Chapter 3
898 Words
Just like he wanted, I wouldn't bother him anymore.
Never, ever again.
He must have been pretty happy then.
Oh, right. He didn't know it was I who had died yet.
So I waited a little longer. When he found out that the family shame he had wanted to get rid of was gone forever, he would laugh out loud like he had always wanted, right?
How wonderful. My death was a good thing for him.
I watched Carlo frown and dial my number a third time to no answer, then slam his phone onto the Maserati's hood with a loud bang.
He paced a few steps, then just yanked at his tie in frustration.
But he didn't have time to dwell on me.
The remains fished up by dockworkers plus the twenty-six gifts at headquarters meant the family had suffered an unprecedented provocation. He had to deal with it immediately.
As for the rest of my body, they wouldn't find it.
I didn't even know where my head had ended up.
Maybe, like my legs, it had become scraps in some fish's belly.
All I knew was, I had died without any dignity.
Carlo worked nonstop for most of the day, only getting some clarity late at night.
He didn't go back to the cold estate he shared with me. Instead, he went to his apartment in the city center.
That was the place he bought during his hot-and-heavy days with Irene.
After Irene died in a car accident, it became his shrine to his first love. He would go there regularly, sleeping in the scent of her leftover perfume.
I, on the other hand, had saved him by taking a bullet meant for his back from a rival family.
That bullet severed the tendons in my right hand, leaving me unable to hold a gun properly and easy prey.
He married me out of obligation. I always knew he didn't love me.
Clara was already waiting for him in sexy lingerie, holding two glasses of wine by the bed.
After they drank, Clara wrapped her arms around Carlo's neck, ready to continue their baby-making project.
Carlo pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm a bit tired."
"Don't you love me anymore?" Clara leaned in, those blue eyes filled with hurt.
Carlo's body stiffened for a moment.
He was tired, exhausted to the bone. But when he looked at that face, it was hard to say no.
Clara's fingers slid down his shoulder. When her fingertips touched his right wrist, he suddenly remembered that old scar from the video earlier.
I had that scar too.
Seven years ago, a modified pistol misfired, leaving a jagged wound across my right wrist.
Carlo just frowned and said, "Don't drip blood on the carpet."
He suddenly grabbed Clara's wrist.
Clara winced, her smile freezing for a second. "Carlo?"
"Not tonight."
"Because of Avery?" Clara asked softly, her eyes stiff.
Carlo didn't answer.
He got up, walked to the window, and lit a cigarette. In the swirling smoke, his profile was hard as a cold stone statue.
I floated in the corner, and pathetically, I felt a spark of hope.
Maybe he had finally realized something was wrong.
Maybe he'd finally remember that I hadn't answered his calls, replied to his texts, or waited for him at the door like I used to.
But that hope died quickly.
Carlo stubbed out his cigarette and said quietly, "She'll come back when she's done throwing her tantrum."
I let out a bitter laugh.
Even then, in his eyes, I was still just having a tantrum.
Carlo barely slept that night.
When he reached headquarters the next day, there were dark circles under his eyes, but he still forced himself to call a meeting with all key members.
He was about to gather everyone when my colleague, Murphy, a senior lawyer who handled the family's legal documents, called him.
"Don," Murphy's voice carried a hint of hesitation.
"Ms. Avery hasn't been to the Records Room for over a week. There are some urgent Land Deeds that need her signature."
Carlo responded politely and hung up.
The next second, his mild demeanor vanished.
He swiped open his phone and furiously sent me messages, his fingers almost breaking the screen.
Carlo: Seriously, Avery? You're not handling the Records Room anymore?
Carlo: You useless b***h! Can't you even manage a damn Records Room?
Carlo: Do you have any idea how chaotic the family is right now? Where the hell are you?
Carlo: Can't you have some spine? You expect me to support you forever?
But still, no reply.
After my right hand was ruined, all I could do was clerical work at headquarters.
He forgot who made me this way.
He also forgot that I never wanted to stay in the first place. It was his family's interests and his damn guilt that forced me to sign that marriage contract.
He promised to take care of me, but those promises were long abandoned.
But it was okay. Now this useless burden wouldn't hold him back anymore. He must have felt relieved.
The DNA test was still processing. The leads from the docks and headquarters were a mess.
Just as Carlo was staring at the surveillance monitors with bloodshot eyes, the front gate delivered another package.
It was addressed to Carlo. Blood-red letters spelled out:
Your beloved partner.
- Writer
