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At the Wedding, My Husband’s Stepsister Stabbed Me
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
In the fifth year of our secret relationship, Jeremy Hudson, who had been unwilling to make it public, suddenly proposed to me. I cried tears of joy, unaware that what awaited me was a hellish life....
Chương (8)
第1章
In the fifth year of our secret relationship, Jeremy Hudson, who had been unwilling to make it public, suddenly proposed to me. I cried tears of joy, unaware that what awaited me was a hellish life.
The day after we got our marriage certificate, he brought home his stepsister, whom I had never met.
After his stepfather died in a car accident, this so-called “stepsister” moved in as if it were obvious.
When I stared at Lucy Hudson's face, which bore seventy percent similarity to mine, my heart clenched instantly.
Later, I deliberately fell ill with a high fever on her birthday, forcing Jeremy to abandon her and stay by my side. Then, under the pretense of pilgrimage, I made him kneel and crawl for a day and night to pray for us at a sacred site.
After testing him repeatedly, Jeremy's compromise and indulgence led me to let go of my suspicions gradually.
That was until the wedding day. As we exchanged rings, the stepsister who had been well-behaved and weak suddenly picked up the fruit knife and rushed towards me.
As I clutched the dagger with all my strength, my gaze locked onto Lucy's neck. On it, there was an identical tattoo to the one that Jeremy had on his lower abdomen.
My world shattered and instantly, the strength drained from my hands.
Then the cold metal plunged into my body. Before I fainted, I heard my beloved husband screaming the name of another woman heartbreakingly.
###Chapter 1
The melodious wedding march filled my ears as I gazed upon the man I loved most, dressed in a suit, ready to slip the ring symbolizing our love onto my finger. I thought this must be the happiest moment imaginable.
But the next second, Lucy, who had been sitting quietly in the front row of the audience, suddenly ran toward us, her right hand clutching a gleaming piece of metal.
By the time I recognized what it was, it was already too late.
She lunged at me and the sharp blade cut through my customized wedding dress. The diamonds on it fell one by one and the crisp sound resounded throughout the hall.
Only then did the people around us realize what had happened. Relatives and friends nearby rushed onto the stage, flustered as they struggled to restrain the crazed woman.
My eyes instinctively sought Jeremy, only to find that he had vanished from beside me.
When I turned back, I saw him standing beside Lucy.
“Quick! Let her go! She’s my sister!”
I looked at Jeremy, who used to be so reserved and was losing his composure and pushed away the relatives and friends who were holding Lucy one by one.
His two relatives and friends on his side immediately released their grip upon hearing his words.
My relatives and friends, however, held firm, looking up at me to gauge my stance, because after all, I was the one Lucy wanted to hurt.
“What do you say, Anne?”
Before I could even gather my thoughts or decide how to handle this, Jeremy beside me had already spoken up for me.
"Anne is standing right here, isn't she? Let's just think this matter is over."
After he said that, he pushed my relatives and friends away. As he was protecting the perpetrator, Lucy, in his arms, he looked at me and said, "Anne, I'll take Lucy home first."
“What about the wedding?” I blurted out instinctively.
"What? At a time like this, you’re still thinking about the wedding?” Jeremy retorted impatiently.
I laughed bitterly.
“Jeremy, so you do realize what just happened wasn't trivial. As the victim, I demand an explanation from Lucy. Otherwise, no one leaves here.”
Jeremy held the pitiful-looking Lucy tightly, signaling for her not to be afraid. Then he looked at me with an expression that said I was being unreasonable.
“Anne, we're family. Don't make a big deal out of this. Do you really want her to go to jail? She's practically your sister!”
I took a few steps toward them. "What sister? The sister who tried to kill me? Your earlier suggestion was spot-on—she should rot in jail. I’ll press charges for intentional assault!"
“You!” Jeremy pointed at me furiously.
"Anne Larson! You always force Jeremy like this! I hate you! I'll never let you marry him!"
As she shouted this, Lucy lunged at me and stabbed me with a fruit knife.
None of us present, myself included, had expected her to bring two knives.
Fortunately, I reacted in time and was able to hold the blade with all my strength. Because we were so close, for the first time, I saw clearly the tattoo on Lucy's neck. It was identical to the one on Jeremy's lower abdomen.
My world shattered. The strength drained from my hand instantly. The blade pierced my body and searing pain erupted through me.
