Chapter 2
I stopped mid-turn, tears welling in my eyes.
“Let him do as he pleases.”
I went to the cemetery and bought a plot next to his for our child. I knelt there for a long time, until I heard footsteps behind me.
Zachary had his arm around Lily as he spoke with fake sincerity:
“When you said ‘do as he pleases,’ you meant coming here to protect him yourself? Claire Johnson, what do you take me for? A plaything?”
He shoved Lily aside and roughly yanked me up.
“Since you’re so keen on protecting him, let’s see if you can.”
In the struggle, my wig fell off. Lily screamed, covering her eyes. Zachary grabbed the back of my neck and shoved my face against the tombstone.
“With your ghastly appearance, you still think you can be buried with him after death? Would he still love you?”
I looked at the scattered tombstone, biting my lip until it bled. I did love him, but he was my brother.
On our wedding day, I didn’t run away. I only wanted to see my brother in the hospital one last time.
I tried to explain countless times, but in return he locked me in those themed rooms and made me watch as he had sex with others.
He ignored me now, gently patting Lily’s back to comfort her.
“Lily is so brave, don’t be scared. Doesn’t she look much better when she’s ugly like this?”
The mocking laughter cut me to the core. Tears silently rolled down my cheeks as I touched the centipede-like scar on the back of my head.
My heart felt like it was being sliced open. To protect him, my skull had been fractured, requiring 18 stitches. I never cried out in pain once. My prized long hair became a bald head, and I didn’t resist.
All these sacrifices had become swords piercing my own heart.
Noticing my movement, his hand clenched into a fist at his side.
Lily stepped forward and hugged me, her eyes brimming with tears:
“Sister, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have mocked you. I’m sorry.”
After she spoke, she leaned close to my ear and whispered:
“I did it on purpose that day skiing. Your child deserved to die!”
My mind went blank with ringing. I lunged at her.
Lily covered her ears, tears streaming down her face as she accused me of biting her ear to Zachary. But I hadn’t even touched her.
Zachary exploded in anger, raising his hand to slap me hard.
My ears rang and I tasted blood in my throat.
Flames lit up before my eyes as Zachary held our photo in his hand.
“Consider this my greeting to him!”
He had the entire grave blown up, leaving not even a speck of ashes.
I screamed hysterically, burning to ashes in an instant.
I lunged forward like a madwoman. Zachary yanked me back hard.
“Have you gone insane?!”
I collapsed on the ground, all strength to struggle drained from me.
That was my fool of a brother who raised me, my only family. Why would he do this to me?
I had gone mad. A thousand words couldn’t compare to one sentence from Lily.
The truth was right before my eyes. Why wouldn’t he even try to verify it?
Did I really deserve to die?
My throat burned with pain as I laughed dryly, falling backwards.
When I woke up, Zachary was firmly holding down my arm.
As the needle pierced my vein, I felt so numb I couldn’t even feel the pain.
Then he had the doctor cut a piece of skin from my arm and throw it in the trash.
I knew he was punishing me.
This was nothing compared to before.
He once forced me to buy sex toys for them, putting the hat that hurt Lily on my head.
Letting her stab me with needles.
Another time when I was pregnant and had a fever, I begged him to take me to the hospital.
He thought I was faking illness out of jealousy to ruin their fun.
He used the baby to force me to clean up after Lily.
I still didn’t understand how two people who once loved each other could become like this.
Even my brother, who I had relied on since childhood, was trampled on and slandered after death.
With trembling hands, I took out my phone and dialed a long-unused number.
“Hello, I’d like to arrange a sand burial.”