Chapter 7 Heartbroken

• My body trembled, eyes widening in disbelief.
• His words were like a stone thrown into a still lake, shattering the calm and stirring waves inside me.
• Regaining my senses, I pressed urgently, “What do you mean by that?”
• Uncle Liu sighed, his brows knitting. "I don't have concrete evidence. But my gut tells me this matter is not that simple. If possible, you should investigate further into their deaths."
• That sudden revelation made my head spin, my mind going blank except for the pounding of my heart.
• Were my parents' deaths not accidental?
• I bit my lip hard, forcing myself to calm down before saying, “Thank you for telling me. I’ll think about it carefully.”
• Walking out of the company, I looked up at the gray sky, Uncle Liu’s words replaying over and over in my mind.
• If what he said was true, then my parents’ deaths weren’t accidental, but they were intentional?
• Once that thought took root, it refused to leave.
• I silently decided that, regardless of whether it was an accident or intentional, I would find an answer.
• I decided to start by investigating the people around me.
• So, after leaving, I contacted a private detective agency and asked them to tail Marius and Rosalind.
• Watching the detective's car disappear, I checked the time on my phone before raising my hand to hail a taxi.
• Before long, the car stopped at the school gate.
• Standing on the side of the road, I scanned the young faces inside the school, looking for the one I most wanted to see.
• Finally, my gaze landed on the face of my long-awaited daughter, Zara, who was walking out of the school gate with her classmates, laughing and chatting.
• I hurried forward, blocking her path. “Zaza…”
• Zara looked up, joy flashing in her eyes for a brief second before it vanished.
• I took a careful step toward her, but she instantly stepped back.
• The other children nearby sensed the tension and quickly made excuses to leave.
• I tried softly, “Zaza, Mom, today….”
• "You're not my mom!" Zara interrupted me, staring at me coldly.
• Seeing her cold demeanor, my heart ached.
• She was the child I gave birth to with love, the one who supported me with unwavering belief in prison. How had she become like this?
• I bent down to meet her eyes. “Zara, even though I wasn’t there, Mom loves you.”
• Zara looked at me with a mocking sneer. "I don't care if someone who has been to prison loves me. You're the dirtiest kind of person!"
• Her words hit me like a heavy blow, landing right in the center of my forehead.
• In that moment, the little girl before me blurred into the faces of prisoners hurling cruel words at me, trying to crush me.
• What hadn’t broken me in prison was now tearing me apart inside.
• I swallowed the pain and forced a smile. “Do you hate me that much?”
• Zara widened her eyes and shouted at me, "You, a dirty and bad ex-convict, everyone hates you!"
• With that, she pushed me forcefully. "Go away, just go!"
• Tears stung my eyes, a cold emptiness spreading through me.
• I had never imagined my own daughter would hate me like this.
• Wiping my tears quickly, I turned to leave.
• I had only taken a few steps when a voice shouted behind me, “Estelle!”
• Confused, I turned back to see Zara fainting in Rosalind's arms, while Marius angrily approached me.
• Marius strode up to me, pointing at my nose and scolding, "Estelle, what do you think you're doing! How could you treat a child like this? How could you!"
• "What are you talking about?"
• “If you want revenge on me, fine! But taking it out on a child? How cruel can you be!”
• I tried to explain, "I didn't, I just..."
• Before I could finish, a voice interrupted from behind. “A grown man, and no manners when speaking to a lady.”
• Startled, I turned to see Drawen. “How did you get here?”
• Drawen turned to me and said, "Just passing by. Go. I’ll take care of this.”
• After hesitating for a moment, I decided to listen to him and walked away.
• Drawen looked coldly at Marius and glanced at the unconscious Zara. "Did you see Estelle upset your child earlier?"
• "Of course! If it wasn't for her, Zara would have never..."
• "I'm asking if you 'saw' it with your own eyes," Drawen interrupted in a low voice.
• "I..." Marius's eyes flickered.
• A cold light flashed in Drawen’s gaze, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, though his eyes held no hint of warmth. “Are you doing this for the child, or for your own gain? You know the answer.”
• Marius was overwhelmed by Drawen’s presence, unable to respond.
• Drawen went on, "I advise you to go as far away as possible. Otherwise, I will make sure you regret your actions."
• Every word Drawen spoke was cold and cutting, aimed at Marius.