Chapter 7
Finally, he clenched Stephanie’s neck and snarled:
“You knew, didn’t you?! And you let them talk about her like that?”
Vito was carried away by men in black, wailing uncontrollably.
Stephanie tried her old trick–crying to play the victim.
But the pressure on her throat made her realize how terrifying Jack could be when serious.
No longer favored, tears welled up in her eyes.
Only when she was nearly strangled did Jack shove her away.
Thrown onto shattered porcelain shards, Stephanie screamed in disbelief:
“What kind of nobody is she! Huh? How dare she suddenly pop up and steal everything from me! My parents! My lover! My heiress status!”
Tears rolled down one by one.
Stephanie shrieked hysterically:
“You all lied to me… Mom and Dad too, you too! Everyone said I’d always be family, but slowly… your eyes only saw Katherine…”
Jack Martinez froze mid–step. “Nonsense! Mom and Dad always put you first!”
Stephanie burst into wild laughter.
04:56
“Slip of the tongue, Jack? ‘Mom and Dad‘… but what about you? When did your heart change?”
Jack stood nailed to the spot.
As memories flooded, his eyes reddened until a tear splashed onto his
shoe.
Snot and tears smeared across Stephanie’s face.
“Ha! Ha! I loved you so much! I gave you a son… No one threatens Vito’s position! No one! I stuck thirty needles in Katherine’s belly! Neither she nor that child will live!”
Before she finished, a wind–whipping slap sent Stephanie crumpling into
unconsciousness.
I finally opened my eyes.
My whole body felt like it had been run over repeatedly by a car.
But there was no stabbing pain in my heart–it beat warmly and strongly.
Samuel, however, seemed to be a light sleeper; he jolted awake the moment I blinked.
He threw himself at me and held me tight.
The
secretary/nearby had red–rimmed eyes, anxious to remind Samuel of
something.
I questioned him with my eyes.
The secretary finally choked out:
“Samuel… gave you his own heart. He’s using an artificial one. The doctor told him to rest well, not to… overexert himself, and to avoid extreme emotions.”
“Because of you, Stephanie, his artificial heart has stopped three times.”
I froze in shock.
My right hand instinctively covered my heart, realizing these powerful beats belonged to him…
Samuel thought his secretary was meddling and shooed him out.
Thumping struggles immediately erupted outside the door.
Samuel looked displeased, yet still said:
“That idiot nephew of mine is guarding the doorway too. If his mother weren’t my beloved sister, I’d have him feeding sharks in the Atlantic! Cough-”
I pressed Samuel’s emergency call button,
Meeting his worried, reluctant gaze, I happily promised:
“Rest well. What I promised you is sincere.”
He finally closed his eyes in relief.
Dark circles under his eyes made my heart tighten then warm.
When Jack saw me, his eyes lit up with delight.
