Chapter 4

Seeing that Katherine wasn't going to say anything more, the officers stopped questioning her and suggested we settle the matter through mediation.

"Now that we know what happened, we suggest settling this between yourselves. Katherine can apologize and pay for Daniel's medical expenses."

"I'm not accepting an apology." I refused without hesitation, looking the officer straight in the eye. "She attacked me, then lied to make me look like the one at fault. I'm not letting this go. I want her held accountable for what she did."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I met Katherine's panicked gaze, my expression unchanged. "It means I want to do this by the book. I'll have my injuries assessed.

"Even if they're not serious enough to qualify as minor injuries, you can still face charges for disorderly conduct. And if they are, you could end up in jail."

Katherine went pale. Her lips trembled, and all her earlier arrogance disappeared. "Are you serious? They're just a few scratches! Do you really have to take it this far?"

One of the older officers pulled me aside and tried to talk me out of it. "Look, son, sometimes it's better to let things go. She knows she was wrong.

"If she apologizes and covers your medical bills, we can put this whole thing behind us. There's no need to send her to jail over it. That wouldn't do either of you any good."

I knew he was just doing his job, so I didn't argue. Still, I shook my head. "Officer, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm not interested in settling.

"She attacked me and then lied to make me look like the bad guy. She needs to face the consequences. I just want this handled according to the law."

In my previous life, Katherine had branded me a rapist with a single lie. I would never forget the rumors, the cold treatment, and the harassment my mother and I had endured because of her.

If I let her off so easily this time, there was no telling what other lies she would come up with.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil. This time, I was determined to see things through and get the justice I deserved.

Realizing that I wouldn't change my mind, the police officers finally stopped trying to persuade me. They followed procedure and took Katherine to a holding cell.

After leaving the police station, I went straight to the hospital to have my injuries assessed.

I knew the scratches were superficial and probably wouldn't be serious enough to qualify as minor injuries. But I wanted Katherine to understand that she couldn't just bully people and make false accusations whenever she pleased.

As expected, the assessment confirmed that my injuries weren't serious enough to meet the legal threshold.

Even so, the police charged Katherine with disorderly conduct under the Public Order Act and sentenced her to seven days in administrative detention.

When the company found out what had happened, the HR department issued a formal notice announcing Katherine's dismissal. She was fired for disorderly conduct and seriously disrupting the workplace.

I also took the opportunity to report William for slipping something into Katherine's drink at the company party.

The police and the company's senior management took the allegation seriously and immediately launched a joint investigation into William.

With everything finally being dealt with, I felt a little more at ease.

This time, I could finally put the nightmare of my previous life behind me. I wasn't going to let Katherine and William ruin my life again.

But I'd been too naive.

I'd barely had a week of peace when Katherine was released from detention. As soon as she got out, she headed straight to the office with two police officers.

The moment she walked through the door, she pointed at me and began shouting.