The steel bar drove deeper into my stomach. A wave of searing pain surged through me and I nearly blacked out.
"I’m warning you. Stop playing tricks! I’ll take care of your mother’s funeral after Stella’s birthday."
"Stella, let’s go make a wish. I’ll take you back to your apartment later."
With that, he took Stella’s hand and walked into the ancestral home without looking back.
Moments later, the music of a birthday song filled the air. Luther took the microphone, leading the chorus as laughter and music echoed inside the house.
Outside, my mother’s lifeless body lay there, miserable and torn apart.
Tears streamed down my face. "Mom, I’m sorry…"
"Wait for me. I’ll bring the baby to keep you company…"
Just as I was about to be swallowed by darkness, hurried footsteps approached.
"Quick! Call an ambulance! Someone is injured!"
At the hospital, the doctor frowned when he heard my decision to not keep the baby.
"There’s still a chance to save the baby. Are you sure you don’t want to keep it? Does your husband know?"
"My husband is dead." My voice was cold, emotionless.
In my heart, Luther was already sentenced to death.
The doctor’s expression shifted to quiet sympathy. Without another word, he adjusted the surgical plan and wheeled me into the operating room.
After the surgery, I cremated the fetus and sent the ashes to Stella’s apartment.
During the seven days I was hospitalized, Luther never reached out.
To him, I was nothing more than an afterthought, less significant than a stranger.
Through Stella’s social media, I saw photos of them indulging in passionate bliss at the apartment.
In one of the pictures, Luther held Stella in his arms, his embrace filled with affection. She smiled like a blooming flower, their necks marked with unmistakable traces of intimacy.
Before, I would have rushed over, tears streaming down my face, demanding an explanation.
But this time, I simply clicked the like button and then paused.
On the day of my discharge, my best friend Nina brought my mother’s urn to the hospital.
Her voice choked with emotion. "By the time I got there… there were only bones left."
"You and your mother were so devoted to him, but he… he’s nothing but a beast!"
For Luther Valdez, I brought along my mother away from our home and moved to this city.
My mother treated him like her own son, staying up all night whenever he fell ill.