They Cuffed Me, I Destroyed Their World

When Adele Sanchez's husband's intellectually disabled childhood sweetheart was misbehaving in the hospital, she accidentally pulled the oxygen tube out of Adele's son to use it for cat's cradle. Her son, Charlie Sanchez, immediately suffered hypoxia and went into shock and was rushed to the ER, his life hanging by a thread. Adele immediately called the police and pressed charges, only to be accused of spreading rumors and defamation and detained for ten days. Adele's husband, Xavier Sanchez, who held unchecked power in the medical community, merely looked at her coldly and said, "Dora Clark has the mental capacity of a three-year-old child. She doesn't know anything. Why are you so unforgiving toward her?" Adele's older brother, Henry Lambert, a criminal investigator, even personally put handcuffs on her and said, "Dora saved my life once. She really can't tell an oxygen tube from a string. Why do you always bully such an innocent girl?" Adele stared at the closest, most beloved people in her life, and her heart turned icy cold. This was not the first time Dora had caused trouble. The first time was when Dora folded the design drafts Adele had pulled a whole week of all-nighters to finish into paper planes and threw them into the pond. Adele spent the entire night searching for them in the freezing water. Xavier only casually said one sentence: "She's just childlike. She thought it was fun, that's all." The third time, Dora secretly took nude photos of Adele while she was bathing, then projected the photos onto the large screen at Adele's company, turning her into the laughingstock of the entire office. Henry protected Dora instead. "She didn't do it on purpose. Don't hold it against her." The tenth time, while Adele was sleeping, Dora used a lighter to set the bedroom curtains on fire. The fire left Adele with severe burns, and she stayed in the hospital for a full three months. And all they did was blame Adele. "You know perfectly well Dora doesn't know any better. Why didn't you keep an eye on her? The fire almost burned her too!" Every single time, it was an accident, unintentional on Dora's part, and Adele was just expected to accept and endure everything. Adele had endured all of that. But this time, her son, who had a congenital heart condition, was about to die at Dora's hands. How could she possibly endure this anymore?! On the day Adele was released from the detention center, Xavier and Henry came to pick her up. The moment she sat down in the car, a sheet of paper was tossed in front of her. Xavier said, "This is a letter of understanding. Sign it, and this whole affair will be put to rest." Adele felt as if she had already cried all her tears away. Her eyes bloodshot, she trembled all over as she stared at Xavier. "That is your son!" Then she turned to look at Henry, every word heavy with bitter tears. "He is your nephew!" "Why?" One was the husband she loved deeply, the other her elder brother. They were supposed to be family, but why were both of them shielding that murderer, Dora? Xavier's gaze dimmed for a moment. He closed his eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice, "No one wanted this to happen, but Dora doesn't know any better. If she is locked up in a mental hospital for intentional harm, how can we take care of her?" Henry reached out to stroke the top of her head. "Adele, be sensible. Charlie has been clinging to life on oxygen and medication since he was a baby. Even without Dora, he probably wouldn't have lived much longer... Be good. If I don't approve this case, no one will process it. Don't waste your energy fighting this." In that instant, all the blood in Adele's body turned ice-cold. She violently swatted Henry's hand away, clapped her hands over her ears, and screamed, "I don't agree! She is a murderer!" Henry lifted his hand and slapped Adele hard across the face. The moment the slap landed, Henry's hand froze briefly. But soon, his eyes hardened, and he snapped sharply, "Enough. If you don't sign this, this accident will be pinned on you." Xavier reached out and grabbed Adele's wrist hard, his grip unforgiving, his voice just as cold. "Honey, if you still want to take care of Charlie, sign this. Then this whole affair will be put to rest." Adele's body swayed violently; she could barely stay seated. The letter of forgiveness was pushed toward her; their voices brooked no argument. "Sign it!" She knew she had no choice. They were blackmailing her over her son; Charlie's condition was still uncertain, and she needed to be by his side to take care of him... Her hand trembled so violently that she could barely hold the pen. Gushing tears blurred her vision again and again, yet she did not even have the strength to wipe them away. Before, the moment Xavier saw her cry, he would rush over in concern, gently wipe her tears away, hold her in his arms, and say, "It's okay, honey. I'm right here." Henry would clench his fist and huff angrily, "Who hurt you? I'll kill them!" She had always been the apple of their eye, and they would have given her anything she asked for. Xavier would cook for her personally when she was being picky, stay up all night caring for her when she felt unwell, and say he would even give his life for her. Henry would buy every dress and piece of jewelry she liked, and stroke her head, calling her his princess. But all of this changed after Dora was discharged from the care facility. The moment Adele put her signature on the paper, she heard the sound of her heart shattering. She turned her head and violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. Through the haze of red, all she wanted was to leave. She wanted to leave this place forever with Charlie, and disappear from their sight.