Dominic leaned against a car, smoking, as the beautiful and seductive Harriet approached, holding a little boy's hand.

The child called out, "Daddy!"

Dominic immediately stubbed out his cigarette, bent down, and lifted the boy with one arm. "Jimmy, did you listen to Mommy today?"

The boy glanced at Harriet and nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Harriet chimed in, "Hubby, what are you saying? Jimmy's teacher says he's the sweetest boy she's ever met."

Their conversation struck Carmen like a physical blow!

Hubby? Her marriage to Dominic wasn't even legally dissolved.

Daddy? Their son, Noah, had been killed by Harriet three years earlier!

Yet the scene before her was undeniably real, and she saw the smile on Dominic's face so clearly.

It felt like a knife twisting in her heart, leaving her hollow and cold.

The chill spread through her entire body, her bones aching with despair.

She trembled violently, biting her lip until blood welled, forcing back broken sobs.

Now she understood—Dominic had sent her to prison so that he could be with Harriet.

But why go to such lengths?

Had he simply asked, she would have divorced him without protest.

Her gaze fell to her phone. The lock screen still showed a photo of her and Dominic on the day they learned they had both been admitted to law school. Their faces were bright with innocence and great hope.

Both had come from the same remote village, but Dominic's story was sadder than hers.

Not long after his mother gave birth to him, she fled the abuse of his father, a hopeless drunk and gambler.

In Carmen's memory, Dominic had always been sallow and thin, covered in bruises.

Unable to bear it, she shared her lunch with him every day. Once, she even stood up to his drunken father for him and was beaten nearly to death.

Fortunately, his father was later jailed for assault.

She still remembered what Dominic had said to her at the hospital that day. Standing by the bed, he looked at her, his eyes red-rimmed. "Carmen, I swear—I'll become a judge. I'll send everyone who ever hurt you to prison."

He kept his word. He was admitted to a prestigious law school and later became a judge, defying every expectation placed on a boy from a poor family.

Carmen, too, became a lawyer on her own merit.

That year, they began their careers, got married, welcomed Noah, and moved into a new home. It was their luckiest year.

The day they moved in, Dominic—usually so reserved—broke down in tears.

Holding Carmen and Noah in his arms, he said earnestly, "Honey, meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."

Back then, she thought their hardships were finally over.

She never imagined her happiness would one day be so utterly destroyed.

Noah was killed by Harriet. Dominic had fallen for Harriet. They even had a son together.

"Honey, Carmen is being released today, right? Aren't you going to pick her up?"

Harriet's voice snapped Carmen back to reality.

She looked up. Dominic's profile, silhouetted by the setting sun, was as handsome as it was heartless.

"Why would I? She knows the way back," he replied flatly.

Carmen's fists clenched so tightly her nails dug into her palms, blood dripping onto her worn-out jeans.

She watched as the three got into a luxury car and disappeared.

Trembling, she called her closest friend, Emma Fisher.

"Emmie, I need a favor..."

"Anything!"

Over the past three years, Emma had been the only one to visit Carmen in prison—the only person she still trusted.

"I want to reopen my case. I want to clear my name!"

After a brief silence, Emma responded firmly, "I've actually been gathering evidence for you these past three years.

"Give me seven days. I'll clear your name!"

Tears of gratitude streamed down Carmen's cheeks.

After hanging up, she realized she had nowhere to go. The only place left was the house she had shared with Dominic—where Noah's belongings remained...

An hour later, she stood once more before the door of what used to be her home.

To her surprise, though years had passed, Dominic hadn't changed the lock.

Summoning her courage, she stepped inside—and froze.

Nothing had changed—except the family portrait in the living room was gone.

Fresh flowers stood on the coffee table, as though she had left yesterday.

Just then, a click sounded behind her.

Someone else was here.

She turned and met Dominic's inscrutable gaze.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

She was surprised to see him alone.

Then, he set down his umbrella, his voice low and rough.

"When did you get back? Why didn't you call? I could have picked you up."

He strode to the bathroom and returned with a fresh towel.

