Chapter 4
The message read: [Ms. Jones, these are the latest companies we're working with. One of the bids is from your husband's family. Should we pull some strings for them?]
Crystal gave a faint smile and tapped to send a voice message. Her voice was so soft, it almost melted into the breeze.
She said, "No need. He's not my husband. Be here to pick me up in seven days, and don't be late."
Meanwhile, Judith moved into the wedding house.
Crystal stood outside the door, her chest feeling as if it were bound by iron wire, so tight it was hard to breathe.
She'd come to collect her things, but now, the house she'd poured her heart and soul into was filled with low breathy moans.
"You and Crystal have been together for three years. You really don't care about her at all?" Judith asked.
Cyril pinned Judith beneath him, breathing heavily. "A party girl with a messy reputation? What would I ever like about her? Her trashy behavior? Judith, you're nothing like her. You've been the one I loved since college. She's just a tool to me, a tool to go against my parents.
"The more they look down on you, the more I want to marry someone they'd hate even more. Crystal is perfect for that. Everyone talks crap about her, no one knows her real background, and she's got a wild streak."
He paused, then laughed. "Honestly, I should thank that kidnapping three years ago. If it hadn't been for that broadcast, I wouldn't have been able to marry her so fast."
Crystal held her phone, the recording light glowing like a drop of congealed blood.
She couldn't even describe the pain she was feeling. It was as if someone had gouged out a chunk of her heart, and it was bleeding uncontrollably.
That was enough.
She had all the proof she needed.
Her hands trembling, she put her phone away and walked toward the underground garage like a zombie.
Just a few steps in, someone grabbed her wrist out of nowhere. "Stop right there!"
It was Judith.
Crystal snatched her hand back. "Don't touch me."
"Crystal, you heard it all, didn't you? So what's there for you to be proud of now?" Judith sneered, her voice icy.
Judith dropped the sweet act, her tone sharp and mocking. "You really think Cyril ever loved you? Every time he went skydiving, surfing, or did those reckless stunts with you, he'd come back and tell me how exhausting it was pretending with you, acting like he's into your crazy games."
Crystal's back stiffened.
"He said you were like a dead fish in bed, no spark at all," Judith said, circling in front of her with a sugary smile. "He said if it wasn't to piss off his parents, even touching you would disgust him."
Crystal felt a chill so deep it hurt, her heart frozen and aching.
She remembered those nights when Cyril kissed her softly, calling her his sweetheart, saying she was the only one that mattered.
All of it was a lie.
Crystal forced her eyes shut. "Are you done? Then get lost."
"You're the one who should get lost," Judith sneered.
Judith snorted coldly, then suddenly grabbed Crystal's hand and used it to slap herself hard across the face.
Smack!
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the garage.
Crystal froze, stunned. Before she could process what happened, Cyril came storming over, his expression thunderous.
"Crystal, what did you do?" Cyril demanded.
He immediately pulled Judith into his arms, his face full of complicated emotions. "Judith didn't do anything to you. Why would you hit her?"
"I didn't," Crystal protested instinctively.
Judith started sobbing in Cyril's arms. "Cyril, don't blame her. I shouldn't have moved into your wedding house. Maybe that's why she's upset. But I never thought she'd curse me to die."
Cyril stroked Judith's face with concern, then shot Crystal a look so cold it could cut. "Crystal, I can't believe you'd do that. Haven't I been good enough to you over the last three years? Is it so hard for you to let Judith stay?"
Crystal stared at the scene before her, and a bitter laugh threatened to escape her lips.
That was right. It had been three years.
For three years, she'd learned to cook for him, quit her favorite hard liquor, and even reshaped herself into someone she barely recognized, all to win over his parents.
And in the end, what was it all for?
In the end, he didn't even believe her.
"Cyril," Crystal said with a bitter smile, "if I could do it all over again, I'd rather never have met you."
Cyril frowned.
Crystal turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.
"Let go," Crystal said.
"Apologize to Judith," Cyril said, his tone unmistakably commanding.
Crystal let out a bitter laugh, but as she kept laughing, tears rolled down her cheeks.
"And what if I don't?" she replied.
"Crystal, don't force my hand," Cyril said, his eyes flickering with something conflicted before hardening with resolve. "When you mess up, you have to admit it. You owe it to Judith."