Before I lost consciousness, I heard Jeremy shouting Lucy’s name and saw him pull her into his arms again.
Then everything went dark. In a haze, I felt someone carelessly touching my body. They kept touching my unhealed wound several times and jolting me awake with pain.
My eyes fell upon Jeremy, dressed in his usual formal attire. He, who never lifted a finger for household chores, now held a towel, wiping my arm.
I instinctively pulled my arm away. Seeing me awake, he showed none of the joy a husband should feel, nor any concern or care. He only said stiffly, “You've been lying here for two days. It's time to clean up.”
I sneered. “Then should I thank you?”
Caught off guard by my retort, Jeremy was momentarily speechless. He could only sigh deeply, as if I were just some unreasonable woman.
第2章
“Get dressed.”
After a long moment, Jeremy rose, picked up my coat and walked to the hospital bed, preparing to help me up.
“What are you doing?” I snapped, a little irritated.
“We're going to the bridal shop.” His tone was calm and indifferent.
“What do you mean?” I pushed him away when he tried to lift me into his arms.
Interrupted mid-motion, he frowned slightly.
“Your wedding dress is ruined. I've already contacted the designer to have a new one custom-made for you. He's leaving the country tonight. Don't delay any longer.”
Hearing this, I burrowed straight back under the covers, refusing to look at him.
“You know better than anyone why the dress was ruined. Instead of confronting the culprit, you're here tormenting me?”
“I'm not tormenting you. You're the bride, so you need to be present for the new dress fitting. I've also rescheduled the wedding and secured a new venue—it will be even more grand and magnificent than the first time.”
The more he spoke, the louder his voice became, as if I should be grateful that he still remembered to make it up to me afterward.
"Jeremy, a wedding dress can be mended—but how do you mend an injured body and a mind?" I asked. I struggled to sit up, propped myself up with my arms and locked eyes with him.
But Jeremy seized that chance to pick me up. And because of my injuries, I did not dare to resist.
“This hospital belongs to the Hudson Group. The doctors here are the best. You won’t be left with scars. As for Lucy …”
The moment I heard her name, a physical shiver went through me.
“I’ve already sent her to the villa in the mountains. There won’t be any accidents at next week’s wedding.”
So, this was the man I'd loved for eight years. Not only did he show zero concern when I was stabbed in the back, but he also shielded the culprit, afraid I might confront her.
“Jeremy, from just now until this moment, all you’ve talked about is holding the wedding again. Did you ever ask me what I think? Why are you so sure I’ll agree?”
Jeremy gently placed me in the passenger seat, fastened my seatbelt, then asked in disbelief, “We've been married for five years. If not me, who else could you marry?”
Facing such a natural question from him, my heart became colder.
“So … you knew we'd been married for five years all along. Then why did you insist on keeping it secret?”
As the engine started, I finally asked the question that had troubled me the most all these years.
Back then, when my father fell ill, he entrusted both the Carson Corporation and me to Jeremy before his death.
Jeremy had once been my father’s most capable subordinate. His talent in programming and computing was second only to mine.
Since I loved him and my father trusted him, after seeing our marriage certificate, my father closed his eyes in peace.
What I never anticipated was that after my father’s funeral, Jeremy insisted on keeping our marriage secret. He claimed it was inauspicious to celebrate a wedding so soon after a funeral and that it would damage his reputation.
I thought that in two years, at most, we would have a grand wedding. But three years passed, then four…
The wedding kept being delayed. Then, in the fifth year, he finally proposed to me and the wedding date was set quickly.
I thought my happiness had finally arrived—until I saw Lucy. That's when panic seized me...
Ring ring ...
The phone rang, interrupting my thoughts and questioning.
Jeremy turned on the car’s speaker immediately. Then I heard his secretary’s voice, panicked and fearful.
"Mr. Hudson, Miss Lucy escaped from the villa. We’ve searched for an hour, but we still can’t find her...”
Jeremy slammed on the brakes. The seatbelt dug into my wound and I felt a faint warmth flow. It was likely that the wound reopened.
Gritting my teeth, beads of sweat rolled down my forehead as I instinctively asked Jeremy’s help, "Jeremy, my wound …."
“Get out of the car!”
His icy, sharp tone instantly silenced me.
“What?” I couldn’t believe what he had just said.
