"Don't dream, Alice. I want you to spend your whole life regretting the decision to marry me." Horna regained his cold composure, as if he had seen through my intentions. "You want to go your own way? Fine, let's go our separate ways."
I was taken aback. To accept even cuckoldry just to make me regret marrying him?
I never thought that being forced to marry me had caused him such immense psychological trauma that he needed extreme retaliation to alleviate it.
As my mind temporarily short-circuited, Horna suddenly reached out and hooked his arm around my waist, pulling my body tightly against his. He licked his lips, his eyes murky and inscrutable. "Want me to help you develop a second time?"
"No!" I immediately pushed Horna away.
For people destined to part ways, unnecessary contact should be avoided.
Horna narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp and menacing, as if he could strangle me in the next moment. My hand trembled, not out of fear but because that slap had reopened my wound, and it was bleeding.
Glancing at my hand, Horna turned and left, leaving me with only his indifferent back.
Watching the blood dripping from the bandage, I felt oddly relieved. It was better than the emotional turmoil of the previous life.
Since that slap, Horna disappeared again. He was in the tabloids, at nightclubs, at the company, but never at home.
I counted the days; it was only half a month before Horna and Eng would meet again.
During this time, I would occasionally go to "Encounter," order a cup of black coffee, and silently watch Eng work. Every smile and frown of hers was deeply imprinted in my mind.
If I were a man, I would like her too.
"Eng, your boyfriend is here to see you!" a colleague reminded Eng.
Yes, she had a boyfriend. Just that the poor guy was no match for Horna. Even their fervent love couldn't withstand the clubs wielded by power and status, turning them into a miserable pair of lovebirds.
When I found out about Eng, she had already broken up with her ex-boyfriend, so I didn't investigate him.
The door of the café opened, and a young man in a white t-shirt and light blue jeans walked in, carrying a box of takoyaki. He wore a white baseball cap, looking neat and refreshing.
I was stunned. The college student?
"Berry, why are you here?" Eng was as happy as a hamster, welcoming her feeder.
"I was distributing flyers nearby and came to see you. I brought takoyaki for you," the college student smiled, his eyes crescent-shaped like Eng's.
That's what a married couple looks like, torn apart by Horna's actions, making them suffer.
Eng was both happy and distressed. "Just seeing you is enough. You work so hard distributing flyers, don't waste money buying food for me."
"I work hard to earn money to feed my Blue at home." The college student's sweet talk was quite good.
I thought about it. Horna had never bought me snacks, and I didn't like snacks anyway.
Since Eng was still at work, the college student didn't stay long. I sat in the corner, lowering my head, afraid he might look at me in the crowd and recognize me as the older woman who had tried to flirt with him at the nightclub.
After the college student left, I quickly paid and left.
"Lady," Harell always greeted me this way.
"Let's go home." I was exhausted. Why did things get more complicated when I tried to restart my life? I rubbed my temples; my brain cells were insufficient.
Not even a hundred meters away, I spoke again. "Harell, let me drive."
The reason? I was itching to show off my driving skills.
Gripping the steering wheel, I kept an eye on the road and ears open to the surroundings, finally spotting the college student waiting at the traffic lights ahead. Seizing the opportunity, I stepped on the gas and swerved past him, successfully knocking him to the ground.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I quickly got out of the car, wanting to help him up, only to see his leg covered in blood, badly injured.
"Sister?" The college student gritted his teeth, somewhat surprised.
No wonder they all like college students. They have such sweet mouths.
I ordered Harell, "Quick, take him to the hospital."
The college student's name was Berry, a college student, 21 years old.
Sitting on a bench in the hospital, looking at Berry's contact number just saved in my phone, I felt a hint of desolation. I wasn't generous enough after all. The only revenge method I could think of was to treat others the way I had been treated.
Since Eng could take away my husband, why couldn't I take away her boyfriend? Even though she was forced into it, she eventually accepted Horna, which was when Horna completely lost his mind.
If Eng had never accepted him, he might have been more rational, considering the possibility of giving without receiving anything in return.
People bustled in and out of the hospital. In the previous life, I spent my last days in the hospital when my breast cancer had metastasized to the lymph nodes.
The doctor said women who are often angry and depressed are more likely to get breast cancer.
I covered all of Berry's medical expenses and generously compensated for his nutritional and loss-of-earnings expenses.
Staying in the hospital would delay his part-time job.
I was actually quite good at chatting. In just half a day, I had almost gotten all of Berry's information: from an ordinary family, both parents alive, engaged in farming, with an older sister already married.
No wonder his girlfriend was snatched away by Horna.
"Take care of your injuries. I'll come to see you often." Before leaving, I showed Berry a gentle smile like an elder sister.
"Don't worry, Sister. I'm still young and healthy, and I'll recover quickly." Berry showed his white teeth, very naive.
Young and healthy, his words sounded like a temptation.
Actually, I wasn't that old, 27 wasn't 72. But five years of oppressive marriage and a long-term bad habit of not eating well had made me feel a bit aged.
I nodded, then on my way back, I made a trip to the pharmacy and bought a lot of supplements.