Chapter 2
It felt as though I had fallen from heaven into hell, my dream shattered into pieces. I was
abruptly reminded of my current predicament.
The smile also faded from my face.
Coming to my senses, I withdrew my hand from
his.
He stared at me for a moment before suddenly laughing, reaching out to touch my forehead. “You’ve got a fever?”
I pulled away, but his laughter grew more
reckless.
“Are you angry?” He lifted a finger, curling
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a strand of my hair and sniffing it. “If you’re jealous, how about I throw her out in the rain right now?”
Since we got married, he seemed to be
two–faced. One moment he was like an
executioner, ready to strike me, and the next, he was the most attentive husband, speaking softly
to me.
But I was already exhausted.
“Arthur, let’s get a divorce,” I said.
He took the divorce papers I handed him and
remained silent for a long time.
Finally, his smile turned cruel as he slowly tore the papers to shreds, piece after piece.
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“Carina Trivett, who will cover your mother’s medical expenses if you leave me?”
“We are destined to be entangled until death. Don’t you understand that yet?”
He doesn’t love me.
But he won’t let me go.
My mother had been in a coma in the hospital for three years.
Six years ago, when our family went bankrupt and my father committed suicide, only my mother and I were left.
She had a tumor in her brain and kept urging
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me to leave her be, saving money for my college education.
Later, she often wandered in a daze and would go missing unexpectedly.
One winter night, after searching all night, I found her in the snow–covered mountains.
Her pants were stained with blood, her forehead
was bruised, and she clutched a blood–stained ruby ring in her hands.
It was something she had begged for, after walking to the church to attend services, despite the harsh weather.
She said, “Sweetheart, I can’t take care of you
anymore.”
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But she had promised the Lord that he would protect me, ensuring my life would be smooth, safe, and joyful.
After that, she never woke up again.
But for some reason, I couldn’t find the ring she left me.
I frantically searched the house, only to discover
Arthur had taken it.
When I found him, he was holding Tiffany and admiring the snow by the lake.
I asked him for the ring, but he wouldn’t even
look at me.
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“This?” Tiffany said with a sweet smile, pulling the ring nt from her chest, gleefully showing it to me. “I got caught in the rain the other day,
and Arthur was worried I’d catch a cold. He said
this ring, which was got from the church, would protect me, so he gave it to me.”
“I heard this thing was bought with your mother’s life. After she got it, she didn’t last long, so I was too embarrassed to take it, but
Arthur insisted. I had no choice. You’re not mad
at me, are you, sister?”
My heart felt like it was being crushed, almost suffocating. “That was the only thing my mom. left me! How dare you steal it and give it to
someone else?”
Arthur’s expression was cold. “It’s just nothing
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more than an old, worn–out ring. Is it really worth this fuss?”
I reached out to grab it, my nails scratching Tiffany’s face, but it only enraged Arthur further.
“Have you had enough? It’s just a broken piece of rock. I’ll buy you ten more tomorrow if you need them.”
He suddenly raised his hand and pushed me to the ground.
Arthur’s face showed a flicker of panic, but
Tiffany’s comment broke the moment: “She’s just pretending to be pitiful.”
Her face, scratched by me, was shaking with anger as she yanked the pendant from around
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her neck. “If you want it, kneel and beg, and I’ll give it to you!”
Everything went black before my eyes, as if I was suffocating.
But if I died, who would take care of my mother?
I collapsed to my knees with a thud, my forehead banging hard against the cobblestone, “I beg you, please give it back… I beg you…
Arthur seemed slightly moved, reaching out to pull me up.
But I continued to bang my head, my blood staining the stones: “I’ll do anything… I’ll
divorce him, I promise not to appear in front of you again…”
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Tiffany laughed scornfully, finally preparing to hand the ring back to me.
But Arthur’s face twisted into a hideous snarl.
“Divorce?”
I lifted my face, ignoring the tears streaming down, and looked at him with pleading eyes:
“This is the only thing my mother left me. Without it, I will die…”
“Then go ahead and die.”
Arthur suddenly threw the ring into the lake.
I frantically lunged toward the water, but Arthur held me back with a tight grip.
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His eyes were bloodshot: “Carina, in this life, you are mine. In death…”
I bit down hard on his hand, drawing blood.
Then I jumped into the lake.
The icy water engulfed me from all sides, choking my mouth and nose.
Yet, in that moment, I felt a strange sense of
release.
Mom, I’m
my…
Just as my consciousness was fading, I heard a
frantic, unmistakable cry:
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“Cary, where are you… I’m coming to save
you…”
So noisy.
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