Reborn to Leave You Crying

Chapter 2 Is She Dead?

Marcus's eyes flew open, and I could see the shock in his eyes.

Would he be upset to hear about my death? I sat nearby, while the conversation on the phone continued.

"The surveillance shows that Mrs. West seemed to be chased, ran blindly into an alley, and never came out. There are blind spots in the footage, so the suspect wasn't seen."

Marcus paused in silence, then let out a sudden, cold laugh and asked, "Did they find the body?"

"...No, but there's enough blood on the ground to be fatal. Mrs. West is likely in grave danger. Mr. West, if you have time..."

Marcus cut them off with an impatient snort.

"Alright, no body, no suspect. Isn't it just her staging the whole thing?"

"Sorry to waste your time. Faye is fine; it's all an act to get my attention."

The police tried to say more, but Marcus had already hung up.

Sophia rose up, the blanket slipping off to reveal a lot of bare skin. She wrapped her arms around Marcus, her voice laced with worry.

"Is something wrong with Faye?"

"What could happen to her? She's just putting on a show because I didn't spend our anniversary with her. It's ridiculous, even involving the police and dragging so many people into her drama!"

Marcus rubbed his temples in frustration, not taking the police's words seriously at all.

I stifled a breath, suddenly curious about their expressions when they actually found my body.

I saw Sophia lower her head, a sly smile tugging at her lips, though her voice remained soft and gentle.

"If Faye's really upset, she should take it out on me. How could she even joke about something as serious as her own life? Marcus, why don’t you go and check on her? I’ll apologize if I have to, as long as she stops being mad at you."

But Marcus's voice suddenly rose, and Sophia hadn't even started to apologize before he was already indignant.

"Why should I say sorry to her? Does she deserve it? A housewife who only knows jealousy, what right does she have to demand so much?"

"No need to find her. She's most concerned about Jake. She'll come running back in less than a day."

If I weren't dead, for the sake of the child, I might have run back like a dog.

But I was dead.

And seeing the heartless side of this father and son, I truly regretted all I'd given.

Even when the police called to inform them, not a single person cared about my life or death. They just thought I was staging it all.

You really couldn't wake someone who's pretending to sleep!

Outside, Jake came running and knocked on the door.

"Daddy, are you in there? My tummy hurts. I want Mommy's soup."

Inside the room, the realization hit them like a bolt of lightning, their bodies completely bare beneath the sheets.

"I'm sorry, I lost control of my emotions. I'm a married man, yet I did something so shameful."

Ha, he was all too eager when we were tangled in the sheets yesterday. And here he is, bright and early, launching into the classic scumbag monologue.

It's the universal anthem of the unfaithful.

For a fleeting moment, Marcus's face was a canvas of regret and remorse, like a husband caught in a moment of weakness. Perhaps he was putting on a show of how deeply he supposedly loved me.

He gazed at Sophia with eyes brimming with tenderness and guilt, words tangled in his throat.

In that instant, a sharp pang of betrayal pierced through me.

He had never graced me with such gentle eyes; with me, it was always a hurried transaction, like ticking off a chore.

But now, he was cradling her like a delicate masterpiece, terrified that a single misstep might shatter it.

Sophia's cheeks flushed, mirroring the redness in Marcus's eyes. She gently caressed his chiseled profile and softly said, "Marcus, there's no need for words between us. Everything was my choice. I don't regret it, and I won't come between you and Faye."

Hearing this, a bitter laugh escaped my lips.

So, I'm the third wheel now? My death just conveniently paves the way for her, doesn't it?

Marcus's guilt lingered, and he enveloped Sophia in even more tenderness, "I'm sorry for putting you through this. I'll file for divorce with her soon and correct the mistakes of these years."

Mistakes, you say?

Then why marry me at all?

Back then, I was ensnared into spending a night with Marcus. To bury my scandal, my family pushed me into marrying him, a mere illegitimate child.

Meanwhile, Sophia, his then-girlfriend, was heartbroken and fled the country.

Because of this, Marcus's indifference towards me was unwavering.

I've shouldered this burden for years, never uncovering who set me up, choking down my resentment.

But Marcus isn't blameless. Over the years, he leveraged my family's influence to ascend to his current throne as CEO.

He got what he wanted, and now he's ready to cast me aside.

The two hastily dressed and swung open the door, only to find Jake slumped against the doorframe, his face pale and lips bitten in pain.

When Jake was just a few months old, Marcus whisked him away for a day out. A hospital visit unveiled the grim truth: the infant had swallowed a foreign object, tearing his delicate stomach. Without proper care, he would suffer frequent stomachaches.

From that moment on, I resigned from my job to stay home, mastering the art of medicinal meals for them.

Marcus frantically dialed my number, but the incessant busy signal only fueled his frustration, prompting him to hurl the phone aside.

Noticing the tension, Sophia stepped in with her usual comforting demeanor.

"Marcus, what's going on? Is she still not picking up? Jake's feeling so awful, yet she's still sulking. What kind of mother does that? Even as an outsider, I can't help but feel for him."

She scooped Jake into her arms, her voice a gentle lullaby, "Be good, Jake. Auntie will make you something to eat."

Before long, Jake was happily devouring the soup Sophia had whipped up. Watching his son eat with such relish, Marcus pulled Sophia's hand closer, his face brimming with affection.

"You'll make a wonderful mother."

"Unlike Faye, who's so irresponsible, off somewhere without a care. It's unbelievable how she just leaves her son like that."

Marcus's voice rose with agitation until Sophia, trembling, pulled her hand away, revealing several small red marks on her wrist.

"Does it hurt? Why didn't you tell me? It would be terrible for such beautiful hands to scar," Marcus fretted, gently applying ointment to her hand, his eyes swimming with tenderness.

Watching this unfold, I couldn't help but fall silent, remembering a time when boiling water had scalded my entire arm, leaving it red and swollen. Back then, Marcus hadn't even glanced my way, dismissing me as clumsy and my wound as disgusting, unsightly, and festering.

For an entire week, he hadn't come home, claiming he couldn't stand the sight.

Thinking back, it was almost laughable.

"Marcus, it's so good to have you. How can she not appreciate you?" Sophia leaned on his shoulder, when suddenly, a wail erupted from the dining room.

"Waaah... my tummy hurts... I want Mommy..."

Hearing Jake's gut-wrenching cries, my heart broke into pieces. It must have been something wrong with the food.

Marcus rushed over, scooping up his son. His face was a mask of regret as he kept blaming himself and apologizing.

"Daddy's sorry. Daddy shouldn't have upset Mommy. Now we don't even know where she is..."

"Quick, someone call an ambulance!"