Chapter 1 In our fifth year of marriage, Liam Davies, a District Attorney known for his stoic restraint, spoke the longest sentence he had ever said to me in his entire life. "Stella, are you done causing trouble out of nowhere? If you are, then stop annoying me." What he considered "causing trouble out of nowhere" included: Me being hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer, to which he replied, "I'm sequestered for a major case and can't be contacted. Be more careful next time." On the night of my birthday, his female intern had an acute appendicitis attack, and he stayed by her side at the hospital all night. When I found out I was pregnant, he had his female intern specifically deliver prenatal vitamins. I ended up hospitalized with a severe allergic reaction after taking them. Only after checking the ingredients did I find mango extract listed on the label. Unable to tolerate it any longer, I called him. He just sighed helplessly. "All this over a bottle of vitamins?" "Mia was just playing a joke on you. She was trying to help you build up a tolerance." Then came the day my father was framed for murder. It was a case that should have resulted in a life sentence at worst, but Liam personally pushed for the death penalty. "It is exactly because he is my father-in-law that I must recuse myself to ensure absolute impartiality. I will absolutely not show favoritism or bend the rules." Yet, his intern Mia posted on her Instagram: [Thank God my mentor was here, otherwise my brother would be going back to prison again. He got off completely clean!] [It's true what they say, a man's greatest charm is his ability to solve problems. It's not my fault I fell in love with him~] After reading that, I took the miscarried, four-month-old fetus and placed it right in front of him. "Liam, let's get a divorce." "This isn't me causing trouble out of nowhere. It's a notification." ... "Sign it. Since you refuse to care, I'll overturn the verdict myself." The divorce agreement and the gift box containing our child sat on his desk. Liam didn't even glance at them. His tone was placating. "It's not that I don't care. If your father walks free, what will people think of me? I have to put justice before family. The harsher the sentence, the better." "Stella, once some time passes and you forget about this, things will go back to the way they were." A sharp, agonizing pain ripped through my chest. "How am I supposed to forget? It's my father who's going to die, not yours! Is that why you can say it so easily?!" "In your heart, is your reputation really more important than my father's life?!" Liam looked exhausted, staring at me as if I were an unreasonable, hysterical relative of a defendant. "Stop letting your emotions cloud your judgment. Do you know how many people are already gossiping about a District Attorney marrying the daughter of a murderer? My reputation has already been dragged through the mud because of—" Before he could finish, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. Five years ago, it was his unwavering commitment to his principles that made me fall for him. I stood by his side as he climbed from a junior prosecutor to the youngest, most promising District Attorney in the city. I thought our life would always be this peaceful. Until I saw Mia's Instagram posts. Only then did I realize that someone else could be important enough for him to shatter the principles he had always rigidly defended. Back then, my father used every connection he had to pave the way for Liam's career. But now, Liam was willing to let my father die in vain for another woman, even despising my very existence for dragging him down. A sharp cramp shot through my recently emptied womb. I bent over, clutching my stomach in agony. Liam asked nervously, "What's wrong?" I ignored him. A knock sounded at the door. Mia pushed the door open and walked in. "Mrs. Davies, please don't blame him. He just got out of court, he's exhausted and stressed." "Instead of fighting with him, you should be convincing your father to plead guilty and hope for leniency..." I raised my hand, and the sound of another slap echoed through the room. Liam grabbed my wrist, his grip shockingly tight. "She was just trying to help! Why are you taking your anger out on her?!" Hearing those words, I laughed so hard tears fell from my eyes. Without wasting another word, I logged directly into his work account on his computer. Then, I dumped every single piece of evidence I had gathered into the main department group chat. To get that evidence, I had been beaten, threatened, and had even sold off all my real estate at bargain-basement prices. All to obtain the proof that exonerated my father and proved that the real killer was Mia's brother! "Liam, only you could twist covering up for a murderer into 'trying to help'!" Seeing the "Read" receipts multiplying rapidly in the chat, Mia was the first to speak up, her voice choking with tears. "I know you're desperate to save your father, Mrs. Davies, but you can't just forge evidence..." "My mentor even recused himself and demanded the maximum penalty for his own father-in-law. Why would he destroy his own career to cover for me?" The prosecutors in the group chat immediately exploded. "Stella, we are so disappointed in you." "You're trying to use Liam's career as a