"You two are responsible for Lily's death!" I shouted, anger pouring out of me.

The forced smile on Sofia's face stiffened instantly, and a trace of panic flashed in her eyes.

Michael reacted at once. "Anna, what are you saying? Have you lost your mind after spending time in prison?"

"Lost my mind?" I stared straight at him while a cold smile formed on my lips. "Two months ago, Lily had pneumonia. Which hospital treated her? Who was the doctor? Where is the death certificate? Show it to me!"

My questions left him silent, and his face shifted between anger and embarrassment.

"You never brought her to a hospital, did you?" I moved closer step by step. The anger in my voice could no longer be held back. "You were too busy enjoying your own lives. To you, Lily was only a burden. You didn't even allow her to stay in the bedroom. When she became sick, you ignored her. You left her there until she died, and afterward you tried to hide the truth!"

Each word cut through me as I spoke, yet the pain did not break me apart. Instead, my thoughts became clearer than ever.

Their shifting eyes and rigid posture told me everything I needed to know. My suspicion had been correct.

Michael's expression turned completely dark. The last hint of the gentle act he used to show disappeared, leaving only the cruel look beneath it.

"So what if you're right?" His voice dropped as he stepped closer. Threats were clear in his eyes. "Anna, what do you think you can do now? You're a convicted criminal. You just walked out of prison. You're unstable. Who would believe anything you say?"

His hand suddenly clamped around my wrist. The pressure was so strong that it felt as if my bones might break.

The bag on my shoulder slipped down and hit the floor.

I winced in pain while trying to pull myself free.

"If you know what's good for you, leave right now and never return," he said coldly. "I'll even give you some money so you can disappear somewhere far away."

His voice lowered near my ear, carrying a chilling tone. "But if you insist on causing trouble, an ex-prisoner ending her own life out of guilt and following her daughter to the grave isn't something unusual."

I stared at the clear intent to kill in his eyes. Then, without warning, a cold laugh escaped me.

The sound of my laughter rang out so loudly that he froze for a moment and loosened his grip on my wrist.

"You're absolutely right, Michael," I said. "I just walked out of prison. I have nothing now, and people see me as a criminal. That's the situation you created for me."

I glanced at the red marks forming on my wrist and rubbed it slowly. Then my arm lifted without hesitation, and my hand struck Michael across the face.

The sound of the slap echoed sharply.

Michael had never imagined someone like me would dare to hit him.

He stood there in shock. One hand pressed against his cheek while the other reached for the wall to steady himself.

"Have you lost your mind?" Sofia cried out in disbelief. She hurried over and tried to grab me.

My left arm pushed her aside while my right hand swung toward her face.

That single strike did not satisfy the anger inside me. I hit her three more times without pause.

Red handprints appeared immediately on her delicate skin. She stumbled backward, lost her balance, and collapsed onto the floor.

"I'm not insane," I said in a cold voice. "Those slaps were for Lily. And this is only the beginning of what you'll face."

Both of them groaned as they clutched their faces. Pain twisted their expressions, leaving them unable to respond.

I leaned down and picked up my bag from the floor before placing the puzzle box inside it.

The bag held very little. Only a few sets of clothes were packed inside, along with a worn piece of paper that had a phone number written on it.

Eight years earlier, an elderly man had given me that note after I saved him in Kregan Central Park.

Bale Smith was his name, a billionaire who kept a low profile.

While jogging that day, he had suffered a heart attack. My first-aid training allowed me to save his life.

Out of gratitude, he told me, "Anna, if you ever need help someday, you can call this number."

Back then, I believed he was only being polite. I never imagined those words would one day become my last hope.

At that moment, I had no way to deal with those two shameless people.

Still, I would find a method eventually.

My thoughts turned to Bale. Perhaps he would be able to help me.

"I'm divorcing you," I said as I turned toward the door. Each step I took was steady. "The divorce papers will reach you soon."

I paused at the door, then added, my voice carrying through the quiet living room, filled with bitter anger, "I will make sure both of you pay for what you've done. You will end up exactly where you belong!"

Without turning back, I walked straight to the door. I opened it and stepped outside without a moment of hesitation.

Night had already settled over the city.

The cold wind of winter cut sharply against my face. It made me shiver, yet it also cleared my thoughts.

