Pablo was inherently biased towards males over females, believing that it was Juan, the mute, who turned his beloved son into a girl.
As a result, he grew more and more displeased with this adoptive son, reluctantly raising him from the age of one to six.
His mistakes at work led to his dismissal from the company, adding to the stress of middle-aged unemployment and fueling his irritable temper.
One night, in a drunken stupor, when Juan stood at the door to let him in, Pablo, unable to steady himself, stumbled and burned his leg on a nearby stove.
In a fit of rage, he kicked the child into the corner, and while spending half a month in the hospital, Pablo found his pockets stretched thin.
It was then that he conceived the idea of killing his adoptive son.
Aware of the illegality of murder, he began to spread rumors about the child’s mischievous nature, accusing Juan of stealing money and sabotaging his drinks with salt.
Poor Juan, a mere six-year-old and unable to speak for himself as a mute, was gradually painted as a miscreant by everyone around him.
With the backing of public opinion, Pablo’s courage swelled.
Under the cover of night, while everyone slept, he fed the child sleeping pills and locked him in the drain behind the building.
The back of their house bordered a mountain, part of which had been blasted away during construction, leaving behind a neglected drain choked with filth.
The place was a breeding ground for sewage, fallen branches, and occasional snake skins and dead rats…
Pablo’s wife, Hailee, timid and from a rural background, worked as a cleaner, earning a meager salary of only 3000 a month.
When her husband had a job, the family managed, but after his unemployment, her wages barely covered the rent, let alone living expenses.
Their daughter was about to start kindergarten, adding to their financial burden.
The couple often quarreled over the issue of the adopted son’s fate, and in fits of anger, Pablo would sometimes turn violent towards Hailee too.
After several beatings, Hailee grew fearful of her husband.
For the sake of their daughter, she lacked the courage to divorce him; having borne a child in her forties, she didn’t know how she would cope alone.
So she endured.
Unable to witness the adopted son she had nurtured for five years lying near death, Hailee secretly had their daughter throw bread out of the kitchen window.
This allowed Juan to cling to life for another week, until he was discovered and ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
In court, Pablo brazenly claimed the child died of natural causes, unconnected to him, until Hailee’s guilty conscience compelled her to reveal the truth.
Omari, as Juan’s defense lawyer, fought a valiant battle in court, and ultimately, Pablo was convicted of “child abuse resulting in death” and sentenced to seven years in prison.
It was not that Omari didn’t want the demon to face the death penalty; the legal system in Chulae simply operated that way.
Without Omari, Pablo might have walked free in just two years through his connections.
This outcome clearly left Omari dissatisfied; a six-year-old child barely glimpsed the complexities of the world before his brief life was brutally cut short.
And in such a cruel manner, departing from this world!
“Just when everyone thought this matter had come to a close, little did they know that behind this domestic violence case lay an even greater conspiracy – human trafficking!”
“Mr. Lara found the phone number of the person who sold the child in Pablo’s contact list. Out of curiosity, he called and found out that the person was just a middleman, and there were over fifty children like Juan.”
“He became anxious right away and insisted on continuing the investigation despite my attempts to persuade him otherwise.”
Initially, Noe thought that this matter was filled with unknown risks and disagreed with his decision to investigate. However, Omari, who was usually lazy, insisted on getting to the bottom of it.
“Fortunately, he didn’t choose to go solo but collaborated with the police, particularly Mr. Murillo.”
“Gordon.”
Of course, Kelvin knew Gordon. A few years ago, he and Cheyenne uncovered the conspiracy of the Lucas family together. Because of this, Gordon was promoted directly from a local position to the head of the capital authority.
“Mr. Kirkland, do you happen to know the address of the Hood residence? I want to meet them and maybe find some clues.”
“Well…”
It’s not that Noe didn’t want to provide him with the information, but he simply felt that Mr. Lara and Mr. Murillo had already asked, so what more could Kelvin possibly find out?
However, seeing Kelvin’s determination, he cooperated and provided all the available information.
“Here is everything about the Juan case, Mr. Foley. Take your time to look through it.”
“Thank you.”
Noe didn’t disturb him any further. Seeing that Kelvin had things to attend to, he quietly left the VIP room.
Akloit Hospital.
Time passed minute by minute, and the sun gradually moved from its zenith towards the west. A strand of golden-red sunset shone on Glenn.
Yet, he couldn’t feel an ounce of warmth.
Looking up at the emergency room door, as the red light gradually went out, his silent yet tense heart finally stirred slightly.
Click-
The closed door slowly opened within his field of vision.
Master Glenn just woke up and approached to inquire about the situation inside, only to realize that he had been standing for too long, and his legs had already become numb.
He almost stumbled with that slight movement, but luckily he managed to grab onto the nearby wall in time.
Cheyenne walked out from behind the door, dressed in surgical attire. After an entire afternoon of intense work, she was covered in sweat. As soon as she stepped out of the emergency room doors, she took off her cap to catch some fresh air.
“Miss Lawrence, how is my wife… How is she doing?” Master Glenn anxiously asked.
Cheyenne raised her eyes and glanced at him. “She is temporarily out of danger, but because her injury is in her brain, I can’t say whether there will be any aftereffects.”
“We’ll conduct a brain CT scan on Kate once her condition stabilizes.”
“As long as she’s okay…”
God knows that he rushed from the company and felt his heart tearing apart when he saw Kate lying in the hospital bed covered in blood.
When Cheyenne saw Master Glenn’s face, she became a little angry and didn’t give him a friendly expression. She snorted.
“As a husband, you can’t even protect your own wife and child. You’re simply useless!”
“When Kate’s condition was critical just now, your aunt delayed me from performing surgery, clearly not having good intentions.”
“I was frightened this time too. If it had been five minutes later, I’m afraid it would have been a double tragedy.”
…
Master Glenn didn’t quite catch the first half of the sentence, but when he heard “double tragedy,” he froze in place.
“Wha… What did you say?”
Cheyenne became even angrier. “What else? She’s pregnant, already two months!”