American comics: I am full of martial virtues and I love to be kind to others.

"Martha," Lynn whispered, "We know what you've been through, but if you're not willing to speak up, his behavior will only get worse. We need you to tell us the truth."

Martha's lips trembled slightly. She hesitated for a moment, and finally whispered, "He... he's very smart. He won't do it when others hear him, and he won't leave obvious wounds. He always makes me feel that I'm not good enough, that I've angered him..."

Hearing this, Lin En's heart tightened. He had seen many cases like this, where victims were psychologically manipulated and even began to doubt their own worth, while the abusers always managed to escape unscathed.

"Martha, we believe you." Lynn said firmly, "But we need evidence. If you like, we can help you set up a recording device to record his words and actions. This will be very strong evidence."

Martha hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently. "Okay, but you must be careful. He gets angry easily."

"We will protect you." Lynn's eyes were firm. "From now on, you are not alone."

After returning to the car, Mark couldn't help but say, "Detective, this case is really tricky. He's a typical psychological manipulator. Not only does he oppress Martha, but he also makes people around him think he's a model husband."

Lin En gripped the steering wheel, his eyes stern. "This only proves that he's more dangerous than ordinary abusers. But the more so, the more we can't let him escape."

At night, the surveillance screens of Lynn and Mark suddenly went dark, and the previously clear images instantly lost their signal. The two looked at each other and realized that something was wrong.

"John found the device," Mark whispered, a hint of nervousness in his tone. "He's more perceptive than we thought."

Lin En's expression became even more serious. He immediately stood up and picked up his coat. "We can't wait any longer. Let's go to Martha's house."

The two rushed to Martha's apartment. The lights in the hallway were dim and the air was filled with a depressing atmosphere. When they knocked on Martha's door, it opened quickly, and it was John standing at the door.

"Detective, Mark, good evening." John gave a proper smile, without a hint of unhappiness in his tone. "What can I do for you?"

Lynn's eyes quickly swept over John, then past him, into the room. Martha sat at the dining table, quietly eating dinner. Two plates of steaming food lay on the table, and the atmosphere in the room seemed uncomfortably calm.

"We want to talk to Martha," Lynn said without emotion.

John didn't show any panic. He stepped aside to make way for the door. "Of course, please come in. Martha is eating, but she would definitely like to chat with you."

Lynn and Mark walked into the room. Martha looked up and saw them. A hint of subtle nervousness flashed across her face, but she quickly regained her composure. "Inspector, Mr. Mark, why are you here?"

"There was something wrong with our surveillance equipment just now. Let's confirm the situation." Lynn's eyes fell on Martha, trying to capture any information from her expression.

"Oh, that might be a signal problem." John smiled, looking relaxed. "The wireless network here has always been unstable, so it might have affected your equipment."

Mark's eyes quickly scanned the room, but he found no signs of any equipment being damaged or discarded. He lowered his voice and said, "Inspector, there doesn't seem to be anything unusual in this room."

Lynn didn't respond, but looked at Martha: "Martha, are you okay?"

Martha glanced down at John and nodded, "I'm fine, nothing's wrong."

John interrupted at the right moment: "Inspector, I think you might be a little too worried about what's going on between us. Actually, there's nothing serious going on between Martha and me; it's just the ordinary frictions of life. Look, isn't she calm now?"

Lin En's eyes suddenly became sharp. He did not respond directly, but slowly said: "If you don't have any problems, why did you turn off our monitoring equipment?"

John's smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. "Turn off the device? I don't quite understand what you mean. I came home and simply checked the device you installed, but it wasn't working, so I left it alone. After all, this is your area of ​​expertise, and I'm not entirely sure."

Lin En knew he was lying, but he lacked direct evidence. He turned to look at Martha and said, "If you have any questions, you can always contact me, now or later."

Martha nodded, but her eyes still revealed an unspeakable depression.

Lynn and Mark left the apartment. As they walked downstairs, Mark couldn't help but whisper, "Inspector, this guy is an actor. He knows we can't catch him."

Lin En pursed her lips, her eyes stern. "His acting skills are indeed superb, but the problem is that the more cautious he is, the more it shows that there is something wrong with him. We can't act rashly now, otherwise it will put Martha in greater danger."

Mark sighed. "What should we do next? He obviously knows we're watching."

Lin En took a deep breath. "We have to try a different approach and expose him. We have to find the point where he loses control of his emotions. No matter how smart he is, he will have loopholes."

Lynn and Mark returned to the car and, after a moment's silence, began to discuss their next strategy. Mark spoke first, his tone tinged with urgency: "Inspector, John is too cunning. We can't wait forever. Perhaps we can try to make him angry and catch him when he loses control of his emotions."

Lynn frowned and shook her head. "It's certainly an idea to get him angry, but the risk is too great. Martha is living under his control now. If we provoke him, it's likely to put her in even greater danger. We can't take that risk."

Mark sighed softly, "I understand, but if we keep waiting, he might be more careful and even try to cover it up. Then it will be harder for us to find evidence."

Lynn's eyes were steady and calm. He tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, as if organizing his thoughts. "John's on high alert right now. He's aware we're watching him. So, the first step is to lower his guard. We need him to think he's out of our sight so he can reveal his flaws."

Mark nodded: “You mean, don’t do anything for now?”

"That's right." Lynn turned to look at Mark and said firmly, "Let's wait and see. We need to give him the illusion that he has the upper hand, so that he will slowly let down his guard. At the same time, we will continue to monitor Martha's condition and ensure her safety."

