His Child's Blood on Their Family's Floor

During a family banquet, four-year-old Benjamin Miller is made to kneel and apologize to Hannah Garber's husband, all because he called her "Mommy" in front of everyone. Samuel Miller arrives at the scene to find the banquet hall empty and blood on the ground. The housekeepers pour buckets of water across the floor, washing off the blood again and again. With red eyes, Samuel rushes forward and grabs one of the housekeepers by the arm. "Where's Ben? Where's my son? Where is he?" The accosted housekeeper shrugs off Samuel's grip. "How the hell should I know? I should be in bed at this damn hour, but instead, I'm here scrubbing blood off the floor!" Samuel, his eyes still red with tears, trails the remaining blood on the floor and heads outside to search for Benjamin. The trail of blood goes all the way to the edge of the man-made lake, then disappears. Samuel's head snaps up, and with the help of the moon's silvery light, he spots the small figure floating in the lake. The water around him is already dyed red with blood. Chapter 1 "Benjamin!" Samuel Miller dove into the icy lake without hesitation. By the time he pulled his son, Benjamin Miller, into his arms, the boy was already alarmingly cold to the touch. With Benjamin cradled against him, Samuel crawled up the side of the lake. He didn't even feel it when he bumped his knee and tore a bloody gash across the skin. He dared not stop as he carried out one chest compression after another on Benjamin, pushing the water out of the boy's lungs. But it was no use; Benjamin would stop breathing soon. Samuel scooped Benjamin into his arms and bolted out of the villa. He'd just reached the front door when the Garber family's butler, Charlotte Weissman, stopped him. "Mr. Miller, your failure to keep an eye on him has allowed him to leave the bungalow unsupervised, and he ended up startling Ms. Garber's husband. "Because of this, Ms. Garber has asked that you take Mr. Benjamin back to the bungalow and put him in a time-out until further instruction from her—" "I'm Hannah's legally wed husband! I'm the one who married into the Garber family!" Samuel was hysterical now. His eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "Tyler Langley is the only one who's done her a favor, not her husband! "I'm warning you, let us out now! Hannah won't spare you if anything happens to my son!" Charlotte merely smirked. "Allow me to tell you the truth, Mr. Miller. Ms. Garber has filed for a divorce on the grounds of separation after you and Mr. Benjamin have been living in the bungalow for the last few years. "Ms. Garber has also married Mr. Langley in a lavish wedding in Isdore, vowing to be together for life." She added after a pause, "Besides, Mr. Langley and Ms. Garber already have a child. He's only a year younger than Mr. Benjamin." An intense roaring filled Samuel's head. His arms trembled as he cradled Benjamin close. It was impossible. Hannah loved him too much to trick him like this. He refused to believe Charlotte's story. However, he couldn't help recalling the scene from their wedding five years ago. At the time, an unhinged man had barged through the doors and slapped Samuel across the face, accusing him of being a homewrecker. It was only when they were at the police station that they found out the man's name was Tyler Langley. Tyler's girlfriend had signed up to be an organ donor before she passed. When she died in a car accident, her corneas ended up going to Hannah, who'd lost her sight in a car accident as well. On the day of Samuel and Hannah's wedding, Tyler barged in after he saw Hannah's eyes and mistook her for his girlfriend. To repay Tyler for his dead girlfriend's favor, Hannah had kept him by her side and treated him like a younger brother. For the most part, he behaved normally. However, he'd lose his mind whenever Samuel got close to Hannah. He'd storm up to Samuel and cuss or throw fists at him. Samuel had put up with Tyler's erratic behavior at first, but over time, he grew tired of having to sneak around with Hannah. He asked that Hannah put Tyler up elsewhere, but every time she did, he'd come running back. Once, Tyler had been on his way back when he met with a car accident and nearly lost his life. Hannah had begged Samuel to let her keep Tyler by her side, insisting that she must look after him to repay his favor. Since then, Samuel and Tyler were never in the same room. That was until Hannah was close to her delivery. Samuel had been visiting her when Tyler caught him and went berserk. He brawled with Samuel, only to kick Hannah in the stomach when she tried to pull them apart. She ended up going into labor sooner than expected. When