1 Because my wife refused to accompany a business partner for drinks, I put her in the hospital. I did it because, in my previous life, trying to shield her from the endless toasts, I'd ended up passed out cold. The next day, I woke to find myself branded a monster—a drunk who’d abused his own daughter and driven her to her death by suicide. Before she jumped, my daughter left a suicide note, claiming she couldn’t bear my long-term abuse. But I’d always cherished her, loved her more than life itself. I would never abuse her, especially not in a drunken rage, let alone systematically! I fought to prove my innocence, but the surveillance footage showed me abusing my daughter! My wife, who had always claimed to love me, publicly exposed me, branding me a twisted sadist who regularly beat both her and our daughter. My mother, sobbing, clutched my daughter’s lifeless body and cursed me: “You beast! How could you lay a hand on your own flesh and blood? I don’t have a son like you!” My father, overwhelmed by fury, suffered a heart attack and died on the spot. I was speechless, left to rot in jail, and eventually, I was beaten to death by angry inmates. Then, I opened my eyes again. I was back on the night my wife pleaded with me to drink in her place. … “Darling, my stomach isn’t feeling well. Could you drink for me?” Susan Miller’s eyes were wide with a pitiful plea, making Mr. Thompson, the business partner, frown in displeasure. “Ms. Miller, bringing someone else to drink on your behalf? That’s not very sincere, is it?” “We’re a team, my husband and I. It’s the same no matter who drinks, right, darling?” In my last life, Susan used the exact same words. And Mr. Thompson, claiming double the drinks for a proxy, had poured me into unconsciousness. That’s how I ended up being framed for drunkenly abusing my daughter. But I’ve always held my liquor well. Drunk, I just pass out. I’ve never been a belligerent drunk. Besides, I have only one daughter. I cherished her, afraid even a harsh word would hurt her. How could I abuse her?! Yet, when the crowd was whipped into a frenzy, Susan had cried, exposing bruises all over her body, accusing me of being a sadistic brute who had secretly abused her and our daughter for years. She even produced surveillance footage, inciting everyone to curse my name. Remembering the injustice and my miserable death in the previous life, I grabbed a bottle and slammed it, hard, into Susan Miller. “Useless piece of trash! Mr. Thompson offering you a drink is a compliment! Who are you to pretend to be so pure?!” “Ah!” The bottle shattered against her head. Everyone gasped, stunned. “Whoa, easy there, buddy! If you don’t wanna drink, don’t drink, but don’t get violent!” I ignored Mr. Thompson and the others. I grabbed more bottles from the table, smashing them, one after another, onto Susan as she cowered, clutching her head. This time, I’d strike first. Let’s see how she frames me now! After Susan was rushed to the hospital, I voluntarily went to the police station to confess. Due to surveillance footage and witnesses like Mr. Thompson, I was detained on the spot. After I was locked up, Mom rushed to see me, her face etched with worry: “Son, you and Susan have always been so loving. What made you suddenly beat her like that? Did something happen?” “If she did something to wrong you, Mom supports you divorcing her, but you can’t lay a hand on her!” I looked at my white-haired mother, asking the question I’d wanted to ask in my previous life: “Mom, do you believe me?” “Of course, I do! You’re my only son, how could I not believe you!” Getting the answer I needed, I breathed a sigh of relief. In my previous life, she had seen the “evidence” and heard Susan’s accusations before she spoke of disowning me. This time, as long as I had enough proof, Mom would definitely be on my side! Thinking this, I squeezed her hand, asking anxiously: “Audrey, how is she?” Mom paused, said Audrey was home asleep, and asked why I was suddenly so tense. I earnestly pleaded with her to protect Audrey, to make sure nothing happened to her. Also, not to tell Dad about this. Mom nodded: “Silly child, even if you didn’t ask, I’d take good care of Audrey! Your dad has a bad heart. Before I came, I told him Audrey missed me. I didn’t dare mention anything else.” My heart felt a great peace. I gave her a few more instructions, then urged her to rush home to be with our daughter. Remembering my daughter’s tragic death in the previous life, my heart ached. Why would the daughter cherished by our entire family be covered in wounds and jump to her death? Had Susan coerced and harmed her? This time, I had to uncover the truth! 2 At four in the morning, Susan Miller rushed to the police station, seeking to bail me out. I heard she had come looking for me the moment she regained consciousness. “Darling, yesterday was my fault. I’ve been so busy with work lately, no time for you and Audrey. It’s normal for you to feel resentful and want to vent. I’ve pushed that collaboration away. From now on, I’ll spend more time with you and Audrey, okay?” Her head and arm were wrapped in bandages, blood seeping through. Yet she spoke softly, her eyes red-rimmed, as if she were truly the one in the wrong. If not for her public defamation of me in my previous life, I almost would have believed her. In my last life, she had deliberately inflicted those wounds on herself, claiming they were the work of me, her “monster” husband. If I let her bail me out, I’d surely be branded a “violent psychopath” again! Thinking this, I coldly refused her. “No need. Hitting you was indeed wrong of me. It’s only right to face punishment for my mistakes. You don’t need to bail me out.” Seeing my unyielding stance, Susan trembled with fury, but no