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The Man I Trusted Killed My World
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
My half-sister, Edwina Carpenter, miraculously recovered after two years of paralysis. I went to her celebration party, holding flowers in my hand. But as I walked outside the banquet hall, I overhear...
Chương (7)
第1章
My half-sister, Edwina Carpenter, miraculously recovered after two years of paralysis. I went to her celebration party, holding flowers in my hand.
But as I walked outside the banquet hall, I overheard Edwina and her sisters chatting and laughing.
"Deana's mother truly lives up to her reputation as a dancer; even in her forties, her legs are still so beautiful."
"Yes, if it were not for Auntie's 'sacrifice' of her legs, how could Edwina have stood up so quickly?"
My mind went blank and my feet froze on the spot.
Edwina sweetly chimed in, "I have to thank Renaldo for this. If it were not for him, I would never have been able to dance in my life."
Through the crack in the door, I saw my fiancé sitting comfortably on the sofa. He pulled Edwina into his arms, his eyes tender, his tone suffocatingly calm, "Edwina is only twenty. These legs are more valuable to you than to anyone else."
"But you faked a car accident for me. What if my sister finds out?"
"The person was burned to ashes. Deana will never find out. I only wanted those legs.”
“Who knew the driver would accidentally kill her?" Renaldo Robbins spoke casually, as if discussing the weather. "Besides, if she had not drugged my drink two years ago, how could I have married a woman more boring than a block of wood?"
Every word was like a poisoned knife, cutting my heart raw.
So, my mother's car accident a month ago was not an accident, but a carefully orchestrated conspiracy by the person I loved most.
So, what I thought was two years of knowing and loving each other was just wishful thinking on my part—drugging him.
Then I'll grant them their wish.
But I will never let my mother die in vain.
Wiping away my tears, I dialed my uncle's number. "Uncle, Mom's death was not an accident. I want them... to pay for their crimes in blood."
***
"Okay, I'll pick you up in five days."
After hanging up, I glanced at Edwina in the private room and saw her eyes suddenly redden.
Her fingers clutched helplessly at the white dress at her chest, her voice choked with sobs, "But Auntie died because of me, Renaldo, I'm so heartbroken."
Renaldo placed his right hand on the back of her hand, gently rubbing that skin, his eyes full of pity, "Silly girl, I will never stand by and watch you suffer for the rest of your life.”
“Her death has nothing to do with you, do not think such things."
I clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging deep into my flesh.
You could not bear to see her suffer, but my mother deserved to die?
How noble was your love that you have to use someone else's life as a sacrifice, Renaldo?!
Besides, how exactly did Edwina break her leg?
Two years ago, she and some male classmates went into the mountains late at night for some "wild sex."
They got carried away and she fell off a cliff, shattering both her legs. Yet Renaldo still firmly believes her lie that she was "heroically injured while saving her classmates."
He pulled her onto his lap, lowered his head and kissed her trembling lips, comforting her gently, as if handling fragile porcelain.
"Mr. Robbins really dotes on Edwina!" one of his girlfriends exclaimed enviously. "Two years ago, it was because Edwina was paralyzed that Mr. Robbins was afraid she could not handle it and could not bear to touch her, which is why he got engaged to Deana."
Another chuckled and added, "Now that Edwina's legs are healed, that bitch who got ahead by drugging him should know better and leave, right?"
A sharp pain shot through my chest, but two years ago I did not drug Renaldo at all.
That night, in the party corridor, I bumped into a disoriented Renaldo. Before I could react, he dragged me into a nearby room.
The Robbins and Carpenter families were old friends and I had long admired this man. When his burning kiss landed, I did not push him away.
The next morning, Renaldo looked at the dark red stain on the sheets, remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I'll go to your house to propose in a couple of days."
The ecstasy I felt then transformed into the sharpest ice pick, piercing my heart.
It turned out he could not bear to touch the recently paralyzed Edwina, so he chose me as a substitute.
A bitter, rusty taste rose in my throat. I turned to run away, but Edwina's sweet voice drifted over again, "I heard my sister is pregnant again. Are you going to 'dispose' of her this time?"
