Chapter 2 The Message He Never Saw
740 Words
Just as Cutler was about to read the words on the screen clearly, Maura suddenly clutched her stomach and let out a loud groan. "Cutler, my stomach… It's starting to hurt again. God, it hurts so much…"
Cutler's face changed instantly. He tossed the phone aside without another glance and rushed over to check on her.
"Maybe the poison hasn't fully worn off yet. Don't be scared, Maura. I'll take you to the hospital right now. I won't let anything happen to you."
Maura's face was deathly pale. She didn't say a word, but the sight scared Cutler so badly he didn't dare waste a single second. He scooped her up in his arms and ran straight out of the house.
No matter how desperately Audrey begged from inside the dark room, he never slowed down or looked back.
The little black room was pitch-dark and damp, crawling with who-knows-how-many mosquitoes and bugs.
The moment they caught the metallic smell of blood on her, they swarmed in like crazy.
They wanted every last drop. The bites stung like fire, and Audrey screamed in agony.
"Cutler! There are bugs everywhere—they're sucking my blood! Please let me out, I'm begging you! I really didn't poison anyone! Cutler, it hurts… it hurts so bad! Let me out, please! I won't cause any more trouble, I swear! Somebody, please!"
All these years, Audrey had been fighting to heal her body, but the damage to her organs was too severe. Nothing could fix it. She could only stay alive by popping pills every day.
Her whole system was fragile now. A cut that would close up in an hour on a normal person took her five hours to even start healing.
Right now, the gash on her forehead was pouring blood like it wanted to drain her dry.
It didn't take long before her vision started to blur. Her mind slowly drifted away from reality. Soon after, she lost consciousness completely.
When she woke up again, she was lying in a bright, clean room with a thick bandage wrapped around her head.
She was still wondering who had let her out when the door flew open, and Maura stormed in, eyes blazing.
"Audrey, what exactly did you do to Cutler? After everything you did to him, he still couldn't bear to let you die. He even had someone drag you out and save you!"
Audrey frowned. "What are you even talking about? I have no idea what you mean."
In her mind, the current Cutler hated her so deeply that he probably wished she would disappear from the world. There was no way he still cared whether she lived or died.
But the next second, Maura hurled a thick stack of photos straight at her face.
The sharp edges sliced a thin line across her cheek, but Audrey barely felt the pain.
Because the moment she looked down, she realized every single picture was of her.
Some had clearly been taken years ago, back when they were still together—pictures Cutler himself had taken. Others were taken after she had been brought back here.
Her back while she worked in the kitchen. Her side profile as she sat in the garden, staring at the flowers. Even her dozing off on the sofa. All of them secretly snapped.
Audrey froze. She had never imagined Cutler would take pictures of her like this—and every single angle looked carefully chosen, like he'd spent time framing each one perfectly.
But didn't he hate her more than anything?
Before she could process it, Maura grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked hard. "You think flashing these little poses will make Cutler fall for you again? Dream on! I was the one who stayed with him when he had nothing. He belongs to me and only me. I will never let you take him away!"
With that, she dragged Audrey out of the room and shoved her straight into the dog cage in the backyard.
Inside was a vicious sheepdog with a nasty temper. The second it saw Audrey, it lunged at her.
Audrey had zero strength left to fight back. The dog sank its teeth into her over and over—more than a dozen times. Blood splattered everywhere.
Just when she thought this was how she was going to die, Cutler's furious voice exploded from behind them.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
- Writer
