The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 17

Sean set the porridge on the table, unable to hold back his question.

"Joanna, why did you go up the mountain?"

He had always found her fall from the cliff suspicious. Joanna rarely went out—how could she have slipped and fallen without reason?

Joanna pressed her lips together.

"Aunt Lin asked me to pick mushrooms. She pushed me."

"What?"

Sean was furious, but doubt crept in. He had little interaction with Aunt Lin, and Joanna was kind to everyone. Why would Aunt Lin do such a thing?

Seeing the sorrow in Joanna's eyes, he softened.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure justice is served."

Sean began investigating and discovered Aunt Lin had acted strangely around the time of the incident. After Joanna's fall, Aunt Lin's family suddenly prospered—sending her child to a city school and buying new clothes.

Sean reported it to the police. Under pressure, Aunt Lin broke down and confessed.

Someone had paid her to stage an "accident" when Joanna passed the cliff. But when asked who, Aunt Lin clammed up, claiming she only took the money and knew nothing else.

The police hauled the wailing woman away, but the mastermind remained a mystery.

The village chief quietly informed Ryan.

Who in this world could hate Joanna so much?

Ryan didn't need to think long. Within two days, his assistant placed Crystal's transaction records on his desk.

A glaring $100,000 burned his eyes.

The assistant continued, "Mr. Bennett, over the years, Miss Lynn has transferred millions to an account. We traced it..." He hesitated.

"It belongs to your childhood 'friend.' That so-called 'life-saving favor' years ago? A carefully staged scam. She hired him to push you into the water, then 'saved' you."

"And the child... is his."

Ryan's gaze turned icy.

All this time, he'd held onto misplaced mercy, even considered sparing her. What a joke.

When Crystal was brought before him, she still wore a faint smile.

"Ryan, what brings you here?"

His voice was glacial as he flung the evidence in her face.

Crystal, now visibly pregnant, paled. Even as the truth unraveled, she refused to surrender. Clutching her stomach, she feigned pain and sank to her knees.

"Ryan... I think I'm going into labor..."

His reply was razor-sharp.

"Oh? A drug addict's bastard?"

Her cries cut off abruptly. She stared up in shock.

Ryan's dark eyes held no mercy.

"Filth like that doesn't deserve to exist."

With that, he kicked her stomach—hard.

Crystal screamed, collapsing as blood pooled beneath her. Horror dawned as she realized the man before her was the ruthless king of the business world.

The pain worsened. The blood kept spreading.

"Ryan... p-please... help me..." Her voice was weak, her eyes desperate.

He smirked, cold and cruel.

"This is just the beginning, Crystal. I hope you live long enough to savor every bit of your punishment."