He Took My Children, I Took His Peace

While my mother was being cremated and I was in hysterical pain, he was comforting another woman.

He wasn't willing to give me fifty thousand dollars to save my mother, but he was willing to give a kidney to Valerie's mother.

All that talk about ‘Good people are always blessed’ was just lies to deceive me.

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

I received another transfer notification on my phone.

Mark called, "How is your mother? The money has been transferred."

He thought my mother was still alive.

"It's not needed anymore." 

My voice choked with sobs. My mother had died, what use was this money then?

Valerie, standing beside me, smiled and acted coquettishly.

"See? I told you your mother is a good person, so she'll get better without surgery."

Mark's voice was doting. "Oh my God, you’re right about it again, Val. How about I buy you this bag?" 

Valerie said righteously, "No need, a bag costs fifty thousand dollars. I'm not that kind of materialistic woman. How can our love be measured by money?"

"If I don't buy it for you, how can I prove my love for you?"

Mark immediately had someone buy ten bags to prove his affection for Valerie.

I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

He bought her fifty thousand dollars that worth of bags without batting an eye, but my mother's life wasn't even worth five thousand dollars!

A month passed quickly.

In three days, I would be able to get my divorce certificate with Mark.

But Mark angrily came to my house and, with a single command, had my mother's house completely destroyed.

The photos of me and my mother were shattered on the floor.

All of my mother's clothes were burned to ashes.

I screamed in despair, asking him, "Why? What did I do to offend you?"

Mark's eyes were cold, "Stop pretending, you're the one who had Val's sandwich stall smashed, aren't you?"

"She was greatly frightened and almost had a miscarriage!"

When we were dating, he would always protect me like this whenever I was hurt.

"Something happened to her and you immediately suspected me? We're already divorced, why would I need to hurt her?"

But Mark didn't believe me.

"Because Val wouldn’t let you get a prenatal checkup or borrow money for your mom’s surgery before, so you’re still holding a grudge, right?"

“A sandwich only costs three dollars and Val has to sell a lot just to make a hundred. Yet you smashed it. Go apologize to her.”

My heart ached so much I felt like I was suffocating.

I slapped him across the face, "In your dreams!"

Mark sneered and had someone bring plate after plate of sandwiches. I refused to eat it, so he had them force-feed it to me. 

It wasn't until I was sick from eating so much that he finally relented and patted my back, "Will you dare to do this again next time?"

Tears streamed down my face and I fiercely pushed him away, "Get lost!"

A notification popped up on my phone showing a plane ticket for a flight three days later.

“Where are you going? Don’t forget, we’re getting the divorce certificate in three days. If you don’t show up, Val won’t be able to give birth calmly.”

Mark's gaze fell on my phone screen, but I quickly covered it.

"This is a plane ticket I booked for a colleague."

Mark's dark eyes stared intently at me, but he didn't ask any further questions.

Three days later, at the entrance of the City Hall.

After getting the divorce certificate, Mark offered to give me a ride.

I thought that was fine; this would probably be the last time we'd see each other.

But halfway there, he took a call and dropped me off, "Val said she needed to see me, you can walk back yourself."

I smiled bitterly.

"Mark, goodbye forever."

But as soon as I got out of the car, someone covered my head. Not long after, someone hit my lower abdomen with a stun gun.

Ninety-nine blows in total, each blow seemingly delivered with vicious force.