Chapter 1825

After leaving the room, Karina quickly patted her cheeks, trying to calm herself down. At the very least, she couldn't let anyone notice anything was off. "Dr. Norman?" someone called from behind her.

She turned to see a woman she recognized as the family member of a former patient. Noticing the child in the woman's arms, Karina's expression immediately softened with concern.

After a brief exchange, Karina learned that the child's condition had flared up again. She led them back to her office and conducted a thorough examination. Five minutes later, she reviewed the results with a slight frown.

"Her stomach and intestines seem fine. Can you tell me where exactly she's feeling discomfort?" Karina asked, assuming the mother may have misunderstood or misspoken.

But the woman hesitated, stammering nervously.

Sensing something deeper was going on, Karina softened her tone. "It's okay. This is a hospital-we're here to help. There's no need to hide anything. Just tell me what's wrong."

To her surprise, the woman suddenly burst into tears.

Startled, Karina quickly tried to comfort her. "Don't cry, please. Take your time and tell me what's happened."

The middle-aged woman sobbed for a long time before finally composing herself enough to explain. What she revealed nearly made Karina call the police on the spot.

The woman was a typical housewife, with a limited education and a rural background. In her town, there was an unspoken rule: once someone reached a certain age, matchmakers would come knocking, and parents would rush to marry off their children. She ended up marrying a man eight years her senior and had a daughter soon after. However, because of the cultural preference for sons, her husband resented her for not bearing a boy and treated her poorly.

The woman wiped her tears as she spoke. "That was nothing-I could tolerate it. But a few days ago, I found out that beast dared to lay hands on my daughter! She's just a little girl, and he's her father! How could he even have such thoughts about her?" Karina was stunned, struggling to process what she had just heard. This was beyond anything she could imagine.

Without hesitation, Karina arranged for another examination. The earlier test had been focused on internal issues, as the child had a history of stomach problems. This time, it was a gynecological exam.

The results were devastating. The girl's private area showed severe tearing, and Karina's hands trembled as she looked at the report.

"What kind of monster could do this?" she fumed silently.

Seeing the mother wiping her tears repeatedly, Karina realized she was in no state to take immediate action. She set aside the thought of calling the police for the moment and arranged for a female gynecologist to treat the girl's injuries. The tears were severe, inflamed, and needed immediate care.

After the girl was taken into the

treatment room, Karina handed the mother a tissue. "Take a moment to collect yourself. I know any mother would feel heartbroken in this situation, but I really think you need to go through the legal system."

The woman dabbed at her tears, her voice thick with hatred. "When have I ever disobeyed that family? They told me to do the chores-I did them. They told me to take care of the whole extended family, even uncles and cousins-and I did it all.

"But why... why would they do this to my daughter?"

It was clear she hadn't registered Karina's earlier advice, so Karina patiently repeated herself, urging her to take legal action.

But this only made the woman cry harder, her grief giving way to utter despair. "Do you think I haven't tried? I filed for divorce right away! I went to court!"

Her voice broke as she went on. "But

the court wouldn't grant it. They said

I needed evidence. How am I

supposed to get evidence? There are no cameras, and that monster covered his tracks so well! He's even claiming someone else hurt my daughter!"

Karina was shocked.

She wasn't married, so she had no idea how difficult cases like this could be. Was it really this hard to get a divorce?