Hearing my brother’s familiar voice, tears welled up, but I managed a smile through them.
Just then, Jeremiah pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing the smile on my face, he froze for a moment.
Noticing someone had come in, I quickly said, “Something came up. I’ll hang up now.”
Trailing behind Jeremiah was his little shadow, Margaret. I silently watched as they approached.
Seeing the bandages wrapped around me, a flicker of hesitation crossed Jeremiah’s face. He reached toward me with a pained look, but I dodged his hand.
Margaret seized the moment and said, “Sister must’ve met someone else. That’s why she doesn’t want Brother Jeremiah near her, right?”
Jeremiah’s tender expression vanished, replaced by pure disgust. “Lainey, you were already indecent five years ago. I can’t believe you still haven’t changed after all that time inside.”
“I don’t even know what Mom was thinking, forcing me to marry a whore like you. It’s utterly disgusting.”
With that, he turned sharply and left.
But Margaret didn’t move.
She looked at me with a smug smile and said, “The wedding in three days will be all about Brother Jeremiah and me. As for you, just go rot in some dark corner.”
When I didn’t respond, a flicker of displeasure crossed her face. Suddenly, she pulled out the diamond pendant.
Only then did a spark of life return to my lifeless eyes.
“Lainey, you care about this pendant so much? Fine, if you want it that badly, I’ll give it back to you.”
With merciless cruelty, Margaret smashed the pendant against the floor.
The diamond shattered.
And with it, the last shred of feeling I had left for Jeremiah turned to ashes.
Like a broken dog, I tumbled off the bed, ignoring the needle still lodged in my hand, desperate to gather the scattered fragments of the diamond.
But the shards tore into my skin, blood spilling onto the floor and seeping into the broken pendant.
Margaret, satisfied with her cruelty, walked away with a triumphant smile.
The next day, Jeremiah called.
“Lainey, go turn yourself into the police tomorrow. Tell them you hit someone in a car accident.”
His voice dripped with shameless righteousness.