stepping stone to save your dad's life." I stared at the screen in disbelief, trembling with rage. "She sheds a few tears and you all just blindly believe her?" Mia stood up straight, her voice ringing with feigned righteousness: "I am formally requesting immediate suspension pending a full investigation!" After sending that message in the chat, she flashed a quick, provocative smirk and whispered to me: "Mad? Don't worry, I'm about to make you truly despair." Just as she finished, my phone rang. [Family of Robert Smith: Your father's execution has been moved up. It will be carried out in one hour. Please arrive on time to collect the remains.] My brain exploded with a deafening roar. I shoved Mia aside and turned to run. She let out a piercing shriek, collapsing and curling into a ball on the floor, clutching her stomach tightly. "Mrs. Davies, you know I just had appendix surgery! How could you hit me right on my incision?!" Liam's face changed drastically. He immediately scooped her up in his arms. "Stella, that is enough!" He called for security, and they roughly pinned my arms behind my back. "Take her to a holding cell to cool off! She doesn't come out until she admits she was wrong!" Chapter 2 "Get your hands off me!" I fought with everything I had, grabbed my car keys, and sprinted downstairs. I blew through every red light, racing toward the state penitentiary. Watching the executioner's rifle already aimed at my father, I held up the evidence and opened my mouth to scream. The next second, Liam suddenly grabbed me from behind, clamping his hand tightly over my mouth. "Stop making a scene! Will you only be satisfied when Mia is put under criminal investigation? Besides, forging evidence is a felony!" I struggled wildly. But just as I broke free, Bang. The gunshot echoed. I froze, only one thought remaining in my mind. My father was dead. Killed by the man I loved most in the world. A mouthful of blood surged up my throat. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely. As if trapped in an endless nightmare, I saw my father donating his life savings to the local elementary school. I saw his bloodshot eyes as the charges were read against him. I saw the utter despair on his face as he sat in the defendant's chair, wrongfully sentenced to death by his own son-in-law. "Dad!" I screamed and jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. I grabbed my phone and dialed the number for a major news outlet. "I am officially filing a public whistleblower complaint against District Attorney Liam Davies. He covered for his intern, Mia, and forced my father to take the fall for a murder committed by her brother." Right after the evidence was sent, Liam walked in carrying a bowl of hot soup, his voice thick with guilt. "Stella, don't be sad. I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you from now on." I almost laughed out loud. Who cared about his compensation? All I demanded was justice for my father. His assistant rushed in from the hallway, looking panicked. "Liam, it's bad! Mia is surrounded by reporters downstairs!" He snapped his head toward me, his face darkening instantly. "Did you do this? The dead can't come back to life! Your endless crusade is only going to destroy Mia's career! Go down there right now and tell the reporters you made it all up!" I met his gaze head-on. "Keep dreaming. I will never let my father die carrying the stigma of a murderer." He was silent for a moment, then spoke with chilling detachment: "What about your mother? Do you want to see her locked up in a psychiatric ward until she dies? Psychiatric patients tend to get agitated in the spring. It wouldn't be unusual for fights or even fatal accidents to happen." My heart violently seized. I never imagined that after killing my father, he would actually use my mother's life to threaten me! For Mia, he had completely abandoned all his principles, all sense of the law. My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms they drew blood, but I couldn't feel the pain. I could only walk toward the cameras in utter despair. "I'm sorry. I fabricated everything to frame them. I want to thank DA Davies and Mia for upholding justice for the victim..." With every word I spoke, it felt like my heart was bleeding. As the reporters dispersed, Liam took my trembling hand. "Stella, thank you for doing that. Let's go, we'll go pick up your mother and take her home together." Home? Liam, thanks to you, I don't have a home anymore. Just as I was about to pull my hand away, Mia spoke up, her voice fragile. "Mentor, my incision still hurts so much. Could you take me to a different hospital to get it redressed? I'm scared to go alone." So, he only came to this hospital to get her bandages changed. Visiting me, and bringing the soup, were just things he did because he was already here. He didn't hesitate for a single second. "Okay. Stella, you go pick up your mother by yourself. Drive safely." Mia handed me my mother's discharge papers. As I reached for them, her hand "slipped," and the papers fell into the decorative fountain next to us. "Pick them up." Mia pretended to act timid and leaned down to pick them up, but he frowned and stopped her. "She didn't do it on purpose. Besides, your wound needs to be redressed. What if it gets infected from the