His Commandment: A Love That Cannot Be Ignored

"Bah!" My father slammed his cane into the floor, his face twisted with fury. "You think our Lawson Family cares about your dirty money? If my daughter suffers any lasting damage from this, Arthur, I will make sure you pay for it!"

Before Arthur could respond, Bella stepped forward, her expression filled with exaggerated concern. Ignoring the fire in my father’s eyes, she focused solely on Arthur.

“Arthur, are you alright?” she whispered, her hand lightly brushing his sleeve as though comforting a wounded hero. Then she turned toward my parents, her delicate features now clouded with indignation.

“Uncle and Auntie Lawson,” she began, her voice trembling with righteous anger, “please don’t blame Arthur. He was only acting out of anger after Lilly pushed me down the dune. I don’t even blame Lilly anymore and Arthur couldn’t have predicted that Lilly would stubbornly refuse help just to spite him...”

Her words hung in the air like venom, dripping slowly and deliberately into my parents’ ears.

But my mother wasn’t having it. She stormed over and the sound of her slap echoed through the hospital room as her hand connected with Bella’s cheek.

“You little witch!” my mother spat, her fury unwavering. “You dare accuse my daughter of pushing you? Where’s your proof? My Lilly is kind-hearted and gentle—far too good to stoop to your level. Can you prove you didn’t frame her deliberately?”

The room erupted into chaos. My father’s rage grew louder, Bella clutched her cheek with wide, teary eyes and Arthur stood frozen, torn between loyalty and disbelief.

But I felt... nothing.

The fire inside me had long since burned out. My body was weak, my voice barely audible. I interrupted the argument with a hoarse whisper.

“Stop it,” I murmured, my words cutting through the noise like a fragile thread. “All of you, just stop. I’ll cooperate with the treatment. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

For the first time, silence filled the room. My parents rushed to my side, their arms wrapping around me as they cried.

“It’s okay,” I said, forcing a faint smile. “After a disaster comes blessings, right?”

I didn’t know if I truly believed that. But I knew one thing—I wouldn’t let Arthur or Bella walk away unscathed. They had dragged me through hell and I had survived. Now, I would make them pay.

***

After everyone left, Arthur’s parents—Michael Findley and Yenny—came to visit me.

To their credit, they had always treated me like their own daughter. Since childhood, they had envisioned me as their future daughter-in-law, showering me with kindness and support. Even now, as I lay frail and broken, their concern felt genuine.

“Lilly,” Michael said, his voice filled with guilt. “We’re so sorry this happened to you. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll make sure the wedding goes ahead as planned. You’ve always been like a daughter to us.”

Yenny nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “You’ll always be part of our family, no matter what.”

I forced myself to smile weakly, though their words only deepened my bitterness. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth—that I would never marry their son.

They left after offering their apologies and promises, but fate had other plans.

Just hours later, tragedy struck.

A massive truck barreled through an intersection, slamming into Michael and Yenny’s car. Witnesses said their vehicle was tossed several meters like a toy, leaving both of them hospitalized with broken legs and multiple injuries.

When I heard the news, I reached for my phone to check on them. But before I could dial, Arthur stormed into my hospital room, his eyes blazing with fury.

Without warning, he slapped me across the face. The sting of his hand left my cheek burning, but the shock was far worse than the pain.

“Lilly, you poisonous woman!” he roared. “If you want revenge, come at me! Why would you hurt my parents?”

I stared at him, stunned. “What are you talking about? What do you mean I hurt them? Do you think I can even walk, let alone drive?”

“Don’t play dumb!” he shouted, slamming his fist onto the bedside table. “The driver of the truck was your family’s butler! He confessed everything! If it wasn’t your order, then whose was it?”

I froze.

“Uncle Lawson? That’s impossible! He’s practically family—he would never do something like that. And how could I have ordered it? What evidence do you have?”

Arthur pulled out his phone and threw it onto my lap. The screen displayed a series of messages exchanged on WhatsApp. One side of the conversation was clearly Uncle Lawson’s account. The other... was mine.

I stared at the messages, my mind spinning. It was my username. My profile picture. Words I supposedly sent, instructing Uncle Lawson to carry out the accident.

But I knew the truth.

“Arthur, this isn’t me! My phone was lost in Dungeness—I haven’t logged into WhatsApp since then. Someone must’ve hacked my account!”

“Enough with the excuses!” he snapped. “If it wasn’t you, then who else? Your butler only answers to you. Did you give your login credentials to someone else? Or did you just buy a new phone and log in again?”

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You’re so quick to believe the worst about me. Do you really think I’m capable of something so cruel?”

“Capable?” He laughed bitterly. “I know what you’re capable of. You’ve been playing innocent your whole life, but now I see you for what you really are.”

His words were a dagger to my chest, but I held my ground.

“Arthur,” I said, my voice trembling but firm, “one day, the truth will come out. And when it does, I hope you realize just how blind you’ve been.”

He scoffed and stormed out, leaving me alone with the weight of his accusations.

As I stared at the messages again, a chilling realization crept into my mind.

Someone wanted to destroy me. Someone had gone to great lengths to frame me, to turn Arthur and the world against me.

And whoever it was, they wouldn’t stop until I was completely ruined.

But I wasn’t going to let them win.

Bella clung to Arthur’s arm, her delicate face painted with exaggerated regret. She looked at me as if I were the villain in her carefully crafted story.

“Lilly,” she began, her voice trembling with feigned innocence, “Arthur has already apologized to you and your parents for what happened in the desert. I’ve even forgiven you for what you did to me. Why can’t you let this go? Why do you have to take it out on his parents? They’re innocent, Lilly... why would you want them dead?”

Her words landed like venom, spreading their poison through the room.

And in that moment, everything became clear.

This wasn’t just an accident. This wasn’t a misunderstanding.

This was her.

Bella had orchestrated it all. The WhatsApp messages, Uncle Lawson’s involvement, the truck accident—it was her trap from the very beginning. And I had walked right into it.

What I didn’t yet understand was why Uncle Lawson, someone who had practically raised me, would betray me. Or who had gained access to my WhatsApp account.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that this ended here.

My deal with the devil was about to begin.

I reached for the new phone I had secretly obtained and dialed a number I had memorized but never thought I’d use. My voice was calm, even icy, as I spoke two simple words:

“The revenge plan can Begin.”