Loving You Was My Biggest Mistake

The moment I returned from a business trip, I received the devastating news of my daughter’s death.

The dashcam footage revealed the truth—our parttime male nanny, annoyed by my daughter’s crying, had stuffed her into the car’s trunk under a scorching 38°C heat while he went off to shop leisurely.

In that sealed, ovenlike space, her cries grew weaker and weaker until finally, they stopped altogether.

“Vance, I’ll help you seek justice for our child,” my wife, Cindy, gripped my hand, her voice was filled with heartbreak.

I nodded. I was determined to report the incident and press charges against the nanny.

But on the way to the police station, Cindy offered to grab me a bottle of water—only to lock the car doors the moment she stepped out.

“Eugene didn’t mean it,” she said coldly. “He just didn’t want our daughter growing up spoiled. I’ll talk to him, I promise.”

“He’s still in college. He can’t afford to have this kind of stain on his record. So what if we lost a child? We can always have another.”

To force me to hand over the evidence, she had secretly turned the air conditioning to maximum heat. Now, she stood outside the vehicle, watching as I struggled for air, gasping like a fish out of water, my vision blurred with sweat.

As I gasped for air, it finally dawned on me—Cindy had already changed. Completely.

——

The suffocating heat in the car wrapped around me like a noose. I could barely breathe. From outside, her voice came through the haze, cold and emotionless.

“Give me the USB with the dashcam footage, Vance, and I’ll let you out.”

She’d even taken my phone to prevent me from calling the police.

I could barely see her face through the sweat stinging my eyes.

Just hours ago, this same woman had held my hand, vowing to help me fight for justice. Now, she was protecting the man who murdered our daughter.

I slammed my fists against the window, pointing at my pale, sweatdrenched face. My throat felt like it was shredding apart from dehydration.

“Cindy, look at me! This is what our daughter went through—trapped in the trunk, tortured by heat and suffocation until she died a horrific death!”

“You’re her mother—her favorite person in the world! How can you let her killer walk free? How dare you?!”

Cindy's eyes narrowed, full of icy detachment. “I told you not to use those filthy words on Eugene.”

“Louise always cried a lot. It’s your fault for spoiling her. Eugene was just trying to help discipline her. He did nothing wrong.”

“But he refused to take Louise to school! He went shopping instead—how can that be acceptable for a nanny?!” I thundered.

Cindy cut me off, her tone growing impatient. “She’s just in first grade. Being a few hours late won’t kill her. Eugene has worked hard taking care of her—he deserves a break.”

Rolling her eyes, she continued, “No one wanted this to happen. Just hand over the USB. Yes, we lost a child—so what? We can make another.”

“Eugene’s future is still ahead of him. I can’t let one mistake ruin his life.”

I stared at her, stunned by her twisted logic. A chill surged through my chest.

So in her eyes, my daughter’s life was worth less than Eugene’s future?

I didn't know where I found the strength, but I started pounding the window again, fists bleeding with every strike.

“Cindy, listen to me. Unless I die in this car today, I will make sure Eugene goes to prison!”

“My daughter will not die in vain! You’ll never get that evidence from me!”

My hands were now torn and bloodied, every movement draining the last of my oxygen. I could feel myself slipping.

Cindy frowned at the sight of my blood.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the door finally opened.

And the suffocating heat began to dissipate.

As Cindy switched the air conditioning back to cooling mode, she glared at me through clenched teeth.

“Vance, you’ve always been this stubborn. You forced me to do this!”

By the time I fully regained consciousness, I found myself outside my mother’s hospital room.

Cindy grabbed the back of my head and pressed my face against the glass.

Inside, several bodyguards were holding down my terrified mother, shoving her head toward a microwave.

With a flick of her fingers, one of them turned the dial all the way up.

I could already smell the acrid scent of singed hair in the air. I didn’t dare imagine what would happen if this continued.

Grabbing Cindy by the collar, I roared, “Have you completely lost your mind?! That’s my mother! Are you insane?!”

Cindy didn’t flinch. Instead, she leaned down and kissed my bloodied fingers with a smile that chilled me to the bone.

“I had no choice, Vance. You’re too stubborn—and I couldn’t bear to let you die. So your mother will have to do it for you.”

Smiling, she held out her hand. “Hand over the USB, or watch your mother’s head explode into pulp. Think carefully.”