water? This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you." "Pick them up yourself. Your pregnancy is stable now, stop acting so delicate." Looking at his self-righteous, supposedly just demeanor, I spoke as if to exact some small measure of revenge. "Liam, the baby is already—" Before I could finish, he had already walked away with Mia. The water in the fountain was bone-chillingly cold. I was soaked from head to toe, shivering uncontrollably. When I finally fished the discharge papers out, my fingertips were numb from the cold. Suddenly, a group of the victim's family members surrounded me. "There she is! The rabid dog born from a murderer and a psycho! Stella Smith!" "You still trying to overturn the verdict? Smash this heartless bitch!" Countless objects were hurled at me. A dull, throbbing pain exploded across my face, and blood trickled down from my eyebrow. I gripped the discharge papers tightly, my face deathly pale. I remembered telling Liam that when I was a kid, other children used to throw rocks at me and call me a "little psycho." He had held me tightly and said earnestly, "Your mother's illness is not your fault. As long as I'm here, no one will ever dare treat you like that again." I used to think he was my armor. But now, he was the one tearing open my scars, indulging others as they beat and cursed me. My heart felt like it was submerged in a block of ice; it no longer beat for him. Another sharp cramp seized my lower abdomen, and fresh blood gushed down my legs. Unable to hold on any longer, I collapsed heavily into the fountain. When I woke up again, Liam was sitting beside my hospital bed. His voice was laced with lingering fear. "You're awake? How do you feel?" "Doctor, my wife lost so much blood. Is the baby okay?" The doctor looked confused. "Your wife didn't have a—" Before he could finish, my phone suddenly rang. "Ms. Smith, your mother suffered a massive heart attack ten minutes ago and passed away. My deepest condolences." Chapter 3 My ears were ringing. ...It had to be a lie. I had the discharge papers right here in my hand. I was supposed to take her home today. Why did this happen? I threw off the covers and bolted out the door, colliding head-on with Mia in the stairwell. Her feigned concern couldn't hide the smug triumph in her eyes. "Mrs. Davies, why do you look so pale? What happened?" I screamed at her: "Did you kill my mother?!" She looked entirely unbothered. "So what if I did? I just kindly informed her that your dad was a murderer. Who knew she'd be so fragile that she'd just drop dead on the spot?" "Your whole family of useless losers was nothing but a stumbling block between me and my mentor. It's best if you go die, too... Ah!" I lunged forward, locking my hands around her throat, and shoved her fiercely toward the open window! Just as she was about halfway out, the stairwell door was kicked open. Liam yanked me away with brutal force. He pulled Mia, who was coughing violently, tightly into his arms. "Don't be afraid. I'm here." I was thrown to the floor, my back slamming hard against the wall. Watching him comfort Mia, my internal organs felt like they were being crushed by an invisible hand. I curled up in agony. He glared at me coldly, his eyes filled with pure disgust. "Stella, are you trying to become a murderer just like your father?!" The taste of blood filled my mouth. "She killed my father, and now she's killed my mother! I want her to pay with her life!" He cut me off sharply: "Enough! Mia had already sent someone to pack up your mother's things and take her home because you were taking too long. She was perfectly fine." "I think you've lost your mind from grief. Apologize to Mia!" Apologize? The hatred was practically bursting out of my chest. "I'd rather die with her than ever apologize!" As soon as the words left my mouth, a wave of intense dizziness washed over me, and my body swayed uncontrollably. Only then did Liam notice the gash on my head. He instinctively reached out to touch it, then paused mid-air. He glared at the victim's family members who had gathered around to watch the spectacle. "Who did this?" Intimidated by his glare, the family members defensively argued: "Don't talk nonsense! She was in the water, our clothes are totally dry. How could we have hurt her?" "Exactly! She's crazy enough to try and kill someone, who's to say she didn't do this to herself to put on a show?" Mia let out a delicate sob. "It's okay, Mentor. Mrs. Davies just wanted you to feel sorry for her, that's why she told a little lie. I won't hold it against her." Liam rubbed his temples wearily. "Stella, you have disappointed me immensely. I am going to make sure you cool down today and realize exactly what you've done wrong." With that, ignoring my injuries, he dragged me to the police firing range. The deafening, continuous crack of gunfire echoed around us, instantly dragging me back to the day my father died. Every single shot felt like it was ripping right through my heart. He knew perfectly well how agonizing my father's death was for me. He knew that the sound of gunfire was my absolute worst nightmare. Yet, while spouting words of debt and compensation, he chose this exact method to punish me, just to vent his anger on Mia's behalf. I covered my head, unable to suppress my hysterical screams. It wasn't until my heart had been repeatedly shredded