Cut Off For Good

Everyone said Alice Foster was heads over heels in love with me. Even when my father and I were kicked out of the house, she still insisted on keeping her marriage vows. She even rehearsed them ninety-nine times because she envisioned a perfect wedding for us. Little did they know, all the best-men at the wedding were picked among a list of the ninety-nine lovers she kept around her. “Oliver, you're already my husband. It’s not too much to ask to let them attend the wedding, is it?” I numbly accepted the box of cash she handed me before rushing to the hospital. The wedding was supposed to be for me. That was, until I saw her walking onto the stage with the child my mother birthed out of wedlock. I could not hold back my tears anymore and questioned her. “Why did you pick him of all people?” Alice smiled faintly, "I'm pregnant with his child. “Take the high road for once, would you? Don't be like your father who has to go around begging for medical bills from his son at his old age.” I clutched the money and ran out of the hall while enduring the jeering gaze of the crowd. I got to the hospital just in time to see my father jumping to his death. After his blood splattered on my face, he turned to me with his eyes wide open and gasped with his last breath, “Oliver, quit begging her.” Chapter 1 When I held my father's body, which was stiffening in my arms, I felt my blood run cold to the point of freezing. I couldn’t speak, even if I wanted to. A sharp, shrill phone call snapped me out of it. It was Alice calling. I answered without thinking. Her nonchalant voice came through the speaker. “Oliver, I’m getting married to Gregory tonight, and we’re all out of condoms. Bring a box over for me.” My fingers were shaking. Just as I was about to hang up on her, she spoke again, “Oh, buy a box of candy for me too. The kid has a sweet tooth, and I can win him over with it.” A memory flashed across my mind. I recalled Alice picking up my father and me from our run-down rental apartment. She gently slipped the ring onto my finger. “Have you been trying to hide from me? I’ve been searching for you for ages. “Even if you're not the Barton heir, you’re still my husband. I promise you I’ll give you the perfect wedding.” The first time we did it, I was very nervous. I remembered how she pressed a piece of candy into my mouth and assured me gently, “Don't be nervous, have a piece of candy. I promise you everything is going to be as sweet as candy from now on.” Even though I knew Alice had a reputation for being a flirt, I still fell head over heels for her. I was never bothered by the other men she had around her because I knew she was not serious about them. As it turned out, it was different with Gregory because she eventually became pregnant with his child. We had been together for five years by then and had religiously used protection whenever we did it. It looked like my delusional love had backfired on me at last. To make matters worse, the one man she made exceptions for was the very man I detested. If it weren't for Gregory Barton, I wouldn’t have lost my mother. My father wouldn’t have lost his wife. As usual, she hung up on me first. I watched in a dazed state as the staff at the crematorium took my father away. Later, when they passed a box containing my father’s ashes to me, I broke down crying at last. After receiving the death certificate, I received a call. “Mr. Clarke, the DNA report is out. We have concrete proof that your father is Master Beckett’s long-lost son. “We have the plane tickets booked already. Would you like to see your grandfather? Don't be scared, the old man isn't as scary as the rumors say.” I clutched my father's urn tightly while tears streamed down my face. “Okay.” “Have the documents ready in three days, we’ll send someone to pick you up.” I was still feeling numb when I got home. I stepped into the house to the commotion of a group of drunken women. “Alice, Gregory is your husband's half-brother. Don’t you have all the reasons in the world to hate him? How did he suddenly become your groom?” Alice slowly swirled her glass of wine while chuckling softly. “Well, there’s no helping it. I want my son to be born to a father of higher status.” After they elicited their reactions, another girl cautiously asked, “What about your husband?" Alice smiled coyly. “Oliver? Oh, he’ll play along nicely. Even when I was sleeping with other men, he would bring me the condoms! Besides, it’s just a wedding. I’ll make it up to him after.” The group burst into laughter. “It doesn’t sound like you’re worried about him getting upset and running off!” Chapter 2 Alice was not concerned and brushed them off, “He’s not going to run off. Even if I kicked him out, he'd kneel on the ground crying and begging me not to leave him. “Besides, he needs me to keep that sick father of his alive.” I staggered backward until I felt the presence of someone standing behind me. “Brother, you're back.” When I turned around and noticed it was Gregory, the look in my eyes darkened as I glared at him. "I don’t have a brother." When I walked toward the side door, Gregory suddenly cried out. “Ah!” The conversation in the living room was cut off immediately. … Alice was the first to approach with her hands in her pockets. When she saw Gregory lying on the floor, she shot me a long, considered look. “Did you push him?” Gregory quickly explained, “No, it wasn't him who pushed me, I was just careless and fell.” Then, he started to sob. “Alice, my stomach hurts…” Alice clicked her tongue as she helped him up, then shot me a look and commanded sharply, “Come.” After she helped Gregory back to the villa, she made a point of lifting