“Then bite her! Bite until you think she’s in enough pain.”
The next second, Cooper lunged at me, sinking his teeth viciously into my arm.
He didn’t stop until he’d torn out a chunk of flesh, spitting it onto the floor with disgust.
My mother-in-law praised him as if he’d done something commendable, glaring at me.
“You heartless wretch! How dare you bully my eldest grandson? Taking a bite of your flesh is already letting you off lightly. Get out of here—you’re an eyesore!”
Anthony didn’t even glance my way.
One arm holding the boy, the other wrapped protectively around Vanessa’s waist, they coaxed the child in perfect harmony—so intimate that my presence felt utterly redundant.
Mocking gazes closed in on me from all around. I said nothing, turned, and walked away.
I had just finished getting my arm bandaged at the hospital when my phone rang.
It was the funeral home—panic laced the voice on the other end.
“Ms. Brooks, something terrible has happened... your daughter’s body has been desecrated. All twenty-four of her ribs have been removed...”
“What?!”
I sprinted to the funeral home’s morgue, my mind blank with horror.
Several staff members stood there, faces pale with shock.
“This is too cruel... How could anyone do this to the dead—especially a child...”
One of them stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Ms. Ruiz sent people to do it and said her son wanted a bracelet made of human bones. They dragged your daughter’s body out by force..."
"We refused, so we called Mr. Jimenez. But before we could even finish explaining, he just said, ‘Whatever Miss Ruiz wants to do, let her,’ and hung up.”
I looked at my daughter’s remains—her small chest cavity torn open as if savaged by a wild beast.
I felt my breath being crushed from my lungs.
Finally, I understood the true meaning of heartbreak.
It took me a long time to find my voice, trembling uncontrollably. “The security footage... is it still there?”
“No. They smashed the cameras as soon as they arrived and said Mr. Jimenez ordered it.”
I shut my eyes in despair. I had expected this, I could never win against Anthony.
I begged the staff to cremate my daughter immediately. I couldn’t risk giving Vanessa another chance to harm her.
When it was over, I held the tiny urn in my arms, tears falling endlessly.
“Cherry... I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry...”
I left the urn in the funeral home’s care and made a phone call.
“Have you returned to the country? I need your help.”
But no matter how I tried, the images wouldn’t leave my mind—my daughter’s cruel death, her body mutilated.
Rage burned through my veins.
Without hesitation, I went straight back to the neighborhood, and headed upstairs, to Vanessa’s apartment.
The door was slightly ajar.
Her smug voice drifted out.
“Cooper, you did well today. Otherwise Daddy might’ve pitied that horrible woman. Here—this is Mommy’s reward for you: a bracelet made from human bones.”
“Mommy, this bracelet smells disgusting—just like that horrible woman’s daughter. You’re amazing though! You knew that little brat always played near the flowerbeds downstairs, so you smashed her with a toy car and killed her. Now no one will fight me for Daddy’s attention!”
“Of course. Mommy practiced for a long time to make sure it’d be a perfect kill. Oh, I can’t wait to see Diana’s face when she finds out. She must be crying her eyes out! So what if she’s the legal wife? She’s been dancing to my tune all along!”
My whole body shook with fury. I couldn’t hold back any longer.
I stormed in, slammed Vanessa to the ground, and pinned her there.
Cooper froze in shock, while Vanessa shrieked hysterically under me.
“You murderer! I’ll make you pay for my daughter’s life!”
My vision went red as I raised my hand—but in the next instant, a kick sent me flying across the room.