Benjamin was born, Hannah told Samuel that he and the baby should move into the Garbers' bungalow for their safety. Just like that, both father and son were put up in the bungalow and stayed there for four years. Hannah would visit them at first, but as time went on, her visiting hours grew shorter. At some point, she stopped showing up altogether. It had been so long since Benjamin last saw Hannah that he sneaked out to see her during the family banquet. Samuel hadn't thought it would end in a tragedy. He was even more heartbroken to be the last to learn that Hannah had filed for a divorce, remarried, and had a child with another man. "Samuel, what are you doing here?" Hannah's voice rang out behind Samuel. When he saw her, he slapped her hard across the face. "Why did you lie to me?" All the blood drained from Hannah's face. "Did… you find out?" Before Samuel could speak, a sob cut through the air. "Honey, Tristan foamed at the mouth and passed out!" Chapter 2 Tyler bolted down the stairs with an unconscious little boy in his arms. His eyes were red with tears. Hannah didn't spare Samuel another glance before hurrying to take the little boy from Tyler. Her voice was laced with urgency. "We'll go to the hospital right away." At once, they got into a car and sped off. Only then did Samuel remember the boy in his arms. He tried to chase after Hannah and Tyler's car, but Charlotte stopped him again. Samuel shoved her aside and ran all the way to the hospital like a maniac, cradling Benjamin close. Alas, he was too late. Benjamin had stopped breathing by the time they reached the hospital. The doctor was sympathetic. "He might have stood a chance if you'd gotten here ten minutes sooner." It was all over now. Samuel couldn't help but sit on the floor and break down in tears. Those around him simply let him be. There was no telling how much time had passed when he dried his tears, shrugged off his shirt, and wrapped it around Benjamin's ice-cold body. "Come on, Benjamin. Daddy'll bring you home." He scooped Benjamin into his arms. When he passed by a hospital room, he heard someone laugh while teasing a child, "You just got your tummy pumped, Tristan! What a good boy! You'll also be getting a shot later. If you don't cry, Mommy will grant you a single wish." Samuel glanced over his shoulder and saw the imposing goddess of the commercial world: Hannah Garber, wearing a cotton dress and carrying a child that looked a lot like her. Her expression was one of gentle indulgence and attentiveness as she tickled the child's chin. Benjamin had never enjoyed such motherly affection in his four years of life. In the past, Samuel had lived in the bungalow with Benjamin. He'd been the one to bring Benjamin to get his shots and drips. Hannah hadn't participated even once. When Benjamin asked that she celebrate his birthdays with him, she'd tell him she was busy. In retrospect, she hadn't been lying; she'd been busy taking care of her other child and spending time with another man. Even more absurd was the fact that Benjamin had died just for calling her "Mommy" in front of everyone. Samuel chewed his lower lip, willing the sob to die in his throat. The laughter in the room continued. "Then, I want you to kiss Daddy. Please? Daddy loves it when you kiss him!" a childish voice rang out. Tyler blushed. "Tristan, we're at the hospital. Watch what you say—" Before he could finish protesting, he felt something warm brush against his forehead. It disappeared just as he snapped out of his daze. Hannah's lips curved up. "Right, Mommy has already kissed Daddy." Tyler's face grew even redder. Seeing this, Samuel froze in place. Then, a self-effacing laugh escaped him as a bitter thought crossed his mind. "Oh, Hannah. At this rate, you're doing more than just repaying Tyler's favor." As if sensing someone's gaze, Hannah looked toward the door. Her face darkened when she saw Samuel. She handed Tristan to Tyler and said gently, "Wait for me here. I'll be right back." The moment she rose, her scowl returned, and her long strides carried her out the door. She grabbed Samuel's arm and dragged him into a corner. She didn't even bother with pleasantries before unleashing a torrent of abuse at him. "Samuel, I can't believe you'd follow us all the way here after you let Benjamin sneak out of the apartment and triggered Tyler's condition! What the hell do you want?" Samuel stared at the woman before him with red-rimmed eyes. "Why don't you tell me what you're up to now, Hannah? What did you do to Benjamin? And how is it that you have a child with that guy in there?" Hannah stiffened, and so did her tone. "It's a long story. Look, take Benjamin home. I'll explain everything