Her eyes–bloodshot yet lifeless–stared blankly into nothingness. Her lips were smeared with fresh blood, and her knees were
scraped so raw that bone peeked through torn flesh.
The summer heat mixed with the scent of seawater, but it wasn’t enough to mask the sickly stench of decay.
1/3
+15 BONUS
Margaret had already lost consciousness.
Bethany, stepping closer, finally caught the putrid smell.
She gagged, turned away, and vomited. “This can’t be real…”
Henry ignored her. The car screeched to a stop, and without wasting another second, he gathered Margaret into his arms and
climbed in.
Bethany stood frozen. Her eyes were bloodshot as she whispered, “I–It wasn’t supposed to be this bad…
“Jessica, you must’ve done this on purpose! You purposely tore my family apart today! And I swear–I won’t let you get away
with it, you bitch!”
Bethany’s eyes were ignited with fury as she clenched her fists tightly.
On the way to the hospital, Henry barely held Margaret, afraid that even the slightest pressure might hurt her.
His chest tightened, and the pain was so intense it felt like he could hardly breathe.
His mind raced as the same question tormented him repeatedly–how did it come to this?
They had been living a dream life together, and people used to call them the perfect family.
He had grown up with just Margaret and was never good at expressing love. But after meeting Jessica, he slowly learned to love.
Every year, he made sure to take Margaret and me on vacation, and he was determined to give us the best of everything.
He still remembered our trip to Plerias. That night, he rented out the Elixir Tower, and fireworks burst into the sky as the city
lights flickered on.
That night, he got down on one knee again, looking up at me with the same unwavering devotion as the day he first proposed.
“Jessica, I will love you and only you in this lifetime.”
“Henry, as long as you guys are happy, so am I! To me, Jess is my own daughter.”
Henry smiled at Margaret, kissed me, and promised, “I love Jess very much, Mom. From now on, our family will only know the
word happiness.”
Happiness had once seemed so bright and endless.
But now—Henry looked down at Margaret’s battered body. Why was Margaret in a state like this? What went wrong?
His hands trembled as he reached for hers. “Mom… hold on. I swear–I’ll make sure you get through this!”