“I said, get out! Anne, didn't you hear what Jean just said? It'll be dark soon. Who knows what lurks in these mountains? How could I possibly feel at ease leaving Lucy, a girl, alone?”
“Then what about me?” I asked instinctively.
第3章
“You take a taxi back first. I didn’t drive very far. I’ll reschedule with the designer.”
Jeremy's long, slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the steering wheel. It was his physical sign that his patience was about to run out.
“No need.”
Then I forced my broken body to open the door and get out of the car.
The moment I slammed the door shut, Jeremy’s car shot forward like a bullet, racing against the clock.
The truth staring me in the face was too obvious and I could not deny it any longer. In Jeremy's heart, Lucy, his stepsister, was more important than me, his partner, who had been with him for eight years.
As I was staring at the blood seeping through my clothes, I fought to stay conscious to flag down a taxi and instruct the driver to take me to the hospital.
Seeing the blood on me, the driver stepped on the accelerator and drove as fast as he could, afraid something might happen to me.
When I got out, he insisted on supporting me, escorting me into the nurse's care before leaving.
It felt like ages since I had experienced such concern and care. My eyes involuntarily reddened. At my most vulnerable moment, even a stranger showed me more warmth than Jeremy, my own husband.
When the nurse changed my bandages and saw the wound, she instinctively gasped. “You haven't healed when you left the hospital. When your husband insisted on bringing you home, I thought someone would take care of you. How did it get this bad?”
I gave her a weak, forced smile. “I didn’t walk steadily and hit the edge of a table.”
After that, the nurse started chatting with another nurse who had just come in and they were talking about someone who was at Staten Bridge and threatening to jump into the river.
"Exactly! A young girl, quite pretty too, why would she be so desperate?"
"A girl at her age jumping over a river like that? It's probably just a matter of love. Maybe she's trying to force her boyfriend to show up!”
I looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly and the occasional crisp chirp of birds filled the air.
On such a beautiful day, in the prime of her life, how could someone be so foolish?
“Hey, sir! This is a private room. You can't just barge in like that!”
I heard the nurse beside me raise her voice in protest. Instinctively, I turned my head toward the doorway.
It was Jeremy.
His face was filled with anxiety. Jeremy, who always cared about appearances, now had his suit and tie loosened and even the top button of his shirt was undone.
Ignoring the nurse's protests, he rushed toward me and grabbed my arm so tightly that it made me wince.
“Come with me!”
Just as I was about to pull my arm free, the nurse strode over in long steps, pushed Jeremy away and pointed at him angrily.
“Now I remember—you're her husband, right? You never took proper care of her before and now her wound has reopened. Not only did you fail to look after her, but you're making a scene here. What kind of irresponsible husband are you?”
Clearly, Jeremy was ignoring the nurse's words. He kept staring at me with bloodshot eyes.
“Anne, just come with me this once. After this, I won’t trouble you again. I’ll let you recover properly.”
How ridiculous! Do I need his permission to recover in peace?
Seeing the indifferent look on my face, he immediately grew even more dissatisfied and snapped irritably, "Anne, this is a matter of life and death! How can you be so cold-hearted? Lucy is so distraught over your refusal to forgive her that she's threatening to jump into the river. You must come with me and tell her personally that you've forgiven her!”
Before hearing those two words, I could have let him rant and rave on and on. But now...
I grabbed the pillow behind me and hurled it at him with all my strength.
“Get lost! Let her live or die!”
Jeremy clenched the pillow I’d thrown at him, his knuckles white as he gritted his teeth and said, "Anne, why didn't I see it earlier that you're such a vicious woman? No matter how much you dislike Lucy, she’s about to lose her life. And you can still say something so malicious?”
“You clearly weren’t like this before.”
“This is my fault. I spoiled you too much. That’s why you’ve become so unreasonable and tyrannical now, unable to tolerate even Lucy, your own sister.”
第4章
So, this is how he thought of me. He never considered why I’d become this way—only how to make me accept Lucy’s existence.
I had thought seeing him treat me like this now wouldn’t trouble my heart. But after loving him for eight years and dreaming of growing old together year after year, I still felt a wave of helpless sorrow rise within me.
“I want to go home.”
Return to my own home.
Jeremy let out a cold laugh and directly scooped me up in his arms.
