I froze where I stood, completely dazed.
So, it was Wilma's words that planted suspicion in his mind.
No matter what, I did not want Anna to get dragged into any of this. I could only swallow the bitterness rising in my chest and force a sarcastic smile.
"Dear brother, do you really want a child with me? Do you still love me?"
I kept my face expressionless as I met his stubborn gaze. "Anna is the child of someone I loved. If you really don't mind, I can let her call you 'Daddy.'"
Sure enough, my words hit him like a thunderclap.
His eyes turned red in an instant and then, with a gust of rage, his fist flew past my face and slammed hard into the wall beside me.
He roared with pain and disbelief.
"Jenna Hale! Do you think I'm heartless? I'm still a human being. I can feel. I can get hurt!"
I tried to suppress the sadness surged within. With a forced smile, I reached up, brushed my hair behind my ear and leaned in close, lifting his chin with a finger.
"If you love kids that much, I could have another one with you."
His eyes filled with anguish. A tear slipped down his cheek, but his voice turned cold.
"Fine, Jenna, you win. The one thing I regret most in this life… is the fact that I ever loved you."
He pulled back his bloodied hand and walked away without looking back.
As soon as he disappeared from sight, the strength I had forced myself to hold onto crumbled as I dropped to the ground. My tears fell silently, soaking the cold floor beneath me.
I could not hold on any longer; the pain in my chest was suffocating and I could not breathe.
I was barely holding on when my phone rang.
"Jenna, we're short a stand-in on set. Can you come and fill in? Don't worry, I'll pay you."
I stayed silent for a few seconds and then said yes.
Even if this was just another setup by Juliette to humiliate me, I did not care anymore. I had nothing left to lose since I only needed the money for Anna's surgery.
I took a taxi to the set. As soon as I arrived, Juliette greeted me with a warm smile and started explaining the scene.
It was a dramatic one. Her character, the heroine, would be taken hostage by a gangster, stabbed and then fall off a cliff.
Her assistant seemed clearly nervous, saying in a worried tone, "Juliette, Mr. Hawthorne cares about you so much. If anything happens to you, the whole crew will be in trouble. Please, don't risk it. Just let the stand-in do it."
She glanced at me meaningfully when she said that.
I gave her a pale, tired smile.
So that was what this was about. She wanted me to witness Luther's love for her with my own eyes.
However, Juliette surprised everyone. She stayed in character and even scolded her assistant with professional conviction.
"No. I owe it to the audience to perform this scene myself. This is my responsibility as an actress. Don't bring it up again."
Even the director and the other crew members tried to persuade her, but she insisted on doing it. Her dedication earned her everyone's admiration.
She then turned to me and took my hand in hers.
"Jenna, you'll be playing one of the gangsters. In this scene, all you need to do is stab me. Don't worry. It's a fake knife."
She handed me the prop and even demonstrated how to use it.
After Juliette finished changing into her costume, the lights came on and the scene officially began filming.
I followed the script, but just as I moved to stab Juliette with the dagger, something unexpected happened.
She suddenly gave me a cold smile. Then, without warning, she grabbed my hand, tightened her grip around the knife and forced it down hard.
The sharp blade plunged into her chest. Blood gushed out in an instant, spilling across the floor in a terrifying pool.
Screams erupted all around me. People ran in every direction.
"Murder! She killed her!"
"This vicious woman switched the dagger and stabbed her own sister-in-law!"
I stood there frozen, horrified by what had just happened. My face went pale. I stumbled back, barely believing what I saw. My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone to call 911.
But before I could press the button, a strong force knocked me to the ground.
Luther rushed past me, cradling Juliette tightly in his arms. He ordered his assistant to call an ambulance, his hands frantically working to stop the bleeding.
Juliette's face was ghostly pale, her voice weak and shaking.
"Luther… don't blame Jenna. She didn't mean to… She only did something foolish because she was jealous of your love for me…"
The way she begged for me, even while coughing up blood, only made Luther's eyes burn deeper with pain.
He turned to me, cold and silent, picked up the blood-stained dagger from the ground and then stood tall, looking down at me with undisguised hatred.
"I kept telling myself that as long as we lived quietly, I could forget everything and let the past go. But why did you have to destroy everything I built? If I had never met you… things would've been better."
His words felt like sharp knives.
I felt like I had fallen into a pit of ice. I forced a desperate smile.
"Luther, no matter what I say, you won't believe me. But I… I'm just as wronged as your mother was back then."
The moment I mentioned that name, his expression twisted. His eyes turned red, hatred and sorrow crashing inside him like a tidal wave.
He shouted hoarsely, breaking down. "Don't bring her up!"
The image of those two pale bodies entangled on the bed rose before him again.
The bitter memories formed chaos in his mind.
The mother he respected more than anyone… had betrayed him.
I whispered bitterly, "Why won't anyone believe us?"
His fury snapped loose. Like a man driven mad, he lifted the dagger and lunged at me!
The dagger aimed straight at my heart.
