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When My Husband Planned My Death, I Planned His Fall
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
Before my grandfather died, he held my hand tight, urgently placing a shining, openwork golden cross in my palm. He kept saying, “The soul goes to heaven, but if you make even a small mistake, it wi...
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第1章
Before my grandfather died, he held my hand tight, urgently placing a shining, openwork golden cross in my palm. He kept saying, “The soul goes to heaven, but if you make even a small mistake, it will go to hell.”
After that, I wore the cross around my neck.
My life changed quickly; it felt like luck was finally on my side and I earned a hundred million dollars overnight.
But after I married Luther Edwards, the cross around my neck slowly lost its shine.
Luther and I were deeply in love; I brought him homemade meals every day.
Until I reached his office early with lunch and saw a scene that would change my life forever.
In the office lounge, Luther kissed his childhood sweetheart, Calliope Collins, who was sitting on him.
Calliope’s bra hung loose on Luther’s arm and she laughed as she pressed his head against her chest.
"Listen to Lyra’s son’s heart, isn’t it full of life?"
In that moment, I felt my breath stop and my heart felt like it was being ripped apart by a giant hand.
"It was most lively when it was in my body. I lied to her, saying the organ transplant papers were company documents and only a fool like her would sign them."
My body started to shake wildly. I never thought that my trust in my husband would take my son’s life!
Just as I tried hard to push down a sob in my throat, Luther’s slightly excited voice reached my ears.
"Then, we’ll push Lyra aside and all her money will be ours and the child’s."
At that moment, the cross around my neck broke.
A piece of cloth with my grandfather’s handwriting slipped out…
…A month after marrying Luther, the cross around my neck fully lost its light.
I believed maybe it was using its last strength to bring me to my loving husband, so I didn’t think much of it.
I never guessed this was the cross’s warning to me.
Until my fourth wedding anniversary, I got an unnamed package.
Inside was a pregnancy ultrasound report, clearly showing: Calliope Collins, six weeks pregnant.
At that moment, I felt a chill move through my body, my eyes stuck on the report.
Wasn’t Calliope Luther’s childhood sweetheart?
He told me he never had feelings for Calliope.
But he and she were now having a child.
I held the report, grabbed my prepared lunch and rushed to Luther’s company ahead of time.
I wanted to hear his explanation.
I noticed a split in the cross pendant around my neck, running down the entire length.
The unease in my heart grew, making it hard to breathe.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, I saw Luther kissing Calliope’s exposed lap.
All the questions I wanted to ask stuck in my throat and tears slid down my face on their own.
At that moment, Calliope noticed me at the doorway. She raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of challenge and asked the man on top of her in a weak voice, "Baby, do you think Lyra will know her son’s heart is in my body?"
"She’ll never know. I lied to her, saying the organ transplant papers were company documents and only a fool like her would sign them."
Organ transplant papers?
I killed him!
My trust in my husband killed my son!
I could no longer hear the sounds around me; my ears rang and everything before my eyes started to blur. Their voices echoed in my mind.
Three months ago, I got a call from the doctor saying they had found a matching heart. My son had waited since birth; he finally didn’t have to be jealous of other children anymore and could run freely.
Hugged my kid, tears running down my face. I did not look at the papers Luther gave me; trusting him, I signed them.
But in this moment, I did not notice the dim red shine of the cross on my chest.
Three days later, my son passed in an operation accident.
Luther calmed me, telling me how all surgeries have issues and kept near me, scared I would pass out.
I wept on his shoulder, again stating, "I just got you now. Grandpa is gone, now my son is gone, I only have you left."
I yet recall his warm face as he held my face, promising.
"I will forever stay by your side, I will not allow you be harmed."
Now it looks like he was scared I would learn he had quietly handed my son's heart to his childhood sweetheart.
My back felt as if it was being pressed by a heavy rock; I nearly dropped to my knees.
My fingers held the door frame hard, my body rocking as I aimed to leave that place of pain, when Luther's final lines hit my now broken heart like a knife.