From inside the room my mother’s agonized screams continued.

“It’s burning! Let me go—please!”

Pain like knives stabbed through my chest. I shut my eyes in despair and choked out the words.

“The USB... it’s in the space between my phone and the case. Now let her go, please...”

Cindy retrieved the USB and gestured for the guards to stop. Then she lifted my chin and smiled sweetly.

“Without this, you can’t touch Eugene. And I’ve already spread the word—no lawyer in this city will dare take your case.”

Right before my eyes, she dropped the USB into the drain and flushed it away.

I watched her hand, and a wave of cold devastation slowly crept through my chest.

I had considered that Eugene might try to steal the evidence. I’d been so careful, keeping the USB with me at all times, thinking I could bring it to the police before he got the chance. I didn’t even make a backup.

But never, not even in my worst nightmares, did I imagine that the one who’d help him escape justice would be my own wife.

To protect him, Cindy didn’t hesitate to use my mother’s life—and the entire legal community of New Haven—as leverage.

Does this mean my daughter really died for nothing?

I tried to turn back toward the room to check on my mother, but Cindy yanked me by the wrist.

“Eugene knows you’re upset. He was worried you’d be too exhausted, so he went ahead and arranged Louise’s memorial. We should head there now.”

“And remember—her death was just an accident. I’ve already talked to him about it. I don’t want to hear another harsh word from you.”

...

On the way there, I stared blankly at the little crystal globe on the dashboard.

It was the first gift Cindy ever gave me. Inside the globe, two cartoon figures—modeled after us—stood locked in a gentle embrace. She had sculpted them by hand, stroke by stroke.

Back then, she wasn’t the powerful Cindy Contreras. She was just a withdrawn, isolated student in my mother’s class.

After her parents died in a car accident, her relatives swooped in and took all the compensation money. She couldn’t even afford tuition.

My mother took pity on her, using our family’s savings to help, and even let her move in with us.

During the darkest days of her life, I was afraid she might do something foolish. I stayed by her side, keeping her company, telling her jokes, helping her study—trying everything to bring light back into her world.

Eventually, Cindy fought her way back. We both got into the same university. After graduation, she started her own company.

The day her company went public, she finally worked up the courage to propose to me.

Her proposal came with an array of luxury gifts—and that crystal globe she made herself.

I still remember her kneeling on one knee in front of everyone, her voice trembling but filled with conviction.

“Vance, I know you don’t care for flashy gifts. But I got you those because I want you to have what other men have too.”

“This crystal globe... I actually finished it a long time ago. But I didn’t dare give it to you, because aside from my love, it doesn’t have any real value.”

"Now, I’m finally giving this to you," Cindy had said back then, placing the crystal globe in my hands. "Because I want you to know that in this lifetime, I’ll give you both a life of wealth and endless love—love that belongs only to you. I’ll stand by you as we take care of your mother. We’ll always be a family, and we’ll never be apart.”

But she didn’t keep her promise.

She fell for Eugene—the clumsy, parttime nanny we’d hired. Even though he repeatedly spilled scalding tea on me or accidentally dropped our daughter, she always defended him.

“Vance, Eugene is still young. He didn’t mean it,” she would say. “Besides, Louise is too delicate. A few knocks will toughen her up.”

“Doesn’t Eugene remind you of yourself when you were younger? Working odd jobs to make ends meet. You’ve been through storms too—don’t be the one to tear someone else’s umbrella.”

...

When we arrived at the funeral home, Cindy barked a few more warnings at me before yanking me inside roughly.

But as soon as I stepped into my daughter’s memorial room, I froze, utterly speechless.

The traditional white mourning banners had all been replaced with festive red decorations—it looked more like a wedding hall than a funeral.

From the speakers blared a cheerful song, A Good Day, drawing confused and disapproving stares from the people nearby.

And there—Eugene was sitting on my daughter’s corpse, giggling as he smeared her tiny face with lipstick, completely disfiguring her appearance.

“What the hell are you doing?!” I snapped.

I kicked over the sound system and rushed at him, yanking him off her body with all the strength I had.

Caught off guard, Eugene twisted his ankle and stumbled backward.

Cindy rushed to catch him, glaring at me with fury in her eyes.

“Vance! Did everything I just said go in one ear and out the other?! How dare you lay a hand on Eugene?! Apologize—now!”

