Chapter 3
Hearing Hugh’s words, a flicker of unease crossed Sienna’s delicate face. She shrank her neck slightly, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as she fell silent.
Bitterness welled up inside me, familiar and almost comforting by now. Half a year ago, Sienna had suddenly returned after living abroad for years. Hugh told me she was all alone, with nowhere to go. Without even discussing it with me, he brought her into our home, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
At first, I didn’t mind. I even felt sorry for the fragile girl and took care of her in every way I could–preparing her meals, making sure she had warm clothes, trying to make her feel welcome. I wanted to be kind. I wanted to be a good wife.
Until the night everything changed. Sienna picked up a glass of red wine, poured it over herself, then collapsed onto her knees in front of me, trembling and pleading for mercy. Her voice was so soft, so pitiful, that anyone passing by would’ve thought I had been tormenting her for days.”
From that moment on, the way Hugh looked at me shifted. That night, he didn’t even give me a chance to explain. His fury exploded like a storm and before I knew it, I was dragged to the attic and locked inside. He left me there, hungry and freezing, for three full days. When he finally came back, his voice was colder than I’d ever heard.”
“Ava, you’ve really disappointed me,” he said, his gaze filled with disgust. “You have no idea what Sienna means to me. If you dare lay a hand on her again, even if you’re my wife, I’ll make you pay.”
After that, incidents like that kept happening–small, carefully staged moments where Sienna was the victim and I was the cruel villain. Each one chipped away at Hugh’s patience, until his eyes held nothing but icy contempt whenever he looked at me.”
I had planned to endure it, at least until the baby was born. Once our child arrived safely, I was going to ask for a divorce and leave quietly. But before I could, Sienna jumped off a building.
The reason for her suicide attempt? Hateful messages and vicious voice recordings–supposedly from me.”
The words were brutal, cruel enough to drive anyone to the edge. But they weren’t mine. Yet no matter how I pleaded, Hugh didn’t believe me. All he could see was Sienna’s pale, trembling form lying in a hospital bed, her tears falling one after another. His heart ached so much for her, his eyes turned red with rage.}
Even with our baby almost ready to be born, his only concern was avenging his beloved.}]
***
“Sir… Madam, she… she seems… You should go see for yourself.”
Hugh’s fingers froze around the pen in his hand. His brow furrowed, his expression a mix of irritation and indifference. “She’s still throwing a tantrum after all this time?”
The assistant hesitated, his hands nervously clasped together. After several seconds of hesitation, he finally said, “No, sir… It’s not that. It’s just… Madam seems to have stopped breathing.“}
Hugh’s large hands, the ones that had been tenderly holding Sienna just moments ago, stiffened. For a moment, there was silence- too long to be casual, too short to mean anything real. Then, a cold, careless laugh escaped his throat.}]
“She’s really going that far to get out of apologizing? Pretending to be dead, just to avoid facing Sienna?“}]
His voice sharpened. “Tell her–even if she’s dying, she has to apologize! If she refuses, don’t say I didn’t warn her.“}
The assistant’s forehead glistened with sweat. He wanted to say something, but the fury on Hugh’s face kept him silent. In the end, all he could do was quietly back away.”
In Hugh’s arms, Sienna tilted her head, her innocent eyes wide with concern.
‘Hugh, maybe you should let it go,” she whispered. “Even if Ava doesn’t like me and makes things difficult, she’s still your wife. As long as I can stay by your side, I can endure it.“}
Hugh’s arm tightened around her slender waist, pulling her closer.
“Sienna, you don’t need to be afraid of that petty woman. Ava’s not even worth your concern.” His voice softened into something almost gentle. “This time, I’ll make sure she learns her lesson. Only then will she understand her place.”
‘But…“%
“No buts. Just trust me.“@
A teardrop landed on the back of my hand, cold and weightless, yet cutting deeper than any blade. That was when I realized–I was already crying.
So even souls can feel pain.
****
Hugh said nothing more after that, but for the rest of the afternoon, his mind was elsewhere. His fingers drummed restlessly on the desk and every few minutes, his eyes flicked toward the door. By the time an hour passed, he had glanced over more than ten times.”
Finally, with a frustrated sigh, he slammed his laptop shut. Running a hand through his hair, he forced a gentle smile onto his face and stroked Sienna’s hair.
‘I don’t know what kind of trick Ava’s trying to pull this time,” he said softly, “but I’ll go drag her back to apologize right now.“%
***
At the entrance of the amusement park, Hugh’s long strides carried him forward, his impatience radiating off him like heat. Even from a distance, his sharp gaze locked onto the drop tower ride.}
