“Kelly, this is my boyfriend,” Beth said, clinging to Stanley’s arm.
Stanley had a handsome face, an air of nobility about him, and his deep, dark eyes were mesmerizing–especially the tear marks at the corners that made him look so striking.
My heart clenched. With just one look, I knew he was the same Stanley who had once promised to marry me.
“Mr. Williams, let me take you to my room,” Beth said sweetly as she led him away.
Stanley didn’t even glance at me as he left with her.
As Beth turned around, I spotted the jade pendant around her neck.
I widened my eyes in shock. Hadn’t I lost my jade pendant? How did it end up on Beth?
Back then, Beth had tried to steal it, and I fought her off, risking a beating from our mother to keep it, only for it to vanish the next day.
Suddenly, the scene shifted to a wedding ceremony.
On the big screen, images of Stanley and Beth in love played on repeat, while I stood there like a fool, listening to Stanley call Beth’s name during our vows. Even on the red carpet, I tripped over my gown, and Stanley only pushed me harder.
I fell on the stage, my wedding dress slipping down, barely covering me.
Photographers snapped away frantically, guests whispered among themselves, and I struggled to cover myself while Stanley watched coldly, an icy smile curling his lips.
Kand
He thought killed my half–sis so he mamed me as revenge. As was
curling his lips.
“Kelly, you liked me, didn’t you? You wanted to marry me so badly that you killed Beth. Well, you got your wish, but I’ll make sure your life is worse than death. You’ll pay for Beth’s death for the rest of your life. This is just the beginning!”
“I didn’t kill her. Beth’s death had nothing to do with me! That day, it wasn’t me who quarreled with her, it was-”
Before I could finish, my mother slapped me.
“Why aren’t you the one who’s dead? Why is Beth gone? Beth was wonderful, and you’re still alive? Why don’t you just die?”
After the wedding, Stanley’s return always marked the beginning of my nightmares.
“Kelly, does it hurt? Do you understand the pain Beth must have felt while she was dying? This is what you owe her.”
Agony tore through my body, and I bit my lips until they bled. “This is abuse. It’s illegal.”
Stanley laughed, pulling his lips into a smirk. “Who do you think would dare interfere with my business?”
“Don’t forget, you have no home now. Who will stand up for you? When I told Mrs. Walton I wanted to marry you, I was honest with her, and she agreed.”
“This is your retribution!”
“Your retribution!”
Stanley spoke the words with such venom, as though he wanted to grind me–and them–into dust.
All I knew was pain, intense pain, consuming every part of me.
I no longer had the strength to resist. I looked up at the ceiling, tears silently sliding down my cheeks.
The only person who had ever brought light into my life didn’t recognize me. Instead, he was pushing me into hell.
Perhaps I had been tortured too brutally by Stanley, or perhaps it was due to my physical state, but I collapsed into sleep for a full day and night.
When I woke, my stomach was in searing pain, like something was shredding my insides.
Suddenly, a sweet taste rose in my throat. I covered my mouth and rushed to the bathroom, vomiting a mouthful of fresh blood into the sink.
I glanced up at my reflection in the mirror. My face was deathly pale, the bones of my cheeks protruding. Blood stained my lips. I looked so much older
than twenty–six.
My stomach hurts even more.
It feels like the strength in my body is slowly slipping away. I muster all my willpower to turn on the tap and wash away the blood in the sink.
Returning to my bedroom, I take some painkillers and curl up on the bed. I’m sweating profusely from the pain.
Sunlight pours in through the French window, its warmth soothing my head.
I stare into the light for what feels like an eternity, so long that time itself seems to stand still.
It takes me a while to realize I’m dying.
Late–stage stomach cancer.
Finally, I could escape Stanley’s revenge.
In the evening, I get a call from the Williams mansion asking when we’ll be returning.
I glance at the calendar. Today is the day of the monthly family gathering at the Williams mansion.
For the Williams family, a family as large as ours, regular gatherings are crucial. They keep everyone in line and prevent any malicious intentions or
backstabbing. These gatherings are just a way to keep everyone in check.
Before, Stanley and I always took separate routes. He would only pick me up at the crossroads near the Williams mansion so we could arrive together and
present a united front to the family.
I assumed today would be the same.
But I waited for over an hour, and there was no sign of Stanley.
Just as I was debating whether to head to the mansion alone or call him, I received another call from the Williams mansion.
Stanley had already arrived, and now the whole family was waiting for me alone.
