Love's Gone, We're No More

I became alert and cautiously spoke, "Of course I haven't forgotten. Aren't you a hostage?"

Rachel laughed so hard that she had tears in her eyes, like she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Hostage? Do you really believe that? It was just a play my dad put on to protect me. I didn’t expect everyone to believe it. Speaking of which, the biggest contributor is your husband. Without the forged autopsy report he made, I really might not have gotten away."

"Fortunately, I took care of your parents before the police showed up. One clean stab, they died without much pain. What a pity though, they left behind a ticking time bomb like you. But don’t worry, after today, you’ll be able to reunite with them."

Before I could react, Rachel pulled my hand and dragged me down the stairs.

We tumbled continuously down the steps and in the end, we both fell into a pool of blood.

Everyone's expressions changed instantly.

Martin was the first to react and rushed forward.

But he held Rachel in his arms. "Rachel, are you okay? How did you fall?"

Rachel lay weakly in his arms, blood spilling from her mouth. "It was Jessie… who pushed me… she said I had to pay for the murder case five years ago… Martin, don’t blame her. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have come to the family dinner.”

A sharp pain came from beneath me, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. “No… don’t believe her. She’s the real culprit…”

My mother-in-law’s eyes turned red with rage. She rushed forward and kicked me hard in the stomach twice.

“You bitch! Are you still trying to slander Rachel at this point? What the hell do you think you are? I say your parents deserved to die! Traitors like them dying was too good for them! Everyone knows what kind of people your parents were. No wonder their daughter is trash too! Rachel’s pregnant and you still dared to lay hands on her. I must’ve been blind to let you marry into this family!”

“Martin, don’t bother with her. Take Rachel to the hospital first!”

Martin gave me a deep, long look. "Jessie, you’ve really disappointed me."

Leaving those words behind, he walked out of the house with Rachel in his arms, without even looking back.

The relatives all rushed after him.

The room was left cold and empty, with only me lying in a pool of blood.

With the last of my strength, I dialed the emergency number.

But I still couldn't save the baby.

After the surgery, I ignored the doctor’s advice and insisted on being discharged.

I took a taxi to the airport.

On the way, Martin sent a message, every word laced with pathetic humility.

[Jessy, I promised you I would find out who the real culprit was, but you shouldn’t have laid hands on Rachel. She’s a victim too. She’s innocent. I’ve already apologized to her on your behalf. She said she won’t hold it against you.]

[Please don’t be mad anymore. Once everything’s settled, I’ll take you on a trip to unwind, okay? Didn’t you say you always wanted to see the sea? I’ve already booked the tickets. Let’s take it as a gift to our child.]

So, he still remembered our child.

I didn’t reply. I simply blocked all his contact. Then I scheduled the divorce agreement to be sent to his email.

The photographed case file and the evidence I had kept was also reported to the provincial authorities under my real name.

After everything was done, the boarding announcement echoed through the airport.

I snapped the SIM card in half and tossed it into the trash.

Without a backward glance, I walked away.

At that very moment, in the hospital, Rachel had just opened her eyes after escaping danger.

Martin stared at his phone, still with no reply from me. A growing unease kept settling in his chest.

He thought, ‘This trip was something Jessie had been looking forward to for five years. With a little getaway, she’d let go of the past afterward. She wouldn’t cause any more trouble for Rachel.’

But just as he submitted his leave request, a colleague called with panic in his voice.

“Martin, you need to get to the station right away! Someone reported the Sward Family case from five years ago and everyone’s looking for you! Your wife’s in trouble!”