Chapter 2
Eden clung to Felix's shirt, sobbing as she pleaded, "Felix, I'm begging you, let me out. Please! My dad is innocent!
"Are you just going to let him die for a crime he didn't commit? Have you forgotten why you became a judge? You said it was to make sure no good person ever suffers injustice."
Felix's face flickered with emotion for a moment, but no matter how desperately Eden begged, he still refused to let her go and deliver the evidence.
There was no time left.
Eden swiped at her tears and shot a look at the window.
She shot to her feet, bolted for the window, and without hesitation, jumped out.
A sharp, stabbing pain shot through her chest. After jumping from the third floor, Eden suspected her rib was broken.
But there was no time to hesitate. She was in so much pain she couldn't even get to her feet.
Even if she had to crawl, she'd drag herself all the way to the police station.
"Eden!" Felix shouted, panic written all over his face.
He rushed out, looking frantic, and scooped Eden up into his arms.
"I'm taking you to the hospital, Eden. Hang in there, I'm getting you to the hospital," he said urgently.
"No, I have to save my dad," Eden choked out, blood welling up at the corner of her mouth. She tried to push Felix away, but even the slightest movement caused searing pain. She was no match for him.
Felix hurriedly put her in the car. As they drove out of the compound and passed the place where the sentence was carried out, Eden was ready to throw herself out.
She took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. Suddenly, a gunshot cracked through the air.
Eden froze. Time itself felt like it stopped.
The only thought in her mind was, 'Dad's dead. I don't have a father anymore.'
Suddenly, Eden screamed, "Dad!"
Felix said flatly, "Your dad's dead. The dead don't come back, so just give it up. And stop trying to pin it on Casey's mom."
'Pin it on Casey's mom? But Maeve is the real killer! She was the one who messed up and killed Bradley's mistress by accident!' Eden screamed in her mind.'
Eden grabbed at her hair, her whole body trembling violently as she cried herself hoarse.
Her dad had always doted on her. He was the best father anyone could ask for.
She'd already found the evidence, but her dad still ended up dying because of a wrongful conviction from his own son-in-law.
Her dad must've been so unwilling to go, so worried about her, right up to his last breath.
Eden clutched her chest, and suddenly blood burst from her lips.
Crushed by grief, her body went limp, and everything faded to black.
Eden felt like she was lost in an endless nightmare.
Sometimes, she dreamed of the days when she secretly loved Felix, forced to watch in agony as he fell for Casey right in front of her.
Other times, she relived the moment Felix was kidnapped. Casey abandoned him and ran, but Eden threw herself into danger without a second thought to save him.
Then, she dreamed of her dad and Bradley meeting in a private room for business, only for Maeve to burst in. In a fit of emotion, she ended up killing the mistress by accident.
In the end, the echo of that gunshot was all that remained in Eden's dream.
"No!" Eden screamed, shooting awake.
Her heart raced wildly as she sat up and glanced around. She was in a hospital.
As soon as she remembered her dad was gone, and he'd died for something he didn't do, she broke down, sobbing her heart out.
She had no idea how long she'd been crying when someone gently patted the top of her head.
Eden looked up and saw Felix, his face full of heartache and concern.
But to her, it all felt fake. She jerked her head away, refusing to even look at him.
Felix sighed and said, "I know this is hard for you to accept, but you need to take care of yourself. I brought you some soup to help you recover."
No matter what Felix said, Eden refused to respond. She just kept ignoring him.
In the end, Felix left the soup by her bedside and walked out, feeling helpless.
Eden picked up the phone and called her lawyer. "Start working on my divorce plan."
After hanging up, Eden pushed through the pain and got out of bed as fast as she could. She had to make sure the evidence reached the right people.
There was no way she'd let her dad, who'd spent his whole life helping others, be labeled a rapist and a killer. And she sure as hell wasn't about to let the real murderer walk free.
As soon as Eden got off the elevator, she immediately spotted Casey and Maeve.
Just then, Casey caught sight of her too.
Casey walked over with Maeve, sizing Eden up with a smug grin. "I heard you made a scene at the police station. Too bad. What good did it do? From now on, you're just the daughter of a murderer."
Through clenched teeth, Eden glared at Casey. "Don't pretend you don't know who the real murderer is."
Casey smirked. "So what? Your dad's the one who's dead. From now on, whenever anyone mentions him, all they'll call him is a rapist and a killer. Everyone will say he got what he deserved. Honestly, he had it coming, especially for raising someone like you..."
Hearing Casey insult her father, Eden lost it. She slapped Casey hard across the face and yelled, "Your mom is the real killer! She's the one who deserves to die!"