Chapter 3
Her shameless logic was so absurd, I almost burst out laughing at her.
"Mrs. Carter, Adrian has been dead for three years," I said.
"Am I supposed to have a kid with a ghost?" I scoffed.
"Or are you suggesting I break my vows and go out to find someone to knock me up for the Carter family?" I shot back.
"You!" Her mouth hung open, speechless.
She was trembling with rage, pointing at me, but couldn't utter a single word.
Seeing this, Adrian rushed to his mom's side, ready to back her up.
"Serena! Is that any way to talk to my mom?
"You couldn't even hold onto your man, and now you're just making excuses?
"Sure, Amelia might come from nothing, but she's gentle, thoughtful, and actually understands people. Most importantly, she can give the Carter family a future.
"Unlike you, always walking around with that deadpan face. Just looking at you makes me lose my appetite," he sneered.
As Adrian spoke, he gave me a full-on once-over, his eyes filled with pure disgust.
He added, "If your family wasn't rich, you think I'd have ever married you?
"Now that Amelia's carrying my child, she should be the rightful wife.
"If you know what's good for you, hand over the household keys and your wedding gifts, and step aside. Go ahead and ask to be made a concubine.
"Or else..."
He gave me a sinister smile.
"I'll dump you with a divorce letter and send you crawling back to your family!" he sneered.
I stared at this painfully average guy, and honestly, all I felt was a kind of hopeless sadness.
Back when I lost my memory and ended up out on my own, I crossed paths with Adrian, a struggling scholar.
He was talented and full of ambition, and I couldn't help but catch feelings for him.
Turns out, his so-called talent was just copied, and all that ambition was nothing but an act.
Even that so-called love was just a scam to get my hard-earned wedding gifts, so he could waste it on his own pleasures.
And now, he was finally showing his real nasty side.
I sneered, "A divorce letter?
"Adrian, you're not even worthy of divorcing me.
"And I'm not about to become your concubine.
"I'm taking what's mine and cutting ties with the Carter family for good. From now on, we're done, dead or alive, we'll never meet again."
"Trying to leave, huh?" Adrian said coldly.
He signaled to the servants nearby with a subtle gesture.
"It's not that easy.
"Since you won't hand it over yourself, don't blame me for not giving a damn about old times," Adrian sneered.
He ordered, "Someone! Grab this bitch and tie her up!"
"Search her! Get that secret letter out of her!
"I want to see which bastard wrote her that letter, making her so obsessed!
So that was what he had been after all along, the secret letter I just received.
That letter was a handwritten decree from my father, summoning me back to the palace to restore my status as princess.
If he ever laid eyes on it, the fallout would be unthinkable.
It was not like I was scared he'd figure out my real identity.
I was just worried he might get scared to death before he even found out the truth.
That'd let him off way too easy.
A few burly guards started closing in on me.
The palace attendants at my side tried to resist, but were pinned down by a swarm of others.
Outnumbered, there was no way we could fight them off.
Two rough-handed servant women twisted my arms behind my back and slammed me down onto the cold flagstone.
Pain shot through my knees as they hit the stone, but I didn't utter a single sound.
I locked eyes with Adrian, my glare cold and sharp as a blade.
I said coldly, "Adrian, you'd better pray you can finish me off today.
"Because if you don't, I'll pay you back a hundred times over."
Adrian walked over, crouched down in front of me, and tapped my cheek in a flippant, insulting way.
His touch was both flippant and degrading.
"Serena, why are you making things so hard on yourself?
"Just do as you're told, take care of me and Amelia, and I'll make sure you don't starve.
"After all, you've served my mom for three years. Maybe you didn't accomplish much, but you did suffer through it," he said, his voice full of sarcasm.
As he spoke, his hand started to grope at my chest.
He demanded, "Hand over the letter.
"Don't make me rip your clothes off in front of everyone," he sneered.
Just as his filthy hand was about to grab my clothes, I whipped my head to the side and sank my teeth hard into the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.
I snapped my head over and bit down with everything I had, right on his hand.
I used every bit of strength I could muster.
The taste of blood exploded across my tongue in an instant.
"Ah!" Adrian howled like a pig being slaughtered.
He yanked his hand back and kicked me square in the solar plexus.
"You bitch! How dare you bite me!" Adrian snarled.
I was sent sprawling, pain exploding in my chest, and a metallic sweetness welled up in my throat.
But I just laughed.
My mouth was smeared with blood as I grinned, looking like a demon straight out of hell.
I sneered, "So what if I bit you?
"If I'd had a knife, I would've chopped your filthy hand off right then and there."
Adrian clutched his bleeding hand, his face twisted in pain, eyes wild with fury.
He spat, "Good! Very good!
"You won't take the easy way, so you'll get the hard way!
"Since you love hiding things so much, I'll make sure you regret it!"