Carmen didn't take it.

"I know the way back. So, I came back by myself."

She deliberately echoed his earlier words.

But Dominic seemed not to notice. He poured a cup of hot cocoa and handed it to her.

"Drink this. Or you'll catch a cold."

Steam rose between them. Carmen took the cup, clutching it tightly, drawing what little warmth she could.

As Dominic turned to leave once more, the cup fell and shattered on the floor.

Carmen's voice trembled.

"Dominic, about what happened three years ago... Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Facing Carmen's question, Dominic responded with a tone as cold as ice.

"What's done is done. Besides, you're out now. Why can't you let it go?"

Carmen's thin frame trembled, his harsh words piercing her heart like a blade.

How could he say that?

Noah was dead, and she had spent three years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. How could she possibly let it go?

Her body swayed, weak and unsteady.

Just as she was about to collapse, Dominic called out anxiously, "Carmi!"

He strode quickly toward her.

But in the very next moment, his phone rang.

"Hello? Jimmy's crying? I'll be right there."

Watching him, Carmen was reminded of the days when Noah was still alive.

As much as Dominic loved Noah, he had always been strict with Noah, insisting that boys needed to be tough and shouldn't cry easily.

There were times when Noah fell and bled, but he never dared seek comfort from Dominic, afraid he wouldn't be loved if he showed weakness.

Now, however, Harriet and Jimmy easily received the tenderness and indulgence Noah had been denied.

Carmen gripped the armrest of the sofa to steady herself, refusing to make a fool of herself in front of Dominic.

After a brief hesitation, Dominic said, "I have to handle something urgent. Stay home and rest. Don't overthink things. Call me if you need anything."

Home? Was this still her home?

The moment the door closed, it felt as if all light had been shut out of Carmen's world.

After sitting on the sofa for a while, she went to Noah's room, hoping to find the photo album filled with his pictures—something to hold onto for comfort.

But the moment she opened the door, her last shred of hope was shattered.

The room was empty. Even the childish doodles Noah had drawn on the walls had been painted over.

There was no trace of him left in this house. Not a single one.

How cruel could Dominic be?

Carmen slid down against the wall, her desperate cries echoing through the empty room.

She wept until exhaustion took over, then dragged her numb body toward the master bedroom in a daze.

A faint, foolish part of her still hoped that Dominic hadn't discarded all of Noah's belongings.

To her surprise, the master bedroom remained exactly as she had left it— the decor and furnishings hadn't changed at all. Even her clothes still hung in the closet.

Why erase every trace of Noah, yet preserve hers?

The question haunted her as she began searching through the drawers.

Then, in the nightstand, she found a recently opened box of condoms.

In that moment, everything became clear.

This must have spiced things up for Dominic.

While he was in bed with Harriet, he must have laughed at how foolish she was while watching her clothes.

A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, and she rushed to the bathroom and vomited violently.

The pain in her heart and the weakness of her body became too much to bear. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed to the floor.

When she came to, it was early the next morning. She was lying in that same disgusting bed, and Dominic stood beside it, watching her.

For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a trace of deep affection in his eyes.

Disgusted by her own fleeting hope, she blurted out, "At this point, why haven't you thrown my things away? Why not let Harriet move in and replace me completely? Is it because this makes your affair more exciting?"

Dominic's expression shifted sharply. He seemed to want to snap back but held himself in check.

"You know about Hattie?"

"I saw you at the kindergarten entrance yesterday." Carmen bit her lip, reopening the wound that hadn't yet healed.

"Yes. She and I have a son." His voice was utterly calm, devoid of any emotion.

Yet his admission plunged Carmen deeper into despair.

She remembered their first year of marriage, when Dominic would cling to her every night, leaving her sleepless.

Once, after they had been intimate, she had jokingly threatened to deal with him by having a child. He had nuzzled her soft breasts like a puppy marking its territory.

"Carmi, I feel like I can never love you enough... If I could, I'd want to rub you into me, so you'd be mine and only mine forever."

