My Husband's Lion Ate My Son

My husband, Gerald Davis, was a world-renowned top animal trainer, running a famous exotic zoo. Even the fiercest beasts were as docile as cats in his presence.

But on the day he took our son, Jeffry, to visit the zoo, the lion, which was his favorite, suddenly broke out of its cage and swallowed our boy whole.

In the morgue, I held my son's mutilated body and cried until I fainted, while he rushed back to the zoo overnight to soothe the frightened lion.

"Bethany, the little lion is usually so well-behaved. This was just an accident.

Everyone has their own destiny. I am also very sad, but the past is gone. We must look forward."

It wasn't until I saw on the surveillance that he was comforting the new female coworker, Vivian, whispering, "Cathleen, I'm not blaming you for not reporting the broken cage on time. Everyone in the zoo faces risks of injury. Jeffry just had bad luck."

In that moment, I felt the blood in my veins freeze.

It turned out that the person who caused our son's death was the father he admired the most.

I turned off the surveillance and donated his prized little lion to the national zoo for free.

Then, I sent my son's photo to my 108 connections in the underground network, "Make them face the consequences."

...

The moment the donation news was released, my phone rang.

"Bethany! Are you out of your mind? The international tour invitations have been sent out, and you donated the little lion? Who will come to this lousy zoo without the lion?

Our son died, and you're upset, but what does that have to do with me? It was his bad luck! Why are you taking it out on me and Vivian?

I will give you 24 hours to retract the donation. Or I will divorce!"

After yelling, Gerald hung up the phone harshly.

I clutched the phone, tears rolling down silently.

Every time we argued, he would threaten me with divorce, and every time I would inevitably give in. But today, I felt tired.

Gerald had loved animals since he was young and was seen as a freak by everyone. He was bullied and even blinded in one eye during a beating, falling into despair.

I happened to be traveling and saved him in time, feeling compassion and using my resources to find him a cornea, so he could pursue his dreams.

After regaining his vision, he expressed immense gratitude and confessed his feelings to me countless times. He dedicated himself tirelessly to working with animals, and it was only after he successfully established and opened the zoo that my family permitted him to marry me.

After marriage, he was diagnosed with low fertility, and the doctor declared he would likely have no child in his lifetime.

I refused to accept fate and endured seven years of IVF treatments, enduring injections until my abdomen was bruised and purple, eventually receiving the news of an embryo implanting.

On the day our child was born, he was so happy that almost going insane, touching my belly and crying and laughing.

He swore he would treat us well.

We were indeed very happy during that time, until Vivian appeared.

...

I wiped away my tears, preparing to upload the surveillance video online.

But the phone screen was blank.

Someone had deleted the important video.

Yet, I received a video message that made me tremble with anger.

"Miss, are you alright?" the butler asked worriedly.

I took a deep breath, "Go to the zoo, now. The surveillance must be restored."

As the car entered the park, I noticed a crowd gathered outside the gate holding banners, with their shouts reverberating in the air.

Dozens of people angrily held signs chanting, "Give us back our jobs!" and "Greedy bosses, get out!"

My heart sank.

Gerald stood at the highest point, dressed in a suit, looking heartbroken.

Beside him was the young female coworker, Vivian, wiping tears from her red eyes.

"Stop the car, " I told the butler. "Phillips, you take the technician through the staff entrance to restore the surveillance. I'll go check it out."

As soon as I got out of the car, a rotten leaf hit my shoulder.

"It's her! This vicious woman wants to close the zoo!" a middle-aged woman with a face full of hostility pointed at me.

"Heartless capitalist, why do you want to shut down the zoo? The zoo belongs to everyone! Everyone has put in their effort!" a man shouted, waving his fists.

"Rich people are cold-blooded. If their own children have an accident, they want everyone to die along with them!"

The angry crowd surged towards me like a tide, all relatives from Gerald's hometown.

No wonder so many animals had been sickly lately; he had fired my top breeders and replaced them with his family members.

Gerald stood high above, with a barely noticeable smirk, showing no intention of helping me out of this situation.

