When she saw me wrapped in bandages, his mother, Naomi Ross’s eyes filled with heartache. She rushed toward me, arms halfway open, then hesitated, afraid even a touch might hurt me.
"Lainey, how did this happen to you? Was it that boy did he do this to you?"
I said nothing.
Realizing the truth in my silence, Naomi’s expression faltered, but she still clung to a sliver of hope.
"Lainey, be good. I’ll fight for you. That brat has gotten completely out of hand!"
She pulled out her phone and began calling Jeremiah.
She dialed again and again. No answer.
Her smile turned awkward as she looked at me, forcing a strained chuckle.
“Lainey, Maybe Jeremiah's just… busy right now, you know…"
Before she could finish, I handed her the explicit photo Margaret had just sent me two minutes ago.
"You’re right, Auntie. He is indeed very busy."
Naomi stared at the provocative message. The smile on her lips collapsed.
She looked at me, eyes heavy with sorrow, and whispered, "Lainey, I’m sorry. This is all my fault."
"If I had known Jeremiah would become like this, I would’ve never pushed the two of you together. During those five years, you were in prison, I kept urging him to visit you. Every time, he told me he did…”
Seeing her try to shift the topic, I followed her lead and revealed the truth.
"The one who stabbed someone back then… it was Margaret. Jeremiah was the one who found me and begged me to take the blame. I didn’t want to, at first. But he said if I did he’d consider marrying me."
"You’ve seen it now, Auntie. Jeremiah already has someone he loves. The wish you had for me to marry him, I can’t carry that out anymore."
"This… this… how could this be…"
Naomi stood frozen, unable to accept that all her heartfelt hopes had led to this.
Just as I turned to leave, Jeremiah called.
I deliberately turned on the speakerphone, and his vicious voice burst through.
“Lainey, are you a bitch or what? I just tried to sleep with you and you refused, then you go whining to my mom? What the hell is wrong with you?”
I lifted the phone and met Naomi’s eyes.
In silence, I told her: that it wasn’t that I refused, it was because this was who Jeremiah truly was.
Naomi’s face went cold with disappointment. Her voice trembled with rage as she snapped, “Jeremiah, that’s enough! All those years of raising you, what were they even for?”
“Mom, go ahead, take her side. Who's your real child, huh? Lainey is just some filthy slut who's been with God knows how many men. A whore with a kid. Why the hell are you defending her?”
“Whatever. I’ve said enough. Just stop helping her. She needs to be knocked down a peg. Maybe then she’ll remember who her savior really is.”
Jeremiah hung up without a trace of hesitation.
But just before the call ended, both Naomi and I clearly heard Margaret’s coquettish voice purring through the line.
“Brother Jeremiah, let’s do something exciting tonight, okay? Tonight, I belong only to you.”
The room fell into suffocating silence.
After a long, heavy pause, Naomi let out a weary sigh and finally said, “Lainey, if you want to leave… then go. I won’t stop you anymore.”
She looked at me with guilt in her eyes.
“It’s me who owes you. From the beginning, you and Jeremiah were a mistake. I should never have used your sacrifice to push you toward him.”
I didn’t say another word.
I quietly gathered my things, stepped out of the villa, and booked a hotel for the night.