The man who once claimed he could never love her enough had now given his heart to someone else.

"Then why didn't you divorce me, Dominic? Why do you have to disgust me like this?"

"I disgust you?" His jaw tightened, but he still didn't lash out.

"In one week, I have a crucial opportunity for promotion to the High Court. Everyone is watching me. I can't afford any scandals right now.

"After this week... we'll get divorced."

So that was it. No wonder he hadn't let Harriet and their son move in. No wonder he hadn't thrown away her things.

He hadn't changed at all.

Harriet's father had been Dominic's professor. From the first day Dominic began working at the court, Harriet had fallen for him and pursued him relentlessly.

Carmen had once been so jealous that she insisted on confronting Harriet.

But Dominic held her close and reassured her, "Mr. Parham is my mentor. I don't want something like this to cause any bad feelings between us. Don't worry, Carmi—I'll keep my distance from Harriet."

Carmen had believed him.

It wasn't until she stood in the dock and faced his betrayal that she realized how far he and Harriet had gone.

That night, Carmen slept in Noah's empty room.

The floor was cold and hard, without even a mattress, but it was the only place left where she could find inner peace.

When she woke in the morning, she found a thin blanket draped over her.

It could only have been Dominic.

Why bother? This wasn't some scripted reality show.

She tossed the blanket aside as if it were contaminated.

Just then, Emma texted.

"Working on it every second. See what you can find on your end, too."

Carmen's gaze drifted toward the master bedroom.

She headed downstairs.

Then she froze at the sound of brisk laughter.

Through the open kitchen, she saw Dominic and Harriet wrapped in an intimate embrace.

Hearing her footsteps, Dominic turned. A smudge of lipstick marked the corner of his mouth.

Carmen trembled, her grip tightening on the railing.

"What is Harriet doing here?"

"She heard you were released and came to see you. While you were in prison, she was a big help. She even visited Noah's grave every year."

Dominic's tone as he defended Harriet was so casual, so natural.

Carmen felt the blood rush to her head, clouding her thoughts.

"She doesn't deserve to go near Noah's grave!"

How could the murderer dare stand before her victim's tombstone?

Dominic averted his eyes. "I've decided to make her Noah's godmother."

Silence prevailed.

It felt as if the blood in Carmen's veins had turned to blades, slicing her from the inside.

The pain was so sharp she couldn't speak.

Harriet approached, holding out a bouquet.

"These are for you, Carmen. Congratulations on your release."

The moment the floral scent wafted over, Carmen's skin prickled with irritation.

She slapped the flowers to the floor, too weak to accuse how shameless the two were. Then she turned to leave.

But before she could take a few steps, Harriet called out sharply.

"Inmate 0832!"

"Here!" she responded reflexively.

Harriet let out a piercing, mocking laugh.

"I'm sorry, Carmen—I heard all ex-inmates react like that. Don't take it personally. It was just a joke."

Carmen stopped and turned slowly.

Dominic frowned deeply, pulling Harriet back. "Enough. That's not funny. Don't make jokes like that again."

Harriet blinked playfully. "Fine."

They were flirting—right in front of Carmen.

Suddenly, the image of the opened condom box upstairs flashed through her mind. Her heart turned to ice.

That evening, she met Emma at a restaurant.

Emma was shocked by her appearance. "You look terrible. If it's too much to take, come stay with me."

"I'm fine. Just get me the evidence as soon as you can." Carmen had made up her mind to keep pretending—she couldn't back out now and risk Dominic noticing.

Emma ordered a table full of dishes and urged Carmen to eat. Just then, Harriet walked in while holding Jimmy's hand.

Carmen's eyes lingered on Jimmy for a moment. He reminded her of Noah.

But Harriet immediately pulled Jimmy behind her, shielding him from Carmen's gaze.

In a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, she told him, "There's a murderer here. She killed her own son. If you don't behave, she'll take you away."

Then she turned to Carmen.

"So, Carmen—after three years of prison food, how does real food taste?"

In an instant, every pair of eyes in the restaurant turned toward Carmen.

