He Married My Parents' Killer, Then Regretted It

Chapter 4 Lies Carved into Love

Cordelia clenched her fists so tight her nails dug deep into her palms.

That first snowfall two years ago had been Cordelia's birthday. She had sat at the dinner table waiting for him all night long.

Beatrice tucked the hair behind her ear, showing off the tattoo on her neck that read "Adrian, my one true love."

"He got your name inked on his chest, sure. But he also got a matching couple's tattoo right here with me. Yours stays hidden under clothes. Mine? Everyone who looks can see exactly who he really loves."

Cordelia felt like she couldn't breathe.

All these years, Adrian had kept a bandage stuck to his neck. Whenever she asked, he would just say it hurt.

She had been so worried that while she researched acupuncture treatments to help him regain his sight, she also learned neck therapy on the side. She even tested the needles on herself and nearly paralyzed herself in the process.

Beatrice picked up her coffee cup and tilted her head with a sweet smile. "Cordelia, haven't you figured it out yet? Adrian was never blind. He faked the whole thing just to win your sympathy and make you hand over everything without a fight!"

Beatrice gave a cold laugh and kept going. "I'm the woman he actually loves! He never loved you. Being with you was only ever about revenge for me! All these years, he's used your parents' money to fix my legs and the full power of their company to bury every scrap of the real story from back then. After all... You were their most precious daughter. The only way to make them pay was to drain every last bit of your youth and then leave you with nothing—to repay me for every shattered dream and every ounce of pain I've suffered."

Cordelia's fingers went ice-cold. It felt like her heart was about to stop beating.

So... Adrian had never loved her. Every touch, every soft word, every possessive hold had all been revenge for the woman he really cared about.

She pressed a hand to her chest, the pain making it impossible to breathe.

Cordelia shot to her feet. "So you're the one who killed my parents, right? Why..."

Before she could finish, Beatrice let out a sudden shriek and dumped the entire cup of hot coffee down her own front.

She collapsed to the floor, tears pouring out on command. "Cordelia... I was trying to help you take those viral videos down, and this is how you repay me!"

The next second, a low voice heavy with thunder rolled from behind her. "Cordelia, are you f*****g done yet?!"

Adrian pushed past her to lift Beatrice up. In his hurry, he slammed straight into Cordelia's shoulder with enough force to knock her off balance.

Cordelia staggered and cracked the back of her head against the wall.

Adrian acted like he hadn't even noticed. His eyes stayed ice-cold. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet? Why the hell can't you just leave Beatrice alone!"

Staring into those freezing eyes, Cordelia suddenly laughed through falling tears, her whole body shaking.

She wouldn't let Beatrice go? When the hell had he ever let her go?

Killing her parents wasn't enough—he had to spin this massive web of lies and drag her into an endless swamp of pain!

What did her parents' life-saving kindness mean to him? What did ten years of raising him count for?

Every "I love you," every "for the rest of my life" he had whispered all these years—what were any of them worth? In the end, they didn't matter as much as one of Beatrice's cheap little performances!

She couldn't be bothered to explain. She lowered her head and waited quietly.

Finally, the kettle on the table beeped that it had boiled. She grabbed the whole pot and hurled the scalding water straight at Beatrice!

Beatrice's agonized scream echoed through the entire coffee shop.