Chapter 3
In the emergency room, the doctor urgently treated the wounds on my face while the nurse kept rinsing them, trying to reduce corrosion.
“This isn’t regular beauty water–it’s mixed with corrosive substances,” the doctor said gravely. “The wounds will leave permanent scars.
Lying on the hospital bed, tears slid from the corners of my eyes, mixing with antiseptic and stinging the wounds.
William stood beside the bed, his expression dark, eyes clouded with emotions I couldn’t decipher.
“Why were you screaming in the middle of the night? Do you realize you frightened Sophia?” His first words were accusations.
I let out a bitter laugh, my voice hoarse from pain. “Your daughter threw corrosive liquid on my face, yet you’re worried she got scared?”
William frowned. “Sophia’s just a child. She didn’t know what it was.”
“True, she didn’t,” I rasped. “But Emily knew. She put Sophia up to it.‘
William’s expression hardened: “Stop slandering Emily. She would never do such a thing.”
I closed my eyes and fell silent, my heart completely numb.
Emily slipped into the hospital room while William was away.
“Emma, looking this hideous now, William won’t want you anymore,” she whispered near my ear. “Be smart and leave the Johnson family. Stop being in the way.”
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I opened my eyes, meeting her malicious gaze directly.
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My stare startled her. Flustered, she turned away but threw a final threat: “You’ve got nothing left. Glaring won’t scare me.“.
Grandma brought Sophia to visit. Seeing the bandages on my face, Sophia hid behind Grandma in fright.
“Mom… your face…” she sobbed softly, eyes brimming with fear and guilt.
I reached to comfort her, but Margaret stopped me: “Don’t touch my granddaughter, your appearance will frighten her.‘
William entered and scooped up Sophia: “Don’t be scared, Daddy’s here. This isn’t your fault, it was Auntie’s carelessness.”
Auntie.
His comforting words snuffed out the last flicker of hope in my heart.
After hospital discharge, I silently packed my bags, resolved to leave this family that had wounded me so deeply
Eight years of devotion had bought me betrayal, false accusations, and disfigurement,
I had no reason to remain any longer, so I phoned Thomas overseas.
“Let me go. I’ve repaid every bit of the kindness I owed you over these eight years.”
“You’ve suffered all these years,” Thomas sighed before abruptly hanging
- up.
I wrote a long letter detailing the truth–Thomas’s agreement, Emily’s escape, and my sacrifices throughout those eight years.
E
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In the end, I tore it to pieces and tossed it into the trash.
Only the signed divorce papers remained, along with a few lines of blessing:
“William, I don’t hate you. I wish you happiness. Take good care of Sophia.”
I left the ring and everything the Johnson family had given me on the table, taking only my clothes and savings.
Before leaving, I took one last look into Sophia’s room. She was fast asleep, tear stains still visible on her little face.
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Goodbye, my daughter. I whispered before turning away without looking back.
After I left the Johnson family,
Sophia started having frequent nightmares. She’d wake up crying at night, screaming “I’m sorry, Mom.”
Late that night, William was jolted awake by hi
rushed into her room.
daughter’s scream and
“Sophia, what’s wrong? Another nightmare?” He lifted his tear–streaked daughter, soothing her gently.
Sophia clung to her father, sobbing. “Dad, am I evil? I hurt Mom…”
William frowned. “That wasn’t your fault. You were tricked.”
Sophia shook her head, crying harder. “Not true… Aunt Emily told me that water would make Mom’s face rot… She said Mom was bad and deserved punishment…”
William froze as if struck by lightning. “What did you say?”
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Sophia broke down and confessed: “Aunt Emily said if I helped drive Mommy away, she’d be my new mom and buy me lots and lots of toys…”
William’s face turned ashen. After comforting his daughter, he immediately ordered evidence collection.
Emily initially denied everything, but panic flickered across her face when William presented Sophia’s testimony.
“William, you can’t trust a child’s words,” she stammered. “She might be dreaming it up…”
“Silence!“>
William cut her off coldly. “I’ve checked your phone records. You searched for ‘household corrosive substances’ and purchased industrial- grade cleaner.”
Her composure shattered completely when she saw herself on the surveillance footage – caught on camera coaching Sophia.
Emily’s face instantly went pale, realizing she couldn’t lie her way out anymore. Her expression twisted viciously.
“So what? That woman stole everything that should’ve been mine! She deserves it!”
William, shocked by her cruelty, pressed harder: “What really happened that night eight years ago?”
When Emily stayed silent, William signaled his men to restrain her.
Under the crushing pressure, Emily finally broke down and confessed everything.
“I was the one who drugged you! You promised to marry whoever saved your life!”
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“I owed a massive debt and couldn’t wait. I didn’t know about your heart condition. I wasn’t about to spend my life wiping your ass, so I ran.”
William felt as if struck by lightning. Eight years of misunderstanding, all built on a single lie.
William felt conflicted when learning I’d leave, unconsciously packing my belongings into a trunk.
Including that torn–up long letter.
He frantically pieced the letter together, discovering my proxy marriage stemmed from helplessness and repaying kindness.
He then uncovered my complete medical records detailing her constant care through nights and days.
Every page overflowed with concern for his condition, every photograph documented his recovery.
William sat in my old room, holding those proofs as tears welled up beyond control.
He remembered every dawn and dusk I tended to him,
remembered my gentle smile while serving herbal tonics,
remembered my sleepless vigils during his relapses.
He had hurt this woman in the most brutal way, even allowing another
woman to harm me.
Furious, William sent Emily to court, vowing to find me and make
amends.