Carmen stood thin and pale, her eyes cold yet stubborn. No one could connect her with the image of a crazed mother who would kill her own child.

But the whispers of the diners stung her deeply.

Over the past three years, she had endured the worst kinds of torment.

Convinced she was her son's murderer, her cellmates had ostracized and abused her.

She had been forced to clean up their waste, eat spoiled food, and suffer unprovoked beatings.

New scars layered over old before they could even heal.

To this day, the mere word "prison" made her whole body tremble and ache.

"You are the murderer, Harriet!" Emma rose and flung a glass of water directly into Harriet's face.

Harriet shrieked. Beside her, Jimmy burst into terrified tears.

"What's going on?"

A tall figure in a suit strode through the door. It was Dominic.

The moment he entered, Harriet clutched Jimmy tightly, her eyes reddening.

"I just wanted to treat Carmen to a meal, but she got upset and told her friend to hurt Jimmy..."

Jimmy pointed a finger at Carmen, crying, "Bad woman! She bullied Mommy!"

Dominic's expression darkened. He quickly strode forward and stepped between Harriet and Carmen, his voice low and furious.

"You had a son, Carmen. How could you do this to Jimmy? He's just a child. Can't you be more tolerant?"

The blood rushed in Carmen's ears, nearly deafening her.

Yes, she'd had a son.

The day Noah turned one month old, Dominic, with red-rimmed eyes, had kissed her forehead and thanked her for making his life complete.

But he was the one who had ruined hers.

"Is that Ms. Wheeler, the lawyer?"

"So much for never losing a case. Now she's lost to herself."

"What kind of mother kills her own son? She's a monster."

A group of Dominic's colleagues from the court had entered behind him.

With a stern expression, he spoke to Carmen in a low, harsh tone, "Go home. Stop embarrassing me."

Meanwhile, Harriet quickly straightened her clothes and mingled with his colleagues as if she were his rightful wife.

Stopping the indignant Emma from speaking up, Carmen walked out of the restaurant expressionlessly.

As she passed Dominic, he caught a glimpse of the horrifying scars on her exposed skin. His lips parted, but in the end, he said nothing.

After seeing Emma off, Carmen bought a bouquet and some children's toys, then took a taxi to the cemetery.

But when she reached Noah's gravesite, she froze, unable to speak.

Overgrown with weeds, the area was desolate and neglected. It seemed no one had visited in years.

Worse, scrawled across the tombstone in glaring red paint was a single word—"Bastard".

The red paint felt like a blade in Carmen's eyes. Her heart shook violently as she cried out Noah's name and rushed forward, frantically scrubbing at the paint with her bare hands.

She scraped until her hands were raw, but the paint didn't budge. Instead, smeared with her blood, the word looked even more horrifying.

Exhausted, she finally collapsed.

Clutching Noah's defaced photo, she let out a heart-wrenching wail.

Then the rain began—a heavy, grieving downpour that seemed to weep with her.

She didn't leave until her tears had run dry. After arranging for a new tombstone, she carefully cleared the weeds, then placed each of Noah's favorite toys neatly before the grave.

Through her tears, she swore, "Noah, I will make everyone who hurt you pay."

By the time she returned home, it was early the next morning.

The moment she opened the door, Dominic's harsh voice greeted her. "I told you to come home. Where have you been? Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been calling all night! Did you know—"

He was still in the same clothes from the day before, with dark circles under his tired eyes.

Carmen walked past him without a glance.

"Yesterday was Noah's death anniversary."

As the words left her lips, her vision went black, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Drifting in and out of consciousness, Carmen thought she heard someone whisper in her ear—Dominic, perhaps.

"Carmi, I'm sorry..."

Then she was jolted awake by her phone's ringtone. Opening her eyes, she found herself alone in the bedroom. It had only been a dream.

She picked up her phone and answered.

It was Emma, her voice brimming with excitement.

"Carmi, I found proof that Harriet is the murderer!"

Carmen rushed out immediately and met Emma as quickly as possible.

