Chapter 5

Covered in injuries, I returned to the rental apartment where Fernandez and I had lived together for eight years.

I'd paid the down payment for this place with my salary, but it was under his name.

I habitually entered the password, but the screen flashed with glaring red lights.

"Incorrect password."

The door lock had been changed. The new fingerprint lock refused me entry.

Footsteps came from around the corner of the hallway.

Fernandez led Ivanka by the hand, walking out unhurriedly.

Following behind them was actually my gambling-addicted uncle John.

"John? What are you doing here?"

I looked at him in shock.

John didn't look at me. His eyes were fixed on the bank card in Fernandez's hand.

Fernandez threw the card on the ground with a cold laugh.

"A hundred thousand dollars for both of Nadal's knees. You're getting a bargain."

John picked up the card, his eyes lighting up. Then he walked viciously to my side.

For that hundred thousand dollars, he kicked the back of my knee.

My legs buckled and I fell uncontrollably to my knees.

John roughly pressed down on the back of my head, forcing me to kowtow to Ivanka in public.

"Hurry up and kneel and kowtow to Director Fernandez and Miss Ivanka to apologize!"

"You unfilial girl, you dare come home after doing wrong? You've ruined their work!"

I refused to lower my head and struggled desperately.

John pulled out his phone. The screen showed a live surveillance feed from the ICU.

Inside was my only living relative—my grandmother.

"Nadal, I'll say this once."

"If you don't kneel, I'll call right now and have someone pull your grandmother's respirator!"

"That old thing has lived long enough anyway!"

I trembled violently with rage.

At this moment, Ivanka raised her phone.

The screen flashed with the red light of a live broadcast starting.

Tens of thousands of viewers flooded into the livestream instantly.

She spoke tearfully to the camera.

"This is the poisonous woman named Nadal."

"She can't have children herself, so she's jealous that I'm pregnant with Fernandez's child. She's occupying our marital home and won't leave, and she even hired someone to attack us!"

The livestream chat exploded instantly, the screen filled with cyberbullying and curses directed at me.

"Beat this homewrecker to death!"

"Skin her alive!"

To save my grandmother's life, I bit my lower lip hard until I tasted rust.

Under the condemnation of thousands, I closed my eyes. My knees fell heavily on the cold cement floor.

I happened to make eye contact with Fernandez, who was watching coldly from the crowd.

I screamed at him like a madwoman, asking why.

Eight years of my youth—what had I done wrong to make him humiliate me like this!

But Fernandez just disgustedly shook off my clothes and wiped his hands with a tissue.

"Nadal, don't be so petty. Ivanka was just joking with you."

Suddenly, a piercing siren sounded. The hallway instantly fell silent.

Two riot police vehicles screeched to a halt downstairs. The entire building could hear footsteps rapidly approaching.

Several armed SWAT officers rushed upstairs, grabbed Fernandez's wrist, and pinned him against the wall.

"Fernandez, you're under arrest for embezzlement, misappropriation of public funds, and massive commercial bribery."

The cold handcuffs made a crisp collision sound in front of the livestream camera.