into numbness that the gunfire finally stopped. Liam looked down at me from above. "Are you thinking clearly now? No matter how much trouble you cause Mia, your father isn't coming back." I slowly pushed myself up from the ground, my body completely numb. I handed him the divorce agreement, disguised as a property transfer deed. "Fine. Sign this and give me all the money, and I'll stop causing trouble." He seemed surprised, but signed his name without hesitation. "Be a good girl. Once the baby is born, our family of three will live a good life together." I let out a soft laugh. Liam, the baby is already gone. And there will never be a "future" for us. I never brought up my parents again. Even he believed I had genuinely let it go. What he didn't know was that I had secretly hired private investigators and lawyers, pouring everything into tracking down Mia's brother's hideout and gathering the evidence that proved she killed my mother. The day I secured the final piece of evidence, I received a notice to collect my father's ashes. But when I arrived, I was told the ashes had already been picked up. My heart sank. The next second, a text from Mia came through. [If you want to see your dad, come to the charity gala~] I stared at the attached photo showing my father's urn sitting on the auction block, my heart stopping cold. Chapter 4 When I rushed into the gala, the victim's families were already in a frenzy in front of the stage. "I want to grind this animal's bones into dust!" "Thank goodness Mr. Davies and the woman beside him are righteous enough to hand this monster over to us." "Let me throw a bucket of dog blood on it first! I want to make sure he never finds peace, even in death!" The moment the bucket of blood was thrown, I leaped onto the stage and shielded the urn with my body. The overwhelming stench of blood and feces sent my stomach into violent spasms. The guests whispered amongst themselves. "Oh my god, is that the murderer's daughter? What is she doing here?" "Just being in the same room as her makes me feel dirty." Liam spoke up, his voice firm and commanding: "She is she, and the one who committed the crime was her father. Please watch your words, or I will take legal action." Mia chimed in, feigning innocence: "Yes, I've known Mrs. Davies for a long time. She's a very good person." Watching them play off each other, I felt nothing but pure nausea. If it weren't for the two of them, my father and I wouldn't be subjected to this kind of contempt and spit. I tried to pick up the urn, but Mia stopped me. "Mrs. Davies, you can't take this. My mentor said this is his way of making amends." I found her words incredibly absurd. My father had been wrongfully put to death because of the crimes they forced onto him, and now he was supposed to make amends to the real killer? I held on tightly. She yanked hard, and the urn crashed to the floor. "Dad!" I screamed. As the lid rolled away, I saw that the ashes inside were covered in thick, yellow spit! Mia quickly explained, "The families were too angry. I had to let them open it and spit on it to vent their frustration. Now that their anger is appeased, Mr. Smith can rest in peace." With trembling hands, I placed the lid back on the urn, tears streaming down my face. It was my fault. I couldn't save him while he was alive, and I couldn't even protect his ashes from being desecrated after he was gone! I let out an agonized scream, grabbed a champagne bottle, and moved to smash it over her head. But Liam intercepted me just in time. "Have you had enough? This was just to give the families some psychological closure." "This is not the place for your tantrums. Lock her in the basement until the auction is over." With that, the event staff wrenched the urn from my hands and roughly tied me up, tossing me into the basement. I huddled in the corner. My phone buzzed. It was a text from the private investigator. [Her brother has been scared out of his mind. He's heading to the banquet hall now. Everything is in place.] I wiped the desolate look off my face. After setting everything up in the basement, I used a small knife I had hidden away to cut the ropes and walked out. Then, without looking back, I pressed the detonator. The banquet hall shuddered violently as flames erupted from the basement, shooting toward the ceiling. Liam's face went white. He sprinted into the thick smoke almost instantly. But the very next second, he locked eyes with my corpse. And lying next to my body was our four-month-old child. He collapsed to his knees, as if all the strength had been drained from his body. "...How could this happen?" Even as Mia and his bodyguards desperately dragged him out, he remained in sheer denial, his face the color of ash. Until a crazed, raving man charged in, throwing his arms around Mia's legs and sobbing wildly. "Sis, didn't you tell me it was fine that I killed someone? I hid from the cops, so why am I being haunted by ghosts?!" Everyone's gaze shot toward Mia like poisoned darts. All the color drained from her face instantly. The next second, the man turned, saw the portrait of the victim, and began kowtowing frantically in terror. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have killed you! Please let me go! The ghosts... they're following me!"
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