My daughter was on her way home from a late study group when she was dragged into an alley and brutally assaulted. My wife, Sarah, a lawyer, knew I wasn’t there, yet she provided a false testimony, framing me as a monster who would even harm his own daughter. I wanted to confront her, but then I accidentally heard a conversation between her and an old flame on the dashcam. “I’ve paid off all the witnesses from that night. Don’t expect me to clean up your messes if you pull something like this again!” The man laughed dismissively. “It’s her own damn fault for stumbling on us. Besides, this is the perfect way to send Ethan to prison. Then we can finally be together, out in the open!” I was shaking with rage. Sarah was so sure I couldn’t clear my name that she was already gallivanting with her old lover, taking over all my projects. Little did they know, just as their plane took off, my daughter, who had been unconscious, woke up and identified the real attacker. … I’d known for a long time that Mark Jensen, from that rival company, was the old love Sarah could never forget. But I never imagined she’d know Mark was the one who left our daughter critically injured, yet still cover for him, trying to pin everything on me. I parked outside Sarah’s law office. The lights were on. I dragged myself to the door. She was slumped on the sofa, frowning, her handbag stuffed with cash. “Use this money to get everyone who saw Mark that night out of the country. Not a whisper can get out.” Her friend, after taking the money, reminded her. “Are you really not going to pay Lily’s medical bills? The hospital called; if we don’t pay by tomorrow morning, they might stop treatment. She’s your own flesh and blood. What if something happens?” Hearing this, Sarah’s eyes lit up. She scoffed, her tone much lighter. “I’m doing this for Lily’s own good. She’s so badly hurt, even if she hangs on, it’s just suffering. Better to let her go peacefully.” “Besides, who knows if she actually got a good look at Mark’s face that night? I can’t have any loose ends threatening him.” “If she’s lucky enough to hold on until Ethan confesses and is locked up, then I’ll get her treatment again. Consider it compensation.” Sarah’s coldness was as if the person fighting for her life in the hospital was a complete stranger. Even her friend couldn’t help but frown. “But once Ethan confesses, he’ll be in jail for life. You two have been married for so many years…” Sarah cut her friend off, her face grim, and slammed the family photo frame from her desk onto the floor. The frame shattered. She carefully picked up an old photo from between the layers, her eyes filled with longing as she stared at the younger versions of herself and Mark. “If Ethan hadn’t drugged me back then, getting me pregnant while I was out of it, why would I have ever left Mark? He owes us this.” “I don’t know how many times I’ve leaked Ethan’s confidential information to Mark over the years, and his company still hasn’t gone under! This time, there’s no way he’s getting away!” The car keys snapped in my grip. The pink crystal bracelet Sarah had given me fell into the grass, stained with blood and dirt. Sarah and I practically grew up together, though we were separated for many years. We reconnected at a hotel. She was a legal intern then, unconscious, being dragged into a hotel room by two sleazy, middle-aged men. I saved her. As I was about to leave, she suddenly woke up, clinging to me, begging me to save her. After that night, I proposed to Sarah, and she happily accepted. Throughout our marriage, no matter what difficulties I faced in my career or personal life, she stood by me, unwavering. I always thought she was the most virtuous wife in the world. But I never expected she always believed I was the one who drugged her back then, and all the setbacks I’d experienced over the years were orchestrated by her! Thinking of my poor daughter lying in the hospital, my heart felt like it was being roasted over coals, an unbearable pain. To pay Lily’s medical bills in time, I suppressed the urge to rush in and confront Sarah, got in my car, and left. My accounts were frozen, so I had to go home to get the cash I’d stashed away. Just as I grabbed the money and was about to head to the hospital, a harsh car horn blared outside, followed by a group of people cornering me in my house. “Ethan! You did that to Lily, and she’s still fighting for her life! Not only do you show no remorse, but you’re actually trying to run away!” 2 “If I’d known you’d do something so evil, I should have aborted her when I got pregnant after you drugged me. It would have saved her from suffering in this world.” “Sarah, you know damn well who really hurt Lily!” My eyes bloodshot, I lunged at Mark, grabbing his collar and punching him repeatedly in the face. Soon, blood was streaming from his nose and mouth. “Mark, you animal, you subhuman scum! I’ll make you pay for what you did to my daughter!” “Sarah, Lily is your own daughter! How could you help this monster hide the truth? Are you even human?!” Four police officers had to restrain me to pull Mark away. Sarah rushed over to help him up, her eyes filled with pain as she looked at his bruised face. That sight stabbed me in the