"Our kid needs a good place. One month from now, we will plan a car crash to end Lyra and grab all she has. If it was not for her money, I would not have wed a boring, mindless woman like her."
My own eyes tightened and my eyes rose with pain when I looked hard at this man in this space.
In this moment, I felt he seemed truly gross.
Instantly, the cross near the throat broke all the way.
"Nope!" I yelled, wildly bending low to grab the bits, the sole item Grandpa gave me.
But I suddenly hit a worn piece from a rag holding on to my grandpa’s writing over this…
第2章
My shout caught the notice of the two people inside. They quickly fixed their clothes and stepped out.
Seeing someone step out, I softly slipped the cloth strip into my pocket. I had a deep suspicion that no one should learn about it.
Making sure the cloth would not drop out, I pushed myself to stand up.
I lifted my head and met Luther's eyes. I caught a quick look of dislike in them.
My heart tightened and I squeezed my hands hard.
"Lyra, what are you doing here?" Luther asked softly, but with a bit of dry tone.
I was ready to speak when my eyes moved to the pendant around Calliope's neck.
Wasn’t this the pendant I got for my boy to guard his safety?
He lived with heart disease from birth. I wished him a calm life, so I found a pendant showing health for him to keep on.
But in the few days he stayed in the hospital, the pendant suddenly went missing.
It showed that Luther had taken the pendant and handed it to his childhood sweetheart.
My boy heart was taken too, even the pendant!
I pushed myself up and rushed at Calliope, trying to grab the pendant.
"Who gave you permission to wear this?"
The next moment, Luther caught my arm and my face suddenly heated with pain.
I covered my face in shock. "This is our son’s thing!"
Luther softly steadied Calliope, his tone turning cold. "He’s dead! Calliope is not doing well either. Can you be a bit kinder?"
I stared at the unfamiliar face in front of me and could not stop a short laugh.
"Luther, let’s get a divorce."
"Divorce?" Luther acted like he heard a joke. He stepped over to me and looked straight at me.
"I handle all your assets. If we divorce, you walk out with nothing!"
Suddenly, his tone eased, but his hand stayed on Calliope's waist.
"Lyra, stay calm. Calliope is pregnant; just let her have what she wants."
He was sure I did not truly want to end things; he was sure of my love for him.
I pushed down a sob. "I will come find you in five days to sign the divorce papers."
Then, I stumbled out of the company and only when I dropped into my car seat did I break down crying.
Tears soaked my shirt, my arms and legs went numb and I could not breathe.
Just then, my phone buzzed and two images showed up.
The first image was a bottle of Vitamin C that Luther had handed me to help my body after losing my boy.
The next image was a test sheet.
It clearly showed that the white pills held a large amount of cimetidine.
Further down, the words "sterilization" showed in big print.
My hands squeezed my phone tight, staring at it over and over in shock.
So, the sweet tonic I thought I had was a drug that would stop me from having kids again.
I had personally delivered my boy’s heart straight into his lover’s arms.
They greedily wanted all I had, driving me to this spot! My sight went blurry and I smashed my phone against the car glass, shutting my eyes to stop myself from looking more, my body shaking.
I recalled how, after I lost my son, Luther dropped everything to stay beside me.
He studied with a nutritionist to help his health, personally handing me this box of vitamins, his voice soft.
"Vitamin C lifts your body defenses, Lyra. I will watch you take it each day from now on. Our kid is gone; I do not want anything else to hit you."
Back then, I trusted his love for me.
Tears ran down my face, my arms and legs went numb and my head grew cloudy.
Now it all looked like a lie!
I drew in a deep breath, my look turning cold.
Since he turned on me, do not blame me for being hard.
Five days from now, I will make those two pay!
I picked up my phone, saved the picture Calliope had just sent and sent it to my lawyer, then tapped her number.
"Hello, Attorney Evans, I want to divorce Luther. Please draft a divorce agreement for me.”