My feet froze on the spot.
Renaldo's voice was distant and contemptuous, so cold it chilled me to the bone, "I won't let that kind of woman bear my child. I will compensate her for her mother's death.”
“But to give birth to the Robbins family heir? She doesn’t deserve it."
I covered my mouth tightly, my whole body trembling violently.
Two years of engagement, five miscarriages.
I thought it was my body that was failing me and I cried countless times in the dead of night, feeling so sorry for Renaldo.
A few days ago, I found out I was pregnant again. Seeing the shock flash across his face, I foolishly thought it was a happy surprise.
But it turned out he never intended for me to keep his child. Yet he never used contraception.
Once, I cautiously brought it up, but he frowned and said it would be uncomfortable, so I had no choice but to let him be.
Renaldo had already carried Edwina into the private room within the VIP suite, their laughter continuing.
"Ugh, they cannot even wait a night at a hotel."
"Mr. Robbins is so passionate and Edwina's leg has just healed. They're like dry wood meeting a raging fire; they won't stop until the whole night."
"Who told Deana to only have such a pretty face? She has not satisfied Mr. Robbins in the past two years."
My phone rang. It was a message from Renaldo, [I'm entertaining clients tonight and I don’t want to disturb your rest by getting home too late, so I'll stay at the company.]
My stomach churned. I collapsed into a corner and gagged violently, but nothing came up; only bile burned my throat.
Suddenly, some scenes I once considered "warm" resurfaced like a nightmare.
第2章
###Chapter 2
Every time before I miscarried, Renaldo would bring me a bowl of brown "pregnancy-stabilizing medicine," personally feeding it to me with eyes full of pity.
"Be good, drink it, so the baby can grow properly."
I always obediently drank it all and smiled at him.
Those medicines were not for preventing miscarriage at all.
I stumbled out of the club and took a taxi back to collect my mother's belongings.
Pushing open the door, I saw a pile of baby toys neatly folded on the bed, along with a half-finished, pale yellow sweater.
My mother was preparing a gift for her grandson, whom she had never met, until her death.
That afternoon, she held my hand, her eyes shining with anticipation, "This time, my precious grandson will definitely be born healthy. Then I'll quit dancing, retire and become his nanny."
She handed me a bank card, "The Robbins Family is wealthy, but Renaldo works hard to support them. This is my life savings; give it to him for help, but don’t let him know."
Such a good mother, killed two days later by the driver Renaldo hired.
He even amputated her legs and gave them to someone else, lying to me that her legs were mangled beyond recognition.
I drifted off to sleep on my mother's bed and when I woke up at dawn, I clutched the unfinished sweater, tears streaming down my face.
"Mom... I'll make them pay for this in blood."
"Pay for what?" Renaldo's voice suddenly rang out from behind me.
He strode in and pulled me into his arms. "I've already dealt with the driver who caused the accident. Deana, you're pregnant; you can not be so agitated, it'll hurt your health."
This embrace, which I once cherished so dearly, now reeked of a nauseating perfume. I used all my strength to barely manage to pull myself out of his arms.
"Honey, I'm so tired... I want to be alone for a while."
He looked at me silently for a moment, his gaze falling on my swollen eyes, then turned and gestured towards the door.
A maid came in carrying a bowl.
The moment I saw that brownish hue, I involuntarily shrank back.
Renaldo's arms wrapped around my waist like iron hoops, immobilizing me.
He ignored the fear spreading in my eyes, his voice cruelly calm, "Deana, drink your medicine to prevent miscarriage, then get some sleep."
"I won't drink it." I heard my voice tremble. "Please... Renaldo!"
The doctor warned me that another miscarriage might mean I could never get pregnant again. He knew better than anyone how much I longed to be a mother.
But he simply held the rim of the bowl to my lips, "Drink it, be good."
Fear overwhelmed me and I screamed like a dying beast, "Renaldo, are you going to kill my child again?!"
He paused almost imperceptibly for a moment.
But the next second, with a single glance from Renaldo, two servants forced me down onto the bed.
He gripped my chin, prying open my tightly clenched teeth.
