Chapter 4
Reginald stared at me with icy eyes and ordered, "Keep going."
I let out a harsh laugh, snatched up the half-empty bottle of liquor, and slammed it back in one go.
"Is that enough for you?" I shot back.
The next second, a plate of food was hurled straight at my face, splattering everywhere.
"I've never seen anyone apologize with such a cocky attitude. Somebody put her in her place," someone yelled.
The crowd lost it, pinning me down and kicking and punching me from all sides.
Hot blood gushed from my mouth, and I was so drained I couldn't even lift a finger to fight back.
Reginald tried to get close, but the crowd shoved him out, forcing him away from me.
"Reginald, whatever warmth you ever gave me, I've repaid it all today," I whispered.
"Maisy!" Reginald called out.
My eyes went wide, locking with Reginald's, everything fading around me.
Why was he looking at me like that, so panicked, so scared?
"Get out of my way!" Reginald yelled.
"Move. Get out!" he yelled again.
Reginald tried to shove his way through the crowd, but it was no use.
He was freaking out, his eyes going red from panic.
Jodie's fans were still going wild, trampling and pummeling me like animals.
Seeing all that blood pouring from my mouth sent them into an even bigger frenzy.
Jodie put on a show of trying to hold them back, but the poison in her eyes was obvious.
Finally, the Hurst family's bodyguards burst in and finally broke up the mess, getting things under control at last.
Everyone had cleared out, leaving me alone in a pool of blood.
My eyes were stretched wide, frozen and lifeless, as I lay motionless on the floor. The pure white wedding dress was now stained a haunting blood-red, looking almost supernatural against the mess.
My soul drifted above, looking down at the wreckage of my body.
It was twisted and mangled, knotted up from the agony of my final moments, like a piece of writhing, discarded cloth.
"Maisy" Reginald's voice broke.
He hugged me tight, his whole body trembling so hard he couldn't stop.
"Get a doctor! Now!" Reginald yelled.
After checking for a pulse and breath, the bodyguard turned to Reginald, his face drained of color, voice trembling. "M-Mr. Hurst, Mrs. Hurst she's not breathing anymore..."
"Bullshit!" Reginald shouted. "Impossible! Maisy's not dead. She's still alive. Quit wasting time. Get a doctor for Maisy, immediately."
"
"Yes, sir," the bodyguard said, not daring to say anything else. He rushed out to get the doctor.
Reginald lifted his trembling hand, desperately wiping at the blood on my face.
The blood had already started to dry, and no matter how frantically he tried to clean it, it just wouldn't come off.
His movements grew more and more frantic, tears brimming in his eyes before finally falling and splashing onto my face. "Maisy, don't be scared. The doctor will be here soon.
"You're going to be okay. Just hang in there, talk to me. Say anything, please.
"Does it hurt? I'm so sorry, Maisy. I should've protected you."
I drifted over to Reginald, watching him stand there, completely at a loss.
It all felt so absurd, like everything had been ripped apart.
I said, "Wasn't everything just fake?
"Didn't you say you never loved me?
"So why are you acting all devastated and terrified now that I'm actually dead?
"I really don't get it. Can you tell me why?"
I let out a sigh, but he couldn't hear me anymore.
"Reginald, Maisy looks like she's really gone," Jodie said. "Even if you call a doctor, it's useless now."
She crouched beside him, looking guilty. "I'm sorry. I had no idea things would end up like this. I'm sorry.
"Don't be too upset. Let's go hold a proper funeral for Maisy, okay?"
She shook his arm, pouting. "But you can't blame my fans for everything. It was just some harmless drama. Who would've thought Maisy would be so fragile now?
"She was tough as nails back when we shot that prison documentary."
When Jodie's fans saw their idol crouching down to speak up for them, they got all fired up, faces full of outrage.
"Jodie, don't apologize. It's not your fault."
"If Maisy really died, she had it coming. Serves her right for messing with our Jodie."
"If she's dead, that's what she gets. Even if we end up convicted, we're not afraid."
"Jodie, don't be scared. We'll stand by you forever."
Jodie was so touched that tears welled up in her eyes, and she blew kisses at her fans nonstop.
Reginald's face darkened, and he shook off her hand.
Reginald said coldly, "Don't touch me. Maisy wouldn't like it."
Jodie slumped to the floor, staring in disbelief.
Reginald's eyes were icy as he stared down those who had hurt my wife. "Once my wife recovers, I'll deal with each of you, one by one. None of you will get away."
As soon as he finished speaking, the emergency team the bodyguards had called rushed in.
After the emergency doctors did everything they could to save me, the lead doctor finally shook his head at Reginald.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hurst," the doctor said. "Mrs. Hurst's ribs have been broken for nearly a week, and most of them have punctured her lungs.
"On top of that, the heavy drinking and all those injuries, inside and out
"Mrs. Hurst has been gone for some time now. Please accept my condolences."