第3章
After ending the lawyer call, I called my assistant
I told her to watch Luther's company moves and reach out to the shareholders who had always been unhappy with him.
After ending the call, I recalled the cloth strip my grandpa had left. I opened the cloth I had been holding in my hand.
The writing on it was blurred by my sweaty hands, but I could faintly see four digits: 1547.
I wrinkled my brows, staring at the digits on the cloth. My grandpa had never spoken of this cloth to me.
But back when we lived in our hometown, grandpa had buried a locked metal box under a big tree in the yard.
He used a shovel to mark that bit of land, then brushed my eyes, saying, "Lyra, you must go back to your place."
At that time, I did not get it; I just whined to my grandpa.
So, could this be the box code?
Where exactly was my place?
I stared at the spaced numbers and an idea popped into my mind.
Did one match one of my lost children?
And what did five mean? I tried hard to search my early childhood memories, but I could not recall anything before I was three.
From all I can remember, I had always stayed with my grandpa; I had never seen my parents.
I stared at the cloth strip in front of me, managing to carefully put it away.
Then, I drove home. Five days later, nothing tied to Luther would stay in the house anymore.
Back home, my hands shook as I picked up a suitcase and stuffed it with all the things Luther owned from the bedroom.
I opened a drawer, my eyes pausing. Inside were the overalls Luther and I had chosen for our boy.
These were my boy’s favorite overalls. I still recall him smiling as he put them on and hugging both our necks.
"Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, can I run free in these?"
Back then, Luther gently turned our son around and we even planned a trip to Paris together after he got better.
Tears rose in my eyes. If the surgery had worked, he could run free now.
However, my son’s heart was beating inside the woman in front of me! Tears dropped on the overalls and my heart felt like a heavy stone pressed down on it, making it hard to breathe.
Just as I finished emptying my bedroom, the door pushed open.
"Lyra? You were packing earlier. Give the room to Calliope."
I turned around at the voice and saw Luther holding two big suitcases in one hand and his other arm wrapped around Calliope's waist, ordering me like it was nothing.
"What?"
I frowned, my hands squeezing the overalls tight.
"Calliope is pregnant. This is the biggest room of yours. Give it to her to rest and heal."
Calliope leaned on him, lifting a brow in a proud way, her eyes full of confidence.
"The property deed for this place is under my name!"
I stared right into Luther's eyes and said each word clearly.
"Ah? But a few days ago, I was feeling sick from morning sickness and Luther gave me this place as a comfort gift."
Calliope, acting shocked, shook Luther's arm.
Luther gave the house away?
This place was our wedding home!
On our wedding night, he happily showed me each corner of the house he had designed for us.
The suitcase in my hand dropped to the floor. My anger rose fast and with shaking hands, I moved forward and hit Calliope across the face.
Calliope held her face, tears rising in her eyes and threw herself into Luther's arms.
"She hit me!"
Luther's face turned cold, his voice tight with anger. "Lyra, how have you turned so hard to deal with! She is pregnant and you hit her! You’re so mean!"
第4章
Mean? Next to him, taking my boy’s heart, what does this mean?
I stepped forward and tore the pendant off Calliope’s neck, my tone cold.
"Why are you in such a rush? Is she pregnant with your child?"
"What nonsense are you saying! It’s just a house. If you want more, I’ll hand you another one."
Worry flashed across Luther’s face, then it quickly turned to anger. He waved at the guards behind him.
Soon, I was pushed to the floor, my hands held down tight.
"If you like slapping people so much, you can do without your hands. And because you hit Calliope, your punishment is a hundred slaps."
Luther calmly put his foot on my hands, ignoring my struggles and crushed my bones. Then he gently picked up Calliope and hurried her to the hospital.
"Luther, you're insane!"
I heard my bones break and cold sweat rushed down my face.
The pain shot from my fingers to my chest. It was overwhelming. I bit my lip hard, tasting blood spreading in my mouth.
I watched Luther’s retreating figure, the last bits of feeling in my heart crushed by that one stomp.
