Chapter 7
Yolanda’s sobs echoed through the air, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably from the weight of her sorrow.
At that moment, her phone rang, and the word Dad flashed on the screen.
She hesitated for a moment but then answered the call.
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On the other end, her parents‘ voices were kind and full of anticipation. They said, “Yolanda, we’re craving the fish soup Matthew makes. When are you coming back to cook it for us?”
Yolanda’s throat felt as though it was being choked by something, and she struggled to speak. Her voice was thick with unrestrained sobs. “Dad, Mom, Matthew… he can’t make the fish soup anymore. He… he’s gone.”
There was a moment of confusion on the other end. They seemed to say, “What nonsense are you talking about? He’s fine, isn’t he? How could he suddenly not make the fish soup anymore?
“Are you causing trouble again? I only accept Matthew as your husband!”
Yolanda’s heart felt as if it was being pierced by ten million needles. How she wished this wasn’t true. “He’s really gone. He’s lying right here in front of me, not moving at all.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn’t hold it in any longer, and her tears flowed freely once more.
There was a long silence on the other end before their trembling voices came through.
“Yolanda, don’t scare us. How could this be? He was so young, so healthy… how could he just be gone?”
Yolanda couldn’t say anything more. She simply let the tears run freely.
She hung up the phone, burying her head in her knees, her sobs growing even more sorrowful.
Chris stood nearby, watching her without a trace of sympathy, even eager to add.
“I told you he wasn’t worth all this sadness.
“You must’ve gotten tired of him, or else you wouldn’t have divorced him so easily and married me. He’s dead now, you should be the happiest.”
Those words pushed Yolanda over the edge. She suddenly looked up, her eyes blazing as she stared coldly at Chris. Her voice was as cold as ice.
“You killed him! If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t have left me, and I wouldn’t have had no idea he was sick!
“Get out! I don’t want to see you right now!”
She said no more, then signaled the bodyguards to drag Chris to the far side of the villa, shutting him out completely.
As night fell, Yolanda, exhausted, returned home.
She drank even more, and under the haze of alcohol, she lost her rationality.
At this moment, Yolanda’s regret index reached four stars.
Chris was locked in the villa. When he saw her return, he thought she had come to her senses.
“Yolanda, you’re finally back. You were so angry today, but I’ve forgiven you.”
When she saw him, Yolanda’s anger flared up again, and she slapped him hard across the face.
“Just be a good assistant! You’ll still get your share of benefits. But no, you had to want a wedding!
“Now he hates me so much that he left without ever forgiving me…”
Chris, stunned by the slap, stopped holding back.
“Why are you blaming me? You brought me into this. You loved him so much, but you were always complaining about how tired you were of him.
“If you really loved him, how could you marry me? This is all your own doing. Now that you regret it, you’re blaming me.”
3:51 PM
7
Yolanda lost it completely. Screaming like a madwoman, she ordered the servants and bodyguards to strip Chris of his clothes and throw them out the door. “I’ll make you wish you were dead. This is for Matthew!”
Thrown out onto the doorstep of the villa, Chris became the center of attention. People stopped in their tracks, gathered around him, whispering.
“My God, who did he piss off to deserve this kind of revenge?“..
“That pretty boy is handsome. Maybe he’s just doing some tasks for his master.”
Phones were pulled out, and the crowd started recording. Laughter filled the air, but no one dared approach.
A few people in the crowd recognized Chris, and things only got worse from there.
“Isn’t that the guy who married Ms. Bowers a few days ago? I heard he’s the assistant who worked his way up.”
“I know him! I heard he even drove her ex–husband to death at their wedding.”
“Wow, it really is him! Look at him now. This is so satisfying!”
Another person added.
Chris frantically scanned the crowd, his eyes full of fear. He saw the mocking and disdainful expressions on people’s faces.
“Please, don’t do this! It’s not my fault, it’s Yolanda’s!” he shouted, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the noise of the crowd.
A few sleazy, unemployed men who had been loitering in the square suddenly grew interested.
“This pretty boy is handsome. No wonder he managed to charm Ms. Bowers, even though she’s married.”
“Look at that smooth skin. Tsk, tsk. I wonder if he knows how to please a man. Hey, want to come with me?”
Vulgar words hit his ears, and for the first time, he felt utter despair.
A few passersby, feeling some twisted empathy, spat on him. “Tch, scum! My wife ran off with a guy like you. Pretty boy, huh? I will castrate you now!”
Chris struggled desperately, trying to untangle himself from the ropes, but one of the men came at him with a branch, looking as if he really wanted to kill him.
“Please, it’s not me. Your wife has nothing to do with me!”
The man, his sanity slipping away, growled, “I just can’t stand scum like you trying to be a mistress. What’s wrong with you? Why be so shameless?
“I’m going to rid the world of this scum today!”
Adrenaline coursed through Chris‘ veins. In a panic, he ran wildly down the street, looking for a place to hide. But no matter where he went, someone was always there, following him, humiliating him further.
His dignity, his pride, was utterly crushed at that moment.
Soon, videos of Chris being humiliated were flooding the internet, with endless insults pouring in.
I watched all of this unfold, feeling no satisfaction, only a numb sense of detachment. Yolanda’s regret reached five stars.
Finally, it was over.