eyes. Mark had a few superficial injuries, and she was that distressed. But our daughter? When she was brought to the hospital, she was covered in wounds, her breathing so faint it was barely perceptible. Seeing Sarah lower her gaze, I spoke in an almost pleading tone, “Whatever it is, can’t it wait until after we pay for Lily’s medical bills? She’s waiting for that money to save her life.” But ultimately, I was disappointed. Sarah didn’t hesitate to slap me across the face. “You just want to get close to Lily to kill her and cover up your crime! I can afford any amount of medical expenses; how could I possibly let her go without treatment?” With that, she looked tearfully at the police and walked directly to the entrance of our basement, opening the door. “He’s been after Lily for a long time. All this stuff in here, these are clothes he bought for her. He has the purchase records on his phone.” When the crowd saw the state of the basement, their angry glares could have skinned me alive. After Lily started elementary school, I had turned the basement into her secret hideout. And those strange-looking clothes were her anime cosplay outfits. Because Lily was sensible, I fully supported her hobby. Sarah knew all of this and had always approved. But now, these things had become the "evidence" she used to slander me. No matter how much I explained, no one would believe me. Some neighbor picked up a rock and threw it at me, gashing my forehead, and blood streamed down. “What a monster! No wonder I always saw him with his daughter. I thought he was a responsible father, but he’s this disgusting!” “We can’t let him off just because he’s the victim’s father! This kind of person deserves the death penalty!” The crowd’s spittle nearly drowned me. Seeing my explanations were useless, Sarah seized the opportunity to continue. “The last time I worked late, you made a move on Lily. If Mark hadn’t come over to consult me on a legal matter and happened to walk in, you would have succeeded.” “I wanted to give you a chance, but I never thought it would lead to Lily’s death. It’s my failure as a mother. I deserve to die!” Sarah cried, collapsing to her knees, looking every bit the devoted mother. Seeing this, I remembered the recording on the dashcam and quickly said. “Officers, the dashcam has a recording of their conversation afterward. It’s enough to prove Mark Jensen is involved in what happened to my daughter!” “As far as I know, Mark Jensen has no alibi for that night.” Mark’s eyes flickered for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. He smiled at me, mockingly. “You’re really desperate to clear your name, aren’t you? If I remember correctly, you did voice-over work in college. Faking a conversation in my voice should be easy for you.” Before I could say anything, Sarah stood up and shielded Mark, her eyes so cold they could pierce me. “Who says Mark doesn’t have an alibi? I can vouch for him. At the time of the incident, he was at my office discussing business with me. I have the security footage from then.” 3 “Ethan, what do you have to say now? If you confess honestly, when Lily wakes up, I won’t tell her who the real culprit is. We’ll just say you, her father, died in an accident.” Impossible! The one who hurt my daughter was Mark! But why did Sarah have security footage of him at her office? What the hell was going on? “That poor child, how will she ever get over this trauma? Arrest him quickly, before the child wakes up and can’t bear to see him!” “I’ve seen this Mr. Jensen. He’s always been very good to Sarah and the child. He definitely doesn’t seem like the type to do something like this. He probably came to the house often to warn Ethan.” “If you didn’t do it, why would your wife help an outsider point the finger at you? If the person closest to you says it, how can it be false?” After I was handcuffed, Sarah quietly approached me. “If you don’t want Lily to suffer more, then confess obediently. As long as the culprit isn't caught, I can’t calm down enough to go to the hospital and take care of her.” “In your dreams! I will make the person who hurt Lily pay!” I said, looking at Mark with pure hatred. I would make him pay for my daughter’s life with his own! Sarah frowned unhappily, but seeing the police approaching, she said no more. The same night I was taken to the holding cell, I was released. Just when I thought the truth was out, I saw Sarah standing outside the gate. “Lily is fading fast. So I specially came to bail you out, so you can see her one last time.” My ears were ringing, Sarah’s words echoing in my mind. Days of worry and running around had finally taken their toll. Her words were the last straw, and I fainted. When I woke up again, I found myself tied up in the abandoned alley where my daughter had been attacked. Half my clothes had been stripped off, yet my body was filled with an indescribable, burning heat. Sarah, wearing gloves, approached me with a look of disgust. “What are you doing? Where’s Lily? I need to see her!” As soon as I spoke, I realized my mouth was terribly dry, and my head was spinning. “Sarah!” Watching her approach step by step, I nearly bit my teeth to pieces. “We’ve been married for so many years, no need to be shy. Blame