"Don’t be afraid," his breath brushed against my ear, his words icy and chilling, "No matter what happens, I will take care of you for the rest of my life."
The bitter liquid was forced down my throat.
The girl who had been completely devoted to him since she was fifteen was finally, in this moment, strangled to death by his own hands.
I vomited up the medicine and with my last breath screamed, "No, I will definitely leave you!"
His hand, which was wiping the medicine stains from the corner of my lips, suddenly froze.
He looked at me with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something. Just then, his phone rang.
On the other end came Edwina's tearful cry, "Renaldo, my leg hurts so much, is something wrong? I'm so scared."
He glanced at the phone, then looked up at me and finally just tucked the blanket around me.
"There's an emergency at the company, I have to go. You get some rest."
I closed my eyes tightly and turned my back to him.
His footsteps faded away without hesitation.
I did not know how much time passed, but a sudden, excruciating pain, like my internal organs were being torn apart, surged from deep within my lower abdomen, more intense than ever before.
Before my consciousness was swallowed by darkness, I instinctively dialed his number.
"Renaldo... my stomach hurts so much... please... come back..."
His answer was so resolute, "The company is too busy, I can not leave. Have the driver take you to the hospital."
Before I completely lost consciousness, a woman's short, soft moans on the other end of the phone were muffled by a hand.
第3章
###Chapter 3
When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was the stark white light of Robbins’ Hospital.
The doctor's pitying gaze fell on my face, "You were unconscious all day, finally awake. Luckily, the maid brought you in time, otherwise your life might have been in danger."
I struggled to sit up, desperately grabbing the doctor's white coat, "Doctor, how is my baby?"
He shook his head regretfully, "I'm sorry, the baby was gone when it arrived."
Although I was mentally prepared, I still felt excruciating pain, barely able to breathe.
The doctor sighed and left. Outside the quiet ward, the hushed but clear laughter of the nurses drifted in from the corridor.
"Miss Carpenter only twisted her wrist, but Mr. Robbins arranged for a helicopter to fly her over in the middle of the night. All the specialists in the hospital were called in for a consultation; the pain must have been excruciating."
"I heard that once Miss Edwina's leg is fully healed, they're going to hold their wedding on the Robbins Family's private island. The engagement ring alone is worth hundreds of millions; it's truly enviable..."
Lying in my hospital bed, listening to these words, I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen, the place that had just become empty.
Now she had recovered; they were finally going to be together.
What have I been to her these past two years?
"How pitiful you are, sister. Even after six pregnancies, they're all gone, aren't they?"
Edwina walked in, her high heels clicking. She deliberately pulled open her loose hospital gown, revealing mottled hickeys and stopped provocatively in front of the bed.
“I never expected him to be so ‘thirsty.’ We just spent the whole night together last night and he could not resist again today…”
She casually stroked her bitten red lips, “Honestly, everyone says their backs are going to break and he still keeps wanting more.”
My nails dug deep into my palms and I turned my face away, not wanting to acknowledge her.
Edwina’s voice was sweet yet cruel, “By the way, you don’t know yet if your mother’s death was not an accident, was it?”
“That driver who caused the accident was my simp. I casually said I disliked you and your mother and he actually ignored Renaldo’s order to only knock her unconscious and floored the accelerator… Hahaha!”
My heart felt like it was being torn apart by an invisible hand. My eyes turned bloodshot and I lunged at Edwina.
“You bitch! Give me back my mother!”
But my wrist, which was swinging in mid-air, was suddenly grabbed. The next second, Renaldo, who had entered from outside, threw me aside.
I fell off the bed, my forehead slamming heavily onto the floor. In an instant, a sharp pain flashed through my vision.
Seeing me fall, Renaldo instinctively reached out, but before he could touch me, Edwina threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Renaldo, I'm so scared! My sister...she suddenly tried to kill me..."
Renaldo tightened his arms around her, protecting her tightly.
When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with warning and impatience, "Deana, haven't you made enough of a scene! Edwina came to see you, not to be bullied by you.”
“How could you treat her so badly? Where is your upbringing?"
