Snakes Terrified Me, I Left My Husband

Layer by layer, her clothes were stripped away. Before Beatriz could even process what was happening, her husband, Lucas, used his tie to bind her hands to the headboard. The man's eyes burned with pure, unadulterated lust. He pinned her down under his weight, smothering her in a searing kiss. But right as they were both losing themselves in the heat of the moment, a wild, out-of-control scream shattered the air, immediately followed by a barrage of harsh insults. "Ahhh, you absolute b***h!" Before Beatriz could even blink, Lucas’s adopted sister, Hazel, rushed into the room and violently yanked him off her. Then, a pile of cold, foul-smelling, fishy objects was dumped right over Beatriz's head. Beatriz looked down. In an instant, the color drained from her face, and she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Snakes! There are snakes!" Coiling all over her completely naked body were a dozen or so icy, mottled flower snakes. Terrified out of her mind, tears streamed down her face. She trembled violently, begging Lucas for help. "Lucas, save me! Please, save me!" Lucas’s expression shifted drastically. He reached out to untie the knot binding her hands, but someone clamped down hard on his wrist. With tears welling in her eyes, Hazel threatened him. "If you dare save her, I'll jump out the window right now!" Lucas was furious. "Are you out of your mind?! There's a limit to your tantrums!" He shook off Hazel’s grip and lunged back toward Beatriz. But the second his hand brushed the tie, Hazel bolted straight for the open window. Lucas froze. Seeing the stubborn, tear-stained face of his adopted sister, he immediately hesitated. Beatriz stared at him in utter disbelief, her voice shaking uncontrollably. "Lucas, you know snakes are my absolute worst nightmare! Untie my hands quickly, I'm begging you!" Hazel shot back viciously. "I won't let you! Today, it's either her or me. If you choose to save her, it means you don't care about me anymore. And if you don't want me, what's the point of living? I'll just die right now!" With that dramatic declaration, she rushed toward the balcony. Lucas’s face went pale. He instantly gave chase, throwing a single sentence back at Beatriz over his shoulder. "I need to go calm Hazel down first. I'll be right back." Beatriz stared blankly at his retreating back as he walked away without a second thought. She screamed out in pure panic. "Lucas! Don't leave me! Save me! Lucas!" But the man didn't pause for even a second, vanishing completely from her sight. Beatriz stared desperately at the empty doorway, tears blurring her vision. Again. Once again, Lucas had chosen Hazel without a shred of hesitation. When she first got together with him, Beatriz already knew about Hazel. She was his adopted sister. When she was ten years old, a horrific accident claimed the lives of both her parents. Lucas had happened to be there, and he brought the young girl back to the Mercer family, spoiling and doting on her as she grew up. But back then, Lucas loved Beatriz fiercely, always putting her above everything else. To protect her once, he had taken over a dozen stab wounds, and even while unconscious in the ICU, he kept calling her name. She had been so confident that his love for her was unbreakable. Not only did she never view a girl ten years younger as a threat, but she actually respected Lucas for being so loyal and caring toward his family. That all changed the moment Hazel returned to the country. From that day on, Lucas repeatedly abandoned his wife just to cater to his sister. It didn't matter how out of line Hazel was, or how ridiculous her excuses were. He always said the same thing—that Hazel was just a kid, that Beatriz should be the bigger person and let it go. It had gotten so bad that whenever they wanted to intimacy, they had to sneak around like thieves just to avoid Hazel. This time, they had deliberately hidden away in a remote suburban villa, yet Hazel had still tracked them down. Thinking of how Lucas had just left her to the snakes without a backward glance, the last spark of light in Beatriz's eyes faded into darkness. Throughout their three years of marriage, during the countless moments she had desperately needed him, she could only watch helplessly as he walked away. She was exhausted. There was absolutely no point in dragging this marriage out any longer. And Lucas? She was done with him.