They wore flashy hip-hop masks that didn’t even bother to conceal their faces.
Their leader held a baseball bat, tapping it rhythmically against his palm. “Sorry, you messed with someone you shouldn’t have.”
Then, without warning, he slammed the bat against my leg.
A second man clamped his hand over my mouth. My screams came out as muffled groans that echoed helplessly in the alley.
“Don’t worry,” someone snickered. “Our client was clear—cripple her, but don’t kill her.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The blows didn’t stop until my vision blurred from the pain. My legs felt like they were being ripped open. I was sure the bones had snapped.
Then the leader pulled out his phone and started recording. “Boss, check this out.”
A voice replied from the other end, cold and unmistakable: “No need to show me. Just make sure she never walks again.”
That voice.
It was Daniel.
I couldn’t believe it. The man who once told me to stay out of the kitchen after I burned my hand—was now the one behind this?
The bat came crashing down on the back of my head. Everything went black.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a hospital bed.
Both of my legs were broken. The doctor said steel rods had been inserted.
The anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet. My body felt heavy and numb, but my heart was heavier. Numbness couldn’t block out the betrayal.
Daniel was sitting next to my bed, his expression unreadable. He reached forward and gently placed two documents in front of me: a divorce agreement and a property transfer contract.
This was the calmest I’d seen him in weeks. And yet, it felt like a boulder was crushing my chest.
“Don’t hate me,” he said quietly. “This is the only way to keep you from clashing with Vanessa again.”
He sounded almost gentle.
“Vanessa’s just a spoiled girl,” he added. “She overreacts. And look—your grandpa’s awake. At his age, losing a leg doesn’t change much. You need to stop dwelling on it.”
“Just focus on healing. After this all blows over, I’ll still take care of you and Grandpa. For life.”
I clutched the edge of the bedsheet, trying to keep my rage from spilling over. My voice trembled as I forced the words out: “You two are really a match made in hell. For her, you ignored Grandpa’s accident, faked the surveillance footage, leaked my private videos, and even hired thugs to break my legs. Do you even know how much this hurts?”
“Daniel,” I hissed, “do you even have a heart left?”
“My grandfather saved your life. And this is how you repay him?”
He leaned in, his eyes red, almost glowing with frustration. “Yes, your grandfather saved me. But Vanessa saved me, too. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
“What more do you want from me? Should I worship your family every day to show my gratitude?”
“Didn’t I marry you? Didn’t I let your whole family move into the villa? Gave you luxury cars, private schools for our daughter—wasn’t that enough?”
He gestured at his shiny leather shoes, the sleek tailored suit, the Patek Philippe on his wrist.
“Everything I have now, I earned myself. No one—not even you—is taking it from me.”
After his tirade, he adjusted his tone, but the threat remained sharp beneath the calm.
“Just sign the documents and stop being difficult. We’re still husband and wife—for now. But if you resist... don’t blame me when I file for divorce first. Who’s going to want a cripple anyway?”
Before he could say more, I picked up the pen and signed my name on the divorce papers.
He didn’t expect that.
His eyes widened, but after a moment of disbelief, he let out a low, sarcastic chuckle. “Well, well... look at you, Emily. You've finally grown a spine.”
He slid the property transfer agreement toward me. “Sign this one too. I want to see how far you make it on your own, with no house, no money, no man.”
Instead, I tore the document in half—then into shreds.
“You’re dreaming. I’m keeping the house and custody of our daughter.”
Rage twisted his face. His chest heaved. “She’s a Harvey not a Carter! She's my daughter! You’re crippled—how will you raise her?!”
He stormed out of the ward.
Moments later, my phone rang.
It was the nanny.
“Miss Emily! Something happened to Lily!”
Just three words—“something happened”—and my heart dropped.
I tried to call the police, but my smashed phone was dead.
Its cracked screen reflected my broken, bloodied face.
I looked down at my legs, both wrapped in thick plaster. I couldn’t walk.
But I could crawl.
I pulled myself off the bed, inch by inch, gripping furniture and dragging myself across the floor. Every movement sent bolts of pain through my body, but I didn’t stop.
I couldn’t.
Lily needed me.
I didn’t know how I made it—only that by the time I got to the emergency room, my arms were shaking, and my fingers were raw and bleeding.
Then I saw her.
Lily lay silently on a cold hospital bed, covered with a white sheet.
My baby girl—like a broken doll.
Just days ago, she’d hugged me and begged to go to the amusement park. I had told her we’d go next week.
But there will be no next week.
Her body was bruised and scratched, signs of horrific abuse. I reached for her, holding her limp hand and trying to place it over my heart. Over and over.
It wouldn’t stay.
I cried out, my sobs echoing through the sterile hallway. My voice cracked, and I screamed until I couldn’t breathe.
Lily had been bullied to death—pushed off the building by Vanessa’s niece.
They covered it up. Bribed the school. Erased classroom footage.
I didn’t tell Grandpa. I didn’t have the heart.
Despite my injuries, I filed complaint after complaint. The police refused to open a case.
Meanwhile, Daniel quietly buried our daughter, hiding the truth.
I rushed to the cemetery in my wheelchair. When I reached her grave, what I saw ripped what was left of my soul into pieces.
Daniel and Vanessa stood in front of her tombstone, locked in a passionate kiss.
