Chapter 3
Jerry bought the cream, but in the end, he gave it to Monica.
He said, "Her job's a bit different. She needs it more than you do."
At the time, Laurel just couldn't wrap her head around why Monica, a primary school teacher, would need the cream more than her, especially since Laurel was always in front of the camera.
In the end, she figured Jerry was just taking care of his widowed sister-in-law.
Now, Laurel understood. It wasn't that all women's hands were special. It was Monica's hands that mattered.
He just didn't care about her. Monica was the one he really cared about.
Luckily, in just seven days, she'd be on a plane heading across the ocean, putting the Schneider family's filthy, tangled mess far behind her. She'd never have to see any of them again.
Laurel quietly finished making dinner.
She was a great cook, and as soon as Randall caught a whiff of the food, he dashed out of his room. When he saw Laurel carrying a pot of piping hot mushroom soup, a wicked grin spread across his face.
He kicked his leg out, making Laurel stumble and spill the scalding soup all over herself. The pain made her cry out.
But a second later, Randall's loud wailing completely drowned out her scream.
"Aunt Laurel, I know you don't like me, but why did you spill hot soup on me on purpose? Mom, it hurts so bad!" Randall wailed.
Monica and Jerry came running when they heard the commotion.
Monica pulled Randall into her arms, her eyes filling with tears.
"Laurel, if you're upset about the whole resignation thing, just take it out on me. Don't go bullying Randall!" Monica said, her voice trembling with accusation.
Laurel was about to explain herself, but Jerry gave her a rough shove.
She stumbled back, crashing into the cabinet, pain shooting through her waist so sharply she nearly couldn't stand up straight.
Jerry didn't even bother to notice her pain, just spat out in disgust, "Laurel, Randall's just a kid! He's the only son my brother had! How could you be so vicious?"
Laurel looked up, noticing the tiny red mark on Randall's arm, then at the large blisters covering her own arm. She felt a surge of bitter irony.
For such a tiny injury, Randall really made a big deal out of nothing.
But even for that little mark, Jerry acted like it was a life-or-death emergency and started fussing about taking Randall to the hospital.
Before they left, Randall made a face at Laurel from Jerry's arms.
Laurel watched him grinning mischievously, and her mind flashed back to when he was burning up with a fever.
Monica was off somewhere, and Jerry was away on duty. By the time Laurel got home from work, Randall was so feverish he could barely keep his eyes open.
The buses had stopped running, and there were no rides to the hospital. She stumbled along with him on her back, then stayed at the hospital for two days while he received IV drips.
Laurel truly ached for Randall, loving him as if he were her own child.
In the previous timeline, she never had kids of her own, so she gave everything she had to Randall.
She never touched her parents' inheritance for herself. Instead, she bought Randall a car and a house with it.
And what did she get for all that?
The boastful phone call before her death, and the child's malicious provocation now, made Laurel feel it had all been worthless.
No matter how much heart she gave, it never came back to her. Randall was already twisted at such a young age, and she wasn't going to play the fool and keep pouring her heart out.
Without another word, she retreated to her room and took care of her own injuries.
Her arm was covered in angry, swollen blisters. Gritting her teeth, she sterilized a needle over the flame and carefully pricked them open. She then sprinkled some medicinal powder, but the pain was unbearable.
Trying to take her mind off the pain, Laurel busied herself with packing for her escape.
After working for ages, all she managed to pack was a tiny bundle.
Honestly, it was kind of pathetic. After all these years with Jerry, she only owned a few outfits and some shoes.
Just a handful of jewelry, all left behind by her parents after they passed.
The Schneider family wasn't exactly struggling. Jerry's parents were both retired from the military, and Jerry himself used to be a regimental commander, pulling in hundreds a month in allowance.
But looking back, all these years, Laurel had never gotten a single cent from Jerry. She'd even used her own salary to help cover household expenses and never once splurged on herself.
Meanwhile, Monica, just a primary school teacher making a measly salary, was never short on gold necklaces and bracelets.
Once again, Laurel was hit by Jerry's obvious favoritism. It was like a sharp little jab right to her heart.
She kept packing, and finally, at the very back of the drawer, she found the marriage papers she'd kept hidden away all this time.
Laurel could still remember the day Jerry brought them home, looking all apologetic.
He said, "My brother just passed away not long ago, so we can't have a big wedding. Laurel, I'm sorry you have to put up with this.
"From now on, you'll be the lady of the Schneider family. I promise I'll treat you well."
Now, she wondered if he was really feeling guilty about not throwing a big wedding.
Both promises were just lies. He'd fooled her all these years, and it hurt like hell.
Laurel fought back her tears and ripped those two phony, worthless marriage certificates to pieces.