Anthony clutched Vanessa tightly in his arms, his face twisted with rage as he glared at me.
"Diana, just how long are you planning to keep acting insane?!"
"Anthony," Vanessa’s voice trembled with just the right touch of fragility, "I only felt sorry for Miss Brook after she lost her daughter, so I told my son to treat her with respect in the future. Who would have thought... she accused me of showing off, and even tried to kill me!"
She sniffled, lowering her gaze in pitiful sorrow. "Since she can’t stand the sight of us, I’ll take Cooper and leave. It's better than waiting for the day she actually kills me... But I... I can’t bear to part with you."
Right on cue, Cooper began to wail, clinging to his father and crying about how much he didn’t want to leave.
Anthony wrapped an arm protectively around them both, his eyes cutting into me like ice.
"Diana, you’re even more heartless than I imagined. You lost your daughter—so now you want to see other mothers separated from their children?!"
"Vanessa is generous enough to overlook your past slander, and she’s still willing to have Cooper show you respect. Instead of being grateful, you repay her with malice. Are you even human?!"
A bitter, almost deranged laugh tore out of my throat. I suddenly lunged forward, snatching the pale-gray bracelet from Cooper’s wrist.
Tears burned my eyes as I screamed, "I’m not human? I’m the one without a heart?!"
"Anthony—open your damn eyes and take a good look! This bracelet is made from your daughter’s ribs. Twenty-four ribs, all torn from her body!"
"Vanessa killed Cherry and desecrated her body—she’s nothing but a—"
I never got to finish. Anthony grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at me. It struck my forehead with a sickening crack, and warm blood began to gush down my face.
His eyes were glacial, the kind of cold that could freeze straight through bone.
"I’ll say it one more time—Cherry’s death was nothing more than an accident caused by Cooper. It has nothing to do with Vanessa! You were the one too useless to watch your child. I haven’t blamed you for that—don’t push your luck!"
"I know exactly what you did. You had Cherry’s body cremated ahead of schedule. I was wondering why, but now I understand. You wanted to frame Vanessa, but were afraid I’d find proof you were lying!"
"You’d even exploit your daughter’s corpse to get what you want. How filthy can you get?"
Watching him stand so firmly by Vanessa’s side, I suddenly found the entire scene absurd beyond words. All the fight in me drained away. I no longer wanted to defend myself.
I turned to leave—but Anthony stepped in front of me.
"You were the one who slandered Vanessa and hurt Cooper. And now, after hitting someone today, you think you can just walk away? Well, not so easy. Apologize now, or you won’t be walking out that door."
Years of marriage told me he wasn’t joking. And everything in this house made my skin crawl; I didn’t want to stay here another second.
Numbly, I turned to Vanessa. Each word tasted like blood and humiliation.
"Ms. Ruiz... I’m sorry for earlier."
At her subtle nod, Cooper ran into the bedroom and came back with a baseball bat. Without hesitation, he swung it hard at my knee.
The blow sent me crashing to the floor in agony. Vanessa let out a delighted little laugh, her eyes glittering with triumph.
"Oh dear, how clumsy of him. Cooper’s probably just too used to beating stray dogs downstairs—he gets restless if he goes a day without it. I hope you won’t take it personally, Ms. Brooks."
"But you know, one little ‘sorry’ doesn’t seem fair compensation. I actually have an idea..."
Her lips curled into a slow, poisonous smile before she ground her heel into my hand—again and again.
A sickening crunch rang out. My bones shattered under her heel. The bracelet—my daughter’s ribs—was crushed into powder.
I ignored the pain in my hand, scrambling to gather the precious bone dust, my tears blurring the floor.
Staggering to my feet, I headed for the door, my forehead and hands dripping blood that pattered onto the tiles.
Anthony’s face softened with a flicker of guilt, and he took an involuntary step toward me—but Vanessa clung to his arm with teary eyes.
"Anthony, are you feeling sorry for her? You didn’t see what happened earlier. She slapped me over and over with that same hand. I only stepped on her once. I was already being merciful."
“If we don’t teach her a lesson now, she’ll keep bullying me and my son in the future. You’re the one who promised to protect us—was that a lie?”
...
By the time I had burned every belonging of mine and my daughter’s, and stepped out of the house once again, Anthony still hadn’t shown his face.
Upstairs, the sound of laughter rang out, light and carefree. How warm... how harmonious.
I handed the divorce papers to the security guard, asking him to deliver them on my behalf, then walked out of the gates.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom that had been waiting for me honked softly. I knew then—the person who would help me seek justice for my daughter had arrived.
