4
Mrs. Hayes froze, her face flushing red as she opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words.
Finally, she let out a long sigh.
This is all Ettan’s fault…. he’s the one who wronged your
After she left, one of the housekeepers brought in a bowl of ginger soup to help me sohber
The ginger slices were thick and clumsy, clearly cut by Ethan himself,
Tears sipped into the bowl as I stared at it. I didn’t take a single sip and poured it all
down the toilet
That night, the alcohol and my recent miscarriage left me doubled over in pain.
My lower abdomen ached so badly that I could hardly move.
With trembling hands, I rummaged through my bedside table for painkillers, but all I found were my sleeping pills–disguised with a label I had written, calling them “Vitamins”
From the next room, muffled sounds of passion seeped through the walls,
In the darkness, I finally let go of my composure and sobbed into my pillow, my cries echoing through the silence of the night.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by the sound of furious knocking.
Ethan’s voice shouted from the other side of the door, laced with anger,
Confused and half–asleep, I stumbled to open it.
Before I could say a word, his hand came down hard across my face.
The stinging pain snapped me out of my daze.
“Anna! You’re nothing but a selfish, ungrateful brat!” Ethan roared, his eyes blazing with fury. “Why the hell would you send flowers to the house? Don’t you know Natalie is allergic to pollen?!”
He threw a bouquet of roses at me, and the sharp thorns scratched my cheek, leaving it burning with pain.
09:57 Kon, 3 Feb
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it.”
The bitterness in my chest bubbled into a swell of anger.
I opened my mouth to explain, but Ethan cut me off before I could utter a single word.
He shoved me, and I fell to the floor. His eyes were filled with unrestrained hostility.
“Pray that nothing happens to Natalie’s baby,” he hissed, “or I swear I’ll make you pay for
With that, he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Lying on the floor, I let out a hollow laugh as tears rolled down my face.
I had asthma. I was allergic to pollen, too. Why would I ever send flowers to the house?
My breathing grew shallow, and my chest heaved as I gasped for air. My vision blurred, and I struggled to get up.
Unable to stand, I crawled toward the bedside table.
“Medicine…” I whispered hoarsely.
My hand knocked over the vase on the table, and it shattered, cutting my palm as I
reached for the drawer.
But it was empty.
Panic gripped me as I remembered that Ethan had insisted on keeping my medication with him, saying it would be safer if he carried it in case of emergencies.
I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by despair.
My strength ebbed away, and I collapsed onto the floor.
“Anna! Anna!”
Mrs. Hayes’s panicked voice broke through the haze as she rushed into the room.
When she saw me gasping for air on the floor, she immediately shouted down the stairs,
09:57 den 3 Fab
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“Ethan! Where’s Anna’s medicine?!”
37%
Footsteps pounded closer, and I felt someone kneel beside me. Cool liquid entered my airways, and oxygen slowly flooded my lungs.
As I began to breathe again, Ethan’s voice cut through the tension, dripping with disdain.
“To force Natalie into a miscarriage, you were even willing to risk triggering your own
asthma attack.”
He scoffed bitterly. “Anna, I really underestimated how far you would go.”
Mrs. Hayes, furious, smacked Ethan hard on the back. “What nonsense are you spouting?!”
But Ethan ignored her, grabbing me and tossing me onto the bed like I was nothing.
“Natalie just told me that if you agree to be her bridesmaid and hand us the rings at the wedding, she won’t hold this against you.”
“Ethan!” Mrs. Hayes cried, horrified, as she tried to push him away. “What are you saying?!”
“Fine.”
My voice was calm, steady.
Both of them froze, clearly not expecting me to agree.
My throat was raw, but I forced the words out, one at a time.
“I’ll do it.”