some other time and apologize to Benjamin as well. Didn't he want me to watch the newly premiered cartoon with him? I'll take some time off so we can watch it together." "Apologize?" Samuel snorted, his eyes bloodshot. "And how do you propose to do that, Hannah? Because of you, Benjamin—" Died. "Samuel, why won't you just leave us the hell alone?" Samuel hadn't finished his sentence when a shrill voice cut him off. Before Samuel could react, Tyler lunged forward. Tyler's eyes were red, and his expression was full of jealousy and madness. He slammed into Samuel. With unsteady feet, Samuel staggered backward until his back hit the wall with a heavy thud. "You're shameless, Samuel! You tried to get close to Hannah and seduce her when she was my girlfriend, and you're still trying the same tricks even after all these years? You even had some strange mongrel of a child call her 'Mommy' last night!" The resentment Samuel had bottled up over the years exploded when he heard Tyler's usual slew of insults. "Take a good look, Tyler! She's not your girlfriend!" Tyler saw red. "She's my girlfriend—no, she's my wife! You're the shameless prick who keeps harassing her—" "Your girlfriend was killed in a car accident," Samuel said, raising his voice and cutting him off. "For so many years, the only homewrecker here is you!" "You're lying!" Tyler blanched. He charged forward, grabbed a fistful of Samuel's hair, then beat him. "My wife isn't dead! She's right here! She's the mother of my child! You're the shameless prick who wants to seduce her! "I'll beat you to death right here, right now! I'll rid this world of a filthy homewrecker like you!" Tears sprang from Samuel's eyes as the pain hit him. He freed himself from Tyler's grip and ground out, "Your girlfriend donated her corneas to Hannah after she died in a car crash years ago, Tyler. All this time, you've been—" A thunderous crack split the air. Hannah had slapped Samuel across the face, cutting him off. "Shut up, Samuel!" Chapter 3 Hannah struck Samuel so hard that his face turned to the side. An intense roaring filled his ears. He felt warm, sticky blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. Looking frosty, Hannah gripped Samuel's wrist and pulled him aside. There was no hiding the threat in her lowered voice. "Another word out of you, Samuel, and I won't let it slide. "Now take Benjamin and go back to the bungalow! Neither of you is to leave the premises without my permission!" With that, she turned and took Tristan into her arms, patiently comforting him. Her gestures were jarringly affectionate. A sense of bitterness seized Samuel. In the end, the corner of his mouth curled up. He tightened his arms around Benjamin and turned to head downstairs. However, before he could take the first step down the flight of stairs, a vicious shove from behind sent him toppling forward. Benjamin's small body flew out of his arms and into the air, only to strike the wall, rebound, and land with a sickening thud. Samuel, on the other hand, tumbled down the stairs like a rolling pin. He tasted copper in his mouth, but he bit his tongue and forced the blood back down his throat. He couldn't care less about his own pain as he crawled to Benjamin's side. "Benjamin, I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" He was so devastated by how gruesome and broken Benjamin looked that the last of his sensibility snapped. A guttural, animalistic scream tore free from him. He couldn't even save Benjamin from disfigurement at the very end. He whirled around and pinned a deadly look on the person at the top of the stairs. "I'll kill you, Tyler! I'll kill you! I want you dead! Go to hell!" Samuel surged up the stairs like a maniac, staggering on the way, but he hadn't even gotten close to Tyler when Hannah caught him in her vise-like grip. "That's enough nonsense from you, Samuel! Tyler only lost control and shoved you down the stairs because you showed up here with Benjamin and provoked him first! "It's your fault things ended up this way. Now, take Benjamin back to the bungalow with you, and don't freaking leave the house unless I say so!" Trembling, Samuel eyed the woman before him in disbelief. "Hannah, Benjamin's dead—" "Ow! My head hurts…" Tyler suddenly clutched his head and crouched, looking agonized as he interrupted Samuel once again. Hannah scowled and shoved Samuel aside. "Get out of here, and take Benjamin with you! I'll explain the rest to you once Tristan gets better." She helped a grimacing Tyler to his feet and left the stairwell. Samuel watched her leave mercilessly, and a humorless snort escaped him. Tears sprang from his eyes as he snarled behind her, "I hate you, Hannah!" He watched