1 A sudden car crash left me lying on the operating table. The moment the anesthesia failed, I opened my eyes in agonizing pain. The lead surgeon standing over me was my husband, Dr. Roe Hayes. His face showed absolutely no surprise. His voice was as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "The people who hit you were your parents," he said. The words pierced my heart like an ice pick. I trembled, trying to demand an answer, but he didn't even blink. The cold surgical instruments moved inside me. His voice carried a sick sense of vindictive pleasure. "A year ago, you caused my sister to miscarry. She almost died." "Now, I am personally removing your three-month-old fetus. Consider us even." When he held up that tiny, unformed embryo right before my eyes, the reality of what I had just lost finally hit me. A gut-wrenching, soul-tearing hatred surged up my throat, only to be swallowed by a deeper, physical agony. He ordered the nurse to dispose of the tiny life, then turned back to me, his tone conversational. "We either get a divorce so I can openly give her the happiness she deserves..." Seeing my face covered in tears, he added one final condition. "...Or we stay married, but you must accept me taking care of her. You are never allowed to cause her trouble again." Those words were the final straw that crushed my already snapping nerves. My vision went black, and I passed out entirely. When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a hospital recovery room. Roe was sitting by the bed, holding a steaming bowl of chicken soup. His gentle tone made it seem like the nightmare in the operating room had never happened. "I made this for Chloe. She couldn't finish it, so she told me to bring it to you to help you recover." Hearing the tenderness when he said the name Chloe snapped me back to reality. A wave of nausea hit me. I violently slapped the hot soup away. "Tell me," I rasped. "When did the two of you start sleeping together?" The bowl shattered on the floor, the scalding liquid burning the back of my hand. Roe slowly wiped the spilled broth from his scrubs. His expression shifted to one of cold amusement. "Hard to say. If you mean the first time we slept together, that was a year ago on our wedding anniversary. Right there in my office. For as long as you kept calling my phone, we kept going." A loud ringing exploded in my ears. My mind went completely blank. So that night, they had been together the entire time. No wonder I called him dozens of times and he never picked up, only texting back hours later saying he had just gotten out of surgery. I thought he was saving lives. I didn't blame him. I even brought him late-night takeout. Not long after that, my younger sister, Chloe, was beaten so badly she miscarried after being caught sleeping with a married man. She called me for help. Worried about her reputation, I quietly paid off the angry wife and stayed by Chloe's side in the hospital until she was discharged. It was exactly after her surgery that Roe's attitude toward me turned freezing cold. He constantly used being "on-call" as an excuse to not come home for days. Our intimacy dropped from three times a week to me begging just to get his attention once. I thought the distance was just because we were both so busy with our careers. So, I gave up my chance to be promoted to regional manager. I became a stay-at-home wife, dedicating my life to taking care of him. People laughed at me for throwing away my career, but I did it willingly because I loved him. I thought if I just tried harder, our marriage would go back to how it used to be. I never imagined his heart had already been given to someone else—and that someone was my own sister. He had even murdered my deeply longed-for child just for her. I stared dead at Roe, my throat so raw I could barely make a sound. "I'm so sorry, Val!" My sister, Chloe, suddenly burst into the hospital room. With red, teary eyes, she threw herself at the side of my bed, intentionally pressing her hands down hard onto my fresh surgical wound through the blankets. "It's all my fault! I didn't mean to hurt you..." Roe immediately reached out to support her, his eyes softening to absolute tenderness. But when he looked at me, his gaze turned to pure ice. "Don't blame her. She begged me to keep this a secret forever. I just couldn't stand seeing her suffer in silence anymore. I want to give her a real future." My heart felt like it was being ripped apart by bare hands. The pain made it impossible to breathe. With bloodshot eyes, I screamed. "What suffering?! I didn't cause her miscarriage!" "You want to give her a future, so you personally murder our baby?!" The moment the words left my mouth, Roe's eyes turned lethal. His voice dripped with mockery. "Valerie, why are you playing the victim? Three years ago, when my career was on the line, you left a divorce agreement on the table and vanished without a trace. I never blamed you for that, did I?" 2 I froze in place. Roe continued, his face devoid of emotion. "Back then, it was Chloe who went through hell to get