“Lucy wants to go home too. But because of you, she’s standing by an icy bridge right now, exposed to the chill wind. You need to take responsibility. Come with me to persuade her to come down and I'll take you home.”
Hearing this, I ignored the risk of my wounds reopening and twisted my body relentlessly, trying to force him to put me down.
“Let go! She's the one who's crazy, trying to jump into the river! What does that have to do with me? Why should I be responsible for her?”
Seeing my reaction, the nurse hurried over.
“Sir! Please release our patient! Otherwise, I'll call security!”
Could not withstand the force of two people, Jeremy had no choice but to put me down.
"Anne! You're ruthless!”
I laughed bitterly, lifting my hospital gown to reveal the wound. From the struggle, the gauze had soaked through again, stained with fresh blood.
“Jeremy, I didn't do anything, but you made me take responsibility for Lucy? Then who should bear this responsibility?”
It seemed Jeremy had finally reached his limit. After grabbing a few hairs, his fingers were trembling when he pointed at me, as if I had bullied him; he looked devastated.
"Anne, that wound is barely the size of a palm. It’ll heal in a month at most. Yet you used it as an excuse to wrong Lucy time and again, but she never held it against you. Now, to earn your forgiveness, she’s willing to prove her loyalty with her life. If she really jumps into the river, she’ll lose her life!"
I stared coldly at him as he accused me. The man I once loved so deeply had become utterly repulsive.
“I can go with you… with one condition. If you agree to sign the divorce papers, I'll go with you.”
I heard myself talking calmly.
Hearing this, Jeremy didn't grab me in anger as I expected. Instead, a faint smile touched his lips, an expression that said, “I knew it,” and “Here we go again.” I knew he must have misinterpreted me.
But it didn't matter. As long as he agreed to divorce me.
“Anne, I didn’t expect you to say something like divorce just to avoid saving Lucy. Fine! You think I’d be hesitant?”
He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the door.
“Didn’t you want a divorce? Anne, I’ll take you right now. I’ll let you see the consequences of acting on impulse. When you want to beg me to remarry later, it won’t be so easy!”
My arm was red from his grip, but hearing his agreement to divorce made the pain in my wounds feel somewhat eased.
I signaled to the nurse who’d been trying to help me, then followed Jeremy out the hospital doors and into the car. Leaving everything else aside, when it came to efficiency, his efficiency was truly remarkable.
While driving, he called his lawyer and had the contract drafted. By the time we reached the law office, the lawyer handed him the freshly prepared divorce papers.
At least, Jeremy still had some decency. He split everything equally, leaving me nothing to complain about.
Just as I was about to take it and sign, Jeremy impatiently yanked me up, eager to go to Staten Bridge to Lucy.
“I haven’t signed yet.”
“Anne, you’ve been through business battles too. The contract is already drafted, so you need to let me see some ‘down payment,’ don’t you?”
Sure enough, it was like snatching food from a dog's mouth. I knew getting a “divorce” from him wouldn't be this easy. I got in the car.
As soon as we reached the riverbank, the cold wind made me shiver violently. Only then did I remember that in my haste to leave the hospital, I had left my coat on the hospital bed.
“Lucy!” Jeremy shouted excitedly beside me, then sprinted toward Lucy by the riverbank as if he had just spotted a lover he had not seen in years.
第5章
Lucy's pitiful, delicate appearance at that moment really did match the fragile, lovable little innocent girl often seen in Korean dramas.
He rushed to Lucy's side, draped his coat over her shoulders, then used those hands that had once said they would only ever hold mine to gently clasp another woman’s hands. Afraid she might be cold, he even breathed warm air onto her fingers.
I stood by like an outsider, my icy hands tucked deep into my jacket pockets. It was simply too cold and I couldn’t help but speak to them.
“Let’s go.”
After glancing at me, Jeremy raised his hand to feel Lucy’s forehead, then strode toward me.
Eight years of being together made me instinctively alert; it seemed he was furious.
I instinctively took a step back, but couldn't dodge his slap. The hand that once warmed me now struck my face with force.
Heartbreak, agony, disappointment and even hatred became a tangled complex of emotions that overwhelmed me, leaving me without the strength to react immediately.
“It's all your fault! If you'd come sooner, Lucy wouldn't have stood by the river so long and caught this fever!”
