Three years of marriage—he had been gentle, considerate, and attentive.
But when it came to Lorraine, he had no limits.
The first time I met her, she had lured me into a restricted mining area, where I inhaled toxic gas and spent a week in the ICU.
I cried and begged Renald to hold her accountable, but he only held me and whispered, "Danica, Lorraine just made a mistake at work. She's not a bad person. As long as you're safe, that's what matters."
From then on, every injury, every betrayal—he brushed them all aside.
When the lawyer finally collected the signed papers, he exhaled in relief.
"Ms. Alba, once the divorce certificate is ready, I'll deliver it personally."
After he left, the room fell silent.
A few moments later, the door creaked open again.
Lorraine walked in, smiling sweetly, carrying a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.
My body went rigid. I instinctively backed away.
"What are you doing here?"
She dropped the flowers to the floor, her smile bright and sinister.
"What else? I came to send you off myself."
"The gas explosion didn't kill you, so I'll just have to finish the job."
Before I could react, she lunged at me and wrapped her hands around my throat. I struggled desperately, but my burned, weakened body was no match for her trained strength.
The air in my lungs thinned rapidly, my vision darkening. Just as my consciousness began to fade, the door burst open.
A doctor doing his rounds screamed, "What are you doing?! Stop right now!"
In the chaos, I gripped his sleeve with the last of my strength.
"C–call... the police…"
Then everything went black.
When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was Renald's dark, stormy face.
His voice trembled with suppressed anger.
"Danica, why did you call the police? Lorraine has already been taken away by them!"
My heart clenched, as if a knife had been driven straight through it.
"She tried to strangle me to death!" I gasped.
Renald frowned deeply. "I've told you before—Lorraine's parents died saving my mother. She's emotionally scarred, but she's not a bad person. She didn't really mean to hurt you—"
"Didn't mean to kill me?!" I cut him off, my voice cracking as three years' worth of fear, humiliation, and fury finally burst free.
"She sabotaged my safety rope and left me crippled! She tampered with my oxygen tank and nearly suffocated me! She blew up the gas line and burned me alive—and just now, she tried to choke me to death!"