He Cheated With "Brother", I Destroyed Them

Chapter 3

Bearing the searing agony, I propped myself up using my uninjured right arm.

With every small movement, the burned skin felt as though it was being torn open all over again.

Vincent carried Aria out of the bathroom.

Seeing me still standing in the same spot, he frowned with obvious impatience.

"What are you standing there for? Can't you see how much pain Aria is in? Go get the first-aid kit!"

Aria rested against his chest, letting out soft, sobbing sounds. "Vincent, even after rinsing it with cold water, it still hurts so much. Will it leave scars?"

"No, it won't. Let me put the burn ointment on you first." His voice was gentle and soothing, but the moment he turned to look at me, his expression hardened instantly. "Leah, if Aria so much as gets a single scar from this, you will regret it!"

I bit down hard on my lower lip until I could taste the metallic tang of blood.

Aria did not have a single burn mark anywhere. Her feet were smooth and unblemished.

Yet here I was, with skin peeling and raw, and he acted as if he saw nothing at all.

When I brought the first-aid kit over, my hands shook so badly I could barely hold it.

Vincent snatched it from me and began tending to Aria's skin with extreme care.

Suddenly, Aria spoke between quiet sobs, "Vincent, I'm so scared. I feel like Leah is completely consumed by jealousy. Could you stay with me tonight?"

Vincent nodded without the slightest hesitation, then turned to give me an order. "You will sleep in the guest room."

"Vincent," I stood my ground, my voice coming out hoarse and rough. "Are you really going to treat me this way?"

His handsome brows furrowed, and a flicker of uncertainty flashed across his eyes.

"Vincent," Aria called out softly, cutting me off.

In an instant, his expression shifted back to cold indifference.

"Your little injury is hardly life-threatening. Stop playing the victim. It makes me sick to look at you. You are my wife, that much is true. But if you keep mistreating my closest friend, I will not tolerate it," he said.

'Vincent Devereux, you will regret this.'

I said nothing more. I simply turned and walked toward the guest room.

Once the door was closed, I slowly peeled away the fabric stuck to my damaged skin.

I pressed ice packs against the wounds, but the pain remained excruciating, as sharp as if I were being torn apart.

It felt exactly like the day I died in my past life.

But I was still missing one crucial piece of evidence.

I could not strike back yet, not until I had everything I needed.

If I acted too soon, it would only be like kicking a man when he was already down.

That would never be enough to make them live in regret forever, or to ruin everything they had worked for!

Exhausted and wracked with pain, I drifted into a fitful sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I heard Aria's sweet, coquettish voice drifting from the master bedroom.

"Vincent, inside me, I carry the fruit of our special bond. Do you think the baby will look more like you or more like me? With this child, nothing will ever be able to pull us apart again."

I listened without showing any emotion, then picked up my phone to check the live feed from the hidden cameras.

Every angle clearly captured the true nature of their so-called "friendship."

On the screen, Vincent kissed her gently on the forehead, then knelt down and rested his head against her stomach, his face filled with overwhelming tenderness.

So that was it. They had even conceived a child together.

Perfect. This was exactly what I needed.

Just then, Vincent pushed Aria out into the hallway in a wheelchair.

The moment he saw me, his face darkened.

"Why are you still standing there? Go and make breakfast. Aria has a sensitive stomach. Cook her some plain oatmeal."

Aria leaned closely against his side and threw me a triumphant, mocking smile.

I walked silently into the kitchen.

Every movement sent a fresh wave of tearing pain through my burned arm and shoulder.

Sweat soaked the hair on my forehead, but I gritted my teeth and kept going.

When the oatmeal was ready, I carried the bowl to the dining table.

Aria took one spoonful, then immediately frowned and spat it out.

"What is this? It tastes terrible!"

She raised her hand and knocked the bowl over. The scalding hot oatmeal, heated to 212°F, spilled directly onto my already injured arm.

I gasped sharply as the heat burned into my raw flesh.

Vincent shot to his feet, but not to check on me. Instead, he quickly grabbed Aria's hand to inspect it.

"Are you all right? Did any of it get on you?"

Aria leaned back into his arms, her voice trembling with feigned hurt. "Vincent, is Leah doing this on purpose? Ever since yesterday, she has been targeting me. Does she actually want something bad to happen to me? I have explained it to you so many times... we are just close friends."

Vincent turned and glared at me, his eyes sharp and cold as poisoned blades.

"Leah, can you really not stand to have Aria around at all?"

I stared right back at him, and suddenly I began to laugh.

As I laughed, tears began to flow down my cheeks, and I could not stop them.

Not for him, but for myself.

How blind I had been to fall in love with such a despicable man.

Vincent froze in place.

Since my rebirth, this was the first time I had cried in front of him.

"You—"

"Vincent," I cut him off, my voice as sharp and unyielding as a blade. "Do you remember the day we got married? You swore you would treat me well for the rest of my life."

His gaze shifted away, avoiding mine.

"Look at this now," I lifted my arm, raw and oozing, covered in damaged skin. "Is this what you meant by a lifetime of kindness?"

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Vincent opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he closed it again and remained silent.