed Emma was the one raised by Claire Kirk, Doug's first love.

I immediately sued Claire, but on the day of the trial, I saw Doug sitting in the defense lawyer's seat.

He confidently defended Claire with his professional legal knowledge.

Finally, the judge declared Claire innocent.

I was disheartened and told him I'd divorce him after leaving the court.

He panicked.

"What about Emma? She's just a little girl. What should she do if we get divorced?"

I threw Emma's death certificate and photos of her death in his face.

"You idiot. You have no idea Emma is already dead."

……

I was stunned when I received a call from the hospital.

Emma, on an outing, left the group alone to pick flowers for Doug and was bitten by a big dog.

I rushed to the hospital at once. On the way, I kept calling Doug.

He was a lawyer and was usually very busy with work. It was common for him to not answer my calls.

I called him more than a dozen times, but the phone still couldn't get through.

I had to put down my phone and helplessly look towards the emergency room.

Time passed by, and the door of the emergency room was finally opened.

A nurse came out, and I hurried over.

"Hello. How is my daughter?"

The nurse sighed.

"The patient has more than seventy wounds all over her body, and even her bones can be seen in the deepest wounds. So... Please be prepared."

The nurse's words were a heavy blow.

My legs went weak, and I collapsed directly to the floor.

More than seventy wounds? Emma is only seven years old!

She's so small, yet she was bitten by a dog so badly! How scared and painful she must have been at that time!

I panicked.

Helplessly, I took out my phone and called Doug again.

I kept praying in my heart that he'd pick up.

Finally, after endless waiting, the call was finally connected.

I was about to speak when I heard Doug's impatient voice.

"Ava, what's wrong with you? Don't you know I'm busy?"

Doug's impatient tone made me feel extremely bitter, and I whispered in a grievance.

"Doug, something happened to Emma. She..."

Before I could finish speaking, a female voice came from the other end of the line.

"Doug, can you stay with me? If you leave, I'm afraid something will happen to Woofy."

Doug hurriedly said to her gently.

"Claire, don't be afraid. I'm here. Nothing will happen to Woofy."

Doug's gentle voice made me feel a little dazed. It had been ages since he spoke to me so gently.

In an instant, I was overwhelmed by bitterness.

I asked hoarsely.

"Doug, Emma is seriously injured. What could be more important than her life?"

"Claire's dog got lost today and was frightened. We don't know what it ate. I'm with Claire for a check-up. Stop being so unreasonable, Ava. If you're sick, go seek help. Stop annoying me!"

Claire. It was Claire again.

A year ago, after Claire returned to the country from abroad, she took the initiative to contact Doug.

From then on, Doug had become completely different.

They were childhood sweethearts, but they lost touch because Claire went abroad to study.

At that time, I had been secretly in love with Doug for a year.

Claire's departure brought me into Doug's sight.

After being in love for about three years, we got married. Then I gave birth to Emma, and we had a cozy, happy life.

But after Claire came back to the country, Doug started to change.

Because of Claire, we had countless arguments.

At first, Doug swore to me that he'd never see her again, but later on, he became more and more impatient.

"Are you done? I told you Claire and I are just good friends."

"If something were about to happen between us, it would have happened already. I wouldn't have married you at all."

"Ava, just stop being so paranoid, OK?"

Those words he said came back to me, and my eyes gradually turned red.

But now, Emma's life was in danger, and I had to endure the pain in my heart.

I was about to tell Dough about Emma's situation, but he had already hung up.

Doug hung up on me again.

Emma's life was at stake, or I would have never called him again.

But the situation right now was serious, so I had no choice but to call him again.

I called him again and again...

After I called him more than a dozen times, he finally answered the call again.

I was afraid he would hang up, so I quickly told him about Emma's situation.

I want to wake him up through Emma.

"Emma had an accident and is being rescued. Come to the hospital now.

"I need to pay for the surgery, but I don't have enough money. Can you transfer me 50,000 dollars?"

As soon as I finished speaking, I heard Claire's delicate voice on the phone.

"Ava, I know you want Doug back, but this trick is so lame.

"Also, my dog Woofy was frightened. Doug is about to take me and Woofy on a trip. As for the money? Get real."

Claire's affected voice pissed me off completely.

I was about to snap when she pretended to be surprised and said.

"Doug, you've finished your shower already?

"It's been years, but your figure is as great as ever."

Soon, I heard Doug's hearty laughter.

"Do you like it? Give me a kiss then."

Soon, I heard the sound of water. Claire didn't hang up the phone, and I heard them have sex loud and clear.

"Doug, Emma is about to die!"

Emma's life was at stake, and Doug was actually having an affair!

I was overwhelmed by anger.

I shouted in fury, and the titillating sounds on the other end of the line stopped at once.

Doug showed no remorse at all. Instead, he started to scold me.

"Ava, you actually used Emma's life to threaten me for money. You're a mother, OK? But you're actually such a big liar. I bet Emma will be just like you when she grows up."

He hung up the phone decisively.

Looking at the big pile of bills, I was angry and anxious.

I called him again only to hear he had blocked my number.

I was like an ant on a hot pot, trying to reach him with all his contact information I knew.

But the results were all the same. None of the calls went through.

Finally, I gave up on Doug and called my friends.

An hour later, I scraped together 100,000 dollars and gave it to the nurse in the payment room.

