The place next door was swarming with folks; cop cars and ambulances were everywhere; it was a madhouse. Aimee was itching to go over and inquire, but Vincent put a halt to it. "There's nothing worth seeing; let's go."

She ended up taking Vincent home, but before they could enter, Nina stopped him at the door, aimed a water gun at him. "Bad guy! I don't want you in my house! Go away! Go away!"

Aimee quickly moved to stop him, but was unexpectedly splattered with paint by Nina. In a fit of anger, she swiftly took hold of Nina's collar and forcefully pulled her indoors. "Nina! If I don't teach you a lesson right now, I'm not worthy of being your mother!"

She locked Nina in the storage room, ignoring her pleas and cries.

"Mom, please, don't lock me in here. I'm afraid of the dark; mom, please..."

Aimee deliberately provoked her. "Now you know you were wrong? It's all because of Miles spoiling you! Useless! I won't let you out!"

I floated in front of Aimee and yelled, "How dare you! Nina has claustrophobia! Are you trying to kill her?"

If she had put a little effort into Nina, she would have found out that Nina has severe claustrophobia and can't stand such a dark environment!

But she didn't. She doesn't like me, and she dislikes our daughter as well.

I clenched and unclenched my fists, finally dropping them.

I can't help Nina anymore.

I could only stay by Nina's side, comforting her over and over again that it was okay.

Creak - the door was opened.

Light streamed in through the crack in the door; a tall figure slowly shortened along the light and shadow, standing in front of Nina.

I looked up; it was Vincent.

Why is he so kind, wanting to let Nina go?

The question was quickly answered; he wasn't here to let Nina go, but to humiliate an eight-year-old child while Aimee was taking a shower.

"Your parents are about to get divorced, do you know that?"

"I'll be moving in then. I'll be your new dad."

"So you better change your attitude, or I can't guarantee I'll treat you like Miles did!" Vincent lifted her chin, smiling arrogantly.

Nina slapped his hand away, hitting and kicking him. "You're lying! You're a liar! I don't believe you! Go away! Bad guy!"

Aimee just came out. Vincent feigned a sudden collapse and teary eyes as he gazed at her. He struggled to speak, saying, "I only wanted to set her free, but I never imagined she would despise me."

Aimee rushed over without a word and slapped Nina. "Nina! What's wrong with you? How dare you hit Mr. Walker? Do you know--"

"I hate you! I hate you all!" Nina covered her face and looked up at her, her tear-filled eyes full of resentment.

Vincent, having taken advantage, wanted to push it further. "Aimee, I'm sorry... It's all my fault. I made you and your daughter fight like this."

Aimee helped him back to the room. She was softly comforting him. "It's okay. It's all because of Miles spoiling her. Just leave her alone."

She sat down by the bed, sighed, and raised her hand to rub her temples.

Vincent looked worried, walked over, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you having a headache again? I'll find some medicine and rub it for you."

He rummaged through the counter. Finally, his gaze darkened and settled on the crystal ball in the corner.

I had a bad feeling and wanted to float over and stop him, but I was powerless.

His finger flicked lightly, and in the next moment, the sound of shattering glass echoed from the floor.

The crystal ball was smashed...

Aimee heard the noise and hurried over. Vincent still used his usual trick. "I'm sorry Aimee, I didn't hold it properly. I smashed it. You won't blame me, will you..."

Aimee didn't even look at the thing on the ground, as she hastily grabbed his hand. "Vincent, are you hurt? Is your hand okay?"

Vincent shook his head. "I'm fine, it's just this..."

Aimee pulled him away a bit, her tone without emotion. "It doesn't matter; it's just a useless thing. If it's broken, just let it be."

A useless thing... if it's broken, just let it be...

I squatted on the ground, staring at the pile of broken glass in a daze.

I am an orphan who lost my parents when I was very young.

After my parents died, I was sent to my uncle's house, which was the darkest time of my life.

At that time, I met a lively and cheerful little girl who lived across the street from me.

Because of my parents' issues, I closed off my inner self.

She just came in and asked me to join in, to be the mom and dad in their make-believe games.

She once told me, "Miles, you're really nice. I will definitely marry you when I grow up!"

This girl was none other than Aimee.

But as she grew up, she forgot all about the past and was indifferent to me.