Then, the bodyguards lifted me up, my face burning with pain.
The first slap, the second… By the eightieth slap, my face was badly swollen, blood falling from the corner of my mouth onto the floor.
The hate in my heart grew with each slap.
“The hundredth slap.” The last slap hit and my mind slowly blurred as I passed out.
When I woke again, a plain white ceiling came into view. I found my hands wrapped in thick bandages and my face covered in ointment.
"Miss Roberts, all the bones in your hand are broken. We've done our best to treat you, but you won't be able to lift heavy things or do any small motor work anymore." The doctor’s words rang in my ears. I stared blankly at my hand.
The hospital room door opened and Luther slowly walked to my bedside, carrying fruit. He took out a mango and held it toward me.
"Lyra, I was worried about Calliope’s baby back then. As a mom, you can get that, right?"
"I’ve already given that house to Calliope. It’s not easy to take it back. I’ll buy you the one you like in the city center tomorrow."
"Okay." I looked at the mango in front of me, a cold hint in my eyes. I gave a short reply and turned my head away from him.
I was allergic to mangoes, something he had never noticed.
The divorce will be in two days.
At that time, I would not let either Luther or Calliope walk off clean!
My cold mood somehow angered Luther. He threw the mango down and pushed himself onto me.
"What are you acting for? I’ve already said sorry! You’re just upset that Calliope has a kid, aren’t you? I’ll give it to you right now!"
My arms were trapped by him and I felt a wet touch on my neck. I fought back.
How disgusting.
"Luther! Don’t touch me!"
I bit his shoulder, pushing him away hard, tears running down my face.
He saw my tears and smiled, "Didn’t you want an end to marriage? Lyra, stop making a scene. You can’t live without me unless I kill you myself."
With that, he turned and left.
My hands shook as I kept wiping my body with tissues until my skin went red and sore.
It was disgusting.
It felt like a wild dog had bitten me; the smell stayed.
Just then, my phone rang. It was Attorney Evans.
"Miss Roberts, the divorce agreement has been drafted."
"Good, bring it to the hospital tomorrow."
第5章
The next day, Attorney Evans brought the contract to me.
"Miss Roberts, there are some talks going around online. Yesterday, paparazzi captured Mr. Edwards going in and out of your old marriage home with a woman in a white dress."
I looked down at the divorce agreement and nodded.
"Gather the evidence; it will be useful later."
At that time, my assistant told me they had made a deal with the stock owners who were unhappy with Luther and they were ready to back my return.
"Vale, send someone to Grandpa’s old home and dig out the box under the second tree on the right in the yard and bring it to me."
"Also, watch the company’s stock market for now and grab some shares if the chance arises."
I looked at the divorce papers and told the orders.
As a wedding gift, I gave Luther twenty percent of the company’s shares. Right now, he holds the most shares, while I only hold fifteen percent.
Since we were ending the marriage, let him spit out everything he took!
After my assistant and lawyer left, the hospital room door opened again and Luther slowly led Calliope, whose eyes were red and swollen, into the room.
His face sank the moment he saw me and his voice turned cold.
"Lyra! Have you been spreading rumors everywhere? Can’t you stop being so jealous! Calliope and I are just like brother and sister, what nonsense are you saying outside?"
Hearing his quick blame, I frowned and spoke back, "I didn’t."
Calliope hid her face in Luther’s arms, crying and said in a hurt tone.
"I know you don’t like me, but how could you say… how could you say I’m the mistress? And that the kid in my belly is illegitimate…"
Seeing his loved one in pain, Luther lifted his eyes, his look cold as he looked at me.
"Other than you, who else would send out this news? Sign in to your account and clear things up online that this has nothing to do with Calliope, saying that Calliope was only a guest in our home."
A cold smile pulled at my lips, my tone with sarcasm. "Why should I? Isn’t it true that you two stay together?"
"Because this thing has upset Calliope and hurt her pregnancy." Luther’s voice was cold and hard. "Do as told right now."
"I won’t post it!"