her go still for only a second, then disappear from view. He'd been with Hannah since he was 18, and now he was 28. A decade had passed, and today, their relationship was over. He dried his tears, leaving only an icy, unforgiving look in his eyes. Samuel gathered Benjamin, now little more than a disfigured mess, in his arms and headed to the funeral parlor. It wasn't long before the four-year-old little boy was reduced to a pile of ash. Clutching the box of ashes close to him, Samuel fished out his phone and dialed a number. "I'll give you my shares in Garber Corporation and help you become executive director, but on two conditions." Samuel's words were laced with unadulterated hatred. "One: I want Hannah and Tyler to pay for what they did to my son! "And two: I want ten million dollars as compensation and a passport. I'm going abroad." The woman on the other line chuckled. "Very well. You'll get what you want after a week." Chapter 4 Hannah had given Samuel shares in Garber Corporation to make up for Tyler's intrusive presence at the beginning of their marriage. Samuel hadn't thought he'd end up using the shares to his advantage. After signing the share transfer agreement, he returned to the bungalow. Fresh tears filled his red-rimmed eyes as he took in the traces Benjamin had left behind in every corner of the house. He held the box of ashes closer to him, and unable to stop himself, he sobbed openly. "Why are you still crying, Samuel? Are you still mad at me?" At that moment, a voice rang out behind him. Before he could register who it belonged to, Hannah pulled him into an embrace. Samuel stared at her loving expression. She behaved as if she hadn't been all over Tyler earlier that day and lashed out at Samuel and Benjamin in the same breath. It sickened him. Pushing her off him, Samuel seethed, "Get the hell out of here! I don't want to see you." He only wanted to wait out the next seven days in peace until the woman aiding him in the shadows got back to him. Once he'd avenged Benjamin, he would leave and never return. Hannah's face darkened, but a sudden thought crossed her mind, and she pulled Samuel back into her arms again. "Samuel, I can explain my relationship with Tyler. He was diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago, and the doctor said he had three years, at best. "When I asked him about his final wishes, he told me his biggest wish in life was to marry me. I know he mistook me for his girlfriend because of these eyes, so I figured I'd grant him this one wish and marry him. "I'd hoped to let him spend his last three years in happiness." Samuel snorted. "What about the child? He's three, isn't he? You and Tyler haven't been married all that long." Hannah looked evasive. "He's Tyler's kid, and I agreed to look after him as if he were my own. I got drunk one day and mistook Tyler for you. One thing led to another, and we ended up sleeping together. I decided to take accountability for him and his kid. "But I swear I love you the most, Samuel. I'll throw us a grand wedding after Tyler passes, and Benjamin is the eldest son of the Garber family. No one will dare to put you or Benjamin down." It was only at the mention of Benjamin that Hannah realized the little boy hadn't happily thrown himself into her arms as he usually would. Brows furrowing, she asked, "Where's Benjamin? Why isn't he home with you? Is he still at the hospital? Did he get hurt badly from the fall, or was it because I made him kneel for a little while—" A loud crack split the air. With bloodshot eyes, Samuel delivered a hard slap across Hannah's face. "You have no right to speak of my child, Hannah! Get the hell out of here! I don't want to see you. Get out!" Storm clouds gathered on Hannah's face. "What are you lashing out for, Samuel? Benjamin only knelt for a bit, and sure, he fell, but he'll toughen up. It's not like either of those things would kill him." Samuel thought his heart might bleed when he heard her dismissive words. The kneeling, the fall—Hannah had said these wouldn't kill Benjamin, but they did! Benjamin was dead, and it was all because of her! Samuel grabbed the first object he touched from the table and hurled it to the floor. He stared at Hannah with red-rimmed eyes and thundered, "You're a bastard, Hannah!" Hannah was about to say something when her phone ringtone cut her off. Upon spying the caller ID "Honey" flashing on the screen, Samuel snorted in contempt. She grimaced awkwardly, then turned away as she picked up the call. She asked gently, "Yes, what is it, Tyler?" Samuel couldn't hear what Tyler said, but Hannah blanched. She hurried out the door after that. As Samuel watched her leave, he had a distinct feeling