4

4

I stared at the phone screen, my daughter's helpless cries, my son-in-law's mocking laughter, these sounds intertwined in my ears like a nightmare.

I never expected that Li Chen wouldn't even take the police seriously.

I only felt as if a giant stone were pressing on my chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Back at the hospital, I didn't even have the courage to face my daughter's hopeful gaze.

Seeing my evasive expression, my daughter seemed to understand something, two lines of desperate tears slipped from her closed eyes.

Could it be that there truly is no justice in this world?

Going through the judicial process to file for divorce has become my only solution.

When I arrived at the courthouse with the complaint I had written overnight, I found Li Chen was already waiting there.

Standing beside him were several people in uniforms, evidently court staff.

He saw me and a hint of a mocking smile crossed his lips, as if he anticipated my arrival and was certain I would fail.

"Oh, father-in-law, you're here."

His tone was frivolous, and his eyes were full of disdain.

"Divorce? Do you think a piece of paper can make me let go?"

He snatched the complaint and casually tore it in half, the papers fluttering to the ground.

He stepped on the shredded pieces, his eyes full of contempt.

"The court is a place where rich people like us are protected when we commit crimes, not a place where poor people like you get justice!"

He turned to the judge beside him, showing a hypocritical smile: "Uncle, this person is sick in the head, you better manage him well, don't let him cause trouble."

The judge just gave me a cold glance, his eyes carrying obvious bias.

I knew I had already lost this battle.

I lost, utterly and completely.

The judge is his uncle, while I am only a felon just released from prison, with no one to support me.

Li Chen came up to me, leaned close to my ear, and whispered: "Father-in-law, I advise you to give up early. If you dare cause more trouble, I guarantee your daughter's outcome will be worse!"

He turned and left, leaving me only the torn complaint and the ground full of despair.

I knelt on the ground, staring at the shredded paper, tears welling in my eyes.

I looked up at the ceiling of the courthouse, where a slogan "Fairness and Justice" hung, yet those words seemed to mock me.

An overwhelming sense of helplessness surged in my heart.

I rushed into the restroom, frantically splashing cold water on my face.

I saw my reflection twisting in the glass — it was the expression I had when I stabbed the crime lord for the eighteenth time ten years ago.

A postcard with eight words slipped from my pocket.

It was written by the prison warden when I was released, with the eight large words "Turn over a new leaf, start anew."

I tore the postcard emotionlessly and threw it into the trash can.

Since the law cannot give me justice, I will seek justice in my own way.