matter what she said, I insisted on staying in detention. Finally, Mom arrived and took her home to recover. As she left, Mom said Audrey had slept soundly all night and had already gone to school this morning. In my last life, my daughter hadn’t gone to school; she had jumped to her death from the rooftop that morning. My heart settled. It seemed I had finally changed the trajectory of my previous life. Audrey wouldn’t jump to her death! After a sleepless day and night, I finally couldn’t hold on any longer and drifted into unconsciousness. At three in the afternoon, I was woken by my daughter’s voice. “Daddy, I came to see you!” My daughter, who had tragically jumped to her death in my previous life, was now alive and vibrant before me. I was so overwhelmed I nearly cried aloud. “Daddy, why are you crying? Mommy said you got locked up because you beat up bad guys to save her.” “Daddy, you’re a big hero! Don’t cry!” My daughter’s words made me pause. Susan, behind her, gave me a subtle wink. “Darling, Audrey kept begging to see you today. She thought you didn’t like her anymore, and that’s why you weren’t picking her up or dropping her off at school.” Mom also came in. “Audrey, now do you believe Grandma and Mommy?” My daughter nodded, her small hand gripping the iron bars, her voice innocent: “Daddy, Audrey made a little red flower to give to you, my big hero!” My eyes stung. I gripped her small hand. Looking at her innocent, adorable face, I suddenly remembered her bruised corpse from my previous life. Many of those were old wounds, clearly from years of beatings. Thinking this, I abruptly pulled up her sleeve. Her smooth, tender arm showed no crisscrossing whip marks. So, what had gone wrong in my previous life? My daughter couldn’t have developed so many old injuries overnight! Thinking this, I turned her around and pulled up her shirt from behind. Still soft and smooth, not a single scar. Perhaps my gaze was too fierce; my daughter looked a little scared. “Daddy, what’s wrong?” “Audrey, has anyone been bullying you lately?” My daughter paused. “No, why?” “Mommy hasn’t hit you, has she? Don’t be scared. This is the police station. Tell the truth, and the police officers will protect you!” My daughter continued to shake her head. “Mommy loves me so much. Why would she hit me?” Susan covered her face and began to cry. “Darling, you actually suspect me of mistreating our daughter? If that were true, why would I tell her all that? I was just afraid she’d know the truth and hate you!” Mom also sighed: “Son, you’re in the wrong here. We’ve seen what Susan is like all these years. You really shouldn’t misunderstand her!” Just then, the guard came in and said visiting hours were over. Susan picked up Audrey and left crying. Mom muttered, sounding exasperated: “Son, you went too far this time! Susan is a good wife. You shouldn’t have beaten her like that over a mere suspicion!” Watching them leave, I was confused. Was everything from my last life just a nightmare I had? Sweat soaked the little red flower in my hand. I lowered my head and looked at it. My heart nearly stopped. My past life wasn’t a dream! It was real! 3 That night, against the walls of my detention cell, I replayed every detail of my previous life. Since my rebirth, I’d asked myself countless times. Why would my daughter, whom I loved to my very core, write such a suicide note accusing me before she died? Why, when I had done nothing wrong, did I wake up branded a monster, reviled by everyone? Why would Susan, who had always loved me, suddenly turn on me, exposing her wounds and accusing me of being a twisted abuser? One by one, the unsolved mysteries gave me a pounding headache. I could only desperately recall every detail of my previous life, trying to catch any clue. Until I clearly saw the little red flower my daughter had given me, all the fog began to lift. Instead of waiting to be crushed, I’d strike first! As soon as dawn broke, I had someone call Susan, telling her I had come to my senses and wanted to be released. I even apologized to her, saying I shouldn’t have hit her that night. Susan sobbed, saying she didn’t blame me, and immediately wrote a letter of understanding, bailing me out. I resumed picking up and dropping off my daughter at school. After seeing her into the school building, I called a private investigator. His efficiency was remarkable. In less than half a day, he had investigated all my questions. Looking at the report on my phone, I was so filled with hatred I nearly crushed the device. Turns out, there were secrets in there I hadn’t even guessed! I spoke in a low voice, giving instructions: “I also need you to do one more thing for me. Make it quick. Absolutely no one must find out!” Two days later, it was my daughter’s birthday. Susan, true to her word, cancelled all her work and hosted a lavish birthday party. Despite the hot weather, she wore a wide-brimmed hat and a long-sleeved gown, basking in everyone’s admiration. My daughter, dressed as a magnificent little princess, thanked everyone for their gifts. Finally, my daughter smiled, took my hand, and happily said: “Thank you, Daddy, for always spoiling me. I have a gift I want to give to Daddy too.” With that, she took my hand, leading me upstairs to see it. She wouldn’t allow anyone else to follow, standing with her hands on her hips, saying it was a gift just for Daddy. Everyone was amused by her innocent, adorable demeanor. I smiled faintly, letting her lead me onto the rooftop. “Daddy, cover your eyes and count down from ten. No peeking~” She tied a black blindfold over my eyes, and I listened as she counted down. When she reached “1,” there was a loud “Thud!” from the yard. It was then I realized my daughter, who had just been standing on the