Compared to the pain on my face, my heart really hurts at this moment.
“Jeremy, when did you become this stupid? Did I make Lucy come to the river? Did I tell her to jump? She’s an adult. If she won’t take responsibility for her own life, why should I take responsibility for her actions?”
I pointed angrily at Jeremy. “And you! Jeremy, we're getting divorced! What right do you have to lecture me now? I'm calling the police. What you just did was intentional assault. I think you need to spend a few days in jail to reflect on your actions!”
Jeremy's face darkened slightly. But before he could speak, Lucy's slightly excited and surprised cut him off. "Jeremy, are you getting a divorce? Is it true?"
Jeremy’s voice rose, as if desperately trying to prove something. “Whether it’s true or not has nothing to do with a child like you! Your sister-in-law is just acting on impulse and making a fuss about divorce. She’ll regret it sooner or later!”
Hearing this, Lucy's almond-shaped eyes darted about. After feigning a few coughs, her body began to sway unsteadily.
Jeremy hurriedly helped her.
“Don't stand out here in the wind. I'll take you to the hospital to get checked, so it doesn't get worse.”
Saying this, Jeremy picked Lucy up. As he did, he shot me a sardonic glance. “Since you want to divorce so much, get out of the house first and let me see your determination!"
He didn't need to remind me; I was going to go back and pack my bags anyway.
After Jeremy drove off, I took a taxi home. There wasn’t much worth taking, so two suitcases were enough.
When I passed by Jeremy's study, I pushed the door open and placed the document folder in my hand on his desk. I didn’t know when he would see the gift I’d left him, but it's not too late to see it.
After leaving, I checked into a hotel. I didn’t look for a place or leave immediately, because I planned to return to the orchard my father had left me once the divorce agreement was signed.
But before that, I needed to wrap up the procedural matters my father had left behind here.
I hadn't realized how complex his affairs were until I started sorting them out. I'd thought it would take three or four days, but a week had already passed and I'd barely managed to get things in order.
The doorbell rang.
Aside from going out to eat, I had hardly ever left the hotel for a l week. I shouldn’t have had contact with anyone.
Through the peephole, I saw that it was Jeremy.
Was he coming here to sign the divorce agreement? But he wasn’t holding anything and he looked irritated. It didn’t seem like good news.
“If you're not here to sign the divorce papers, leave.”
Though I could not see Jeremy's expression through the peephole, I could see him knocking impatiently on the doorframe, muttering something about needing to speak with me.
“Other than divorce, nothing interests me," I said coldly.
第6章
Obviously, Jeremy had exhausted his patience. He began hammering the door frantically.
"Anne, open the door!"
"Jeremy! This is a hotel! Not some place for you, Mr. Hudson, to make trouble!”
“If I break it, I can afford to pay for it! Just open the door first—I only need a favor!”
Afraid that the security guard would come up and cause trouble, I opened the door for him.
“What is it? Say it quickly!”
“Simple. It’s just a small favor. Film a sweet interaction between the two of us to prove that our relationship is normal right now. That’s all.”
He walked in naturally and sat down on the sofa.
"Jeremy, don’t you think you’re ridiculous? We’re going to get divorced!”
“I know. But you're well aware that many of Hudson Group's clients partnered with us because of your father. Now rumors are spreading about our divorce. Today, some clients have already canceled contracts. You need to take responsibility.”
Sometimes, when people are truly speechless, they end up laughing.
"Jeremy, you can let yourself out while I'm in a good mood. Don't force me to call the security guard up.”
“Anne, after eight years together, must you be so heartless?” he demanded.
I stared into the eyes I had once loved the most. Now, all I saw in them was naked exploitation and a desire for control.
“Get out.”
“Anne! How long will you keep throwing these tantrums? I've indulged you this far—is it because of Lucy? If you truly can't tolerate her, I'll send her abroad for school after graduation. Is that not enough?”
In that moment, I finally saw him clearly. Jeremy was a refined egoist. He prioritized satisfying the needs of whoever served his interests. Since he had never offered genuine care, how could he talk about love?
Just as I was about to call security, they had already arrived. Someone must have complained about the earlier banging. I had chosen this hotel precisely because its security was known to be excellent.
As Jeremy was dragged out, he was still trying to get me to film the video with him, even offering to pay me if I agreed.