that audio recording to prove my innocence. She was almost pushed off a balcony and killed for it. And when it was all over, it was Chloe who flew to Europe with me to help me recover mentally. You didn't even ask if I was okay. So what victim are you pretending to be now?" The blood in my veins turned to ice. Memories from three years ago rushed back. Roe had been maliciously sued by a patient's family, who claimed he intentionally let the patient die because they didn't pay him a bribe. His reputation was destroyed, and he was facing prison time. To clear his name, I secretly tracked down the family. While arguing with them, I managed to secretly record them admitting they had fabricated the entire story. But as I tried to leave, they realized what I had done and pushed me down a flight of concrete stairs. I broke my leg and lost the baby I had just found out I was carrying. The doctors told me I might walk with a limp forever and that it would be incredibly difficult for me to ever get pregnant again. I didn't want to drag Roe down, and I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life feeling guilty because of what happened to me. So, I gave the flash drive with the recording to Chloe, asking her to hand it over to him. I also signed a divorce agreement, telling her to give it to him if things got too hard. Then, I quietly left the city to hide in a rehab clinic. During those two months of painful physical therapy, Roe never tried to contact me. I assumed he was buried in legal battles. It wasn't until I finally healed and went home that I found out his name had been cleared weeks ago. He was just vacationing in Europe. I didn't want to ruin his trip, so I chose to keep my injuries a secret. When he returned, he never brought it up. I thought the lawsuit had traumatized him so much that we were just silently agreeing to leave the past behind. But the truth was, while I was doing agonizing physical therapy just so I could walk back into his arms, Chloe had stolen the credit for saving his life. She stayed by his side day and night. And he—without ever even asking me for the truth—had started hating me to his core. I remembered the day we got married. He held my hands and said, "I will stand by you unconditionally for the rest of my life. I will always believe in you. No matter what happens, nothing will ever tear us apart." The metallic taste of blood rose in my throat. I lifted my red-rimmed eyes to look at Chloe. "How was your miscarriage my fault? You were the one who slept with a married..." "Ugh!" Chloe suddenly let out a dramatic gag, cutting me off. Roe immediately tensed, holding her by the shoulders. "Are you feeling sick again?" Suddenly, I realized what was happening. "You're pregnant?" Chloe immediately chimed in. "I'm sorry, Val. I'm carrying Roe's baby..." Roe nodded without an ounce of shame. "Two months. Twins. I'm having Chloe move into the house so I can take care of her and the babies properly. That nursery you set up will be put to good use." I had designed that nursery myself. Every piece of furniture, every stuffed animal, I had picked out by hand. I had fantasized countless times about the baby Roe and I would share. And now, I was watching him have children with my own sister. I practically coughed up blood. My voice was a broken rasp. "What about our baby? Roe, that was your own flesh and blood too!" Roe didn't even blink. "That worthless mistake is already in the biohazard bin." 3 Those cold words stabbed through my heart like rusted knives. I remembered all the times Roe had whispered in my ear, "Val, I want a baby with you so badly." Yet he had murdered my child, just so he couldn't wait to let Chloe carry his. An immense wave of grief and rage swallowed me whole. I grabbed the heavy glass vase from the nightstand and hurled it at them with everything I had. "Get out! Both of you, get the hell out!" As the vase shattered, Roe instinctively pulled Chloe into his arms to shield her from the glass. He turned his head to glare at me, his eyes piercingly cold. "If you can't handle it, sign the divorce papers. Your parents are already pushing me to marry Chloe as soon as possible. They've even picked out names for the twins." I suddenly remembered what he had said in the operating room: The people who hit you were your parents. So, my parents had known about their affair this entire time. The people I loved most in the world had all betrayed me. It was a pain so absolute, I couldn't even force out a single tear. I screamed until my voice gave out, chasing them out of the room. I curled into a ball under the thin hospital blanket, shivering violently. The next day, my parents came to the hospital. My father’s tone was harsh and commanding. "What kind of older sister are you? Chloe has always been weaker than you since she was in the womb! Because of you, she lost a baby and almost had to get her uterus removed! Now that she finally has a chance at happiness with Roe, you refuse to divorce him? Are you trying to kill her again?" My mother wiped away fake tears. "They say twins have a