his clothes to inspect if he was hurt. It was as if his well-being was the most important thing in the world. Meanwhile, the girls exchanged glances before excusing themselves. When I walked past them to enter the room, they whistled and gave me looks as if they were expecting drama. Although Alice had always been promiscuous, her friends had never flaunted their attitude in front of me before. They were no fools. Even they could tell Alice’s feelings for Gregory were different. He was nothing like the other ninety-nine men she had slept with. This was why I found myself being treated just like her band of cheap lovers. They teased me without a care in the world. When I realized this, I felt a faint ache in my heart that had long gone numb. Alice did not speak. All she did was eye me indifferently before ordering, “Oliver, apologize.” I bit my lip so hard that I could taste something metallic in my mouth. “I did not push him.” Alice sneered cruelly, “Oliver, Gregory is not like the other men. He's my business partner and the heir to Barton Corporation. I am pregnant with his child. “I will not tolerate anyone hurting my child’s father. Not even you. “You have to pay for this. That’s the only way you will learn from this.” I tried to make a run, but Alice grabbed me. She pressed my head against the table. Alice snarled in my ear, “Listen up, Oliver. If you ever try to hurt Gregory again, it’ll be your dad on the guillotine.” Tears welled up in my eyes before streaming down my cheeks. I suddenly recalled scenes of her protecting me from the other men she had slept with in the past. Then, she handed me the divorce papers. “Sign it. I can’t have my child being born a bastard.” Our marriage had completely lost its significance. I took the agreement, then decisively signed my name on it. Upon noting my lack of hesitation, Alice frowned slightly and scoffed. “Since you are no longer my husband, have the decency to move to the maids’ room. Also, you can take care of your father’s medical expenses yourself from now on.” I forced a smile. Upon remembering my father’s last words, I remarked faintly, “It’s fine.” That was when the sound of someone throwing up interrupted us. My heart dropped. I rushed into the room only to find the bedsheets my father had bought for me covered in vomit. Gregory staggered to his feet while turning to me apologetically, "Sorry about that. I had a little too much to drink at the reception with Alice tonight and couldn’t hold back." Then, he produced ten dollars from his wallet. “The bedsheet looks pretty old, this should be more than enough.” Smack! Chapter 3 My eyes were bloodshot when I slapped him across the face. “Gregory, you crossed a line!” Gregory covered his face and seemed aghast. Then, he turned to Alice, who was behind him and cried out, looking aggrieved, “Alice, I didn't mean it! I tried to apologize to him!” What came after was a terrific, burning sensation across my face. … Alice had put everything into the slap and threw me to the ground. She barely even cared to look at me. Instead, she went straight to Gregory, where she carefully looked after him. “There, do you feel better?” Gregory embraced her. “It's my fault. I shouldn’t have thrown up on those sheets and ruined them.” It was then that Alice cast a look at the grotesque stain on the sheet before ordering icily, “Burn it.” “No, it was the last thing my father left for me! I can clean it myself, don't burn it!” Alice of all people should know that I suffered from nightmares every night. The only way I could fall asleep was when I was hugging the blanket. Despite that, she ignored my pleas and ordered the maid behind her. “Throw away all this old and nasty stuff when the new mister moves in.” Bang! The wedding picture on the wall was knocked to the floor and swept up like common trash. I could hear echoes of the vows she gave when the wedding pictures were taken. Back then, she had sworn in front of everyone, “Alice Foster will only love Oliver Clarke for the rest of her life.” When the bedsheet erupted in flames, I leapt toward the brazier to salvage it with my bare hands. I risked burning myself to put out the flames. Soon, my hands were covered with burns and blisters. To my surprise, it was Alice who rushed to my side and grabbed my hand. She turned to me with a sharp look in her eyes. “Does it hurt?” Then, Gregory suddenly clutched his hand over his stomach before gesturing at the urn containing my father’s ashes. “Why did you bring home something like that, brother? You know I’m allergic to dust! “Ahck! Ahck! Alice, help!” I lunged forward. “No!” It was too late for Gregory, who had kicked over my father's ashes. I could not hold back my rage anymore and threw myself at him. I seized him by the hair, my eyes bloodshot with rage, and accused him, “You did it on purpose! “You scum! As if your father seducing my mother wasn’t enough, now you want to be a home wrecker and steal my wife from me too!” Gregory cried out, “Alice, my brother has lost it! He's going to kill me!” I had my hand wrapped tightly around his neck until Alice’s bodyguards sent me flying with a kick. When I tumbled to the floor, shards of broken porcelain pierced my flesh and drew blood. I crawled around desperately to collect whatever was left of my father’s ashes while smearing the floor with streaks of my blood. My tears dripped onto the ashes and formed clumps. “Dad, I'm sorry. Please forgive me…” Then, Alice snatched the urn from my arms. She mercilessly tossed all the remaining ashes of my father into the toilet! “Splash!” The sound of the toilet flushing horrified me. I knelt before the toilet, completely stunned. When I looked up at Alice, my eyes