"My upbringing?" I felt it was all so absurd.
I lay on the ground, pointing at Edwina, each word dripping with blood, "She killed my mother. What kind of upbringing do you expect me to have with a murderer?!"
"And you! My mother was so good to you, yet you had someone run her over and cut off her legs. Didn’t you think she would die with her eyes open?!"
A flicker of panic crossed Renaldo's eyes, then he frowned impatiently, "Enough! You're just talking nonsense because you're overwhelmed with grief. If you continue to act unreasonably, do not blame me for being ruthless."
With that, he picked up Edwina and strode past me.
Blood from my forehead, mixed with tears, flowed into the corner of my mouth, a salty, metallic taste. I wiped the tears away violently with the back of my hand and slowly got up. “You took everything from me; you'll have to pay the price.”
I took a taxi to find the forensic pathologist who performed my mother's autopsy.
Once I got the autopsy report, the truth would come out.
第4章
###Chapter 4
But when I found the forensic pathologist in charge of my mother's case, the autopsy report he presented stated outright that my mother's car accident was an accident.
"Accident? But my mother's legs were both severed! Are you sure you have not made a mistake?"
I knelt down before the forensic pathologist, Dr. Smith, with a thud.
Dr. Smith avoided my gaze and awkwardly beckoned towards the door. Two security guards immediately stepped forward.
"Madam, please calm down. You say both legs were amputated, do you have any evidence?"
I was stunned. Renaldo had arranged my mother's funeral.
He used the excuse that "the body was severely damaged and we could not bear to cause you any more distress" to prevent me from seeing her one last time.
In the end, all I brought home was a cold urn of ashes.
Where was I supposed to find evidence?
I clung to Dr. Smith's leg, kowtowing frantically, "You must have taken photos of the body, right? I beg you, only you can give my mother the truth."
"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Smith. A small token of my appreciation has been transferred to your account."
A cold voice enveloped me from behind.
Renaldo.
My blood seemed to freeze instantly.
Had he already bribed everyone?
Seeing the still-damp bloodstains on my forehead and my deathly pale face, the man's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He was about to say something when I swayed and stood up.
Pointing at each of them, I yelled, "You're all disregarding human life, turning black into white!"
Renaldo's eyes suddenly turned cold, "The forensic report is right here. It was clearly an accident. How long are you going to keep this up?"
"I'm not being unreasonable. Renaldo, don’t think you can cover everything up!"
Edwina timidly approached, her eyes slightly red. "Sister, I'm also very sorry about Auntie. How about this, I'll pay for Auntie's funeral expenses. Will that make you feel better?"
She feigned closeness, whispering with a soft laugh in a voice only we could hear, "One hundred dollars, is that enough to buy that old bastard's life?"
"You beast, give me back my mother's legs!"
My reason completely collapsed. I lunged at her like a madman, but before my hand could even touch her clothes, she screamed, covered her face and fell into Renaldo's arms.
Renaldo, however, kicked me in the stomach.
I fell heavily to the ground, a tearing pain shooting through my lower abdomen, a warm liquid soaking through my pants.
I trembled uncontrollably in pain, but he would not even look at me, his attention fixed on the person in his arms, "Edwina, does it hurt?"
Edwina seemed to have swallowed a tremendous grievance, sobbing incessantly.
Suddenly, she pointed to the bloodstains spreading beneath me, her voice shrill, "Sister, why are you bleeding? It's disgusting, Renaldo, I'm scared."
Renaldo immediately covered her eyes with his hands, as if they were something filthy.
He frowned and coldly ordered the bodyguard beside him, "Take her back. She's still restless after just having a miscarriage."
I was shoved into the car by the bodyguard and forcibly taken back.
After washing off the bloodstains, I staggered towards the glass house by the sea in the backyard, clutching the urn containing the ashes of my sixth child.
That was the house Renaldo had built especially for me. He said, "When you miss the children, come here and sit for a while, talk to them. This will always be their home."
Pushing open the door, as if possessed, I walked to the row of exquisite urns and randomly opened one.
There were no ashes inside.