telepathic connection, that they're the closest people in the world. How can your heart be so vicious?" There was no wind in the hospital room, but a freezing chill seeped straight into my bones. I laughed. I laughed until tears finally streamed down my face. "Oh, so you remember we're twins? I was born exactly three minutes before her! When we were kids, you forced me to let her have everything. Now you expect me to give her my husband too?" "But she is the younger sister! You can't change that fact!" my mother raised her voice, acting indignant. "If you don't divorce him, who are Chloe's babies supposed to call Dad? Do you want her and her children to live in the shadows forever?" "So, you ran me over with your car? Just to clear the way for her? Why didn't you just kill me?" The moment the words left my mouth, dead silence filled the room. There wasn't a single trace of guilt on their faces—only annoyance. I clenched my teeth. "I will never sign those papers. I want her to live in the shadows forever. I want her kids to be known as illegitimate bastards!" Smack! My father slapped me hard across the face. "Ungrateful bitch! If I knew you were this toxic, I would have strangled you the minute you were born!" My cheek burned, but the pain in my chest was worse. Five years ago, when my father was hospitalized with liver cancer, I starved myself for a month to lose twenty pounds so I could donate a piece of my liver to save his life. I thought if I sacrificed enough, I could finally earn my parents' love. But it was never enough. They always wanted more. They wanted to drain my blood and eat my flesh. Seeing I wasn't backing down, my mother pretended she was going to faint, and my father raised his hand to hit me again. I looked at them one last time. My heart finally died. "Fine. I'll sign it. I'll go pack my things today, and from now on, you are no longer my parents." If I couldn't have it, I didn't want any of it. I returned to the house I shared with Roe. As soon as I walked through the front door, I heard sickeningly explicit groans coming from the nursery. "Roe... what if Val catches us in here..." Roe's voice was thick with lust. "Hold on tighter, baby... Let her find out. Whether she signs the papers or not, you are the only woman I will ever love." A tidal wave of memories crashed over me. When we first met at the hospital, it was love at first sight for Roe. Known as the untouchable, elite surgeon, he acted like he was addicted to me. To win me over, he cooked and delivered meals to my office every day. The first thing he did after a fourteen-hour surgery was drive to see me. He dropped to one knee at a crowded concert to propose, begging me to stay by his side for the rest of his life. He made me believe in love. He made me think I was his only exception. Suddenly, a weak whimper pulled me back to reality. I followed the sound. It was my six-year-old golden retriever, Buster. He was lying on the floor, a massive pool of blood around his mouth. He was taking shallow, ragged breaths. "Buster..." I dropped to my knees to pick him up and rush him to the vet. But he just looked at me one last time, let out a soft sigh, and stopped breathing in my arms. He had been waiting for me. He waited until he saw me, and then he let go. My mind went completely blank. A soul-shredding agony ripped away the last of my sanity. I kicked the nursery door open. The two of them scrambled apart in panic. Before I could even step forward, Chloe acted as if I had terrified her. She deliberately threw herself backward onto the hardwood floor, letting out a piercing scream and clutching her stomach. "Roe! My stomach hurts so much! The babies... my babies!" Roe's face went pale. "Don't panic, I'm taking you to the hospital right now!" He spun around wildly, grabbing clothes off the floor. While his back was turned, Chloe suddenly stopped screaming. She looked at me and flashed a sinister, triumphant smile. "So what if I kicked your stupid dog to death, Val?" she whispered. "All it takes is one word from me, and your baby is dead. You really think you can beat me?" 4 Looking at that face that was nearly identical to my own, the blood rushed to my head. "You psychotic bitch!" I lunged forward, reaching out to wrap my hands around her throat. But before I could even touch her, Roe delivered a brutal kick right into my stomach. "Are you insane?! She's bleeding and you're still trying to kill her?! It was just a damn dog!" The dog wasn't important. The babies were. And I wasn't. The force of his kick was massive. I was essentially launched backward, crashing hard against the floor. The fresh surgical stitches on my stomach ripped open. Blood poured out, soaking my shirt. Roe looked down at the blood spreading across my stomach. For a fraction of a second, a flash of hesitation crossed his eyes. But then Chloe started screaming again. "Roe... it hurts so much..." "I've got you. I won't let anything happen to you!" He didn't look at me again. He scooped Chloe into his arms and bolted out the door. By the time he reached the front yard, a crowd of