rooftop, was gone. Gasps of horror rose from the yard. When I went down, I saw my daughter lying face down, dead. Her death was as tragic as in my previous life. On the rooftop, another suicide note lay. In the note, just like in the last life, my daughter’s words were blood and tears, accusing me of being an animal of a father. She couldn’t bear my long-term abuse and was terrified of being alone with me, so she no longer wanted to live. Susan rushed to her, clutching my daughter’s bloody corpse, crying hysterically as in my previous life. “Ethan, I thought you only abused me, but you still loved our daughter. But I never imagined you could be such a monster!” With that, she took off her hat. She pulled off the sleeves of her gown, revealing arms and head covered in scars. “You asked why I was so heavily covered, didn’t you? It’s because of these wounds he inflicted!” Everyone gasped. Then, Susan, sobbing uncontrollably, recounted years of my abusive beatings as a twisted sadist. Hearing that I had dared to hit her with a bottle in front of business partners, sending her to the hospital, everyone erupted in fury. Mr. Thompson stepped out of the crowd, slammed his glass, and cursed me. “Ms. Miller asked us to cut you some slack, but I never imagined you were such a demon!” “He beat Ms. Miller in front of us and sent her to the hospital. We all saw it with our own eyes!” “I never imagined this demon not only beats his wife but his daughter too!” Suddenly, everyone started cursing me. Susan cried so hard she almost fainted. “Audrey, it was Mom’s tolerance that killed you!” Mom rushed over, grabbing my hand and yelling: “Son, I don’t believe you’re this kind of person! You’ve always been so kind, since you were a child. Tell me you didn’t do these things!” I impassively pulled my hand free and stated calmly: “I did it.” 4 Everyone exploded. Some called the police, others pulled out their phones to start livestreaming. “The heir to Hayes Enterprises just publicly admitted to years of violently abusing his wife and daughter! His daughter just left a suicide note and jumped to her death!” Instantly, the comments section blew up. [OMG, I thought he was just a worthless good-for-nothing who relied on his wife to secure the company. Turns out he’s also a super-violent murderer!] [His wife is so good, all these years she’s given him a child, secured all sorts of collaborations. How could he have the heart to abuse her so brutally?] [I bet his daughter didn’t jump to her death; she was probably pushed by him! They need a thorough investigation!] [+1! Didn’t they say this beast was alone with his daughter on the rooftop? Maybe he really did push her!] Mom shrieked, protesting these accusations, threatening to sue them for defamation. But Susan set down her daughter’s body and slowly rose. “Our house has rooftop surveillance cameras, and I… I also put a tracker on Audrey.” “Because three years ago, I noticed that whenever he came back from a business trip, Audrey would have new scars. But when I asked her, she said she fell while practicing horseback riding.” “I thought about the abuse Ethan inflicted on me, and I was so afraid Audrey would be treated the same way. So, I gathered my courage and warned him.” Susan’s voice choked as she spoke. “While he was asleep, I held a knife to his throat.” “I told him, if you want to hit someone, hitting me is enough. Don’t lay a hand on our daughter again, or I’ll drag you to hell with me!” “At the time, Ethan was truly scared. He promised he wouldn’t hurt Audrey again, so I let him go.” “But I never imagined he would switch to a method of abuse that I couldn’t detect…” With that, Susan opened the projection screen in the yard and cast the video from her phone onto it. The footage showed me in a car, my face contorted, brutally stabbing my daughter with a fine needle. My daughter wept, pleading softly. “Daddy, I’m in so much pain. Please stop stabbing me…” “Damn it, what a monster!” In the crowd, someone couldn’t hold back any longer, picking up a stone and throwing it at me. I was struck, my head bleeding, but Susan operated her phone again. The scene shifted. The camera moved to the rooftop. My daughter blindfolded me, then counted down to the last second. “Daddy, my gift, is trading this life for your arrest.” She stood on the edge of the rooftop, tears in her eyes, saying softly. With that, she dropped a suicide note and jumped, without looking back. At that moment, Mom could no longer side with me. “You beast! I truly wasted all these years raising you!” She violently threw her phone at my face. A hot stream of blood immediately gushed from my nose. Then, she rushed over and clutched my daughter’s bloody corpse. “Audrey, my sweet granddaughter, it’s the beast I gave birth to who harmed you!” Susan, her voice choked with tears, shrieked at me, heartbroken. “In the detention center, I thought your apology meant you understood your wrong, and I was soft-hearted enough to bail you out.” “But I never imagined you would actually force my daughter to her death! If you had something to vent, take it out on me! Why force my daughter to die?!” I, however, smiled cruelly. “She jumped to her death herself. How can you blame me?” That single sentence enraged everyone. “Monster! A person like you doesn’t deserve to be a father! You should be shot!” Countless bottles and pebbles rained down on me, and some even spat in my face. I was bruised and swollen, covered in blood, yet I laughed even louder. Because only by blowing things up would the truth be seen. “Stop it, everyone! The real killer of Audrey Hayes is not him!” Hearing that voice, I knew. The person I was waiting for had finally arrived. The show was about to begin!
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