Olivia was holding the kitten named Sarah, while William sat next to her, leisurely sipping red wine and looking at them lovingly.

They appeared blissfully romantic at that moment.

I hurriedly walked in, sweat soaking my clothes and making me look quite disheveled.

I walked up to William and grabbed his sleeve. “William, come with me quickly! Your daughter has been in a car accident, and only you can save her!”

The eyes of everyone in the restaurant turned toward us, and William seemed quite embarrassed.

He shook off my hand, his eyes bloodshot with anger. “Ava, what kind of trick are you playing? You actually found me here? Do you think you can control me with this petty scheme? I absolutely hate you for this!”

“William, why would I curse our daughter just to control you? What I’m saying is true! Please, come with me and see for yourself!”

Tears streamed down my face as I trembled with anxiety.

But William still looked at me with disbelief. “It’s impossible! Sophia texted me this afternoon saying she was already home. There’s no way something could have happened. You must be lying.”

“You know Sophia is always considerate. She must have told you she was home early to avoid worrying you. But let me ask you this! You said you were taking our daughter to the amusement park, but how did you end up abandoning her and staying with Olivia?”

“Are you questioning me? Can’t you stop acting like a shrew? Mind your manners.”

As I was feeling helpless and anxious, Olivia, pretending to be graceful, pulled me aside.

“Ava, please stop making a scene. It’s my fault. This afternoon, my kitten Sarah went missing. I didn’t know what to do, so I had William help me look for her. Next time, I’ll make sure to get your approval first.”

“Olivia, you don’t need to apologize to her. Where I go and what I do is my business, and I don’t need to report to her!”

My anger flared. My daughter was dying, and they were discussing irrelevant nonsense.

I wanted to explode, but thinking of Sophia suffering on the hospital bed, I could only suppress my grievances and kneel to plead with William.

“William, I’m begging you to come back to the hospital to treat Sophia! You know I would never lie! Just call the hospital, and you’ll see!”

William hesitated but took the phone. The next moment, Olivia’s kitten let out a piercing scream and wail.

Olivia, with a face full of terror and concern, picked up the kitten.

“William, take me and Sarah to the vet! She must have been traumatized when she went missing!”

William looked conflicted, but seeing Olivia’s pleading face, he quickly agreed.

He anxiously picked up Sarah and drove away, leaving me alone to be mocked by the restaurant patrons.

“This woman is truly disgraceful! She can’t control her man and resorts to lying about her child!”

“Honey, promise me you’ll never be like her!”

“Don’t worry, I despise this kind of woman the most.”

Amid the ridicule, a waiter threw me out of the restaurant. Desperate, I drove back to the hospital to be with my daughter.

At that moment, I felt as helpless as someone lost at sea without a life raft.

The phone rang—it was the hospital doctor.

“Your daughter didn’t make it. She just passed away. We did everything we could...”

I sobbed uncontrollably, hysterical, “What? Why did this happen to her? She was only ten years old! Her life was just beginning!”

“I’m sorry... Without timely surgery, the pain was too much. She died in agony...”

I felt a coldness seep into my bones, making it hard to endure.

I rushed to the hospital in a state of disarray, only to find my daughter’s lifeless body covered in injuries.

She lay there, still and small, covered in wounds, no longer resembling the girl she once was. I couldn’t bear to imagine the pain she endured before her death.

I tried to call her name as I usually did, but this time she did not respond. To be precise, she would never respond again.

She clutched something in her hand. Gently, I opened it to find a bloodstained stuffed bear keychain.

I remembered she once said she thought her father was like a cute stuffed bear, so she saved her pocket money to buy such a gift for him.

Yet now, her beloved father was with another woman, tending to a stressed kitten…

I couldn't hold back any longer and collapsed, crying over her body. "Sophia, it's Mommy’s fault. You were so good, but I failed to protect you."

I remembered how Sophia always wanted to see the ocean with us, but I kept postponing it due to work.

Now, Sophia would never get to see it with us.

The crushing guilt was overwhelming, making it hard for me to breathe.

After Sophia’s death, I took her ashes to the seaside, speaking to her as if she were still alive.

Sometimes, I imagined seeing her dance proudly in front of me. "Mommy, look! I’ve practiced dancing well and haven’t let you and Daddy down!"

But in an instant, she was gone, leaving only the howling sea wind.

William disappeared for a week, and I didn’t even bother trying to contact him.

After returning from the seaside, I lay at home clutching my daughter’s cold urn.

I remembered my daughter’s warm smile, her sunny face. Now, only the cold, empty house remained.

The police called, saying there were no cameras in the area, so they couldn’t find the driver who hit her.

I remembered the string of numbers she kept drawing in her hospital bed and handed the clue to the police.

"Sweetheart, Mommy will get justice for you!"