Years ago, I anonymously built the zoo and made him the director, intending to give him a job opportunity and a support system.

So he wouldn't feel unworthy of me.

I even sought out rare animals from all over the world through my connections in the underground network, hiring top trainers to secretly manage them.

He thought it was his innate talent, not knowing those beasts he supposedly tamed had been trained by professionals.

Now Gerald truly became a world-class animal trainer, and the zoo a major tourist attraction.

He arrogantly believed the zoo's success was all his doing, even looking down on me, the main benefactor behind the scenes, while using my money to hire Vivian, the third party.

Yet, he didn't even know how many animals had died in the zoo, because my brothers always replaced the dead ones overnight.

Everyone thought I, a housewife, would never leave Gerald, the meal ticket.

But they didn't know that Gerald's success was entirely due to my generosity; without me, he would be nothing.

"Everyone, calm down!" I raised my voice, "The zoo won't close, it's just... "

"Bullshit!" Gerald's cousin jumped out from the crowd, "Gerald said you want to donate the zoo. How will we pay our bills and support our families? The zoo might be a small business to your family, but it's our livelihood!"

This statement immediately turned the commotion into a riot.

Someone even shoved me, and I stumbled back, hitting the fence.

Only then did Gerald finally come over to stand in front of me.

"Bethany, stop it. Everyone is heartbroken over Jeffry, but you can't ruin the lives of so many people just because of a rash decision."

He lowered his voice, leaning closer to me, "I've already deleted the video. Vivian is still young. If she's labeled a murderer, her life was ruined. We've already lost our son. Can you bear to destroy an innocent girl's life too?"

I shook off his hand in disbelief, trembling all over. "Innocent? You said she was innocent? Our son is dead, murdered. And your first reaction is to console the murderer!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Gerald's expression shifted slightly but he quickly regained his composure. "Bethany, you're too emotional. Little lion is usually so gentle. This was just an accident. Maybe our son had something on him that triggered it. You can't ..."

"An accident?" I scoffed, "Then why was the surveillance footage deleted during that time? Why was the cage broken and no one reported it? Why was a substance found on our son's body that could provoke the lion? You know he was usually allergic to perfumes. And why did Vivian just happen to visit the vet shop the night before?"

Vivian's face turned pale in an instant.

"Enough!" Gerald suddenly raised his voice, turning to the onlookers. "My wife has been having mental issues since the incident with our child..."

I interrupted him, "Let's get a divorce. I'll find a way to recover the surveillance footage. See you in court tomorrow."

"Divorce?" Gerald responded as if he'd heard a ridiculous joke. "Bethany, your family isn't what it used to be. Your parents have gone bankrupt and fled abroad. How will you survive without me? If you keep causing trouble, I have countless ways to silence you!"

He said my parents were abroad. He was right, but that was because they had found better business opportunities abroad and were investing in hundreds of factories and farms.

The wealth they had accumulated could support our family for a hundred lifetimes.

Not to mention 108 powerful allies they supported, who were influential in various industries and loved me dearly.

I had already sent them a message, and they would be here soon to help me.

I let out a cold laugh and walked away.

In the car, I called the nominal big boss of the zoo to fire everyone and replace them with competent people.

I had turned a blind eye to Gerald getting his relatives in through the back door, and they all followed the fake boss Gerald blindly.

If they couldn't distinguish between the real and fake boss, there was no need for them to stay.

But I underestimated Gerald's despicability.

...

When I went to the crematorium to collect Jeffry's ashes, the staff handed me a receipt. "Mr. Davis collected them half an hour ago."

I stared at Gerald's signature, my nails digging deep into my palms.

When I stepped into the villa, Vivian was enjoying grapes together with Gerald.

"Give me back Jeffry's ashes." I threw the divorce agreement fiercely at Gerald's face, "Sign it, and I might consider leaving you a way out. Otherwise, I'll expose all your dirty secrets and ruin both of you!"

Gerald's face darkened, and he grabbed my throat forcefully. "Do you really have to divorce me? I've told you it's a misunderstanding. And, we can have another child!"

I struggled violently, the hatred and murderous intent in my eyes almost tangible.

