When Love Becomes Pain

As I got out of bed the next morning, I noticed a beautifully wrapped box on the table.

Inside was an expensive pair of diamond high heels.

As I held the gift box, Luke came back from the balcony after finishing a phone call. The color drained from his face as he rushed over and snatched it from my hands.

When he realized his mistake, Luke gently took my hands with a guilty look. "Natalie, this was a surprise I prepared for you. Let's look at it another day, okay?"

Who would give high heels to a person who had lost their legs?

And they weren't in my size either.

I bit back the sarcastic remark on my tongue. I was about to make an excuse to leave when a high-pitched, tinkling laugh echoed from the door.

Queenie was wearing a red dress, and she walked in arm-in-arm with Luke's grandmother, Beatrice Hunt. They were chatting and laughing as they walked.

"Luke, I came together with Grandma," Queenie said with a pout, then threw herself playfully into his arms.

But as soon as she saw me, her face twisted in fear, and she screamed, "Natalie! Where are your legs? You're crippled now! How disgusting!"

I glanced at her smooth, flawless legs, then down at my own bandaged stumps.

A wave of humiliation hit me, and my chest tightened in pain.

Beatrice scowled, clearly disgusted. Then, she raised her cane and hit me.

"Ugh! What a curse! If your legs are gone, stay out of sight. Why come out and scare people? Looks like you got what you deserve, you vixen! You're just as bad as your mother! Now that you've lost your legs, you won't be seducing anymore men, will you?"

Beatrice snorted. "Worthless trash! You should get out of my house, and take your worthless mother with you too!"

Beatrice hadn't always been like this. Although she had never been fond of me or my mother, she always chose to ignore us instead. She was never openly hostile.

However, the day she walked in on Luke and me kissing, her attitude changed completely.

She called me a seductive vixen and accused me of trying to seduce her precious grandson.

When no one was around, she would beat me and insult me.

Luke would still stand up for me before this, but now, all he cared about was the woman in his arms.

It wasn't until I was red-eyed from the constant insults, trembling from the abuse, that he finally did something. He patted Queenie on her head and reluctantly separated from her, then half-heartedly pushed me to the side.

"Natalie, don't take her words to heart, okay? Grandma's just all talk. Her words are sharp, but she's just a softie on the inside," Luke said.

Queenie was standing behind him. She smirked at me, clearly gloating at my situation.

However, Beatrice hadn't finished. She slammed her cane against the floor and shouted, "Luke, when you were younger, I didn't blame you for being seduced by this vixen. But now, she's nothing but a useless cripple! If you still insist on being with her, you'll have to walk over my dead body!"

Queenie rushed to Beatrice's side and tried to calm her down. "Grandma, don't be angry. Actually, Luke and I have been together for a while. We're getting married soon."

As soon as she finished talking, Queenie pulled Luke's tie and drew him into a deep kiss.

Luke was awkward at first, but he eventually melted into it. He even pulled her closer by the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

As Beatrice watched them kiss, she clapped her hands in delight.

"That's wonderful! I'll only accept you as my future granddaughter-in-law, Queenie!"

Five minutes later, they finally broke apart. Even so, I could see how reluctantly they were to do so.

I watched them coldly, then turned my wheelchair around and left.

Thinking I was upset, Luke turned pale and quickly moved to wheel me back into the room. There, he tried to explain his actions.

"Natalie, don't misunderstand. We were just putting on a show for Grandma. She's old, so she can't get too worked up."

I smiled faintly and patted his hand. "I know. Grandma's health is more important."

Seeing that I wasn't crying or throwing a tantrum like before, Luke sighed in relief.

After a brief silence, he averted his eyes and hesitantly said, "Natalie, with your condition and Grandma opposing our relationship, the wedding might not happen. But the venue and everything else are already booked. Why don't we…"

He trailed off, but I finished his thought.

"Let Queenie be the bride instead, then."