For three years of marriage, every meal at home was cooked by my father and me.
Even when we had a fever or were burning up, he never stepped into the kitchen.
Yet now he was willing to cook porridge for another woman.
I let out a bitter laugh. It felt like a knife had cut me open.
Before getting into the car, Heidi suddenly turned back. Her face was filled with kindness and fragile innocence.
“Do not dirty your hands because of disgusting people. Heaven always has justice.”
The bystanders were instantly moved to tears.
Someone even spat on me a few times.
More people cursed while walking away.
I straightened myself, every wound on my body burning with pain.
But when I thought of my father, I gritted my teeth and rushed back to the hospital.
People pointed at me everywhere I passed.
That was when I realized the court video had already gone viral online.
Heidi had become the delicate angel millions wanted to protect, while my father and I were cursed as parasites, villains, and swindlers.
When I walked into the ward, my father was wrapped in layers of bandages, both legs shattered, even his breathing trembling.
I almost collapsed from the pain in my chest.
Others in the room murmured complaints.
“A person like that is vicious. Injuring himself just to fake an accident.”
“He better not try to extort us. Tell them to get out.”
I tried desperately to explain, but no one wanted to believe me.
My father listened to their words, shaking with anger as he pounded the bed.
He had spent his whole life helping others, yet he was being insulted like this, all because he trusted the wrong person.
He looked at me with hopeless eyes.
“I treated Caleb like a son. He has never been wronged in his life. Why would he help others hurt me? What did I do wrong?”
I could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down my face.
But the people around us kept mocking.
“You are all vicious. This is the retribution you deserve.”
More and more people crowded around the door, throwing filthy and hateful looks at us.
I could not bear to let my father suffer another second. I decided to discharge him.
But when the doctor brought the bill, I froze completely.
All the charges had been raised to more than ten times the original amount.
The doctor lowered his voice.
“You offended someone you should not have. Some debts must be paid.”
Bodyguards surrounded me like hunters blocking their prey.
It was clear they would not let us go without the money.
My hands trembled as I took out my phone, only to find the account balance had become zero.
Caleb had transferred everything out.
I called him immediately.
Caleb’s voice was lazy, even amused.
“Heidi has been having trouble sleeping. Consider this her emotional compensation.”
I could not stop myself from shouting.
“That is my father’s medical fee.”
“As long as you publicly admit you slandered Heidi, she will give you a large payout,” Caleb said calmly.
“His legs are already broken. There is no point saving him. Better to admit guilt and let him spend the rest of his life comfortably in bed.”
“Once this is over, I will live well with you again.”
The next moment I heard a heavy thud on his end, followed by breathy, intimate sounds.
Realization struck me instantly.
My phone slipped from my hand. I covered my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
Before the doctor could call security, the police arrived.
“Heidi and Caleb reported that your father attempted to extort them. We need to bring him in for questioning.”
My father had just finished surgery and was in unbearable pain.
I knelt and begged, but the officers could only shake their heads.
“These are orders from above. We cannot do anything.”
I tried to block the bed, but they said I was obstructing the law.
My father was dragged away violently, the bandages on his legs turning red with fresh blood.
I ran after them, but when I reached the corner, a black bag suddenly covered my head.
A storm of fists and kicks crashed down on me.
“How dare you lay a hand on Caleb’s woman. Learn your place.”
“Do not kill her. She is still Caleb’s wife.”
“Wife? Caleb never cared about her. His heart has always been with Heidi. If she had not forced herself in, she would never have married him.”
I did not know how long the beating lasted before they finally left.
I lay curled on the ground, motionless, like a discarded rag.