"This USB drive has a recording of Harriet admitting she ran over Noah," Emma said. "Given my position, I can't submit it myself. You should take it to the courthouse and file the evidence directly with a judge."

Without hesitation, Carmen hurried to the courthouse.

The senior judge's assistant informed her that the judge hadn't arrived yet and asked her to wait in his office.

Too anxious to sit, Carmen stood by the desk, her palms sweating nervously.

Just then, the door opened. She turned around at once.

Then her expression froze.

It was Harriet, followed by two bodyguards.

"Carmen? What are you doing in my dad's office?"

Carmen's body went rigid.

"I got lost. I'm here to see Dominic."

She moved to leave, but Harriet blocked her path. "Oh, really? Or are you here with some recording, trying to prove your innocence?"

Carmen's heart sank. Realizing Harriet knew, she tried to bolt, but the two bodyguards had already pinned her to the floor.

Before she could cry out, Harriet drove her stiletto heel into the back of the hand—the very hand clutching the USB drive.

Harriet then dug her stiletto heel into her foot savagely, making her break into a cold sweat. She snarled through gritted teeth, "This is a courthouse! If you break the law here, I'll make sure you regret it!"

Harriet simply bent down, snatched the USB drive, and glanced at it with a sneer.

"With this?"

Carmen's heart leaped into her throat. "Give it back!"

The next moment, her hopes were shattered completely.

Harriet plugged the drive into the office computer and smiled coldly, "It seems Emma didn't lie. You still haven't given up—still trying to frame me."

In disbelief, Carmen stammered, "What?"

"That great friend of yours, Emma. She told me you were gathering evidence, so I had her test you. And you fell for it."

Harriet pressed play.

The recording that followed was the sounds of intimacy.

Dominic's voice was titillating and affectionate. "Hattie... You're amazing..."

"What about Carmen?"

"She's nowhere near you."

A tidal wave of nausea overwhelmed Carmen, and she vomited on the spot.

Covering her nose, Harriet looked down at her. "You're pathetic. Your husband cheated on you, and your best friend betrayed you."

Carmen's gaze went vacant as she slumped to the floor like a lifeless doll.

Was there anyone in this world more pathetic than her?

For three years, Emma had visited her in prison, insisting, "I know you're innocent."

Yet even Emma had betrayed her.

Now, she was truly alone.

By the time Carmen came to her senses, she had been thrown into a dark basement.

A sizzling, slithering sound filled the air.

It made her blood run cold.

She turned, only to see the floor covered with coiled venomous snakes.

She had nearly died from a snakebite as a child. Snakes were her greatest fear.

But now, she feared nothing.

She sat slumped in dejection as Harriet's voice echoed from the other side of the door.

"Keep an eye on her. Nic said to make her suffer—but don't let her die."

Carmen let out a bitter laugh. So, Dominic was part of this, too.

Should she feel pain? But she felt nothing.

As the snakes began to slither toward her, she closed her eyes.

Carmen thought she would die in that pitch-dark basement.

She hadn't cried in jail, or when Harriet stomped on her fingers until they broke, or even when venomous snakes coiled around her body.

But the thought that Noah's death would never see justice—that Harriet would continue her perfect life, untouched by the law—broke her. Tears finally fell.

Summoning the last of her strength, she crawled toward the door.

How she wished someone would come to her rescue...

But she no longer had the energy to pound on the door or cry for help.

Just before she lost consciousness, a familiar voice called out.

"Carmen!"

Dominic's tall figure came into her view. He rushed in and held her tightly.

She felt him saying many things—"Wake up", "I'm sorry", and things like that.

However, she could no longer hear clearly. Her vision faded as she fell into darkness.

When she woke, she was in a hospital bed. Dominic stood beside her, his gaze deep and unreadable.

"Consider this a small punishment. Behave from now on. Let go of the past, and don't ever harm Hattie or Jimmy again."

Carmen's unfocused eyes sharpened as she met his gaze.

"Are you sure they're the victims?"

Dominic pressed his lips into a thin line and left without another word.

