The doctor lingered for a minute, an expression of temptation and indecisiveness etched across his face. “Come on, take it. This might be the easiest huge money you have ever made in your life,” Clara urged. The doctor hesitated for a few more seconds, then shook his head slowly, “I am sorry but I can’t accept the money. If anyone finds out about this, I am going to be in a lot of trouble. They are going to seize my license and I will lose my job,” he retorted.“You don’t need to worry about being discovered, doctor,” Adrian pressed on. “Only the four of us know that Abigail was actually not raped. And we plan to keep it that way”. Adrian sighed and reached into his other pocket, then pulled out another envelope. “I knew you would play hard to get, that is why I brought more. Take this, this is another $40,000. That is more than your annually salary. Is this enough to change your mind”. The doctor gulped, giving the money a side eye. “Are you sure no one will find out about this?

She stared at both of them, eyes wide, chest rising and falling rapidly. “What… what are you talking about?” she asked, her voice trembling with disbelief. “I was raped! I’m the victim here! And you’re saying things like that to me?”Her father’s jaw tightened.“Shut up.” His voice was low, but it carried a dangerous edge.Abigail blinked. “Dad?”“I said shut. Up.” This time he barked it.She flinched.For the first time in her life, she saw something in her father’s eyes that terrified her. It was a mixture of fear and rage.Abigail swallowed. “You’re acting like you don’t even care that I was assaulted,” she said, her tone rising in frustration. “Do you think I would lie about something like that?”Her mother let out a sharp, humorless laugh.“Lie?” she repeated bitterly, shaking her head in disdain. “You think we don’t know the truth?”Abigail’s brows furrowed. “What truth?”Her father stepped closer to the bed. His polished shoes clicked against the tiled floor. He bent slightly,

The inspector’s eyes were still blazing from Abigail’s confession when the officer at the door cleared his throat.“Ma’am, someone sent a package for you.”Inspector Halton turned sharply. “Who sent it?”The young officer shifted uneasily. “They didn’t say, ma’am. A delivery guy just brought it to me at the front desk. No name. No return address.”Her jaw tightened. “Bring it.”He stepped forward and placed a small brown envelope on her desk. Unlike delivery packages, this envelope had no markings. No sender’s informations. The only write up on it was, ‘To Inspector Halton’The Inspector glared at it suspiciously.Abigail was still kneeling on the floor, her parents standing stiffly behind her. Everyone’s eyes drifted to the envelope as though it were something alive.Inspector Halton lingered for a few seconds, then tore it open. Several glossy photographs slid out onto the desk. They were five photos in total.Her brows furrowed as she picked up the first one. The picture showed Of

***In a well-lit studio where the lights were blinding, cameras hovered on silent tracks, red recording lights blinking steadily, while producers whispered into headsets behind the scenes.Across the glossy glass table sat Adrian and Clara, facing the biggest broadcaster in the country— Paul Langton.The broadcast was live and over ten million viewers were tuned in. Which was thirty five percent of the country’s overall population.Paul leaned forward slightly towards the camera, his voice calm and controlled from years of experience.“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for staying with us. Today, our guest are two individuals who have come forward to speak on behalf of a young woman who is a recent victim of brutal assault.”He turned to Adrian and Clara.“Adrian. Clara. First, thank you for coming despite the emotional weight of everything that has happened.”Adrian lowered his head, pretending to swallow grief. Clara dabbed the corner of her eye with a white handkerchie

The police station was unusually loud that evening. Not chaotic but tense.Two officers stood behind the booking desk, taking in information and preparing the paperwork. “Name, age and residential address?” One of the officers asked.Adrian did not answer. He acted as if he was not the one the officer was talking to. “I said give me your name, age and residential address?” The officer asked again. Adrian smirked disdainfully and responded in a casual tone, “This is unnecessary. What is the essence of giving you my details when I will soon be leaving here?”Across the room, Clara stood in front of a camera. On the wall behind her, there was a height chart on it.“Remove your shoes and stand straight so that I can get your mugshot,” an officer instructed flatly.Clara rolled her eyes. “I won’t remove my shoes for anybody. Do you even know who I am?”The officer didn’t respond. He simply walked into Inspector Halton’s office and a minute later, the inspector followed him back to the b