that their decade-long relationship was nothing more than a waste of time and effort. Thankfully, it was over, though Benjamin had become the sacrifice. The thought of Benjamin brought a wave of fresh hatred into Samuel's eyes. He vowed he wouldn't let Hannah and Tyler get away with this. He got into bed with the box in his arms, feeling as if Benjamin was simply resting in his embrace like before. Samuel slept, only to be woken up in the middle of the night by a bucket of ice water tipped over his head. Even colder was the voice that came from above him. "Look at you, sleeping so soundly after what you did. Have you no shame, Samuel? "So Tyler snapped and pushed you and Benjamin down the stairs. Did you have to be so heartless as to hire people to pick on him and my three-year-old?" Chapter 5 Samuel was still dazed when Hannah hauled him out of bed and dragged him out of the room. "Tristan's still in the hospital. You're coming with me!" With the box of ashes caged in the crook of his arm, Samuel let Hannah drag him out. She didn't even pause when he hit his knee against the door. When they arrived at the hospital, Tyler ran up to Hannah. His arm was in a sling, and his face was stained with blood. He was about to throw himself into Hannah's arms when he noticed Samuel standing beside her. "How dare you show your face around here after you put my son in the ER?" he bellowed, fixing Samuel with a red-eyed, furious stare. Samuel snorted, ignoring the pain in his knee. "First of all, I would never stoop as low as you did. Secondly, so what if I did? You were the one who pushed my kid and me down the stairs first." "Are you comparing a mongrel to my son?" Tyler thundered, his features contorting with rage. "It's bad enough that you seduced my wife, but you made her give birth to a mongrel who dared to call her 'Mommy'—" "My son is not a mongrel!" Samuel's vision turned red after hearing Tyler insult Benjamin, and he stepped forward to slap him. "Watch yourself, Samuel!" Hannah studied the red handprint on Tyler's cheek, then shot Samuel a dark look as she bit out icily, "That kid has no mother. What is he if not a mongrel? And you're just a prick." Samuel went still. He couldn't believe these vicious words came out of Hannah's mouth. So, this was the woman he'd loved for the past ten years, for whom he'd hidden in the bungalow for four years. Hannah met his piercing gaze and felt her heart crack. She parted her lips to say something, but the ER doors swung open. Hannah hurried over and asked the doctor immediately, "How's my son?" "He fell from the third floor and broke some bones, but the worst of his injuries is the damage to his skull. He's unconscious now." "Will he wake up at some point?" Tyler pressed. His eyes were bloodshot. The doctor sighed. "There's no telling how long it'll take. He might wake up in the next two days, or the next two months. There's also a chance that, for the rest of his life, he may be…" The doctor trailed off, but Hannah and Tyler understood what he was implying. Tristan might never wake up again. Tyler was sobbing as he clutched Hannah's arm. "Tristan's only three! He's too young to know better, but because of Samuel, he's going to be in a vegetative state forever! "Honey, please, you have to make this right for Tristan. That man's mongrel son deserves to suffer just as much…" Hannah's eyes filled with heartbreak as she pulled Tyler into her arms. "Stop crying, Tyler. I'll make things right for Tristan, I promise." A dreadful sense of foreboding suddenly seized Samuel. He turned to leave, but Hannah's bodyguards stopped him. The next second, Hannah's frosty voice sounded. "Hand over Benjamin, Samuel." Samuel knew Hannah had developed special feelings for Tyler, but even so, her words still hurt. He couldn't believe she would exact vengeance on Benjamin just to appease Tyler and Tristan. More importantly, Benjamin was already dead. "Hannah, whatever happened to Tyler and Tristan had nothing to do with us," Samuel retorted, clenching his fists. "You're going to deny responsibility even now?" Hannah's face darkened as she tossed the document she'd been holding at his face. "Tyler and Tristan were shoved down the stairs! The two hooligans who did it were taken down to the police station, and their statements are the same." Samuel knew she wouldn't believe him even if he argued his case. Hannah's patience was running thin. "You leave me no choice, then. Guards, go find him!" The bodyguards immediately acted on her order and dispersed to look for Benjamin. They returned soon after. They hung their heads and shook them. Samuel smirked wryly. How would they find Benjamin if he was already dead? Hannah saw the contempt