Chapter 9

Valda scrambled to her phone, blood smearing the camera lens. “See this? The abuser protecting his whore!”

“Two predators ganging up on the victim! Justice for survivors!”

Antonio’s sanity snapped.

He pounced, smashing her iPhone against the tile.

The slap echoed through Terminal 3.

Valda, unsteady on her feet and unable to withstand Antonio’s strength, fell to the ground.

Blood immediately pooled beneath her.

The scene mirrored my own past experiences unfolding on her.

Her cries of anger and desperation soon turned into shrill pleas for help.

But Antonio didn’t stop.

With bloodshot eyes, he straddled her and continued to strike her face, screaming that everything he had now was thanks to her.

I reached out to stop him but was pushed to the ground.

His eyes were filled with nothing but hatred.

Passersby, sensing the situation was amiss, promptly took out their phones to call the police.

The police arrived before the ambulance and restrained Antonio, who was still out of control and hitting Valda, taking him to the station.

I had to give a statement as well.

After confirming I had no connection to the incident, I was released.

Before leaving, I repeatedly asked the police to ensure the investigation results would be made public online. I then changed my flight ticket and took a taxi to the airport.

As soon as I landed, I threw myself into work.

My boss, hearing about the incident in the news, offered to let me take a leave to adjust, but I declined.

Work was where I could truly be myself.

Now, unencumbered by family, I could finally relax.

Chad called me several times to inquire about my well–being.

We tacitly avoided mentioning previous events.

He said he had started a new company, which was in its early stages. With his past experience, it wasn’t as hard as before.

I nodded in agreement, as this was something I had heard from my friends before.

After parting ways with Antonio, his former partners had all turned to Chad’s new company.

Chad’s character was well–known.

More importantly, he had always been on good terms with his wife, which indirectly showed he could adhere to his principles.

After hanging up, I felt a sense of disconnection from another world.

A week later, I came across news about Antonio and Valda again.