If I stayed here any longer, he would keep pestering me. And judging by his attitude, expecting a peaceful divorce from him was nothing but a fantasy.
When I thought about the folder in Jeremy's study, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, my father had prepared an escape route for me.
So, I turned on my mobile phone and booked the earliest plane for tomorrow. The plan to return to the orchard had to be moved forward.
The moment I stepped out of the hotel entrance, a Rolls-Royce Phantom screeched to a stop in front of me. I did not even need to look to know who it was.
Jeremy walked out of the car with an anxious expression. He did not even bother to say polite words before he took my arm.
“Anne, as long as you can save Lucy!”
Lucy, Lucy. It's always Lucy!
“Pulling the suicide stunt every day—can you at least switch to another tactic?” I snapped, shaking his hand off in both exasperation and anger.
My reaction seemed to be exactly what he expected because he put on a guilty expression.
“Anne, what happened before was my fault. But this time, it’s truly a matter of life and death. I didn’t want to disturb you, but I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else who could save Lucy…”
I sensed something was off and asked, “Save her? What happened to her?”
“Lucy has been kidnapped!" Jeremy took out his mobile phone to show me.
The screen showed Lucy was tied up in what looked like a warehouse, her mouth sealed with tape. The warehouse environment was visibly awful—damp, filthy and completely dark. The white dress on Lucy was already stained with grime.
No wonder Jeremy was so frantic. His little princess had never endured such hardship.
"What's the use of calling me? Am I supposed to break down an iron door for you, or play the hero?” I knew the situation was urgent, but that still wasn’t a reason for him to stop me from catching my flight. I was not a police.
“The perpetrator is a hacker!” Surprisingly, he showed no sign of irritation. He patiently explained the situation to me.
第7章
“Before coming to you, I’d already mobilized all the company’s senior programmers to track Lucy's location. We found her exact address, but the room she’s being held in—no one can crack it…”
Hearing this, I already had a rough idea of why Jeremy sought me out.
“Anne, you were a master at cracking programs back in university. In that moment, you were the only one I could think of. I hope you can help me rescue Lucy. I'll repay you for the rest of my life!”
How touching. Hearing the man I'd loved for so many years standing before me, his eyes reddened as he pleaded for another woman—even though my love for him had gone, my heart still ached faintly.
I really couldn’t just stand by and do nothing when a life was at stake.
However, Jeremy was right about one thing: I was indeed a master at cracking programs. It was just that after marrying him, I handed the company over to him completely and lived the so-called leisurely life of a wealthy wife. But a life like that has its advantages and disadvantages.
When it comes to money or power, holding it in your own hands is always the most reliable.
I followed him into the car. The entire ride passed in silence.
It was not that he did not try to talk to me, but I simply did not want to waste my time on him. Between us, even small talk felt unnecessary now.
We arrived at the outskirts, where a dilapidated warehouse stood amidst a field of withered grass, the area sparsely populated.
The moment Jeremy was near the warehouse entrance, Lucy's cry could be heard.
According to him, Lucy had already been locked up for five or six hours, yet she still had the energy to cry this loudly.
As I followed Jeremy into one of the rooms, I found that the door was designed with ventilation grilles, making it easy to look inside from outside.
Lucy was tied to a chair and couldn't move. When she saw Jeremy, she immediately stared at him pitifully.
"Lucy, don’t worry. Anne is very familiar with these procedures. She'll definitely get you out!”
“Mm! Mm!” Though her mouth was gagged, Lucy still managed to respond to her Jeremy.
When I saw Jeremy grip the bars and how the two of them looked like a pair of star-crossed lovers, I felt sick.
Fortunately, I successfully hacked the iron door's program without much trouble. Though somewhat challenging, it was still manageable.
“Have the programmers at Hudson Group really fallen to this level?” I couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“This batch really is mediocre. I’ll replace them,” Jeremy said as he pushed open the iron door, walked over to Lucy, took out the small knife he’d brought and untied her.
Once freed from her restraints, Lucy immediately threw herself into Jeremy's arms, sobbing. "Jeremy … I'm so scared."
“Don't be afraid. I'm here now.”
I couldn’t be bothered to keep watching. I knocked on the door to urge them, “Aren’t you leaving? Do you like this place that much?”
Jeremy supported Lucy as they walked out of the iron door. As she brushed past me, I heard Lucy whisper with a little smugness in her voice. "Thank you for coming, Anne."