on Samuel's face and scowled. She stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. "You're a father as well, Samuel. Where is your compassion? Tristan is only three, and he's barely holding on because of you—" "What about Benjamin? He was only four!" Samuel roared, cutting her off. "And what did you do to him? You beat him up and threw him in a lake just for calling you 'Mommy'! What right do you have to stand here and lecture me?" Chapter 6 The air went still with a deathly silence. Hannah's gaze froze on Samuel, and confusion crossed her face. "What do you mean? What was that about beating up Benjamin and throwing him in the lake?" Samuel clutched the box of ashes tightly. He was about to speak when a sob cut him off. "Tristan! My baby!" The doors of the ER department swung open. A small child was swaddled in bandages. His cherubic face was pale, and his breathing was barely perceptible. Tyler's eyes were red, and he grew hysterical as he lunged for the bed like a maniac. The nurse standing nearby stopped him just before he reached the bed. "Please keep your distance, sir! The patient's condition is critical, and his life is still in danger. He'll need to be transferred to the ICU for further observation!" As soon as the nurse spoke, Tyler whirled and fixed Samuel with a murderous look. The next second, he charged forward and grabbed him by the hair. "This is all your fault! You did this to Tristan! Give me back my boy!" Dragging Samuel by the hair, Tyler shoved him against the wall. There was a loud bang, and fresh blood spilled from the gash on Samuel's forehead. The crimson liquid blurred his vision, which was flashing black. He'd yet to snap out of the white-hot pain when Tyler snatched the box of ashes he'd been shielding in his arms. Another loud bang followed, and the box splintered and broke into pieces. The gray-white ashes scattered into the air and across the floor. The breeze in the hospital swept them away, leaving nothing behind. Samuel froze. Tyler's vicious words and curses still rang in his ears. "You're a shameless prick, Samuel! You wouldn't leave Hannah alone, and now, you've killed my son! You owe me and Tristan your blood! You'll pay with your life!" Red filled Samuel's vision. He exploded into movement, grabbing the fire extinguisher from the wall beside him and swinging it at Tyler. "I'm going to kill you, Tyler!" Yet Hannah was quicker. She immediately stepped forward and pulled Tyler into her arms protectively. The heavy canister struck her back, and a pained grunt escaped her. The next moment, she reached up, grabbed Samuel's arm with hawk-like precision, and forcefully shoved him back. He staggered and fell. The fire extinguisher rolled away from him. Annoyance colored her features. "Are you done, Samuel?" Samuel's eyes were red. "He smashed my box first." Hannah snorted. "I think staying in the bungalow all those years has made you sick in the head, Samuel. You'd rather pretend Benjamin is dead than hand him over, and now, you're causing a scene and threatening to hurt Tyler over some cheap box?" "Hannah, do you know what was in that box? It—" Samuel was interrupted by a gust of white powder. His eyes were burning like a thousand small needles were pricking them, and he was losing his vision. Tyler had broken free from Hannah's embrace, picked up the fallen fire extinguisher, and aimed the nozzle at Samuel's eyes before pulling the pin. "Samuel!" Alarmed, Hannah instinctively stepped toward Samuel. However, a frantic, shrill beeping from the medical equipment cut through the air the next moment. "The patient's heartbeat is dropping! His vitals are in danger! Get him to the operating room now!" "Tristan!" Tyler's tears flowed down his cheeks like rivulets as he grabbed Hannah by the arm. "Honey, you have to save Tristan!" Hannah was suddenly glued to the spot. Her gaze swept over the red-eyed Samuel, whose face was covered in blood as he lay on the floor. Then, she glanced at Tristan, whose life was hanging by a thread. With Samuel, whom she owed so much, on one end of the scale and Benjamin and Tyler on the other, Hannah was suddenly caught in a dilemma. "Tyler!" Tyler had cried himself into a stupor and fainted, collapsing on the floor. Hannah didn't spare another glance at Samuel as she helped Tyler to his feet, then hurried off. As Samuel lay on the floor, all he saw was red. His blood, mixed with tears, slid down his face. He heard a staccato of frantic footsteps drawing near and stopping before him. An anxious but familiar voice sounded above him. "Samuel!" Samuel lifted his hand and clutched the hem of the person's shirt, growling hoarsely, "Diana! I want them dead! I want all of them dead!"