"But how long will this take?" Mark was clearly uneasy. "I don't know," Lynn answered frankly, "but time is not an issue for us. Martha's safety is the most important thing. If we rush in, we might destroy her only protection."

Mark was silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, we'll do it your way. But, Inspector, if there's any sign that Martha's condition is worsening, I want us to take immediate action."

Lynn nodded, her eyes sharp as a knife. "Of course. Our goal is to free Martha from this nightmare, not to trap her deeper."

After reaching an agreement, the two drove away from Martha's apartment. They decided to temporarily stop being around John and instead continue to monitor his movements through remote monitoring and other covert means. Meanwhile, Lynn began contacting victim support organizations, hoping to provide Martha with emergency shelter and psychological support if needed.

Lynn contacted Martha and cautiously asked her out for a meeting. His tone was gentle, trying to put Martha at ease: "Martha, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. She's a very experienced journalist and a good listener. I think it might be helpful for you to talk."

Martha hesitated on the other end of the phone and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure...you won't let John know?"

"I promise," Lynn's voice was firm, "this meeting is for you. You can rest assured that I won't put you in any danger."

Finally, Martha agreed to Lynn's proposal. Two days later, Lynn and Kate were waiting in a quiet cafe. Kate was wearing a simple dress, holding a pen and a small notebook in her hands, and her eyes were full of warmth and professionalism.

Martha looked a little reserved when she walked into the cafe, her hair loose and her neck deliberately covered with a scarf. Lynn stood up and greeted her with a smile: "Martha, thank you for coming. This is Kate, she is a trustworthy person."

Kate smiled and stood up, extending her hand. "Hello, Martha. I heard about your situation and I hope we can have a good chat."

Martha hesitated for a moment, then gently shook Kate's hand. Lynn nodded and said to the two of them, "You guys chat. I'll wait outside."

After Lynn left, Kate asked the waiter to bring two cups of warm tea. She looked at Martha gently and said, "Don't be nervous. It's safe here. We're just chatting. There's no pressure."

Martha nodded and whispered, "I don't know where to begin."

"Just start from where you want to talk." Kate said softly, "There's no right or wrong, just chat casually."

Following Kate's guidance, Martha gradually relaxed and began to recount her life with John. Her voice was filled with exhaustion and helplessness: "He never hit me in front of others, but he would threaten me in a terrifying tone. If I did something he didn't like, I'd get into trouble when I got home."

Kate asked softly, "What are those threats usually? Did he actually do anything to you?"

Martha nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "He would hit me, but only in places covered by my clothes. He said that way no one would see. I tried to leave, but he found me and dragged me back. He threatened that if I left again, he would... would hurt my father."

Kate's eyes flashed with anger, but she tried to remain calm. "Martha, I know this is hard, but I need you to believe that you are not alone. We can help you, but we need proof. Will you let me see those scars?"

Martha hesitated for a long time, and finally nodded, slowly untied her scarf, and pulled open her cuffs, revealing the bruises and scratches on her arms and neck. Kate looked at those shocking scars, and her heart ached, but she did not show any panic.

"Are these the most recent?" Kate asked softly.

Martha lowered her head and wiped away her tears, then said softly, "Last week... he was unhappy because I didn't set the table as he asked."

Kate took a deep breath, pulled out her phone, and carefully took photos of the injuries. "Martha, these are very important pieces of evidence. We'll use them to help you out of this predicament."

Martha looked up, a hint of fear in her eyes. "But he said that if I dared to tell anyone, he would destroy everything. He would take revenge on me and my father."

Kate held her hand, her tone firm but gentle: "Listen to me, Martha. You are very brave, and you are not facing this alone now. Lynn and I will do our best to protect you and your father. You don't need to be afraid anymore."

Martha's tears finally flowed, but she nodded, as if she had found some strength in Kate's support. Kate took out her business card and handed it to Martha: "This is my number. Whenever you need help, you can contact me. You can also contact Lynn at any time. We will be there."

Lynn waited outside for over an hour until Kate came out and nodded at him. "She's willing to cooperate, but we have to speed up. John is not only a control freak, he also has obvious violent tendencies. If we don't act quickly, she might get hurt even more."

Lynn nodded, her eyes firm: "We won't let her continue to suffer. Kate, thank you."

"Don't thank me." Kate smiled. "This is what you should do. Besides, you should thank Martha. She is the bravest one."

The next day, Martha sat on the sofa in her living room, her hands shaking slightly, but she tried to remain calm. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with an inconspicuous miniature camera pinned to the collar. Lynn and Mark were watching her every move in real time through remote monitoring.

John opened the door and walked in, carrying a briefcase. He frowned slightly when he saw Martha sitting on the sofa. "Why didn't you make dinner today? Are you wasting time staring blankly again?"

Martha took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice calm: "John, we need to talk."

John threw his briefcase on the table, sat down across from her, and sneered, "What are you talking about? What trivial things do you want to complain about?"

Martha raised her head and looked directly at him, trying not to avoid his gaze. "I want a divorce."

John was stunned by this, and then his face darkened. He whispered, "Divorce? Are you kidding, Martha?"

"I'm not kidding." Martha's voice remained calm, but her hands were already tightly gripping the armrest of the sofa. "I've had enough of your control and violence. I want to live my own life."

John narrowed his eyes, a dangerous smile appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Martha, you are so funny. Do you think you can leave me? I think you have forgotten that everything you have comes from this family. Where can you go without me?" (End of this chapter)