From my pocket, I pulled out my phone along with the old note. Then I dialed the number written on it.

After the line connected, Bale's warm and steady voice answered, "This is Bale Smith speaking. Who am I talking to?"

"Mr. Smith," I replied. The cold air made my voice shake slightly, though it wasn't from fear. What filled me now was a firm and growing resolve.

"Anna? Is that really you?" Bale recognized me immediately and sounded surprised. "You finally called! I keep this phone with me twenty-four hours a day because of you!"

Hearing that, I felt a quiet warmth spread through my chest. "Yes, it's me. You once told me that if I ever needed help..."

"Of course," Bale said at once, and his tone softened with concern. "You can reach out to me anytime. What's going on? Tell me what happened."

"I need your help," I said after drawing a deep breath while the urge for revenge burned inside me. "The two people who caused my daughter's death and even tried to kill me must face the consequences."

Bale did not hesitate for even a second. His voice returned steady and decisive. "Tell me where you are. I'll send someone to bring you here. Once you arrive, we will discuss everything else."

Cold air swept across the corner where I settled beneath a streetlight after ending the call. The wind struck my face again and again, yet the ache pressing against my chest hurt far worse than the chill.

A sudden buzz came from the phone inside my bag. I pulled it out and saw a message from a number I didn't recognize. "Ms. Brown, this is Martin Ford. I'm Mr. Smith's driver. I'll arrive in about ten minutes to pick you up, so please stay where you are."

My fingers tightened around the phone while I stared at the glowing screen. The words blurred as emotion rushed through me, and tears began to slide down my face.

Since the day I was sent to prison, no one had shown me even the smallest bit of care. That short message felt like a faint light pushing through the darkness ahead of me.

Ten minutes later, a sleek black luxury car rolled to a stop beside the curb where I waited.

The driver stepped out and walked toward me. "Excuse me," he said politely, "are you Ms. Brown?"

"Yes," I answered with a small nod.

"My name is Martin," he said while opening the car door for me. "Please come inside."

Warm air surrounded me the moment I entered the car. The comfort inside felt completely different from the freezing wind outside, and the soft leather seat beneath me felt unfamiliar.

Martin reached over and passed me a blanket. "Mr. Smith asked me to make sure you're taken care of during the ride."

I pulled the blanket around my shoulders and lowered my voice. "Thank you."

The car moved quietly through the city streets while lights from Christmas decorations drifted past the window. As I stared outside, Michael's face kept appearing in my thoughts. Sofia followed. Lily's small face came after them.

Every time Lily crossed my mind, a heavy pain pressed harder against my chest. The thought of what she might have gone through made it difficult to breathe.

Around thirty minutes later, the car turned into Maple Villa Complex. Silence surrounded the neighborhood, and every mansion along the road showed the kind of wealth only the richest people in Kregan could afford. The car finally came to a stop in front of a grand mansion.

Martin stepped out first and opened the door for me. "We're here," he said. "Mr. Smith is waiting for you inside."

I stepped out of the car and followed Martin as he led me through the entrance of the mansion.

Near the entrance stood a Christmas tree glowing with strings of lights, quietly announcing that the holiday season was almost here.

A dull ache spread through my chest. Without Lily by my side, the coming Christmas promised nothing but silence and loneliness.

Warm light filled the living room, and the space felt both elegant and welcoming.

Seated on the sofa was an elderly man with silver hair and bright, alert eyes. He held a newspaper in his hands, but the moment he noticed me stepping inside, he folded it and placed it aside. He rose quickly and walked over before pulling me into a gentle embrace. "Anna, I'm really glad you came."

That man was Bale.

Years had passed since I last saw him, yet he looked almost the same. Time had only left a few deeper lines around his eyes.

"Mr. Smith," I said softly, standing there without knowing how to respond.

"Come and sit," Bale said while motioning toward the seat beside him. "I've heard quite a bit about what you've been through. Word reached me that you stepped in to help several people while you were in prison. Seems like you're still the same kind person I remember."

A faint, bitter smile crossed my face when he brought up prison. "Anyone in my place would've done the same."

Bale slowly shook his head. "That's not true," he said firmly. "What you did came from your kindness and your courage." His gaze rested on me with clear admiration. "You once saved my life, Anna. I've carried that with me all these years. Now that you're the one facing trouble, I won't stand by and do nothing."