There was only one thick notebook, every page filled with Renaldo's fervent love for Edwina.
I opened the second box with trembling hands; inside was a thick stack of receipts.
Every time he lied to me about going on a business trip, he was actually taking her to the movies, to see the aurora borealis, on a cruise…
The third box, with a velvet lining, contained the princess crown he had custom-made for Edwina's coming-of-age ceremony.
In the fourth box lay the Robbins Family heirloom jade necklace I had longed for. It turned out he had already reserved it for another woman.
The fifth box contained a copy of a will. All of Renaldo's real estate was designated to be inherited by Edwina. The signing date was a week after our engagement.
Opening the newest urn, I found a pregnancy test inside; the two red lines stung my eyes.
Underneath was a note, "Thank you for keeping it safe, sister. My baby should, of course, be placed where his brothers 'live,' it'll be more lively."
He had only just given her my mother's leg and he was already impatiently getting her pregnant.
The only sound in the glass greenhouse was my own suppressed, broken breathing.
Suppressing the burning pain in my chest, I limped back to my room.
第5章
###Chapter 5
Just as I reached the bedroom door, Edwina's feigned concern came from inside, "I see my sister has suffered a series of blows and her mental state is deteriorating. It's dangerous if this continues… I happen to know a very authoritative psychiatrist; perhaps we should send her for systematic treatment."
In an instant, a flood of horrific memories rushed back.
As a child, I was locked up in a mental hospital by my father for refusing to accept a mistress and her daughter. Later, my mother went to great lengths to get me out.
The daily electric shocks, the kicks and insults from fellow patients, even being forced to swallow swill by the caregivers—I never wanted to experience that again.
I staggered to Renaldo, clutching his sleeve tightly.
I looked up, tears welling in my eyes, my voice filled with pleading, "Renaldo, please don’t send me there, I beg you. It's no place for a human being..."
If we could just delay for two more days, my uncle would be here soon.
Renaldo saw my trembling face and a part of his heart inexplicably softened.
He raised his hand, then stopped mid-air, "We're doing this for your own good. If word gets out that you're acting like this, what will become of the Robbins family's reputation?"
Seeing Renaldo waver, Edwina immediately added fuel to the fire, "Renaldo, if my sister delays treatment, she'll only become more insane. I'm scared."
I shook my head frantically, clutching his collar tightly, "No, Renaldo, I swear I'll listen to you!"
Renaldo's gaze swept over my face with complex emotions. Finally, he sighed almost inaudibly and wiped away my tears.
“Remember your words. If I find you hurting Edwina again, even just once, I will not let you off easily.”
I bit my lip tightly and obediently nodded. Seeing this, Renaldo told the unwilling Edwina to go back to her room to rest.
Only the two of us remained in the room.
He suddenly reached out and pulled me into his arms, his arms inexplicably tightening, “You’ve been tired lately. I’ll stay with you tonight. Get a good night’s sleep.”
Extreme exhaustion and mental exhaustion washed over me like a tidal wave and I actually lost consciousness in his arms.
In the middle of the night, I suddenly woke up from a disturbing nightmare. From the sofa came suppressed noises and the sound of water splashing.
"I should probably abort the child, so my sister won't hate me even more if she finds out."
"I told you, the only heir to the Robbins family is this one in your belly." Renaldo's voice was full of restraint, tinged with hesitation. "But she just lost her child and mother. Let's wait and see about dissolving the engagement later..."
"These legs, thanks to Auntie, are so flexible. I really want to cling to you like this forever."
My heart felt like it was being torn apart by an invisible hand. I could not believe he was having an affair with someone else right in front of me.
The obscene words mixed with unbearable sounds pierced my eardrums.
"You don’t need to dissolve it. We're no longer engaged!"
"Deana?" Renaldo suddenly noticed the slight movement on the bed.
He abruptly pried open Edwina's legs and explained towards my bed, "Edwina suddenly had severe stomach pains and just came over to ask me to rub it for her."
He thought the room was so dark that I could not see anything.
But the room was filled with a disgusting smell of perfume mixed with the pungent stench of lust. He was still trying to deceive me.