“Are you blind, Cindy? This is Louise’s funeral!” I shouted, my eyes burning with rage. “And you let Eugene turn it into a celebration—defiling her body, playing wedding music, humiliating her! Is he cursing her even in death?!”

Even Cindy seemed momentarily stunned.

But Eugene quickly began to cry, his voice trembling as he spoke, “Mr. Santos, you were always busy with work and barely spent time with Louise. I was the only one who knew she loved the color red... and that song A Good Day. She’d ask me to sing it to her again and again.”

“She also loved playing makeup games with me. I just wanted her to leave this world happy, even if she was a bit spoiled and mischievous when alive. You can’t use your outdated traditions to erase what she loved.”

Cindy turned to me, her voice calm but cold.

“You heard him. Compared to you, a heartless father, Eugene clearly cared more about Louise. And you dare disrespect his kindness? Come on, apologize to him.”

I laughed bitterly, stunned by her audacity. I’m the heartless one? I didn’t care about Louise?

Despite the demands of my job, I’d been there for Louise nearly every step of the way—every school event, every doctor’s appointment, every sleepless night. I’d collapsed from exhaustion more than once trying to juggle the company and raising her.

And what about Cindy? Since the day our daughter was born, she’d always claimed she was too busy with work. She never changed a single diaper—not even once. What right did she have to stand here and judge me?

I pointed at Eugene, my voice shaking with fury.

“You filthy homewrecker, shut your mouth! If you hadn’t stuffed my daughter into that trunk, she wouldn’t have suffocated to death! And now you dare smear her memory, desecrate her body? Aren’t you afraid of karma?!”

The crowd began to swell, people murmuring and exchanging horrified glances.

Eugene curled his lips into a smug smirk.

“Mr. Santos, I was trying to save your dignity, but you just kept slandering me—accusing me of abusing Louise with no proof. Got any evidence?”

That’s right... The evidence. The USB... Cindy had already destroyed it.

Seeing the despair in my expression, Eugene’s smirk deepened. He pulled out his phone with a flourish.

“But I have proof—videos of you ignoring Louise, of her crying herself hoarse because she missed you. Want to take a look?”

Eugene pressed play.

At once, the sound of Louise’s cries echoed from his phone.

“Daddy... I want Daddy...”

Because the screen was facing only me, I could see everything clearly—Eugene was slapping Louise, one blow after another. That’s why she was crying and calling out for me.

But her sobs were so loud, they drowned out the sound of the slaps.

“Louise, be good. Your dad’s just busy right now,” Eugene coaxed, his tone was sickeningly sweet. “Uncle made you some mango puree—it’s so sweet! Come on, let’s eat it all up, okay?”

Moments later, her crying stopped.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

Eugene knew Louise was allergic to mangoes.

She didn’t stop crying because she was comforted—she stopped because her throat had swelled shut from the allergic reaction. She physically couldn’t cry anymore.

Eugene smugly put away his phone.

The people surrounding us, unaware of what the video really showed, began to scold me instead.

“I’ve never seen such a heartless father! So obsessed with money he can’t even care for his own child. If it weren’t for this young man, the girl would’ve cried herself sick!”

“He’s the one who probably left his kid in the trunk just to shut her up. Bet he was off signing some stupid deal and didn’t want to be bothered!”

“This young man isn’t even related to the family and still tried to make sure the kid left the world smiling. And what does the real father do? Shows up just to yell and hit people. What kind of man is that? Parents like him deserve to be beaten!”

They were already grieving their own losses, and now they’d found a target for all that rage.

Like a swarm of hornets, they rushed at me—slapping my face, spitting on me, pelting me with rotten eggs. Fingernails raked across my skin, leaving long, bloody gashes.

I turned to Cindy, silently begging for help.

She shifted her feet slightly—but then Eugene pouted dramatically.

“Cindy, you promised you’d always protect me. If you help him now, it’s like admitting I’m a murderer. If word of that goes out, my future will be ruined. Are you going to break your promise?”

Cindy’s face hardened.

“Vance,” she said coldly, “you falsely accused Eugene first. If you won’t apologize, then this is just a bit of punishment.”

I didn’t know how long the beating went on. Eventually, the crowd grew tired and dispersed.

Battered and broken, I slowly picked myself up off the ground.

