Chapter 6
860 Words
After one hundred slaps, Jeremy could no longer feel his own face.
His ears rang nonstop, yet the children's laughter in the courtyard was strangely clear.
"Hahaha, the bad man got punished!"
"Let's see if he dares to be clumsy again."
The two children looked at him like he was beneath them.
Laura's voice came from a distance.
"We leave in two days. This is not up for discussion."
She threw the ship ticket down and turned away without looking at him again.
After she left, Don crouched down and grabbed Jeremy's chin.
"If you had not come, you would not have suffered like this.
"However, since you are here, it is even better. You can see with your own eyes how your woman is loyal to me, and how your children are in my hands. When you go back, behave."
Jeremy's pupils tightened. He tried to speak but no sound came out.
Don took the youngest child from Mr. Clark and pinched him hard.
The baby cried out sharply.
Jeremy trembled all over and crawled forward desperately.
"No. No."
Don stepped back and looked down at him.
"Do you understand now?"
Jeremy lay on the ground shaking. Tears filled his eyes. He could only nod.
The next morning, he served breakfast for their family of five.
Suddenly Don spoke, "Laura, there was a shooting at a hotel last night. Many people jumped from buildings. They need manpower. His ship is only in the evening. Why not send him?"
The words "jumped from buildings" made Jeremy tremble uncontrollably.
Laura did not even look up.
"Do whatever you want."
As she walked past Jeremy, she paused.
"Why are you acting like this again? It is just cleaning up."
Before he was taken to the scene, cold sweat kept breaking out on his body.
Back then, debt collectors came. His parents jumped to their deaths. Only he survived.
The image of blood splattering had been carved into his mind.
For years, he woke up from nightmares. Laura stayed by his side and slowly helped him recover.
However, now...
She had forgotten his deepest trauma.
In the street, dozens of bodies lay covered in white sheets. Some sheets had slipped, revealing broken limbs soaked in blood.
Jeremy bent over and retched violently.
"Stop wasting time."
The supervisor kicked him.
"Move the bodies."
His legs weakened. He reached out to lift one body. The sheet slipped off and the corpse fell at his feet.
A face full of blood and flesh stared back. The eyes bulged. The mouth was open.
The memory rushed back.
He screamed in terror. A warm sensation spread down his legs.
"Hahaha!"
The men around him laughed.
"This coward wet himself."
Jeremy's vision went black and he collapsed.
Cold water was poured on his face. He was dragged up again and forced back to work.
He spent the entire afternoon lifting bodies, vomiting again and again.
At sunset, Don arrived holding the youngest child and leading the other two.
"Here."
He handed Jeremy an envelope.
Jeremy opened it with shaking hands. Inside was the divorce agreement and a yellowed letter.
"This letter contains the truth about your parents' death."
Don leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Your family bankruptcy was caused by Laura."
Jeremy's body shook violently.
"I do not believe it."
Don smirked and lifted the child in his arms.
"Go back and take care of your BBQ restaurant. Raising your three children will cost a lot."
"What cost?"
Laura's voice suddenly came from behind.
She looked at the envelope in Jeremy's hands.
The sunset light fell on her face. For a moment, Jeremy felt like she still looked the same as before.
However, there was no warmth left. Only disgust and fear.
Don quickly placed the baby into her arms.
"That is a cheque I prepared for him. For your father."
Laura's expression softened.
"You're always so considerate."
She looked up and saw Jeremy's pale face.
"Why do you look so bad?"
Jeremy stared at her and spoke slowly.
"I just remembered my parents' death. The person who killed them is still free.
"If I ever find out who she really is, I will make sure she dies a horrible death."
Laura swayed slightly. Her face twisted.
That reaction confirmed everything Jeremy had been suspecting.
He gave a bitter smile and did not press further.
Don thought he had control over the children so Jeremy would obey forever.
Laura thought childhood love meant he would never leave her.
However, after everything, after being hurt by his own children and punished by his wife, he finally understood.
Children who felt no bond to him. A wife who no longer loved him.
Why should he keep fighting?
He would find the truth behind his parents' death.
Then, he would live for himself.
The ship horn sounded long and deep.
Ignoring Laura's panicked expression, he turned and walked onto the ship without looking back.
The ship left the shore.
Sea wind blew in, salty and cold.
Jeremy looked up at the dark sky. His tears were dried by the wind.
The world was beautiful.
From this moment on, he was free.
- Writer
