“Zoey, it is time you paid for your sins!” Michael’s voice cracked with fury as he threw the words at me.
He stared with a feverish intensity, as if desperate to see fear flit across my face, to watch me cry, beg, and crawl on the floor for mercy.
But I only lay there on the cold tile, eyes closed, my heart long since dead.
“Bitch!” he snarled.
Then, with one last look of disgust, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.
For a few minutes, the room remained silent.
Eventually, the door creaked open again.
Bitterness rose in my throat.
Tears slipped from my eyes as I whispered weakly, “Paul, you are here…”
But when I opened my eyes, the silhouette standing before me was not the one I longed for.
Several men shuffled into the ward. Their faces were jaundiced, their skin marked with oozing sores and grotesque cauliflower-like lesions.
A stench of infection and decay rolled off them, filling the room, and standing behind them was Jenna.
A scream burst from my throat as I struggled to push myself backward.
With my legs paralyzed and my wrist broken, I could hardly move. Escape was out of reach.
Jenna watched me struggle before throwing her head back in laughter.
“Look at you,” she said, delighted. “You are like a dead dog. Pathetic and hilarious. You actually thought you could steal my man? Go die.”
She stepped closer, her eyes bright with cruelty.
“You probably do not know this. I was Michael’s first love. Back then, he took a hundred beatings for wanting to be with me. His legs were broken, and he still would not admit he liked me.”
She tilted her head mockingly. “You think he is marrying you because he loves you? Please, Dad said he would only let me come home once Michael got engaged. He had to choose someone.”
Her smile stretched wider, triumphant and vicious.
“And do you know why he chose you? Because your body looks the most like mine. He said that when the lights are off, being with you feels just like being with me.”
A violent ache squeezed my chest. Tears poured down my face.
A memory from our first night together came to mind. I accidentally turned on the lamp, and the room flooded with light.
Michael’s face changed instantly. He pulled away from me as if burned and hurried into the bathroom.
He stayed there for what felt like ages before coming out, awkwardly embracing me.
“Sorry, baby. First time. I just got nervous.”
At that time, I considered it lovely, maybe a little bashful.
I never imagined the truth behind it.
Seeing the life drain from my expression, Jenna clasped her hands together in glee.
“Take good care of her,” she told the men coldly. “Ruin her completely. Ruin her until Michael never wants her again.”
The ward door slammed shut behind them.
...
Just one wall away, in the next room, Michael sat stiff and motionless. Through the thin partition, my screams and sobs seeped in like poison. His hand involuntarily clenched at his side.
A soft hand slipped into his.
“Michael, do not worry,” Jenna murmured soothingly. “I told them only to scare her. Once she faints, we will send her to get treatment for her disease.”
Michael let out a low hum. He drew her into his arms and brushed a gentle kiss against the ends of her hair.
“Thank you for forgiving her, Jenna.”
His expression softened, warm and almost tender.
“I really do love her. I planned to marry her. But she refuses to accept you. Do not worry. I will send her to the treatment center. They will reform and discipline her properly.”
A sharp, vindictive glint flickered in Jenna’s eyes.
She rose on her toes and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips.
“Until Zoey comes back,” she whispered, “will you keep me company, Michael?”
Their lips were still entwined when a deafening crash erupted from the next room.
A heartbeat later, countless horrified screams rose from outside the building.
“Someone jumped! A doctor jumped! It is Dr. Williams!”
