Chapter 2

Just then, Mia suddenly rushed forward and kicked my shoulder hard.

"You're a thief! I don't want you as my dad anymore! Mia doesn't like you anymore!"

The kick wasn't hard, but it froze me completely, making me forget to struggle.

My own daughter,

While I was being falsely accused of theft, while I was being forced to confess, she not only disbelieved me but came forward to deliver another blow.

So this is what it feels like for your heart to die.

Eleanor seemed startled by her daughter's action too. She waved her hand, and the bodyguards released me.

I slumped to the ground, blood continuously streaming from my forehead.

She walked up to me, rain dripping from her hair.

"Alex, for Mia's sake, if you just admit your mistake and apologize to Ian, I'll let it go."

I looked up, through my blood-blurred vision, staring intently at her,

And at Ian, who stood behind her, wearing an innocent expression, and at my daughter, who looked at me with a stranger's eyes.

I smiled, blood oozing from the corner of my mouth.

"I... did nothing wrong."

"And I will *never* apologize to Ian!"

Those last three words, I directed at Ian, each one firm and clear.

Eleanor erupted in fury.

"You're impossible! Drag him outside and make him kneel! He won't get up until he confesses!"

I was roughly dragged into the yard and thrown into the icy mud.

The torrential rain poured down, washing over the wound on my forehead, a chilling, piercing pain.

From behind, I heard Ian's gently insidious voice.

"Eleanor, it's raining so hard. Maybe let Alex come inside..."

And Mia's innocent question,

"Mommy, when will this thief confess?"

Followed by Eleanor's cold reply,

"He brought it on himself."

A thief?

Brought it on myself?

The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

The voices faded, and I completely lost consciousness.

The smell of disinfectant was acrid.

I regained consciousness amidst a sharp pain.

Above me, the hospital's stark white ceiling. As far as my eyes could see, several expressionless bodyguards stood.

They surrounded my hospital bed like immovable pillars.

"Awake?"

An icy voice reached me.

I struggled to turn my head and saw Eleanor standing by the bed, her face so dark it looked like it could rain.

She held the necklace in her hand, her eyes devoid of warmth, filled only with scrutiny and disgust.

She held up the necklace.

"Alex, I'm asking you one last time, where did you hide Ian's mother's *real* keepsake? This one is fake."

Fake?

My eyes widened in shock. I understood instantly.

Ian! How utterly twisted he was!

He used a fake item to solidify my theft charge. Whether I confessed or not, he had a backup plan waiting for me!

The real necklace was probably long hidden or disposed of.

He wanted not only to ruin my reputation but also to ensure I'd never recover!

I opened my mouth, my throat dry and hoarse.

"I didn't!"

My heart ached as if an invisible hand was squeezing it tightly, making it impossible to breathe.

Why? Why, even after being reborn, could I not escape this fate of being framed?

Why must I still bear this fabricated charge?

Eleanor stared at me, seemingly judging the truth of my words.

Moments later, her last shred of patience snapped, replaced by deep disappointment and ruthlessness.

"It seems you won't tell the truth unless I get a little tougher with you."

She took a step back and coldly instructed the bodyguards,

"A thief doesn't deserve his hands. Since he won't hand it over, break his fingers, one by one. He's in the hospital anyway; he won't die."

I violently opened my eyes, staring at her in disbelief.

She was going to... break my fingers?!