A loud bang echoed through the house, followed by a sharp, piercing scream. Moments later, the thunder of footsteps pounded against the wooden floor as a young girl—barefooted and barely ten years old—bolted out of her room, her breath catching in her throat.
The shouting and all the crashing sounds had suddenly gone silent.
Lin Hye Ji had been strictly warned by her mother to stay in her room, to never step in when they were arguing. But the terrified scream that rang out moments ago shattered her resolve. Something was terribly wrong.
Terror gripped her face—eyes wide and shimmering with tears, mouth slightly agape in disbelief, her small hands trembling at her sides. Her heart thudded violently in her chest as she reached the top of the staircase and looked down.
The scene below was something no child should ever witness.
Her father stood frozen, breath ragged, a jagged piece of a shattered vase clutched tightly in his hand. His face was pale with horror—eyebrows furrowed deeply, jaw slack, eyes darting from the bloodied figure at his feet to his own shaking hands as though trying to convince himself this wasn't real. Disbelief and panic twisted across his expression, as if time itself had stopped and left him trapped in the aftermath of a nightmare.
And there—on the floor—lay her mother, crumpled in a pool of her own blood. Her chest rose and fell shallowly, her hand weakly stretching toward her husband, fingers trembling. Her eyes, once so full of warmth, were now glassy with pain and desperation.
Without a second thought, Lin Hye Ji's small frame darted down the stairs, her sobs catching in her throat as she cried, "Mom!"
She dropped to her knees beside her mother, grabbing her outstretched hand, her body shaking with panic.
"Mom... Mom," Linda Hye Ji choked through her tears. "Mom, please get up... Don't leave Jiji alone, I'm begging you."
She turned desperately to her father. "Dad, please—send Mom to the hospital. Now!"
Mr. Lin stood frozen, shock paralyzing him. His eyes were wide, unblinking.
"Yes... Yes, the hospital," he finally muttered, as if waking from a trance. "Call the ambulance, immediately!"
He dropped the bloodied shard of glass he had been holding, the clink of it against the floor sharp in the stillness. Then he turned to the housekeeper nearby. "Call the ambulance, now!"
"Don't call the ambulance yet."
A sharp, piercing voice cut through the room like a knife.
It was only then that Hye Ji noticed the woman standing beside her father. She had seen her before—at events, in passing—but never up close. Never like this.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Lin asked, hesitantly, his voice uncertain.
The woman stepped forward, her expression cold and calculating.
"Think it through," she said, her voice low but urgent. "If you send her to the hospital and she survives, she'll talk. She could sue. And you—you could be charged."
It was only then that Hye Ji noticed the woman standing beside her father. She had seen her before—at events, in passing—but never up close. Never like this.
"What do you mean?" Mr. Lin asked, hesitantly, his voice uncertain.
The woman stepped forward, her hidden expression cold and calculating.
"Think it through,honey" she said, her voice low and sweet but urgent. "If you send her to the hospital and she survives the fall, she'll talk. She could sue to court. And you—you could be charged For attempted murder "the woman said in a rush before taking a deep breath" by the time you are out of prison, our little Li and little Hoa will already be calling someone else dad. Honey"she pulled Mr lins hand, while Mr Lin frowned on hearing that his children will call someone else dad "by then she and her children are going to take over the house, campany and properties leaving you with nothing to fend for yourself"
While she gently whispered this to him, Mr lin, had already materialised the image in his head
"so, what should I do then?"he panicked
"delay calling the ambulance, like they say, the dead tell no tales" the woman concluded with an evil grin
"you monster" Lin Hye Ji shrieked in disbelief as she rushed at the woman as she bites on her right hand and kicks and pinched her at the same time. The woman screamed in pain as Mr Lin pulled and pushed Lin Hye Ji off and roared at her
What's wrong with you Hye Ji? What's with the biting and kicking? "Mr Lin Was furious
" Dad I'm begging you, please send mom to the hospital " Lin Hye Ji knelt by her father crawling after him and pulling on his pants please dad, mom can't die"
"why can't she die?" Mr Kim roared trying to cover his panicks"she should die, do you know why?
LIN Hye Ji shook her head in grievancees as she cried loudly. She just didn't know why everything went upside down. Her father who once loved her mother wants her dead. Her father who once didn't want her sad didn't even care that's she was wailing so hard
"Your mother found out that I had an affair and had kids outside, she filed for a divorce. Why didn't she just ask for divorce and go peacefully, she wanted to announce me to the world as a cheat, she wants to split the properties. She a gold digger from the country side dares to eye my things. So she deserves to die, only if she dies will everything still be mine. Do you understand now little Ji? "
Mr LIN Roared more loudly. Lin Hye Ji retreats in disbelief as she watched the madness in her father's eyes. She crawled to her mother and held her hands in tears