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572words2026-01-26 11:23

Our daughter Lily was brought back to the family. Yet my wife Peyton ordered someone to break her legs and throw her into a wolf cage.
It was just because her precious adopted daughter Maya sprained her ankle while showing Lily around the mansion.
Peyton had ten steel nails driven into Lily’s legs, destroying her dancing career.

Drool from wolves outside the cage dripped onto Lily’s face while Peyton held Maya in her embrace.
I screamed hoarsely, “Lily’s our daughter by blood! How could you do this to her?!”
Peyton stroked Maya’s hair. Her eyes were venomous.
“Maya sprained her ankle and needs at least ten days to recover, so I have ten nails driven int o Lily’s legs. That’s only fair!”
Then she threw a pair of pliers at my face.
“Go on. Pull the nails out. Let her crawl out of this cage, and I’ll spare her life.”

My hands shook as I gripped the pliers, aiming at the first nail in Lily’s leg.
Peyton’s call blasted through.
“Oliver, enough with the drama. Pull the nails as soon as possible and bring Lily back now.”
“I’m warning you. If you bother Maya again, next time won’t be an act!”

Act? Those steel nails were real! Didn’t she know that?
I stared at the bloody holes in Lily’s legs and laughed bitterly.
Wolves snarled and closed in. The cage shook violently. Lily’s cries tore through the air.
On the live feed, Maya cooed at the camera,
“Mom, Dad still won’t admit he’s wrong. Poor Lily…”
Her innocent face was full of smug delight. I shielded Lily with my body and roared into the void,
“Peyton, you monster! Open your eyes! Is this a performance to you?!”
No one answered.
Only the heavy panting of wolves drawing nearer.
Desperate, I realized only pulling out those nails could get us out.
With a sickening crunch, the first nail came out.
Lily screamed until her voice broke. Blood spattered, staining my vision red.
The warm blood told me this was all too real.
Lily weakly grasped my hand.
“Daddy… it hurts… This isn’t pretend… Maya… she told them… to hammer hard…”
My heart stopped.
Maya told them to hammer hard?
It wasn’t just Peyton’s order?
Peyton’s men stood nearby, acting like they saw nothing. They just urged me to “play along” occasionally.
I studied their faces. Did they think this was acting too?
Or did they know the truth and just play dumb?
I gritted my teeth and pulled out the second nail.
Lily’s scream nearly pierced my eardrums.
Rage burned in my eyes. Every last bit of hope I had for Peyton shattered.
My phone rang again.
“Oliver, that’s enough! Stop this nonsense now!”
I looked at Lily’s pale face, at the eight nails still left in her legs.
“You think Lily’s misery is for show?” My voice was low. “Fine. I’ll play along until the end.”
Third nail.
Lily was in too much pain to speak. She just clutched my hand tightly.
Her hand was so small. So cold.
Like when she was first born and held my finger.
Fourth.
Fifth.
With every nail, my heart broke all over again.
From the monitor, Maya’s voice chirped,
“Mom, Dad’s really lost it. Look at all that blood! Poor Lily.”
Not a trace of concern. Just evil excitement.
I looked up at the camera.
“Maya, listen closely.”
“I will make you pay for this.”