yourself for not confessing. I can only… complete the evidence chain by getting some of your DNA, so you have no chance of turning this around.” Just as Sarah’s hand was about to touch me, I kicked out with all my strength, sending her flying. She clutched her hand in pain, letting out a low cry. Soon, another figure emerged from the shadows. “I told you he wouldn’t give in so easily. Blood works just as well. You go wait outside, don’t want this mad dog hurting you.” Mark took out a two-inch needle and plunged it entirely into my finger. The excruciating pain made my veins pop, and my teeth ground together. Sarah merely glanced over, then quickly went out to keep watch. Seeing my agony, Mark’s face twisted into a cruel grin. “Ethan, I really didn’t expect Sarah to end up in your bed. I should have enjoyed her myself sooner.” “But it’s not too late now. Your daughter not only looks a lot like her, but she’s even more tender than Sarah was when she was with me back then, tsk tsk tsk…” “It’s just that you raised her too delicately. I barely touched her, and she almost stopped breathing.” “But older ginger is spicier. These past few days, I’ve found that an older woman like Sarah has more charm. She’s very accommodating to me, very obedient.” As he spoke, he deliberately leaned down to show me the red marks beneath his collar. But my gaze fell on a half-visible tattoo on his chest, where his shirt didn’t cover it. Why did that tattoo look so familiar? 4 Before I could recall, Mark abruptly pulled out the needle, dripping my blood in a hidden corner of the alley. After finishing, he looked at me smugly. “I was originally going to wait until your daughter was an adult to come for her. But who asked you to suddenly release that new game a while back, stealing my company’s market share?” “That useless Sarah couldn’t even steal a source code. I had to teach you a lesson myself. She told me you have several unfinished game designs. I’ll complete them all and release them through my company.” “Oh, and to help you and your daughter reunite подземлей sooner, I’ll have Sarah give up on your daughter’s treatment.” Hearing Mark was going to let my daughter die, I found strength from somewhere, broke free from the ropes, and lunged at him, choking him. “Mark Jensen, go to hell!” I straddled him, my hands clamped tightly around his neck. As Mark struggled, his shirt came open, allowing me to see the tattoo on his body more clearly. Just as I was distracted, I was hit hard on the head. A warm stream flowed from my forehead, and my vision turned blood red. Sarah threw down the brick, helped Mark up, her eyes burning with anger. “Ethan, if you hadn’t been so despicable and drugged me back then, how could you have stolen me from Mark? You’ve owed Mark for all these years; you should have paid him back long ago.” “And that filthy child who carries your blood, there’s indeed no need to save her!” Hearing her bring up the past, I finally remembered where I’d seen that tattoo. The person who had handed the unconscious Sarah over to those two middle-aged men—though I hadn’t seen his face, I’d seen the tattoo on his chest. It was Mark who drugged her and gave her to those two men! Just as I was about to tell Sarah the truth, Mark leaned close to my ear and whispered. “Actually, Sarah knew all along I was coming for your daughter. That’s why she arranged for someone who looks like me to be filmed for an alibi beforehand.” “In her eyes, your lives, father and daughter, are worth less than a dog’s.” After saying that, he suddenly cried out in alarm. Sarah, without asking why, rushed over and kicked me away. “Ethan, you really are stubborn! How dare you hurt Mark! I’ll transfer all your assets to Mark’s name as compensation to him.” Watching the two of them walk away, my vision went black, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up again, I found myself in a hospital, with a few police officers guarding my bed. Thinking of my critically ill daughter, I quickly jumped out of bed and knelt before them. “Please, let me pay my daughter’s medical bills first. Her condition is critical, I beg you!” But before the police could speak, a doctor hurriedly called them away. I was handcuffed to the bed, unable to leave the room. Thinking of my daughter lying alone in her hospital room, my body and heart grew colder and colder, my eyes filled with despair. Could I really only watch helplessly as my daughter died? A huge sense of dread almost overwhelmed me. And just at that moment, Sarah sent me photos of two plane tickets. Then, a call came through. Mark’s smug voice came first. “I hear you spent years painstakingly building your company in Bridgewater. Well, it’ll be mine soon.” Sarah’s cold voice followed. “I have to accompany Mark to take over the company, so I won’t be back for a few days. I’ve already arranged for someone to handle Lily’s funeral arrangements. If she doesn’t make it, have the hospital contact this person. Don’t bother me.” My eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Just as I was about to speak, two police officers rushed in. “Ethan, your daughter’s awake!”
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392562", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel