Seeing the image of his mother being pinned to the ground and screaming in agony, Silas felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

"Seraphina, the child is already dead. Must you force my mother to her death before you're satisfied?"

Seraphina looked at Silas’s bloodshot eyes with a calm expression.

"Silas, that depends on your choice!"

Just then, Silas’s phone rang—it was a call from a friend.

"Silas, your mother has developed severe post-traumatic stress and deep depression. The doctor says she cannot be subjected to any more stimulation!"

Listening to the voice on the other end, Silas’s hands slowly dropped to his sides. He nodded, completely broken.

"Fine. I agree. I will take full responsibility."

Hearing the answer she wanted, Seraphina finally stroked Silas’s hair with satisfaction.

"Silas, you're such a good boy."

As she spoke, a lawyer walked in with the divorce papers.

Silas took the agreement directly and handed it to Seraphina.

"Sign it. And the 50% shares you promised me."

Seraphina took the document without a second thought and signed her name.

The lawyer took the agreement and looked at Silas.

"Mr. Silas, once both parties sign, the contract will take effect in about thirty days."

Watching Silas interact with the lawyer, a flicker of panic inexplicably crossed Seraphina's heart, though she quickly suppressed it.

Chapter 3

Soon, Silas, still in his hospital gown, was brought to the scene of the clarification press conference.

Silas had stood in front of cameras more than once, but this time, he appeared in the public eye as the sinner who had caused his daughter's death.

"Hello everyone, I am Silas. It was my misjudgment that caused the bomb to accelerate its countdown. I am the one who killed my child!"

Silas clenched his palms tightly, letting his fingernails dig into his skin. The piercing pain felt like a knife cutting into his heart.

"Silas, you claimed to be a genius, yet you killed your own child. You aren't worthy of those accolades."

"What kind of 'genius' is that? I think he's just trash. He must have just been lucky to save so many people before."

"A person who killed his own child—who would ever let him perform a rescue again? Someone like him isn't fit to stay in the bomb disposal unit. Get out!"

The mountain of insults poured in like a tidal wave.

It turns out that falling from the altar into the abyss takes only a single moment.

Silas gritted his teeth, bearing the brunt of the groundless accusations alone.

Suddenly, an egg was hurled forcefully at him.

"Get down! Someone like you doesn't deserve to be in this world."

Sticky egg yolk dripped from his forehead, just like his ruined life.

Right then, Silas’s phone rang. It was his friend.

"Silas, it’s bad! Someone posted the video of your mother being humiliated online. She was traumatized, and now she’s threatening to jump off the building."

Silas felt a roar in his ears and stumbled out wildly.

"Seraphina, you promised! You said if I came out and took all the blame, you would let my mother go! Why did it turn into this?"

When Silas arrived at the hospital rooftop, the area below was already packed with onlookers, all mocking his mother.

"Jump already! I bet you're just putting on a show! A dignified university professor, and yet so promiscuous in private. You must have been lonely and went out to seduce other men, right?"

"Your son killed his own child, and you, his mother, have been sleeping around with multiple men. What 'Honorary Family,' I think it’s just a garbage family!"

Silas listened to the insults directed at his mother and himself. The anger in his heart felt like an erupting volcano, threatening to burn him to ash.

Yet his mother just sat quietly on the rooftop, like a ragdoll drained of its soul, ready to disappear from his sight at any moment.

"Mom, please come down! I’m begging you! I’ve already lost Sophie, I can’t lose you too."

His mother turned to look at Silas, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Silas, I’m sorry. If it weren't for saving me, you wouldn't have given up the chance to save Sophie. I’m the one who killed Sophie and ruined you. I’m a sinner; I don't deserve to live in this world."

His mother’s lifeless eyes were like knives, piercing Silas’s heart.

"Mom, everything will pass. Please trust me, okay? I’ll take you away, and we can start over, okay?"

But his mother slowly stood up and opened her arms.

"Silas, I’m going down to be with your father. I’m going to atone to Sophie!"

With those words, she leaped off without a second of hesitation.

Silas rushed forward like a madman.

"No!"

Watching his mother like a withered rose lying quietly in a pool of blood, Silas collapsed in total breakdown. Just as he was about to climb onto the ledge, a familiar figure held him tightly.

"Silas, your mother is already dead. You can't let anything happen to you too!"

Silas looked at Seraphina’s unfamiliar face and bit down hard on her arm.

"I have no family left. I have no family left at all!"

"Seraphina, why are you doing this to me?"

Chapter 4

Silas didn't know how he had managed to get back home. The moment he opened his eyes, he was tightly embraced by Seraphina.

"Silas, I'm sorry. The video was leaked accidentally; it was just an accident."

Silas pushed Seraphina away with a blank, emotionless expression.

"Seraphina, do you have any idea how much your flippant 'accident' has cost? It cost my mother her life."

Looking at Silas’s hateful gaze, Seraphina felt an inexplicable ache in her heart. She gripped Silas’s hand.

"Silas, don't worry. I will make sure Sophie and your mother are properly laid to rest."

The next day, Silas wanted to personally escort Sophie and his mother to their final resting place.

As soon as he walked downstairs, he saw Caspian sitting there holding a Pomeranian, eating.

As he got closer, Silas felt his scalp crawl, and his voice trembled.

"What are you feeding that dog?"

Caspian pointed to a white ceramic jar on the side, a smile curling on his lips: "Sister knew my dog was lacking calcium, so she specifically had the bones ground into powder to supplement it."

Seeing those two white urns, Silas felt like he was going insane!

He lunged forward, raising his hand to strike Caspian.

"Sophie and my mother are already dead because of you! Now you won't even let their ashes be?"

Just as Silas's palm was about to land, a force suddenly pushed him aside. Silas’s back slammed into the coffee table; the excruciating pain left his eyes bloodshot.

Seraphina, however, looked at him with cold, piercing eyes.

"Silas, I have tolerated you time and time again out of respect for your mother and Sophie's passing, yet I never expected you to go to such lengths to hurt Caspian?"

Silas pointed his trembling finger at the urn on the table, staring at Seraphina with blood-red eyes.

"Seraphina, look into my eyes and tell me, what is inside that jar?"

Caspian stood behind Seraphina, eyes filled with feigned grievance.

"Sister, I was just feeding my puppy in the living room. I don't know why brother-in-law went crazy and tried to hit me."

Seraphina held Caspian’s hand tenderly, looking at Silas with cold eyes.

"Caspian didn't know those urns contained the ashes of Sophie and your mother. But your physical aggression is wrong—apologize to Caspian immediately."

Silas clenched his fists, staring at Seraphina with stubborn despair.

"I am not the one who needs to apologize!"

Seraphina’s expression turned gloomy instantly, and she raised a hand gently behind her, carrying the irresistible authority of a superior.

"Since he refuses to admit his mistake, make him kneel outside. He stays there until he knows he’s wrong."

Two bodyguards immediately came up behind Silas and hoisted him up.

Silas looked at Seraphina in disbelief.

"Seraphina, you are forcing me to kneel and apologize for someone who caused the death of our daughter and my mother?"

Seraphina didn't spare Silas another glance, taking Caspian by the hand as they walked upstairs.

"I bought new toys for your puppy. Let's go take a look."

Silas watched Seraphina’s departing back, his heart plummeting into the deepest abyss.

The bodyguards dragged Silas to the doorway. Silas refused to kneel, so a bodyguard kicked him hard in the knee.

With a thud, Silas collapsed straight down onto his knees.

The early winter wind whipped coldly across every inch of Silas’s skin, yet he kept his spine straight, kneeling until dark.

Night fell, and the tightly shut doors finally opened. Caspian walked out, arm-in-arm with Seraphina.

Caspian held the Pomeranian and walked smilingly up to Silas, looking down at him from above.

"Brother-in-law, since you know how to disarm bombs, you should be a professional at setting off fireworks, right?"