“His legs are already broken. There is no point saving him. Better to admit guilt and let him spend the rest of his life comfortably in bed.”
“Once this is over, I will live well with you again.”
The next moment I heard a heavy thud on his end, followed by breathy, intimate sounds.
Realization struck me instantly.
My phone slipped from my hand. I covered my mouth, fighting the urge to vomit.
Before the doctor could call security, the police arrived.
“Heidi and Caleb reported that your father attempted to extort them. We need to bring him in for questioning.”
My father had just finished surgery and was in unbearable pain.
I knelt and begged, but the officers could only shake their heads.
“These are orders from above. We cannot do anything.”
I tried to block the bed, but they said I was obstructing the law.
My father was dragged away violently, the bandages on his legs turning red with fresh blood.
I ran after them, but when I reached the corner, a black bag suddenly covered my head.
A storm of fists and kicks crashed down on me.
“How dare you lay a hand on Caleb’s woman. Learn your place.”
“Do not kill her. She is still Caleb’s wife.”
“Wife? Caleb never cared about her. His heart has always been with Heidi. If she had not forced herself in, she would never have married him.”
I did not know how long the beating lasted before they finally left.
I lay curled on the ground, motionless, like a discarded rag.
Seven years ago, when Caleb first took over the family business, it was my father who used every connection he had to help him stabilize the situation.
Later, when I was kidnapped, it was Caleb who fought his way into the hideout and carried me out on his back.
That day, I cried in his arms, believing I had found the person I could trust for the rest of my life.
And now, for another woman, he had driven us into a dead end.
Fortunately, only three days remained.
I dragged my weakened body back home, only to see piles of luggage thrown out at the door. My chest tightened violently.
Caleb had tossed out everything that belonged to me and my father.
This house was bought with my father’s entire life savings.
What right did Caleb have to throw us out?
I felt as though I could barely breathe. Just as I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of the scene inside the house through the gap in the door.
Heidi was sitting in Caleb’s lap, feeding him spoonfuls of porridge.