I Was His Double, I Left Him Forever

Chapter 2

The hour hand pointed to eleven o'clock.

I was jolted awake by a sudden, sharp ringtone.

It was a number I didn't find totally unfamiliar.

It was Maureen calling.

At this hour, shouldn't she be tangled up in bed with Gino?

What? Were they looking to spice things up even more?

After a split second of confusion, I pressed answer.

The expected breathy, suggestive sounds did not come through the line.

Instead, there was chaotic, raucous noise at the other end.

I was just about to hang up when Maureen's soft, coquettish voice cut through the din.

"Little girl, would you like to know what Gino really thinks of you? He's right here chatting with us about the old days between you two. Wanna come over and listen?"

A loud buzz went off in my head.

My mind went completely blank.

My hands clenched involuntarily, my fingertips turning white, yet I felt no pain even then.

'Gino. How could you go this far?'

My whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.

It took me a long moment to collect myself.

Swallowing back the tears that threatened to spill over, I got out of bed and headed downstairs.

After all, this was the last day anyway.

I had originally wanted to leave both of us with a shred of dignity.

Now, it seemed there was no point in that anymore.

If we had to burn bridges, so be it. No one was going to get off easy.

Following the address Maureen had sent, I soon arrived at the entrance of the private room.

Inside, lights flickered wildly, and the room was thrumming with noise and excitement.

Surrounded by the crowd's shoves and whooping teasing, Gino and Maureen were drawing closer and closer to each other.

They stood face to face, pressed extremely close together.

Maureen tried to pull away as if shy, but her gaze drifted slightly, locking onto mine where I stood outside the door.

A taunting, provocative smile spread across her face.

The next second, Gino's hand clamped down on the back of her head, holding her firmly in place.

He kissed her hard and passionately, with no room for refusal.

The cheers around them grew even louder.

There was even the pop of a champagne cork opening, followed by more cheering.

Anyone passing by would think there's a wedding going on here.

I let out a sardonic laugh, finding this whole performative show of affection so pathetically pointless.

I shifted my weight, turning to leave, when I heard a question from Maureen's friend.

"Gino, what are you planning to do about that woman of yours? Now that Maureen is back, and your misunderstanding is cleared up, are you still going to keep supporting her? Don't say I didn't warn you. Maureen's giving you a chance as it is. If you keep wronging her like this, you'll be the one crying over it later."

My body froze on the spot.

Even though my heart had already gone completely cold, I still found myself tensing up, hanging on to hear how he would answer.

The private box fell silent all at once.

Through the glass, I could see Gino's side profile.

He frowned, lighting a cigarette.

Amid the curling smoke, the face of the man I once loved looked like a total stranger to me.

He said, "She's pregnant. This child is extremely important to my position in the family. Once she gives birth…" His voice was cold, barely above a whisper.

But it hit like a sledgehammer, shattering the last shred of hope left in my heart.

Waves of suffocation washed over me.

I could only lean against the wall to keep myself from collapsing.

I gasped for air in ragged, heaving breaths.

A wave of nausea rose unceasingly in my throat.

I never knew when you're in that much pain, you actually can't breathe, you actually feel sick in your stomach.

'Hold on a little longer, Patricia,' I told myself, over and over.

Tomorrow I'll be able to leave this place, and I won't have to endure this kind of humiliation anymore.

But I couldn't hold on after all. I rushed to the bathroom, retching violently.

I splashed cold water on my face.

It took a minute for my head to clear a little.

In the mirror, the woman with red-rimmed eyes looked so helpless, so pathetic.

'Is that really me?'

Back then, I defied my entire family's objections, staked everything to come to Boston and marry Gino.

Now, I finally realize how colossally wrong I was.

Bending over, I couldn't hold back another wave of retching.

I slapped my cheeks lightly with both hands.

This is no place to stay any longer.

I should use what little strength I had left to pack my things and leave.

Not waste any more energy on these disgusting matters.

I shook my head, shaking off the jumbled thoughts in my mind.

The next second, a soft, gentle weight landed on my back.

I was just about to open my mouth to thank them.

But when I saw who it was, I flinched away like a frightened bird in an instant.

Maureen withdrew her hand naturally.

She crossed her arms and smiled, putting on a pretense of concern, yet her face was full of mockery.

"You okay, little girl? Oh, look at you, you really are so pitiful."

I stared at her coldly.

She snickered, her gaze drifting slightly downward to land on my lower abdomen.

"Is it three months already? Tell me, when this child is born, won't it be miserable? After all, you heard it too. As soon as he's born, Gino will take the baby and get rid of you, right? Oh, that's just so tragic." As she spoke, she covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.

I took a deep breath and retorted word for word, "I think you're the more pitiful one here, Miss Maureen Woods."

She froze for a moment.

I continued, "After all, being a side chick isn't that easy. You'll have to suffer a little longer and be a hidden mistress for seven more months."

I deliberately put heavy emphasis on the words "hidden mistress".

Sure enough, she snapped immediately.

Her pretty face flushed bright red with anger.

"You!"

I stared at her face in a daze.

'Do we really look that alike?'

Maureen took a step toward me, jerking me out of my brief daze.

She pointed at me. "What are you talking about?! You're the mistress who came between Gino and me! You're the one who can't see the light of day!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

Forced by her advance, I stepped back again and again.

Suddenly, Maureen stumbled.

Maureen tripped and fell hard toward me.

Gravity shifted.

As we both fell, we crashed into the display behind us.

A loud shatter rang out.

The decorative vase smashed to pieces on the floor.

I took the full weight of Maureen on top of me when we fell.

In an instant, sharp shards dug into my entire back. The pain was so intense that my eyes blurred with tears.

I gasped sharply for air.

"Maureen! What's wrong?!"

A familiar voice rang out.

It was the man who had rushed out looking for Maureen when she didn't return to the private room for too long. My ex-husband, Gino.

"Waaah, it's all her fault, Gino. My hand hurts so bad, it's bleeding."

Without a second of hesitation, Gino scooped her up into his arms.

I had my head bowed, the pain so severe I could not get a single word out.

Even summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I could not lift my eyes to meet his gaze.

All of a sudden, searing, excruciating pain shot through my ankle.

'It was Gino!'

He was grinding his leather shoe hard into my ankle.

His voice was as frigid as ice.

Like a snake's forked tongue, each word ripped at my skin and flesh.

"How dare you hurt Maureen? You're asking to get hurt."

Under the wave of agony, my consciousness gradually faded.

Right before I blacked out completely, I heard Maureen hold up her finger plaintively, asking Gino to blow on it for her.

Her voice was soft and cloying. "Gino, I'm hurt. Don't go back tomorrow. Keep me company tomorrow instead, okay?"

Gino answered without a second of hesitation. "Sure. You're the most important person to me."