Then, as if to shield himself, he scoffed. “Wendy, and here I thought you were better than this. Fine. If it’s about money, I’ll return the ten thousand–tenfold, a hundredfold, whatever you want.”
His eyes were cold, disdainful, as if he’d finally peeled back some imagined veneer and discovered I wasn’t worth his time. He didn’t mention my grandmother–not even once.
The man I had loved for three years was standing in front of me, and I could no longer recognize him. He wasn’t even human–just a beast masquerading as one.
I raised my hand to slap him, fury burning through my veins. Before I could, Kathy appeared, her presence as unwelcome as the storm around us. She shoved me so hard I fell to the ground.
“You dare lay a hand on Brad?” she sneered, her lips curling in contempt. Then recognition lit her face, and her gaze sharpened. “Well, well, Wendy. What a surprise.”
I stared at Kathy, my anger rising even more.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 4
I was about to curse at the couple, those two despicable people.
But the pain in my stomach was unbearable, and I started to gag.
I ate only once a day, and now I had developed a stomach ulcer. Today, I was kicked in the stomach, making the pain even worse.
Brad looked confused. “Kathy, do you know Wendy?”
Kathy’s voice dripped venom as she crouched down, grabbing my chin between her fingers. “Yes, of
course.”
Her eyes scanned me as though I were nothing more than an ant.
“You went to high school in your grandfather’s hometown, so you wouldn’t know. Wendy and I were classmates. She got expelled for theft and was even locked up in the police station for half a month,” Kathy added.
Brad clearly heard this for the first time. He frowned, staring at me with a look of utter disappointment.
“Wendy, you actually did something like that?” Brad’s face darkened. He turned to me, disappointment clouding his expression.
Kathy leaned closer, her voice a taunting whisper. “You’ll never beat me, Wendy. Mom belongs to me. Brad belongs to me. At best, you’re just my stand–in.”
Her words didn’t matter anymore. Not her lies, not Brad’s misunderstanding. I shoved her away, sending her sprawling to the ground.
She cried out, clutching her hand. “Brad, she hurt me! My hand–look!”
Brad’s hands wrapped around my throat, his grip tightening with every word. “Wendy, how can you be so vicious?”
I clawed at his arms, my nails digging into his flesh. My voice erupted in a guttural scream, each word laced with anguish. “Vicious? Brad, do you know what that 10,000 dollars was for? It was to save my grandma’s life! And now–now she’s gone because there was no money for her surgery!”
I gasped, choking on tears. “She’s dead, Brad. Dead! You’re worse than an animal. For three years, she treated you like family. How could you–how could you?”
Every word I hurled at him felt like it was ripping my heart apart, leaving nothing but a raw, gaping void.