Gerald clenched his fists, contemplated for a few seconds, then let out a cold laugh. "We can get a divorce."

Suddenly, he picked up glasses on the table, smashing them onto the floor one after another, creating a barrier of shattered glass. "I will never agree, unless you crawl through the glass shards to reach me."

Vivian let out a derisive laugh.

Gerald turned his gaze towards me. "Bethany, if you admit your mistake now, I can still give you another chance..."

Before he could finish, I dropped to my knees.

Blood immediately surged forth, and the sharp pain made my vision blur.

"Are you crazy?!" Gerald's eyes turned red with shock.

I disregarded his presence and slowly propelled myself forward, acutely aware of the unmistakable sensation of debris grinding into my flesh.

Halfway through the journey, a sharp piece of glass became embedded in my kneecap.

I let out a muffled groan, hearing Gerald's breath grow suddenly heavier.

I let the blood trail down my leg, leaving a long streak behind.

By the time I finally knelt before him, my entire white dress was soaked with blood.

"Are you that desperate to leave me?!" Gerald grabbed my chin with such force it felt like he might crush the bone. "Answer me!"

I spat out a mouthful of blood, staring directly into his bloodshot eyes. "Yes."

That single word seemed to trigger something.

He abruptly released me, letting out a chilling laugh.

"Fine, very well." He let go, "Someone, take her to the predator pit."

Two bodyguards immediately grabbed me.

The wound on my knee was jostled, and the pain made my vision go black, but I gritted my teeth and stayed silent.

Vivian chuckled softly, lightly linking her arm with his.

Gerald shook her off abruptly, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "Bethany, the beasts there are fierce, they can jump a meter high with ease. I'll give you one last chance. Reconcile with me, and Jeffry's ashes will be at your disposal. Otherwise... I'll show you what a true beast can do."

I smirked, "You're worse than any beast."

That completely enraged him.

"Take her away!" he shouted, "Hang her on the lift! I want to see these beasts teach an unruly woman a lesson!"

Vivian sidled up again, "Mr. Davis, these beasts are very sensitive to the smell of blood~"

"What do you know?" Gerald lit a cigarette, "A bit of hardship will remind her of my worth."

...

The iron gate of the predator pit slammed shut behind me.

I was tied to the lift's ropes, with a dozen pairs of hungry beast eyes below me.

The scent of blood filled the air, inciting them to growl incessantly.

"The rules are simple." Gerald's icy voice came through the speaker, "One hour. Survive, and you'll get Jeffry's ashes back."

The lift began to descend slowly.

When the first starving leopard with green eyes leapt up, I could even smell the stench of rotting meat from its mouth.

Its rough tongue scraped across my cheek, leaving a burning pain.

I curled my body desperately, but the ropes restricted all movement.

Then, a lion's sharp claws slashed across my calf, tearing open the already mangled wound.

Blood dripped down, and the beasts' eyes turned frenzied.

"Mr. Davis! She's losing too much blood!" a staff member's terrified voice came through the intercom, "These beasts will go even crazier with the scent of blood!"

Gerald's cold laughter echoed through the speaker, "What's there to fear? The rope is sturdy."

Just then, the strongest white tiger leapt up fiercely, its fangs almost grazing my throat.

I instinctively leaned back, hearing something tear.

The lift began to shake violently.

"Pull her up quickly!" Gerald shouted in a panic into the intercom.

But the rope had been sliced by someone, leaving a thin line.

With a crisp "snap," I plummeted rapidly.

In the last moment, I saw the beasts leaping excitedly, their gaping mouths just inches away.

Tears streaming down my face, I closed my eyes.

I murmured, "Jeffry, mommy's coming to join you."

"Bang!"

A deafening gunshot shattered the night sky.

Vivian's terrified voice came through the speaker, "Mr. Davis, there are a lot of fighter jets nearby, it seems we're surrounded by mercenaries and gangsters!"

At that moment, 108 armored vehicles broke through the wall, crashing inside.

My brothers, armed with submachine guns, fired bullets that landed precisely at the feet of each beast.