I stood strong against Luther.
Luther’s face sank all the way, his eyes showing cold anger. He lifted his hand and ordered the guards.
"Take my wife to the storage room and lock her in. Don’t give her a drop of water or food during this time. Let her out only when she’s ready to post it."
My blood went cold at once, my body shaking as I tried to fight back.
But the next moment, the guards forcefully pulled the needle from my hand, dragged me up roughly and threw me onto the storage room floor.
I feared the dark most of all.
After my company grew, I was kidnapped by thugs hired by the competitor and kept in a dark room for a week, during which I took countless beatings.
I wasn’t saved by the police until the eighth day.
From then on, I gained a fear of dark places.
I told Luther about this event. I recall one time when the power went out at home, I was shaking and crouched in a corner.
Luther held me tight, gently patting my back. "I’ll always stay with you from now on, don’t be scared.”
But now, he was punishing me with my worst fear, pushing me to speak for the woman who took my boy’s heart.
At the last moment, the door closed and even the last line of light was shut out.
Only endless dark stayed.
第6章
I curled in a corner, shaking, hugging my shoulders. I hid my face in my knees, holding back sobs.
Fear took hold of my heart. My nails scratched my wrapped hands until the light smell of blood told me I was still alive, slightly easing the huge panic in my chest.
Time moved slowly in the dark, after what felt like forever, the storage room door finally opened.
I awkwardly and slowly looked up, seeing Luther standing in the shadows. For a moment, I thought I saw hurt in his eyes, but it faded fast.
He gently carried me out, his voice soft, as if we had gone back to the start of our love.
"Lyra, are you willing to leave now?"
I felt the warmth of his touch, yet my body remained cold. I turned my eyes away, a forced smile on my lips.
"And if I still don’t want to?"
The next moment, he threw me onto the floor. Pain rushed through my body and my face became even paler.
He held my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye.
His eyes were dark with anger, a silent weight pressing on me. "You don’t want to?"
Seeing the cold in his eyes, my heart fully died.
"I’ll send it."
I calmly met his eyes, slowly moving my hand away.
"I’ll watch you send it."
The cold look in Luther’s eyes faded and he pushed the phone into my hand.
I signed in to my page, typed my clarification message and sent it.
Luther nodded in ease, getting ready to leave. I grabbed his sleeve, my voice calm. "I have a document here for you to sign. Sign it before you go."
He looked at me with doubt, then picked me up with an annoyed tone and carried me back to the ward. "What document?"
I nervously took out the endpapers, handing them to him, but before I could speak, his assistant interrupted me.
"Mr. Edwards, Miss Collins just saw the negative comments online and passed out from crying."
Luther’s face changed. Without even looking at the documents in his hand, not knowing what he had signed, he simply signed his name and rushed away.
I forced a small smile, lowered my head and signed my name too. The divorce papers were now in use.
Tomorrow, I could leave this place.
I showed the divorce agreement to my lawyer. "Help me finish the steps and move all assets. Withdraw all investments I made in Luther."
But before I leave, I will make those two pay!
After the doctor treated my wounds, I went back with no change of mood to the villa that was no longer mine.
I walked in after typing Calliope’s birth date and opened the door.
Inside the villa, almost all my things had gone and the room had been changed to Calliope’s style.
The only thing that had not changed was the small cloth piece I had made myself, hanging on the wall.
This was from a trip Luther and I took. I had heard that wall cloths could show words we never said.
So, I poured my love for Luther into it and worked on it for half a month.
But Luther never saw it.
I laughed at myself, took a lighter and lit a corner of the wall cloth. The fire spread fast and thick smoke rolled through the room.
Now that we were divorced, there was no need for the marital home anymore.
What first belonged to me, even if I would not want it, Calliope could not take it.
I turned and left the villa, stopped a taxi and said, "Driver, to Dobbie Group."
第7章
While on the way, a message popped up on my phone. It was a message from Calliope.
It was a photo.