The burning hatred in my chest, the icy chill spreading through my limbs, intertwined into an impulse powerful enough to destroy everything.
I threw off the covers and jumped barefoot off the bed. “Renaldo, let’s break off the engagement. Congratulations, you no longer have to sneak around.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Hearing my footsteps towards the door, his tone suddenly filled with offended anger. “Deana, listen to me clearly, in this lifetime, unless I say it’s over, you have no right to utter the words ‘break up’!”
“We’ll see.” I gripped the cold doorknob.
“Where are you going?!” His voice suddenly sharpened, carrying an undeniable pressure.
I turned around, a cold smile appearing in the dim light filtering into the hallway, “To the police station to report you and your murderous mistress.”
I opened the door. But as soon as I stepped out, a sharp pain shot through my neck.
Turning around in disbelief, Renaldo plunged a syringe into my skin, "Looks like I have no choice but to send you to a mental hospital."
"You can not...do this to me..."
"I can, Deana, I can." Boundless darkness swallowed everything.
第6章
###Chapter 6
"Miss... wake up..."
I was shaken awake, a wrinkled face etched with worry before my eyes. It was my mother's old maid, Matilda Stevens, who had watched me grow up.
Seeing me awake, Matilda urged, "I've bribed the doctor on duty, Miss, you must call the police. They'll be changing shifts soon."
It turned out Matilda had followed me all the way to the mental hospital and after Renaldo left, she used every means to pull strings and find this isolation ward.
I jumped up and ran through the silent corridor, not stopping until I reached the door and saw the car Matilda had called. Only then did I breathe in relief.
My mother had connections at the police station; I did not believe Renaldo could control everything.
Before my tense nerves could relax, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist.
"Where did you take Edwina? Tell me!" Renaldo's ferocious face appeared before me, his eyes bloodshot, his grip so strong it almost crushed my bones.
I struggled in pain.
"I don’t know what you're talking about. Now let me go, it hurts so much..."
Like an enraged beast, he roared and slapped me hard across the face, "Do you know how important she is to me? She's pregnant! If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay with your life!"
My ears were ringing from the blow, my forehead slammed against the car, reopening my old scar.
Seeing my bloodied face and my dejected state, Renaldo seemed to snap out of his daze.
His heart skipped a beat and he reached out, as if trying to wipe away the glaring blood.
Then the phone rang.
Listening to what was being said on the other end, his expression turned even more grim, his eyes dark and menacing.
He stopped looking at me and roughly shoved me into the car as he roared, "Edwina is your own sister. How could you be so cruel?!"
"If my men had not rescued her in time, I don’t even want to think what those beasts would have done to her."
He sped to Robbins’ Hospital and dragged me to a VIP ward.
Edwina, pale-faced, huddled on the bed. The moment she saw me, she screamed shrilly, "I'll never do it again. I promise I'll give Renaldo back to you!”
“This, this child, I don’t want it anymore. So, please, please, tell them to let me go, sister!"
She climbed off the bed and knelt before me, frantically kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Renaldo rushed over and gently pulled her into his arms, comforting her, "Do not be afraid, Edwina. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you. I'll get justice for you."
Justice? I stared blankly as Edwina nestled in his arms, a smug smirk playing on her lips. I realized it was all a charade.
But what about justice for my mother? Who would get it for her?
“I did not do anything.” My voice was dry and hoarse. “If you do not believe me, you can check the surveillance footage, check the call records.”
Several men with bruised and swollen faces were thrown in by the bodyguards. As soon as they saw me, they shouted, “It was indeed Miss Deana who gave us money to kidnap her sister, Miss Edwina!”
“She said… she said if we broke her sister’s leg again and aborted the child, she would give us double the money!”
Renaldo’s face was extremely ugly. He turned to me, his eyes seeming to pierce through me, “Deana, what else do you have to say?”
I had never done any of these accusations, but in his heart, he had already sentenced me to death.
“Since you don’t believe me, I have nothing to say.”
“If you do something wrong, you have to bear the consequences.” He gritted his teeth. “Kneel down and apologize to Edwina!”