My attention drifted toward the coffee table, where an old newspaper lay open. The headline immediately caught my eye. It reported on the car accident that I had been blamed for, and the photo beside the article showed my lawyer and me leaving the courthouse after the trial.

The sight of that newspaper stirred something inside me.

I began telling Bale everything that had happened after my release. I explained how Michael forced me to take the blame years ago, and I told him what I had recently learned about Lily.

Tears kept falling while I spoke. Every piece of pain and anger I had held inside for so long finally poured out.

Throughout my story, Bale remained silent and attentive. From time to time, he reached out and gave me a comforting hug, and the sympathy in his expression never faded.

"This is unbelievable. Michael and Sofia have no conscience at all. People like them are nothing but monsters." His hand struck the armrest of the sofa as his voice rose.

He looked straight at me and spoke with firm certainty. "You don't have to face this alone, Anna. I'll stand with you until the truth comes out. Lily deserves justice, and I won't let her death be meaningless. What they did to you won't go unanswered."

Uncertainty pressed heavily on me as I met his gaze. "Mr. Smith, what am I supposed to do now?" I asked quietly. "I walked out of prison with nothing, and everyone sees me as a criminal. Someone like me can't fight people like them."

"Your time in prison doesn't define the person you are," Bale said calmly. "And even if the past left scars, a person can rebuild who they are."

His eyes stayed on mine as he continued, "Starting today, this house will be your home. Stay here with me. I'll arrange proper training so you can grow stronger in every way. While you focus on that, I'll send people to dig into Michael and Sofia's actions. We will gather every piece of proof we can find. And there's someone else you should reach out to. Jack is one of the best lawyers I know. He handled your case before. If you contact him again, I believe he'll help you."

The name caught me off guard. "Jack?" I repeated in surprise.

Back then, Jack had tried to lower my sentence and kept asking me to tell him the truth, yet I refused him. I trusted Michael at the time, and because of that blind faith, I pushed Jack away.

Bale gave a small nod. "Yes, Jack. His ability in court is remarkable." After a brief pause, he spoke again. "Anna, if you're willing, remain here for the time being. Use this place to recover your strength. Take time to adjust to a new life. When the moment arrives, you'll be ready for what lies ahead."

Later that night, I lay on a wide bed inside the mansion's guest room. The mattress felt unbelievably soft beneath me. After years of sleeping on a narrow prison bunk, the contrast felt almost unreal.

Sleep refused to come.

Thoughts of Lily kept returning, and the memory of my little angel would not leave me.

I held the word puzzle box and slowly turned it from one side to the other in my hands. As I moved it, a small piece of cardboard suddenly slipped out from inside.

The small piece of cardboard slipped out from the puzzle box and landed in my hand. The little cutout barely reached the size of my thumb.

Someone had carefully trimmed the edges into a heart. Lily loved shapes like that more than anything.

On her third birthday, I gave her a pair of safety scissors as a gift. She sat at the table and cut out heart after heart, then stuck them everywhere she could reach. At one point Michael laughed and said, "At this rate, our house is turning into a heart factory."

Across the cardboard, a flower appeared in thick red crayon. The petals spread wide and nearly filled the entire space.

Under the drawing, a row of uneven block letters had been written by a child's hand. "R_S_."

My breathing stopped for a moment.

It was a word puzzle.

Lily and I were the only two people who understood those little games.

Memories rose up all at once. Many nights passed like that in our bedroom. Warm light filled the room while Lily curled against me in her star patterned pajamas. The scent of her bath still lingered in her hair.

I would whisper small riddles to her. She would lift her head, think for a second, and then shout the answer with bright excitement before earning a kiss on her forehead.

"Mama, give me another one!" she would beg while gripping the corner of my shirt. "Make the next one harder!"

Whenever she said that, I would pull her into a hug. My heart always filled with pride. Lily was quick, thoughtful, and curious.

But now... Where was she?

My fingers tightened around the small piece of cardboard.

The red crayon looked slightly faded. It clearly wasn't something she had drawn recently.

When did she hide this inside the puzzle box? Did she write it when she felt scared? Or when she missed me?

Two letters were missing from the word. The second and fourth spaces remained blank.