In that picture, Calliope, wearing a pure white wedding dress, sweetly locked arms with Luther, whose eyes showed soft care.
The backdrop was a picture of the two looking at each other with warm eyes.
Right after that, a message popped up.
"Lyra, stop taking a spot that’s not yours. You’re the one who’s the homewrecker. Get out of here!"
I stared blankly at the two notes, my heart fully calm.
I took a screenshot, signed in to my account and sent out the news post saying Calliope was Luther’s mistress, adding the line, [Let’s cheer this ‘true love’ couple for at last getting together."
In the same post, I added all the proof of Luther’s cheating gathered by my lawyer, along with Calliope’s bold words.
After doing all this, I shut my phone and walked into the Dobbie Group.
I made the calls behind the scenes for this group, while professional managers worked as the legal representatives.
My assistant was already waiting for me at the door. She came right over to greet me and handed me a dusty, gray box.
"Ms. Roberts, I dug this from your grandpa’s yard."
I looked at it closely. Sure enough, the box had a small, old-style number lock.
I carefully took it and went up to the top floor of the office building. Then I took out the strip of cloth I had kept safe and matched the numbers on it one by one.
Click. I pushed the switch on the front and the combination lock opened on its own.
As soon as the box opened, many photos and a note came into sight.
My heart beat fast for some reason. I had a sense that reading this letter would change my whole life.
I gently opened the envelope. Inside was a letter from my grandpa.
"Lyra Roberts, if you open this note, Grandpa will likely be gone by now. I'm so sorry, Grandpa couldn't guard you..."
Seeing the known handwriting, tears rose in my eyes.
But as I read line by line, my look grew more and more serious.
"Lyra, your parents didn't die from natural causes; they were murdered. Grandpa investigated for so many years and in the end, all the proof led to one house, the Edwards Family."
"This is a family that makes a living through lies. They run a big black market. People in the family are ranked by how much money they trick or how many lives they take. If anyone learns their hidden secrets, they will face a bad end..."
My eyes tightened at this point. My hands shook as I picked up the photos from the box. They were all photos of homes tricked or harmed by the Edwards Family.
Every single one showed them begging, locked up, or dead.
In one of the photos, I saw a pair whose faces looked like mine. They lay badly hurt in a car, holding an infant close in their arms.
The last photo had the words "Luther Edwards, the fiftieth head of the Edwards Family" written on the back.
Cold sweat ran down my head and a deep fear climbed up from the bottom of my heart.
So Luther never loved me from the very start.
I was only his hunt, or maybe a task for him to move up.
But why was he going after the Roberts Family?
Right then, my phone rang. I came back to real life, my finger hitting the wrong key to answer. Luther’s voice came through the phone.
"Lyra, if you're not happy with the house, you can burn it down. I'll just give you another one. But why did you post those false things online, making Calliope threaten to jump off a building?"
Hearing this, I held the photo tight and laughed. "Nonsense? Isn't your affair the truth?"
"Lyra, I truly love you. I told you, Calliope and I have nothing going on. Why won't you believe me? And we can't get a divorce! Even if you die, you'll die by my hand!"
Luther was completely angry at my words. The sound of tearing paper came from the phone.
He tore up the divorce papers.
"Luther, even sleeping together means nothing? Does even having a child mean nothing? We are over."
I ended my words with my last bit of air and hung up the phone.
After that, I picked up the worn suitcase and told my assistant.
"Vale, look into Luther’s family, the Edwards Family, as much as you can. Also, check when Calliope got pregnant."
I thought of their wedding shots; the wedding dress could not hide Calliope’s belly anymore and she did not look newly pregnant.
Then I had the driver take me to the airport.
I wanted to go see the house my grandfather and I once lived in, to see if there were any hints left inside.
As I got on the plane, I looked at my phone, which kept flashing.
It was Luther; he had called me many times.
I calmly took the SIM card out of my phone, broke it in two and tossed it in the trash.
Luther, we would meet again.
The next time we met, we would have nothing to do with each other.
I would not hold back.