By now, my back was already soaked with sweat. I looked at the flashing red light on the wall of the emergency room.

I kept praying for Emma's safety.

Suddenly, the red light went out, and the door of the emergency room opened. A nurse walked out, and I hurried over.

My eyes were filled with pleading as I hoped the nurse would tell me that Emma was safe and sound.

But my hopes were shattered.

The nurse shook her head and said to me guiltily.

"I'm sorry. The injuries are too severe. We did our best. The patient is still conscious. You can go in and talk to her."

I had been on edge, and at this moment, my world collapsed.

My legs went weak, and I collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably.

Emma's adorable face emerged in my mind, killing me.

No! I can't waste any more time, or I won't be able to see Emma.

I staggered to my feet and entered the ward.

Emma was lying on the bed, covered in scars of all sizes.

I covered my mouth in shock at the deep scar on her face. I could even see her bones through the scar.

How could a little child like her bear such a deep scar?

But when she saw me, she still managed to force a smile.

"Mommy, you're here. Where's Daddy?"

I didn't know how to answer.

I could only force a smile and comfort her softly.

"Daddy ... went to work."

Emma's eyes, which were filled with hopes, gradually dimmed.

She murmured.

"Daddy went to work. He didn't want to see me.

"I'm a good girl. I have to be sensible. I shouldn't disturb Daddy."

She started to sob while saying.

Greatly aggrieved, she started to complain to me.

"Mommy, why has Daddy been so busy this year?

"I haven't seen Daddy for a long time. Doesn't Daddy miss me?

"I'm very well-behaved. Why doesn't Daddy like me?"

Emma said to me with a hoarse voice, expressing her long-held grievances.

As a little girl, she couldn't understand it at all.

Her Daddy used to be so good to her, but in the past year, he had been neglecting her.

He almost disappeared from her life.

However, I was at a loss at this moment.

I didn't know how to answer Emma.

Maybe deep down, Emma had an answer already.

After a long time, Emma's tears had dried up, and she pointed to the schoolbag beside her, sobbing.

"Mommy, these are the flowers I picked for Daddy. I heard him say on the phone with you that day that he thought wildflowers smelled good.

"Mommy, if Daddy sees the flowers, will he still be..."

As she spoke, her hand gradually dropped.

On her deathbed, she was still longing to be loved by Doug again.

And he? He was probably having sex with Claire right now.

I organized Emma's funeral with my parents.

I held the small wooden box in my arms. Inside were Emma's ashes. Maybe I had cried too much these days, as now I couldn't even shed another tear.

When Emma was born, she was also so small and light.

At the funeral, many relatives asked me where Doug was. After all, it was his daughter's funeral.

This time, I didn't cover for him.

I told everyone that Doug went on a trip with his first love and her dog.

All our relatives were furious.

They all called Doug at once.

Finally, Doug answered the phone of his uncle, Jerome Dunn. Jerome put him on the speaker and started to curse non-stop.

After quite a while, Doug asked Jerome to pass the phone to me.

I frowned but still took the phone.

I wanted to see what nonsense Doug could come up with.

Just as I said "Hello", I heard Doug's furious cursing.

"Ava, how shameless you are! To trick me into giving you money, you lied to me about Emma's life at stake. And now, you even collude with Jerome?

"Let me make it clear to you. I know you're lying about Emma. Even if she is really dead, I still won't see you, and I won't give you a dime!

"What was I thinking back then? How could I be interested in you? You bitch. You're nothing compared to Claire.

"You know what? If it wasn't for Emma, I would have divorced you long ago."

After he finished cursing me, he hung up the phone.

What he didn't know was that everyone had heard clearly what he said to me.

Jerome was so angry that he almost had a heart attack.

In their eyes, Doug had always been wonderful.

Doug was good at studying and working, and he was ambitious and polite.

But now, he was such a jerk after Emma, his own daughter, was dead.

He was simply heartless and despicable!

Our relatives were all cursing, while I just stood there motionless, looking at Emma's photo on the table.

She smiled so happily.

I took the photo for her before Doug walked away from us.

Back then, Doug promised me and Emma that he would make us the happiest princesses in the world.

"It's been so long since the incident. Is there any progress on the investigation?"

It was Doug's aunt who spoke, and her words caused a stir.

The other relatives echoed.

Hearing her words, I sneered.

I went to the place where it happened.

The dog tag on the ground indicated that the dog that bit Emma had an owner.

When Emma's teacher saw her, she called 911 immediately.

The dog owner was summoned to the police station.

When I went to the police station, I found out that the dog's owner had been bailed out by a friend.

Before they left, they asked the police to pass on a message to me.

"See you in court."

Their arrogant attitude made me furious.

I immediately contacted a lawyer friend to sue the dog owner.

My friend was quite surprised and asked me why I didn't find Doug.

After all, Doug was a well-known lawyer nationwide and had never lost a case. If he handled it, he'd put the dog owner behind bars and make sure the dog owner received the deserved punishment.

I felt extremely bitter. I didn't tell my friend that I couldn't reach Doug at all, and Doug didn't believe Emma was dead.

I could only come up with an excuse, saying that Doug was busy with other cases.

Three days later, it was the trial. My friend and I went to the court with prepared materials.

To my surprise, I actually saw Doug in a suit and Claire!