What happened after that... I can't bear to remember.
Until the very end, when Clarence gave me one last vicious kick.
"Boring."
"Thought she'd put up more of a fight. Turns out she's just a dead fish."
Someone noticed I'd actually stopped breathing and asked nervously, "Mr. Whitney, what do we do now?"
Clarence thought for a moment, then answered.
"Clean it up."
"Rupert doesn't want her anyway. No one will ever know she's dead."
My soul drifted back to the Sanchez estate.
The moment I entered, I saw my mother-in-law smash her teacup in fury after learning what had happened to me.
"Rupert, have you lost your mind?!"
"You sent Aileen to work at a hostess club? That's your wife! Your legally wedded wife!"
Rupert sat on the sofa, leisurely flipping through documents.
"She brought it on herself."
Kathy Sanchez trembled with rage. "What happened to Yolanda was wrong of her, but you can't be this cruel! Don't you know how she's treated me all these years?"
"You'll never find another daughter-in-law this good!"
"It's all an act."
Rupert closed the folder and looked up, his eyes cold as ice.
"She's been getting more and more out of line just because you favor her. She thinks having your support means she can do whatever she wants."
"This time, she needs to learn her lesson. She needs to know who's in charge of this family."
Kathy collapsed onto the sofa, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
A servant rushed over with her medication, but she knocked it away with a wave of her hand.
"You'll regret this."
"When something goes wrong, it'll be too late for regret."
Rupert laughed.
"What could possibly go wrong?"
He walked to the window, his back to his mother. "Everyone knows she's Rupert Sanchez's wife. No one would dare actually touch her."
"Lock her up for a few days, let her suffer a bit, and she'll know she was wrong."
"And then?"
Kathy couldn't help but ask.
"In three days, I'll go get her."
"Once she's suffered enough, she'll behave. She'll be a proper Mrs. Sanchez."
Kathy finally sighed and stopped pleading on my behalf.
Just then, crying came from upstairs.
The moment Rupert heard it, he rushed up and pulled Yolanda into his arms.
"What's wrong?"
His voice was tender—unrecognizably so.
Yolanda lifted her head, her eyes red and swollen.
"Rupert... I'm scared."
"I'm worried about what might happen to Aileen at that club..."
"Don't mention her."
Rupert's tone went cold for an instant, then softened again. "She's getting what she deserves. Just rest. Don't think about it."
But Yolanda shook her head.
She clutched the front of his shirt, her knuckles white.
"That's not it... I was the one being reckless. I snuck out on my own. Aileen didn't know... She really didn't know!"
Her voice grew smaller and smaller until it dissolved into sobs.
Rupert gently patted her back. After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Yolanda, you're too kind."
"You're defending her, but do you know what she really thinks?"
"If she hadn't encouraged you, why would you have gone to a place like that?"
"She thought you were annoying, so she dumped you there, hoping those men would..."
He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.
Yolanda's face went pale.
She shook her head violently, tears flying.
"No! Aileen would never do that!"
Rupert held her tighter, his voice low.
"She would. That's exactly the kind of woman she is."
"You're too young to understand how evil people can be. But I do. And I won't let her hurt you again."
Yolanda tried to say something more, but Rupert pressed her back against his chest.
"Don't worry. I'll go get her in three days."
With that, he switched off the light and lay down on Yolanda's bed, pulling her into his arms.
His fingers combed gently through her hair.
And I watched Rupert, so utterly certain that nothing could happen to me.
For a moment, I couldn't even cry.
No tears. No breath. No heartbeat.
Only a feeling remained—colder than death, sharper than pain.
So this was what it meant to have your heart cut to pieces.
Even when the soul had shattered, it still hurt.
"Rupert, wait three days before coming to get me."
"I'll probably already be rotting by then."