Stanley’s father, Alfred Williams, was furious. He thought I was becoming increasingly unruly, urging Stanley to go back and “teach me a lesson.” Stanley agreed, gazing at me coldly. “After all, you’re not someone fit to be shown in public. Thinking I could transform from a common sparrow intu phoenix after living comfortably for a few days… You can’t even compare to a single hair of Beth,” he said.
Initially, the relatives were all enjoying the spectacle, but as soon as Beth’s name was mentioned, their gazes toward me shifted subtly.
43
Indeed, everything about Beth was good. Since childhood, I had lived worse than a dog, surviving day to day. She was always high above me, yet she was a thief.
I’didift want to explain or argue. After all, no one would believe me.
thief
He thought i killed my half sis so he mamed me as revenge. As I was tortured to death, my sister came back
I didn’t want to explain or argue. After all, no one would believe me.
I just hoped my love for Stanley would fade. Maybe then, my heart wouldn’t hurt anymore.
A crazy idea even crossed my mind: I wanted him to fall in love with me. When I died, I would reveal the truth, showing him the evidence that I was the girl from all those years ago. He would learn that not only had he mistaken someone else for me, but he had also destroyed the very girl he had once promised to protect.
Let him suffer guilt for a lifetime.
But, regrettably, the only person who could prove that the jade pendant belonged to me–Beth–was dead. And Stanley would never fall in love with me. Stanley’s mother, Susan Williams, glared at me and said, “There’s a banquet in a couple of days. Stanley, take her so she can see the world a bit. You insisted on marrying her. Now, everything she does reflects on the Williams family.”
“And you, Kelly, get some rest over the next few days. You look terrible. It wouldn’t do for the Williams family to appear as if we’ve mistreated you.” I lowered my gaze and nodded. “I understand.”
Yes, no one in the Williams family recognized who I truly was. To them, I was the one responsible for Beth’s death.
But I don’t care anymore.
Even knowing that Stanley had married me solely to torture me and seek revenge for Beth, my heart still trembled.
Because I loved him. I had loved him for so many years.
It was clear–I truly was a masochist.
On the way home, Stanley sped right past the usual intersection.
I glanced at him. His face was dark, and my heart tightened.
But at the next fork in the road, he suddenly swerved and pulled over.
He got out of the car, yanked open the passenger door, and unbuckled my seatbelt, dragging me out roughly.
“What are you doing?”
Stanley opened the back door and shoved me inside. Before I could get up, he was on top of me, shutting the door behind him.
I knew what he was going to do. I struggled to resist, but the space in the car was too small. I was weak, and soon enough, he had my hands pinned down.
“Stanley, you bastard, let me go! I don’t want this!”
“Kelly, do you remember the agreement you signed? You have to satisfy me whenever I demand it.”
“No! That wasn’t voluntary–you forced me to sign that!”
I found an opening and bit down hard on his wrist.
In a fit of anger, Stanley slapped me.
He put all his strength into it. The corner of my mouth split open, and blood began to ooze out.
“Get out!”
I crawled out of the car, using my hands and knees, and watched as his car drove away. As soon as it disappeared from view, I sat down on the cold ground, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.
Suddenly, I realized I’d left my coat in his car, and I didn’t have my phone with me.
The winter in New York is freezing, and wearing only my thin sweater, I shivered as the bone–chilling wind whipped through me.
At this moment, I didn’t even have money for a taxi. It would take me at least two hours to walk home from here.
As I walked, I rubbed my hands together, the friction providing me a bit of warmth.
Being kicked out in winter and left to stand outside in the snow was common for me as a child.
Now, at least, I had a sweater to wear.
But… the pain in my stomach has returned.
The frequency of the pain is quickening, and I’ve started taking multiple doses of painkillers just to dull it a little.
Unable to endure the pain, I squat down, pressing my hands against my stomach, biting my lips, and burying my head in my knees.
The intense pain from my stomach blackens my vision for a moment.
Then, a gentle voice comes from in front of me.
“Are you alright?”
Struggling, I raise my head only to see the man before me looking shocked.
He thought killed my half–sis so he married me as revenge. As I was tortured to death, my sister came back…
Struggling, I raise my head only to see the man before me looking shocked.
“Frank Forbes?”
“Miss Kelly, is your stomach hurting again?”
I nod.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Frank bends down to help me up. As he touches my wrist, he frowns.
“You’re freezing. Are you crazy for wearing so little?”
He takes off his coat and drapes it over my shoulders.
“Wear mine for now. My car is just up ahead.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t refuse.