I stubbornly raised my head, “I will never apologize to the beast who killed my mother!”
Renaldo walked over, staring down at me. Every word was chilling to the bone.
"Kneel down, or I'll dig up your mother's grave."
I stared in disbelief at his heartless face, finally swallowing all my grievances, grief and hatred and knelt before Edwina with a thud.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
I repeated mechanically, my forehead slamming against the ground.
I did not know how long I kowtowed, until Renaldo roared angrily and roughly pulled me up.
"Enough! Who are you trying to fool with this act?!"
I held back my tears, looking at his distorted and blurred face through the hazy blood.
I swear, all this humiliation and pain would be repaid to you.
The next day, my uncle would come.
第7章
###Chapter 7
"Since that's enough, I won't disturb your family reunion!"
I forcefully wiped the blood from my eyes, broke free from Renaldo's hand under his complex and unreadable gaze and rushed out of the suffocating hospital room.
Back in that place that no longer felt like home, I quickly packed my bags.
Facing the mirror, I picked up the scissors.
In my youth, I overheard him say, "I like girls with long hair," and I grew that head of black hair for ten years.
With a swift movement, the scissors fell, just as my ten-year infatuation with him was completely severed, leaving no trace.
Then, I began to pack up everything he had given me.
Those gorgeous dresses, dazzling jewelry, limited-edition handbags that once filled me with ecstasy…
Those golden safety locks, exquisite toys, mansion keys he prepared for our "baby"… The more I cherished them then, the more ironic they became now.
Compared to the old notebook and yellowed ticket stubs that held his true feelings in the "urn," these expensive items before me seemed so cold, fake and laughable.
"Please come and collect them tomorrow morning."
I packed everything up, contacted a charity to donate it all and then took a nap, waiting for my uncle to arrive.
As dawn broke, Renaldo stormed into the room in a rage.
"What have Edwina and the child done to you? Why won't you let them go?!" The man dragged me from the bed to the yard without a word.
I saw a box in his hand labeled "Abortion Pills," and was about to speak when Edwina timidly followed.
"Renaldo, don’t be impulsive. My sister definitely did not do it on purpose. Let me talk to her alone, okay?"
She knelt down in front of me with a sweet smile, whispering in my ear in a voice only I could hear, "You think that old bitch died so easily?”
“After she lost her legs, I had over a dozen men with unusual fetishes 'serve' her for most of the night before she finally breathed her last. Before she died, she begged me not to let her daughter know, hahaha."
My eyes were bloodshot, "Edwina, I'll kill you!"
I used all my strength to strangle her neck with both hands.
"Deana, you dare to do this in front of me!"
Renaldo kicked me to the ground without hesitation.
Edwina hid in his arms, crying her heart out, "I've clearly given up everything, I can even give you and the baby back to her… why won't my sister let me go? Does she only feel satisfied when I'm paralyzed on the ground like before?"
Renaldo's gaze towards me was filled with an unprecedented ruthlessness and disappointment.
"Edwina has shown such sincerity, yet you're still so vicious. It seems I've spoiled you too much."
His gaze fell on the metal baseball bat in the corner.
I stared in disbelief, fear gripping my entire body. I tried to run, but a wall of bodyguards blocked my path.
“Renaldo, what are you doing?!”
Renaldo pressed me firmly to the ground. “Do not worry, Deana, even if you’re in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, I’ll take care of you.”
“No, don’t do this to me. No!”
Edwina hid behind Renaldo, a triumphant smile flashing in her eyes. “Renaldo, let it go. After all, she’s still my sister.”
Renaldo interrupted. “It’s because you’re too kind that she’s become increasingly ruthless. I can not be soft-hearted anymore and let your and the child’s safety be threatened.”
He raised a baseball bat.
An unprecedented despair engulfed me and I tightly closed my eyes…
Suddenly, a roaring sound grew louder as a helicopter landed overhead.
The strong wind forced everyone to turn their heads and Renaldo stopped moving.
I struggled to open my eyes and saw a tall figure jump down. That figure—it was my uncle!
"Uncle, save me..." Seeing my miserable state, my uncle's eyes bulged.