The projector played the same footage of Cyril and Jolie over and over, his suspicions about Freda stabbing at her heart repeatedly.
The projector then showed the latest footage–Cyril cooking for Jolie. His cold, vicious demeanor from earlier had completely vanished, replaced by pure joy and warmth.
The way he looked at Jolie overflowed with tenderness and love, just like how he used to look at her.
“Freda, when can I finally call you Mrs. Prescott?”
“Baby Freda, I love you so much. Please say yes to my proposal.”
“Cyril Prescott will love Freda Lane forever. Anyone who dares hurt my girl will have to go through me.”
“Honey, I’m an amazing cook. I’m taking over all your meals from now on. You’re the only person in this world who deserves to eat my cooking. Not even my parents!”
“Baby, Jolie saved your life, which means she saved mine too. She’s an orphan anyway–let’s take care of her.”
“Of course my feelings for Jolie are real. All she wants is a marriage that’ll last forever, and I can give her that.”
Cyril’s words echoed endlessly in her ears–his promises, his confessions, his lies–piercing her eardrums like
needles.
The memory of the man who once loved her gradually separated from the Cyril on the big screen, slowly being torn away from her heart piece by piece.
Night fell completely, and she lay helplessly on the ground, letting the darkness and cold consume her.
When she regained consciousness again, she slowly dragged herself along the ground. The dried blood beneath her body formed a long, dark trail as she moved.
Her lower abdomen had gone completely numb. She forced herself to stand and stumbled outside.
Warm sunlight poured down, but it couldn’t warm her frozen heart and soul.
She eventually collapsed on the roadside and was taken to the hospital.
“Ms. Lane, your abdomen suffered severe trauma. Your uterus is ruptured, and we need surgery to remove the remaining tissue.”
Freda listened to the doctor without much emotional reaction. After losing her baby, she’d already accepted that she’d never be able to get pregnant again.
So be it…
C 20%
Chapter 8
At least she was still alive to leave Cyril.
The operation was a success. After resting in the hospital for four or five hours, Freda checked herself out.
She bought a new phone and contacted the housekeeper. Learning that Cyril wasn’t at the mansion, she rushed back to pack her things.
Freda only took her mother’s belongings and her new identification documents. She sent the housekeeper away with an excuse.
She picked up a baseball bat and smashed the Lego sets they’d built together, the couch they’d picked out together, the TV they’d ordered together…
Using her last bit of strength, Freda destroyed everything in the living room. Looking at the wreckage, she laughed–a sound both desolate and heartbreaking.
Dropping the baseball bat, Freda used lipstick to write two lines on the wall:
“Cyril, you once said that anyone who betrays true love should swallow ten thousand needles. Do you remember?”
“Cyril, from this moment on, there is no more ‘us.“”
Freda left the mansion without looking back, leaving everything she and Cyril had shared buried in the ruins.
She bought tickets for every flight departing at the same time, but instead went to the long–distance buses station.
She was going to make sure Cyril could never find her.
This life, Freda Lane and Cyril Prescott would never meet again!
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
