Chapter 1

"Arthur, sign this. Your sister was responsible for her own death for sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Nobody else is to blame."Hudson just graduated, and his life is only getting started. Don't ruin his future because of your selfishness. At the press conference, you'll say it was an accident. Say your sister volunteered—" The sharp crack of a slap cut Winona Graham off mid-sentence."Winona! Do you even have a conscience? You only survived all these years because Annabelle kept donating blood to you! Half the blood running through your veins now came from her!" I snapped.Winona clutched her cheek and froze where she stood.Before she could respond, Hudson Spencer suddenly rushed forward and planted himself in front of her. "Arthur, how could you hit Winnie? This was my fault alone. If you're angry, take it out on me. Don't lash out at her!"He straightened his back like he was trying to put on a brave front, but his eyes kept flicking toward Winona. "Since I did it,

Chapter 2

The moment I said that, tears welled up in my eyes.When Winona and I first got married, everyone envied us, and I had honestly believed we would go on like that forever.But everything changed three years ago, when her best friend, Layla Spencer, entrusted Hudson to her before she died.At the time, Hudson was still in high school, but as he got older, the dynamic between them started to feel increasingly unsettling. Winona bought him gifts, put him to sleep, and even bought him underwear.I bore witness to it all. It wasn't as if I had never fought with her over it, but every single time I brought it up, she would shut me down with the same excuses.He was just a kid, and she had promised Layla she would take care of him.Her endless indulgence only made Hudson bolder, and more than once, he openly provoked me right in front of her.I had put up with it again and again, but this time, I was done. Before Winona could react, I walked straight past her.However, she suddenly g

Chapter 3

When I walked into the hospital room, Mom was lying weakly in bed with tears streaming down her face as she listened to the baseless accusations against Annabelle that were being televised.The moment she saw me, her lips trembled, and she forced the words out with all the strength she had left, "Artie, find the contact…"Before I even had time to think about what she meant, Winona's voice echoed from behind me, "Honey, I didn't think you'd actually make it out. So, have you made up your mind?"I spun around and saw her leading a group of people straight into the room."What are you doing?" I immediately went on guard.Winona wrapped an arm around my shoulders with feigned gentleness and said, "Relax. I just want to move Mom to a better room."But when I saw those people manhandling Mom, I couldn't hold back anymore. I tore myself out of her arms and shouted, "Stop! Don't touch her!"In the middle of the struggle, I was knocked to the ground."Arthur!"Winona was about to help

Chapter 4

I looked up and met a pair of deep, steady eyes.Only after the room had gone completely quiet did the man walk forward. His voice was low and firm when he said, "Arthur, you've suffered."My heart tightened. His voice sounded familiar.I was about to speak when he lifted a hand slightly and stopped me. "You don't need to explain. I already know what happened."As he spoke, he handed me a wooden box. It was an urn.My body stiffened as a chill ran down my spine. The man lowered his eyes, his voice heavy with sorrow. "I'm sorry. We were too late."My vision blurred at once.I didn't know how much time passed before I finally forced my breathing to steady, but I knew this was not the time to fall apart.The man told me his name was Michael Sutton and that he had been the person Grandpa trusted most when he was alive.My heart clenched.Michael was a man whose name carried weight on both sides of the law.He told me that before Grandpa passed away, he had entrusted the Langle

Chapter 5

Rebecca brought me into an abandoned warehouse.Under the lights, three men and one woman were surrounded. It was Winona, Hudson, and the two accomplices.The two men were rich kids. Even with blindfolds over their eyes, they still carried themselves with the same arrogant attitude."My dad is the richest man in Hardale!" one of them shouted. "Whatever you want, just name it. We can pay."Winona was still doing her best to stay composed."I believe in accountability," she said. "If there's an injustice that needs to be addressed, I'll do everything I can to resolve it. Just say the word."Hudson pressed himself as close to her as he could, his voice trembling. "I'm scared…"Rebecca clapped her hands, and someone stepped forward to remove their blindfolds. She then said to me, "Arthur, everyone involved is here. Whatever you want to do with them is your call."I looked at the people across from me, but there was no sense of satisfaction in me at all. All I felt was hatred and di

Chapter 6

After Winona and Hudson were sent back to the country, they were quickly brought to justice.Winona had built a reputation as a prominent woman, yet behind that reputation was a long trail of illegal acts, including bribing judges, shielding criminals, tampering with evidence, and sabotaging her competitors.In the end, she was sentenced to 15 years in prison.The irony was that many of the people she would encounter behind bars were individuals she had personally helped send to prison.That reality might have been harder to endure than the prison sentence itself.After Winona was imprisoned, Annabelle's case was reopened.Hudson's two accomplices were sentenced to death for sexual assault and intentional homicide. Hudson himself received 13 years in prison for covering up the crime and fabricating evidence.Once the truth came out, many people who had previously misunderstood us came to our door to apologize. I accepted the flowers they brought, but I couldn't bring myself to f