Chapter 3
824 Words
I arrived at Amelia's villa early, following the address I'd been given.
She lounged back against the sofa, lazy and sleek, just like a venomous snake flicking its tongue out to taste the air.
"Sophia, let me tell you a story."
"There's a man I like. Only after he got married did he realize he'd picked the wrong woman."
"All these years, I've stayed by his family's side. He's given me so many things… this villa included."
"His wife can't even afford to put food on the table. She bows and scrapes to everyone out there, takes every humiliation they throw at her."
"What do you think? Isn't that wife just plain stupid? She still clings to the man like he's hers, too stubborn to just get out of the way."
I stared at the blindingly sparkling couple's watch glinting on her wrist, and suddenly everything clicked.
All the money I'd sacrificed my health for, earned with my very life… Philip had spent it all on gifts for her.
I heard my own voice come out rough and raw.
"You're right. That i***t will be gone in two days, you can stop worrying."
Amelia stared at me suspiciously, still unsure if I'd caught her not-so-subtle hint or not.
But I'd already gotten to work cleaning. This villa had way too many rooms, and it all needed a good scrub down.
As I cleaned, I kept finding more and more of Philip's things.
Right there on Amelia's sofa lay a pair of his custom cufflinks.
I designed the pattern for him myself, and he loved it so much he's worn it constantly ever since.
In Amelia's study, I found a little sticky note scrawled in Philip's handwriting.
"Go to bed early, don't stay up late. I'll worry about you."
Yet for seven straight years, I'd never slept a full five hours a night. Every time I opened or closed my eyes, all I could feel was that millions in debt crushing down on my skull.
And sitting on Amelia's nightstand was the amulet I'd given Philip this year.
I'd gone out of my way to get it for him, pouring my heart into finding something I thought would keep him safe.
When he'd received it, he'd covered my body with burning, feverish kisses, whispering against my skin.
"Honey, I love you so much. I want to be with you in my next life too. We'll be together forever, lifetime after lifetime, never apart."
At that exact moment, the agony tearing through my heart blotted out every last bit of pain my illness had ever caused me.
I bit down so hard on my lower lip to stifle the pain that hot tears streaked down my face.
Then, the door unlocked, and a strange man lunged at me out of nowhere.
I barely spun around before my back slammed hard against the ice-cold floor.
His rough hand clamped over my mouth, and a rotten, rank stench burned my nose.
"Behave and do what I tell you, and I'll make this easy on you."
"Soon you'll be crying and begging me to take you. Who else would want you anyway?"
The fabric of my clothes ripped apart, and I thrashed against him with every last bit of strength I had.
I sank my teeth deep into the meaty base of his thumb, and he ripped his hand back with a snarl.
I barely scrambled to my feet before he grabbed a fistful of my hair and slammed me back down onto the floor. A stinging slap cracked across my face.
"Stop acting all innocent! You're just another rich man's toy, the same as me!"
"That whole damn prophetic dream bullshit? It was just a trap Amelia and Zoe set up to force you out!"
"Who would've guessed you'd actually suffer under Mr. Miller for all these years? This is all your fault for being too stubborn to walk away!"
I snatched the mop leaning against the wall and swung it backward, cracking it straight against his skull.
He crumpled to the floor clutching his head, and I scrambled for the door on all fours, wrenched it open, and bolted outside.
The man hammered after me hot on my heels. My foot caught on the edge of a step, and I went tumbling head over heels down the entire flight of stairs.
The front door clicked open, and Amelia walked in, Philip right on her heels.
The attacker crawled over to my side and stretched out a trembling hand.
Philip's face was so dark it could drip water.
"What in god's name is going on here!"
"Sophia, you're that desperate? You throw yourself at the first man you see?"
"What's the difference between a shameless woman like you and a streetwalker?!"
He stepped forward and kicked the attacker's body aside. His gaze landed on me, and he saw my lower half submerged in a spreading pool of blood.
- Writer