I was just about to turn back and question her when I felt someone shove me hard from behind. My foot slipped and I stumbled forward a few steps before I managed to steady myself.
But the moment the iron door was automatically locked, I realized that I was trapped inside.
As I stood in the room, I spotted a timed bomb in the corner.
"I'm sorry, Anne …" Jeremy said in a trembling voice from outside.
I forced myself to steady my voice and demanded, “Jeremy, what exactly are you doing right now?”
"I …" Though his lips moved, no voice came out.
Lucy stepped forward beside him and said, “Anne, don't blame Jeremy. He was trying to save me. Actually, before you arrived, Jeremy and the others had already cracked the code for this iron door. What they hadn't cracked was the bomb inside the room. That bomb is connected to the surveillance system. Once the surveillance detects that someone has disappeared, it will explode immediately, so ...”
第8章
Lucy deliberately stopped speaking and refused to talk.
At that moment, my blood seemed to run cold, an uncontrollable chill spreading through me, but my voice was filled with fury and despair.
“Jeremy! Did you bring me here so I could die in an explosion instead of Lucy?”
He hurriedly shook his head in denial. “No, no! Anne, that’s not it! You know how to crack programs—you can try to unlock it from the inside. But Lucy doesn’t know anything. I could only save her first…”
I broke down and cut him off. “There’s a bomb. So why didn’t you call the police?”
When he heard this, Jeremy shut his mouth.
His reaction instantly made me understand that there were no hackers at all. Jeremy had actually provoked a wrong force and this was a warning. At this moment, he probably didn’t even know who his opponent was.
But the other party knew him well and even knew that for Jeremy, the most important person was Lucy, not me.
"Anne, don't be afraid, I'll take Lucy back first. She was injured and dressed so thinly. When I return to the company, I will hire the most powerful hacker to help you defuse the bomb!"
“Wait for me!” As he spoke, Jeremy lifted Lucy into his arms and left.
In that moment, I felt utterly hopeless about him. I didn't even have the thought to call him back.
Looking at the timed bomb with its flashing countdown, I forced myself to stay calm. Luckily, the computer I’d used to crack the outer door was still in this room.
I held the computer and tried to unlock the program, but the moment I linked to the program, my computer was instantly infected by a virus. I tried countless algorithms and couldn't unlock it until the computer completely crashed.
In order to decode it, I heightened all my senses, staying intensely alert to every movement around me. At that moment, I distinctly heard the sound of flowing water nearby.
But this is a suburb, where does the water come from?
Drip.
Drip, drip.
Whoosh!
A jet of water gushed forth from the surrounding walls.
I glanced at the countdown timer on the time bomb. Less than half an hour remained. In that instant, I thought of Jeremy.
Would he rush to rescue me after sending Lucy away?
But seeing the scene before me, I sobered instantly. He had locked me in this deadly prison for Lucy’s sake—why would he care about my survival?
Rather than hoping Jeremy would come back to save me, I had to think about another way out.
An icy cold crept into my knees. Without realizing it, the water level in the room had already risen to them.
I forced myself to stand up, moved a chair onto the toilet beside me and stood on it. Judging by the rising water level, it was only a matter of time before it surpassed the height of the chair.
And the most urgent threat at this moment was the bomb. Not only had my computer crashed, but it had also been soaked.
Just as I looked at the bomb again, its countdown suddenly jumped straight to ten seconds.
“What’s going on?”
I frantically scanned the room for any other options. Just as I was considering whether to jump into the water and take a gamble, the bomb's countdown stopped and the water level began to recede.
Without pausing to think about why, I plunged into the water, ready to smash through the door and escape. But the moment I touched it, the door swung open automatically.
Could it be that Jeremy had arrived with his men?
That thought vanished completely as I stepped through the gate. The area was deserted, with no sign anyone had ever been there.
I could only conclude that Jeremy’s enemies merely wanted to warn him, to make him wary of them. They never truly wanted to take his life.
After walking three kilometers, I finally hitched a ride with a kind stranger in his SUV and escaped that hellhole. Then asked him to take me to the airport.
After booking the earliest available flight, I finally boarded the plane to my father's orchard.
No matter how painful the past might be, it no longer had anything to do with me. I refused to step back into that love-hate relationship again.