Cindy reached out to help me. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I jerked away from her touch and slapped her across the face.

“Cindy, we’re getting a divorce. I’ll leave the company too. From now on, you and I are strangers.”

Her eyes immediately flared with rage. “You’re threatening me with divorce?! This is all your fault! I only wanted to give Eugene a fair chance!”

I didn’t reply. I just turned away and gently lifted Louise’s lifeless body, wiping the smeared makeup from her tiny face before walking toward the cremation chamber.

Cindy tried to follow, but I turned and roared, “Get out!”

She stopped in her tracks, stunned into silence by the look in my eyes.

I didn’t look back.

I stayed outside the cremation room all night, listening to the low rumble of the furnace, tears falling silently down my face.

“Louise... I’m sorry. Daddy failed you...”

—

The next morning, I arranged for Louise’s ashes to be temporarily stored at the funeral home.

I could no longer rely on Cindy for anything. I had to get out of this city—with Louise and my mother—and never look back.

When I came out, both Cindy and Eugene were gone.

My phone had been discarded on the ground.

The screen lit up and countless missed calls flooded the screen, all from the nursing home.

I immediately called the caregiver back. The line connected almost instantly.

Her voice on the other end was tinged with panic.

“Mr. Santos, why didn’t you answer your phone? Your mother... she tried to take her own life—her head...”

I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I rushed out, hailed a cab, and raced to the nursing home.

Outside the room, the nurse stood palefaced, hand over her mouth, gagging uncontrollably.

“Mr. Santos... the scene inside is... horrifying. Please, prepare yourself...”

Inside, blood was everywhere.

My mother’s body was kneeling in front of a charred and exploded microwave, her head reduced to an unrecognizable, bloody mess above the neck.

“Why... why would she do this?!”

“We don’t know either,” the nurse stammered. “Last night, some men came by. Said they were friends of Mr. Delgado and had been sent to visit your mother. They wouldn't allow us to stay in the room while they were there.”

“President Contreras told us that Mr. Delgado’s instructions were as good as hers. We didn’t dare disobey. They stayed there for a long time... and left late. When I came this morning to change your mother’s bandages, I saw her with her head inside the microwave. I thought she was looking for something. Just as I was about to go in—it exploded...”

A terrible thought struck me. I rushed to the corner of the room and found the pinhole camera.

Because of Cindy’s threat yesterday, I’d used a bathroom break as cover and asked the nurse to help me install a hidden camera in my mother’s room. I helped her in the past, so while she didn’t dare openly go against Cindy, she quietly did me this one favor.

I connected the camera to my phone and began reviewing last night’s footage.

What I saw made my blood boil and my vision blurred with rage.

They humiliated my mother.

They even threatened her.

“Old hag, we recorded everything we did to you. Want to guess what will happen if we leak those videos? Think your son would have any dignity left?”

“President Contreras only cares about Eugene now. She didn’t even blink when he killed your granddaughter. And she’s already forcing your son to destroy all the evidence.”

“If you don’t want your son publicly ruined, you’d better talk him into divorcing Cindy and walking away with nothing. Otherwise, we’ll make sure your entire family gets wiped off the internet—and maybe off this earth.”

My mother sat in silence all night on the bed. Then, just before dawn, she turned on the microwave.

As if she knew there was a camera watching, she looked straight at the lens and gave a soft, gentle smile.

“Vance... Mom has never done anything to be ashamed of. I’m not afraid of their threats. But I know Cindy is using me to control you.”

“I don’t care about gossip or disgrace... but I won’t be your burden any longer.”

“I’m going to take care of Louise now, so you must protect yourself. Stay away from those monsters."

"I’m sorry. I dragged you into this…”

I couldn’t bear to watch anymore.

Clutching my mother’s body, I broke down in heartwrenching sobs.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

“Hello? I found your daughter’s smartwatch. It was outside the Starlight Tower. Can you come pick it up?”

My heart skipped a beat.

Louise’s smartwatch had a builtin video recorder.

It was a birthday gift I’d given her. She never took it off unless she absolutely had to. Could she have left behind evidence for me?

After arranging for my mother’s body to be taken to the funeral home, I rushed to Starlight Tower and retrieved the watch.

There were hundreds of video clips stored inside—all documenting how Eugene had abused Louise.

Including footage from the day she died.

