Chapter 2
The next morning, I found that Zack hadn’t left as usual.
“You’re awake?”
Zack held a steaming bowl of Chinese medicine, preparing to feed me.
“Aria, stop thinking about the child. His existence was just an accident.”
“You never had the right to raise a Chapman heir anyway.”
Zack wasn’t wrong. I knew I had no right.
Our families had always been rivals, with competition growing fiercer as we grew up. Everyone used underhanded tactics to grab market share. Later, my father hired gangsters to kidnap Zack’s mother as leverage. Who knew that his pregnant mother would be raped and die along with her unborn child.
Zack snuck in and witnessed this horrific scene. While fleeing, he was hit by a car and fell into a coma.
The Chapman family rose again but kept a low profile, suppressing news of their heir’s recovery until they had devoured the Frost family, leaving nothing behind.
Only I remained, along with my comatose mother in the hospital.
Eight months ago, Zack had a nightmare. Dead drunk, he burst into my room in the middle of the night.
“You know, during the time I was in a coma, I kept dreaming. I saw my mother over and over, covered in blood, struggling on the ground, calling out to me.”
“She told me to run, but no matter how much I ran, I could never escape that place.”
“In my dreams, I was crushed to pieces over and over again, overwhelmed by fear and despair.”
“I thought I had been locked in the depths of hell, punished for eternity. But when I woke up, my mother was gone forever.”
“Today I finally dreamed of her again. She waved goodbye to me, saying farewell for the last time.”
“Aria Frost, you grew up pampered and privileged. Your family feasted on Chapman flesh and drank Chapman blood. Tell me, shouldn’t I hate you?”
“But what can I do? I can’t shake this bad habit of loving you…”
For over a decade, we had believed we were destined for each other, longing for the day we could be together.
But our wedding became the Frost family’s funeral.
We had such a long life ahead, yet every step we took was drenched in blood. We carried sins that could never be atoned for.
After forcing me to take contraceptives, Zack would always try to make amends. Sometimes with my favorite childhood snacks, other times by taking me to places we used to visit.
I indulged in these small moments of happiness, knowing full well they were poisonous, yet addicted and unable to break free.
I couldn’t tell if I loved him more or hated him more.
Whenever love began to grow, hatred would tear at my heart.
Later, Mia followed suit. She got Zack drunk and climbed into his bed, claiming - truthfully or not - to be pregnant.
Just as I was lost in thought, I heard her voice.
“Brother, I feel so dizzy! Come quick and check on me!”
Mia kept knocking on the door. Zack set down the medicine and hurried out.
As Mia dragged Zack away, she shot me a challenging look.
It was time to go.
I started packing a few clothes, ready to leave this city.
I wanted to search for renowned doctors across the country, seeking a chance to cure my mother.
As I was almost finished packing, I went to the small room where we kept the urn. But I saw Mia holding it, pouring the ashes onto drawing paper in a messy scatter.