Chapter 5
Maybe fate was just mocking me. Instead of landing on the pitchfork, I fell into the bushes. The impact was cushioned, and somehow, I survived.
They rushed me to the hospital, and I was brought back from the edge.
After several suicide attempts and a signed diagnosis confirming severe depression, Maynard finally believed I wasn’t just seeking attention. I was truly sick.
To stop me from trying again, he locked me inside the bedroom.
Every sharp object in the house was removed. Even the sharp corners of tables and chairs were filed down.
I lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. I felt hollow and lifeless. How could dying be this hard?
I walked over to the window, my gaze falling on what used to be a vibrant garden. Once, it bloomed with roses— my favorite. But Maynard had burned them all down after Darlene pricked her finger on a thorn.
I scanned the room, searching for something I could use to smash the window and escape.
That was when the door creaked open.
Footsteps padded across the room, slow and heavy, cutting through the silence. Suddenly, strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist. I felt hands pressing against my stomach.
In the reflection of the glass, I saw Maynard’s head resting on my shoulder.
He had clearly been drinking. His voice was slurred and distant, like it didn’t belong to him.
“Patricia,” he murmured.
Maynard’s breath was warm against my neck, uncomfortably close and stifling.
“You used to be so bright. So full of life. How did this happen? How did you end up with depression?”
His gaze darkened. “You’re faking it, aren’t you? You’re jealous. That’s what this is. You’re still in love with me.”
He didn’t say another word. He just stood there, waiting for me to say something.
I let out a sharp laugh and pried his tightening hands off me. Then I turned around and looked at him like he was some pathetic joke.
“Maynard, did you ever stop to think who made me like this?”
Maynard frowned in frustration, and his expression was tight with irritation. “I swear, I’ve never seen Darlene as anything more than a sister. We grew up together, and I promised her parents I’d look after her. That’s all there is between us.”
My hands trembled. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to say that with a straight face.
“Taking care of her? You mean sleeping with her? Is that what you call it–tossing aside the wife who gave birth to your child, just because of her?” I shouted, and my voice was trembling with rage.
It was like every ounce of pain and resentment Maynard had ever caused me came pouring out all at once.
“But I…”
Whatever lie he was about to say next was cut off by the sound of my palm striking his face. The red mark bloomed
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Chapter 5
+25 BONUS
instantly.
“Maynard, you really are pathetically blind. You let Darlene make a fool out of you, and you still think you’re the one thinking clearly?
“And without a second thought, you believed her lie that I sabotaged the lifeboat. Are you even capable of thinking for yourself?”
My eyes burned with unshed tears. Rage simmered just beneath the surface. “You chose her over me without a second thought. So, I’ll make this easy for you–I’m done. I can let you go just as easily.”
“Enough!” Maynard shouted, cutting me off like he couldn’t bear to hear the truth. He slammed the door behind him as he stormed out.
He still kept me locked up. I had tried every way I could think of to escape, but nothing worked. Every plan ended in failure.
During that time, he brought in every kind of therapist he could find. He was trying to “fix” me. He installed surveillance cameras in my room to monitor me around the clock, afraid I might try to end my life again.
There were guards stationed outside my door twenty–four hours a day. The moment I made a suspicious move, they were ready to restrain me.
I had no chance of getting out. Not even a silver.
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Chapter 6