Rage consumed me, searing through every vein. Without hesitation, I dialed the number of Cindy’s business rival.

“You once told me your company doors would always be open for me. Does that offer still stand?”

A woman’s pleasant voice came through the line, tinged with delight.

“Of course. As it happens, my team and I are currently in New Haven negotiating a deal. Name your terms.”

“Good. I need your help with something.”

...

After the call ended, I packed my resignation letter and divorce papers, and headed for the company.

As I passed the break room, I overheard Eugene on the phone, his voice full of smug arrogance.

“The footage turned out great. I’ll wire you all the payment soon.”

“Just got word from the nursing home—the old hag killed herself. Tough to the end, I’ll give her that. But imagining Vance bawling his eyes out? God, that’s satisfying. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that he once helped build the company from scratch, Cindy would’ve dumped him ages ago.”

“He thought he could cling to the president’s seat? Then he better pay the price. Vance is a pathetic bastard. His daughter was a little bitch, and his mom was an old bitch. Now he doesn’t have to worry about who’ll take care of his daughter anymore—the old hag has gone to babysit her in hell. Hahaha!”

Rage exploded in my chest.

I stormed forward and slapped Eugene across the face.

The crack echoed.

Cindy rushed over and, without a word, shoved me hard. I lost balance and fell facefirst onto a cactus on the bar counter—my hands were instantly covered in blood.

“Vance, are you done with this crazy act?!”

“Cindy...” Eugene said pitifully, “I don’t even know what I did wrong. As soon as Mr. Santos showed up, he hit me. Is it because you planned to celebrate our 100day anniversary tonight? Is he jealous?”

“I get it. He thinks I’m beneath him. I’m just a poor student, nobody in his eyes—just your family’s servant. Maybe I should just leave and go back to school…”

Cindy grabbed his arm and turned to me, disappointment in her eyes.

“Vance, when did you become so petty and superficial?”

“Eugene is an orphan. He’s worked hard for everything he has, never once knowing what it’s like to be loved or protected. I’ve loved you for years—was that not enough? And now, over something this small, you hit someone out of jealousy?”

I laughed, cold and hollow.

“Petty? You think I’m the petty one?” My voice trembled. “Do you even know? My mother is dead—killed because Eugene sent men to torment her. They—”

Slap.

Her palm landed square across my face, drawing blood from the corner of my mouth.

Cindy’s voice was like ice. “Vance, how many times do I have to tell you—don’t use that tone when talking about Eugene.”

“You already blamed him for Louise’s death, just to drive him away. And now you dare curse your own mother too? Is there a shred of decency left in you?!”

Seeing her so easily, so naturally stood on Eugene’s side—I no longer had the will to argue.

Her heart had turned long ago. Nothing I said would ever matter again.

“...Fine,” I said, pulling out the resignation and divorce documents. “Sign these. I’ll leave. You’ll never have to see me again.”

She didn’t even look before scrawling her name and flinging the papers in my face.

“I know you’re bitter about Louise’s death. You want to lash out, buy whatever closure you think you need—I’ll sign it all.”

“But you humiliated Eugene again and again in public. Unless you kneel and apologize, I can’t promise your daughter’s ashes won’t suddenly go missing from the crematorium… or end up fed to the dogs.”

I shook with fury and heartbreak.

I no longer recognized the woman I once loved.

“...You win, Cindy.”

Swallowing every ounce of my dignity, I dropped to my knees before Eugene.

“I was out of line today. I’m sorry.”

Before I could even rise, he pressed my head down and slammed it into the floor—once, twice.

“Come on, Mr. Santos, you know what a real apology looks like. Only blood makes it sincere.”

Blood trickled from my forehead.

Cindy looked like she wanted to intervene, but Eugene leaned into her with a wounded whimper.

“Cindy, look at my face... do you think it’s bruised? He hit me in the face. Who does that?”

In the end, Cindy said nothing. She took Eugene’s hand and led him back to the office.

Soon, the unmistakable sounds of lust echoed from inside.

I ignored the looks from passing employees, stumbling out of the building like a ghost.

Just then, a long black Bentley limousine pulled up in front of me.

Its doors opened, and out stepped over a dozen sharply dressed women in suits—faces from both East and West.

A line of impeccably dressed women bowed in unison before me.

“Good day, Mr. Santos. We are the Perkins Corporation’s elite legal team—at your service.”