For the next three days, he came to the hospital regularly to care for her, as if they were still a loving couple and he had never betrayed her.

On the fourth day, Dominic said, "I'll be promoted tomorrow."

It was time.

Carmen waited for him to bring up the divorce papers, but instead, he said, "I once promised I would never fail you. And I intend to keep that promise. As long as you wish, you will remain my wife."

Furious, Carmen let out a derisive laugh.

He hadn't failed her? After all he had done? What would it take, then—killing her?

"We'll get a di—"

Before she could finish, his phone rang. He answered, and his expression shifted.

"I'll be right there."

After he left, Carmen drifted back to sleep under the influence of medication. But before she did, she resolved to check herself out the next day.

She was awakened by a gust of wind.

Opening her eyes, she found herself at the edge of a cliff, the vast, dark sea churning below.

Dominic stood before her, his gaze cold and stern. "Because of you, Hattie left with Jimmy. You will apologize to her and swear never to reopen the case. Tell her you were wrong—beg her to come back."

His voice was icier than the sea wind.

"Not a chance!" Carmen blurted out.

"You started this. And you will end it." Dominic stepped aside. Only then did she see a black urn at his feet.

She recognized it instantly. Three years ago, she had carried that very urn from the funeral home to the cemetery and laid it in Noah's grave.

"Are you insane, Dominic?"

He had just promised never to fail her—and now he had desecrated their son's grave?

What a monster!

"You're the one who's insane. Noah is dead, but I'm still alive!" Dominic tugged at his tie impatiently.

"You know Mr. Parham is my professor. If Hattie doesn't return, he will do everything he can to stop me from getting that promotion. My years of work will most likely be ruined."

Carmen found his words utterly absurd. He would really stop at nothing for his career.

"Noah was your son..."

She tried one last time to awaken his conscience.

In response, he lit a lighter and set fire to the photo album filled with memories.

She tried to lunge forward, but the bodyguards behind her seized her and forcibly restrained her.

She watched, helpless, as the flames consumed each Noah's smiling face.

As the first page turned to ash, she remembered being fifteen—her parents divorced, no one wanting her. It was Dominic who had held her hand and said, "From now on, you and I will rely on each other."

As the second page burned, she recalled being eighteen, running freely on the beach together with Dominic. He had held her close and vowed at sunset, "Carmen, I swear I'll give you the best future."

As the third page blackened, she relived his proposal at her twenty-two. With a fake diamond ring, he had cried, his eyes red-rimmed, "I can't afford a real one yet, but I promise I will. Believe me—I'll stand at the top one day."

Every memory was turning to ash.

He was finally about to reach the top, but he no longer needed her.

"It's almost dawn. You don't have much time left."

After the album was fully burned, Dominic lifted the urn.

He was ready to cast his own son's ashes off the cliff with his own hands.

Carmen felt her heart turn to ash as well.

She collapsed to the ground.

"Ms. Parham, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have looked for evidence to reopen the case. I was wrong.

"Ms. Parham, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have messed with you and your son. I was wrong.

"Ms. Parham, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have returned to Dominic and tried to take your place. I was wrong."

The sharp stones cut her knees, new wounds over old. Tears blurred her vision, and her voice grew weaker.

Then Dominic asked the man recording this, "Is it all recorded?"

After a nod from the man, he finally stopped her.

Then he called Harriet.

Harriet sounded very satisfied.

"Come pick me up. From now on, Jimmy and I will live with you."

"Of course," he replied.

Before leaving, he told Carmen, "Carmi, go home and wait for me. We'll talk properly when I return."

But Carmen no longer wanted to wait.

She had waited ten years for him—and this was her reward.

As an exclamation rang out, she broke free from the bodyguards, rushed to the cliff's edge, and seized the urn.

When Dominic turned around, he happened to see her leaping into the abyss.

As she fell, she saw the heartbreak and despair on his face.

Why did he look so sad? It was almost as if he had truly cared for her.

She laughed softly.

"Be patient, Dominic. The saddest part is yet to come. I've got a big surprise for you."