nosy neighbors had already gathered, whispering and holding up their phones to record. Roe didn't slow down. He shoved through the crowd and carried her away. Through the blurry haze of pain, I saw Chloe peek over his shoulder, giving me one last victorious smirk. I tried to push myself off the floor, but a blinding wave of pain ripped through my abdomen. I collapsed and lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes again, I was tied to a bed in a beachfront vacation cabin. It was the property Roe had bought in my name, a place he used to bring me when he took time off work. But right now, I was hogtied on the mattress. Standing in front of me were three overweight men, covered in disgusting sores and pustules, staring at me like hungry wolves. In the corner of the room, a camera on a tripod was pointed directly at the bed. Realizing what was about to happen, my entire body began to violently shake. I looked toward the doorway, where Roe was standing, his face entirely devoid of emotion. "Roe, what the hell are you doing? No matter what happened, I am still your wife..." This was the man who swore he would support me unconditionally, who promised he would always be on my side. But when he opened his mouth, his voice was dripping with venom. "Valerie, not only did you cause Chloe to almost lose the babies, but you let the neighbors film the whole thing. Now it's all over the internet. She's getting cyberbullied. You don't deserve to be her sister!" "Three years ago, after what you did to me, I never abandoned you! I even thought that if you refused to sign the divorce papers, I would just let it go. We could stay married, even if it was just on paper. But what did you do? Is this how you repay my mercy?" "These three men are patients I pulled from an infectious disease ward... Don't worry, I won't let them actually r*pe you. I'm just having them pose with you. We'll take some photos and post them online. I want you to experience the exact same pain Chloe is feeling. I want you to know what it feels like to have your dignity dragged through the mud." Seeing him turn to leave, I suddenly remembered something. A year ago, when Chloe was hospitalized for her miscarriage, a man came to visit her. That man was one of Roe's colleagues from the surgical department! I screamed at the top of my lungs. "Chloe played you, Roe! A year ago, she didn't get hit by a car! She was caught sleeping with a married man and the man's wife beat the baby out of her! That man was your coworker! And three years ago, I didn't abandon you, I—" "Shut up! You literally ran her over, and now you have the nerve to frame her?!" Roe looked at me with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You walked out on me when I needed you most, Valerie. You have no heart!" As I stared at him in sheer disbelief, he delivered the final, fatal blow. "By the way, I had your mother skin that dog of yours and boil it into a stew for Chloe. Dog meat is highly nutritious for pregnant women." Boom. My brain completely shut down. Buster had been with me for six years. When Roe and Chloe were vacationing in Europe and I was home alone recovering from broken bones and a lost pregnancy, Buster was the only one who stayed by my side. I could see his little head resting on my knees. I could see every moment of the last five years I had spent with Roe. The pain was so excruciating it felt like I was being sliced alive. After Roe walked out the door, the three men lunged toward the bed. "All those stuck-up bitches think we're disgusting... We haven't had a taste of a real woman in years..." My scalp prickled with terror. "Roe told you to just take pictures!" "Yeah, well, your sister gave us different orders. She said if we're gonna put on a show, we might as well make it real. Don't worry, we'll make sure you enjoy it." I shook violently, screaming for help, but Roe was already gone. Just as they ripped my shirt, my hand brushed against a heavy glass lamp on the nightstand. I grabbed it and smashed it directly into the face of the closest man. While the other two recoiled in shock, I scrambled off the bed, sprinted out of the room, and bolted out the front door. By the side of the road, Roe was opening the door to his SUV. Behind me, the sound of heavy footsteps grew closer. I opened my mouth to scream for Roe, but before I could make a sound, I saw Chloe lean out of the passenger side window. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed deeply. Despair crashed over me like a tidal wave. I thought of my murdered child. My dead dog. My parents who sold me out. And the man who had just died in my heart. I knew I couldn't outrun those men. And honestly, I didn't want to run anymore. Without a second of hesitation, I turned sharply and sprinted straight toward the jagged cliff edge. The roaring ocean crashed against the rocks below. I spread my arms and threw myself into the void. In the moment of freefall, I thought I heard Roe's voice, screaming with a completely raw, desperate agony. "Valerie! No!"
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