"ROSE?"

The answer appeared in my mind without warning. Another memory followed right after. The last time I walked Lily to her preschool.

She held hands with a blonde girl while they ran up to me. "Mama," Lily said happily, "this is my new friend, Rose Lloyd! She shares cookies with me, and she draws really pretty flowers!"

Rose raised her hand and waved at me. Lily stood beside her and quickly showed me what they had made together. She held up two drawings done with crayons. Each drawing showed a flower. One flower was red, and the other one was yellow.

Rose spoke in a quiet voice. "Lily said you like flowers, so we drew some for you."

I crouched down and hugged both girls. Seeing Lily make a friend brought warmth to my heart. Even with everything happening in my life, moments like that made me happy.

So the missing word could be "ROSE."

That thought cut through the darkness in my heart.

Lily had been trying to leave me a message.

Perhaps she sensed danger coming. Within the limits of what she could do, she used the puzzle language we shared to leave me a clue.

She believed I would come back and understand.

My vision blurred with tears.

Suddenly I sat up, and my heart began racing.

Cold anger and grief rushed through me. My body began to tremble.

That night, I barely slept.

Outside the window, the sky slowly changed from black to blue and then to the pale light of dawn.

Birds began to chirp in the distance. A new day had arrived. A new day in a world without Lily.

I stood up and walked to the window. The fountain outside caught the morning light, and the gardener was already working.

Everything outside looked calm. Inside me, nothing was calm.

When I looked in the mirror, the face staring back felt unfamiliar. My eyes were red and swollen. My face looked pale, and shadows lay beneath my eyes.

When I went downstairs, Bale was already eating breakfast in the dining room.

Elegant silverware lined the long table, and the smell of fruit and toasted bread filled the room.

Across from me sat Bale. A crisp shirt and wool vest gave him the calm appearance of a father.

He lowered his newspaper and studied my face. "Good morning, Anna," he said. "You didn't sleep much last night, did you?"

I took the seat opposite him. A maid stepped forward and placed hot coffee and breakfast in front of me.

"My daughter left something behind," I said, my voice rough from the sleepless night. "I found a cardboard piece from her puzzle box. It points to a girl named Rose, a friend from her preschool. I want to go to the preschool today."

Approval showed in Bale's eyes as he listened. "You noticed the clue quickly," he said. "Lily's death hasn't crushed you. It seems to have given you strength instead." After a short pause, he continued, "Should I arrange a car for you? Or would you like someone to go with you?"

"I think it would be better if someone came with me," I answered honestly. "If I go by myself, I might lose control of my emotions. It could draw attention."

"That can be arranged." Bale wiped his mouth with a napkin and pressed the bell beside the dining table. A few minutes later, a woman in her early thirties entered the room. Her suit fit neatly, and her manner was calm and efficient.

Bale spoke first. "Katherine, this is Anna Brown." Then he looked toward me. "Anna, this is Katherine Morris, my assistant. She will go with you today and help with anything you need."

Katherine greeted me with a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you, Anna. Mr. Smith already explained your situation to me. I will do everything I can to assist you."

Her eyes held no pity. What I saw instead was respect and understanding.

A small sense of relief settled in me.

By nine that morning, Katherine had already brought the car around. She drove a black sedan and took me toward Sunshine Preschool.

The vehicle moved through the streets of Kregan at a steady pace. Christmas had already spread across the city. Store windows displayed decorations. Strings of colored lights stretched across the streets. People walked past carrying shopping bags, their faces bright with holiday excitement.

Each scene struck my heart painfully.

Last year around this same time, I made a Christmas card for Lily while I was still in prison.

On that card I drew a Christmas tree. I also drew the three of us together. Beneath the picture I wrote a long message about how much I missed her.

Even now, I still didn't know whether she ever received it. Michael never said a word about that card.

Katherine's voice broke the silence. She glanced at me through the rearview mirror. "Are you holding up alright?"

My eyes remained fixed on the streets outside.

"I keep wondering about Lily's Christmas last year," I said quietly. "Did she have a tree? Did she open any presents? Did anyone read The Night Before Christmas to her?"

For a moment, Katherine didn't respond.

Then she spoke in a calm voice. "When you find out what really happened, you'll be able to do something for her. You can honor her in your own way."