05
I stared at Caleb, furious and confused, but before I could speak, Elena collapsed into his arms,
sobbing.
“Elena, I only wanted to comfort you. Why did you hurt me? You know… I just found out I’m
pregnant.”
Her voice trembled with a blend of grievance and bitterness.
“Even if you despise me, the child is innocent.”
As Caleb’s eyes widened in surprise, she leaned close and whispered in his ear, “Caleb, this baby… it’s the gift of love God gave us.”
But instead of the joy she clearly expected, his expression shifted to something unreadable.
Then the driver chimed in indignantly, “Boss, I think Madam’s condition has already recovered. She’s sharp as ever. Just now, she cursed Miss Elena, calling her a slut with a bastard child anc saying she was a cheap tramp.”
Caleb turned to me, a glint of coldness in his eyes.
“Elena,” he said, voice low and dangerous, “Elena saved my life. I warned everyone–no one touches her, not even my wife.”
He stepped closer, tone biting.
‘Why can’t you just behave?”
My voice trembled. “You speak of life–saving debt… and this is how you repay me? With my innocence? With my parents‘ lives?”
“You want obedience? You want me to be ruined and still smile as you destroy me?”
His expression stiffened. For a moment, there was panic in his eyes, but he masked it quickly
with a sneer.
“You sound insane. Maybe you forgot to take your medicine again. Better lock you up–let you calm down before the ceremony tomorrow.”
I laughed bitterly, a sound full of emptiness.
‘Do you even know who saved you?”
Caleb froze, visibly shaken, eyes clouded with confusion.
Elena’s face twisted. Her eyes reddened as she clung to him and cried out,
“The Song family supported me for ten years. Everything I have should’ve belonged to my sister. How could I steal her credit for one small act of kindness? Caleb… how didn’t I see your true
nature before?”
The driver, ever eager to stir trouble, added, “Calm down, Madam. But don’t you think Miss Elena deserves to know how it feels to be hurt by someone she trusted?”
At that, Caleb stormed over and slapped me hard across the face.
“You’ve lost all shame! Elena still has dignity! Do you think everyone’s like you–willing to spread their legs for attention?”
Without another glance, he wrapped his arm around Elena and turned to leave.
05
213
25.08
3:38 pm
Just as he stepped away, he paused and looked back, his voice cold:
“Take her back. Lock her up. Let her reflect on her behavior–and bring her to the seaside church tomorrow on time.”
“Yes, Boss,” the driver said eagerly, then turned toward me with a sinister grin.
“You really messed up, didn’t you? Everyone knows Miss Elena is the Boss’s favorite. Now she’s paid me to teach you a lesson.”
He leaned in, breath reeking.
“So don’t blame me for what comes next.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” I shouted.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, the Boss won’t care. Even if he finds out, he’ll side with her.”
Before I could escape, he dragged me and shoved me into the trunk.
After a jarring, painful ride, I was hauled into a cold, damp basement.
The stench of mold and the squeaking of rats chilled me to the bone.
All night, he tortured me in the cruelest ways. To avoid visible injuries, he drove thin needles under my fingernails and toenails.
Ten fingers linked to the heart–every stab sent unbearable pain through me.
I fainted again and again, only to be revived by icy water splashed over me.
By the time I opened my eyes again, it was the next day.
My body felt shattered–bruised, broken, aching in every fiber.
Next to me, my phone buzzed endlessly.
The screen was filled with posts from Elena–boasting, flaunting.
“Love shows in how a man spends,” she wrote smugly.
She wore the ruby necklace Caleb had bought at auction, dazzling against her pale skin.
Together, they unveiled his new yacht–named Elena.
Champagne poured down the tower while the two of them beamed at each other. Their affection so showy it made me ill.
But I felt nothing. I was numb. Empty.
Slowly, I reached beneath the bed, pulling out what I had hidden there long ago.
The divorce papers.
The wound examination from the rescue I performed in Canada five years ago.
A recent pregnancy test.
I laid them out neatly in the most visible spot.
Outside, Caleb’s men stood guard at the villa gate.
I dragged myself up, climbed through the window with agonizing effort, and looked out over the waves crashing beneath the cliffside estate.
In the distance, a small, barely noticeable boat approached.
Then my phone lit up again.
213 25.99
3:38 pm DD
It was Caleb.
His message read:
“Do you realize your mistake now? Apologize to Elena at the ceremony tomorrow. She’s willing t forgive you.”
“Be good, Elena. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
I typed back slowly:
“My biggest mistake was saving the man in black who washed up on the shores of Canada stabbed seven times, bleeding to death–five years ago.”
I glanced down, gently placing my hand on my belly.
Then, without hesitation, I jumped into the sea.
I didn’t know that the phone I left behind had begun vibrating violently, almost desperately, on the floor.