were red and swollen. “Alice! I will never ever forgive you!” I recognized what seemed to be shock and hurt flickering across her eyes for a brief moment. Gregory was clutching onto the hair I had ripped out of his scalp and cried out, “Alice, look at how much of my hair he pulled out. Maybe we shouldn't keep the baby after all. If he’s willing to do something like this now, what is he going to do when the child is born? He’s going to kill us!” Alice hugged him tenderly and assured him, “He won’t. I will protect you.” Then, she regarded me with a look so cutting it seemed as if I were worthless to her. Then, she turned to her housemaids. “Get the scissors.” After she was handed a pair of scissors, she stood before me and seized me by my chin. “Oliver, I must have spoiled you too much.” With that, she pulled a bundle of my hair and cut it at its roots. It looked as if she was doing yardwork on my scalp. I recalled how she was caressing my hair just the day before the wedding and was fawning over it. “I love your hair. It smells so good.” It was only when a few strands of hair remained on my scalp that she stopped and tossed aside the scissors. She turned and hugged Gregory while kissing his hair as if it was a form of worship. “There, do you feel better?” Chapter 4 Gregory burst out laughing until he cried. Then, he cast a smug look at me. “Pfft, he looks like a clown!” … I stared vacantly at them and felt both like crying and laughing at the same time. I pointed a finger at Alice and told her in a glacial voice, “You'll regret this.” In response, she had someone bring her a dog collar. While she attended to Gregory, she stated without even looking up, “Tomorrow is Gregory’s birthday party. This is the only way to keep you in line.” The housemaid approached to fasten the collar around my neck. When she noticed the blood on me, her eyes grew wide. She turned back to Alice and hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Madam, the mister is… he’s bleeding.” Before she could even respond, she was struck by a pair of scissors. Alice scowled grimly at her, “Looks like Oliver has been bribing you, hasn’t he? I’ll give you one more chance to tell me who the mister is.” The maid immediately went on her knees and begged for mercy while turning to face Gregory, “I’m sorry, mister, I misspoke. I'll slap myself!” With that, she slapped herself across the face. Meanwhile, Gregory was in Alice’s arms again. “Alice, I think I should leave. They don't seem to like me very much.” Upon hearing this, the maid immediately turned to me and tightened the collar around my neck. She jabbed a kick at me as if I were a dog and ordered, “Get up!” Then, she turned back to Gregory to assure him, “Mister, you have nothing to worry about, we’re very fond of you!” Gregory was grinning from ear to ear. The entire time, Alice had never taken her eyes off Gregory. She seemed completely transfixed by him. Meanwhile, I found myself chained to the villa's gate like a dog. I had to suffer the sounds of their lovemaking spilling through the windows upstairs the entire night. The next evening, the guests arrived in droves. The pair of Alice and Gregory embodied the picturesque loving couple as they stood outside to welcome them, while I was ignored completely. All the people who used to be my friends were eager to suck up to Gregory. The moment they saw me, they were quick to humiliate me. “Hey, isn't this the former son-in-law of the Fosters? He looks like a toad with his hair shaved bald. Is he supposed to be the doorguard?” “You're giving him too much credit, the son-in-law? Pfft, he is less than the other boytoys Mrs. Foster keeps around. “Haven't you heard? After he and his father were kicked out of the Fosters, they started getting up to some shady things until they ruined themselves. That’s why they haven’t been able to have children until now…” All of Alice’s close friends continued to whisper among themselves. One of them even “graciously” tossed a piece of meat on the floor for me. Then, she ran her hands all over me. “Looks like you’re thrown aside now, wouldn’t you like to be with me instead?” Her friends chimed in, “Since Alice doesn’t want him anymore, why don’t we get a taste of him?” At one point, one of them untied the collar around my neck. They eagerly stripped me naked so they could toy with me, going as far as to sit on top of me while ignoring all the blood on my body. They laughed lewdly in the face of my shame. When I looked up, I met a pair of cold, indifferent eyes looking down at me from the second floor. Alice was swirling a glass of wine while she looked on indifferently. Eventually, she turned away, seemingly annoyed by the sound of the commotion. At last, I shut my eyes in despair. I felt my tears streaming down my cheeks, and at one point, I felt a warm sensation. When I opened my eyes, the woman who had been sitting on top of me was slumped over, her eyes wide open. Fresh blood was gushing out of her neck. The rest of the girls scampered away as if they saw Death himself. When I finally recognized the face basked in darkness, I was taken aback, “It’s you!” A few minutes later, when Alice took the land transfer agreement signed by the Bartons, she smirked. Then, it suddenly occurred to her that her friends had been coveting Oliver, who had been chained downstairs the entire time! She immediately took off running downstairs while ignoring Gregory, who chased after her. She stormed out of the door and cried out, “Oliver, I've come to save you…” She was greeted by the sight of a pool of blood and a severed hand. When she recognized the item held in the palms of the severed hand, she broke down and threw herself on it.