As soon as she got into university, she fell in love at first sight with Vincent in the same major and pursued him relentlessly.

However, Vincent kept her hanging, and despite my numerous warnings that Vincent was not a good person, she accused me of begrudging her happiness and gradually distanced herself from me.

I no longer hoped that she would see my love for her, but instead hid behind her, silently watching her.

As long as she was happy and content, that was enough.

I was ready to let go of everything and move on.

However, she appeared in front of me with a gift, handing it over somewhat awkwardly.

I accepted the gift, and inside was a snow globe, with cartoon figures of a bride and groom standing in the middle.

I was about to open it when I heard Aimee sobbing.

"Miles, will you... will you marry me..."

This was the first and only gift she ever gave me, and I cherished it deeply.

No matter how many times I moved, I always kept it safe and intact.

Eight years have passed in the blink of an eye. Aimee probably has completely forgotten about it.

The thing I treasured so much was deliberately destroyed by Vincent and thrown into the trash by Nora, along with my sincere heart.

I stood there, stunned.

When I came back to my senses, a thought suddenly popped into my head.

It seemed like there was no reason for me to continue loving her.

Aimee proposed that they go for a stroll with Katie, Nina's golden retriever, in an effort to repair their mother-daughter bond.

Aimee, distracted, was leading Katie, worrying about how to apologize to Nina.

It turned out she knew she had gone too far last night.

Before she could speak, Katie started barking furiously at a hidden patch of grass, insisting on going there.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, and the sky turned dark.

They were all scared by Katie's unusual behavior.

Aimee seemed to have thought of something, she handed the leash to Nina and instructed her. "Nina, stay away. Don't come near here!"

Then she slowly parted the weeds and walked step by step towards the place where Katie was barking.

Aimee's figure gradually disappeared from Nina's view, and a few minutes later, a sharp scream rang out.

I drifted over to take a peek; partially buried in the earth, partially intentionally revealed, was a human appendage, my own appendage.

Hearing Aimee's scream, Nina panicked and ran over with Katie. "Mom! Mom!"

Aimee was dry heaving on the side and seeing Nina coming; she quickly tried to stop her. "Don't come over! Go away! Don't look!"

But Nina saw it anyway. The brown limb was just swaying in the wind, the end all exposed, and she could see the dried blood and broken bones.

The key point was that she also saw the beaded bracelet hanging on the limb.

As soon as Katie got close, her barking became even more fierce. I knew she recognized me.

But I didn't expect Nina to recognize me too. "Dad! Is this dad?!"

She rushed over to grab the bracelet, but Aimee slapped her hand away and dragged her and Katie away. "Nina! What are you shouting about?! How could that disgusting thing possibly be your dad?!"

The police and Vincent arrived quickly, and the police quickly cordoned off the area.

Vincent held the shocked Aimee in his arms; a police officer walked over, glanced at them, and said, "Ms. Joe, you were the first to discover this, correct?"

Aimee nodded, and the officer spoke again, "Alright, similar body parts have been found buried in several nearby neighborhoods recently. We've compared them and they belong to the same person. We suspect that a heinous criminal has been killing and dismembering people, then maliciously dumping the bodies in populated areas. You all need to be careful, especially with children."

The recently released criminal brutally murdered me in an alley near my home, then horrifically dismembered my body.

He boldly scattered pieces of me in different neighborhoods, intentionally burying them close to the surface, anticipating their eventual discovery and announcing my untimely demise to the public.

It's clear that this disgusting criminal isn't afraid of getting caught. He seems to be flaunting the fact that he killed me.

Vincent thanked the officer and walked home with her.

Nina had been sent home earlier. When she heard the door unlock, she rushed out to confront her mother. "Mom! That's my dad! Why won't you let me acknowledge him? I made that bracelet and gave it to dad! I couldn't possibly be mistaken! That's my dad!"

Nina's agitation grew as she expressed her desire to search for me. "I need to find dad! You all don't care for him, but I only need him! If you won't search for him, I will!"

Slap—

A crisp slap landed on Nina's face. Aimee had hit her once again.

She couldn't stop shaking, her hands were shaking really bad, and she had this blank look on her face, but she just kept shaking her head.

She gripped Nina's shoulders tightly. "You shut up! This is impossible! Don't go crazy on me! Even if that man is Miles, he's not your father! Do you hear me clearly?!"