When I was sixteen, I was kidnapped by my father's business rivals. Jacob stormed into the kidnappers' hideout alone and fought them tooth and nail.
He was beaten to a pulp with three ribs broken and a right leg shattered. He still gritted his teeth and carried me out of that abandoned warehouse.
Jacob was afraid I would be terrified, so he kept my eyes closed the entire time and whispered reassurances in my ear.
“Don't be afraid, Laura. I'll get you home safely. I'm here and nothing will happen to you.”
And now, he was using the exact words he once spoke to me to comfort another woman.
“Don't be afraid, Kiara. I'm here and nothing will happen to you. I'll get you home safely.”
Jacob's men arrived quickly, but they had no time for me. They rushed straight to rescue Kiara. They also took him to the hospital for treatment.
I sat calmly in the car, watching them drive away, when a message popped up on my phone.
[Miss Benico, are you just going to let them go?]
I replied to that message.
[How could that be? What I asked you to prepare, is it ready?]
[Yes, it’s ready.]
Reading that message, my eyes lit up with delight.
“Jacob, enjoy the hell I'm about to unleash upon you.”
I tucked my phone away. I drove Jacob's car back home.
Jacob underwent treatment at the hospital for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, I stayed home, clearing out the unnecessary trash.
At that moment, the housekeeper held up a course, poorly made gray scarf. She asked me doubtfully, “Madam, do you still need this rag?”
The rag she was referring to was the scarf Kiara had personally knitted for Jacob. The day she gave it to him, when he returned home with a pleased smile on his lips. He carefully placed the scarf, which he was reluctant to wear, in a drawer in the study.
“Burn it.”
As I spoke, my gaze drifted back to the wedding photo in the living room. “Burn all of this together.”
She was slightly starved, with a flicker of confusion in her eyes. But she knew her place and she understood what questions to ask and what not to ask.
Nodding, she removed the wedding photo from its frame. Just then, another message pinged on my phone.
[Miss Benico, Jacob is being discharged tomorrow.]
The show was about to begin. The next day, Jacob rolled in on a wheelchair, pushed by Kiara.
“Jacob, you really can't indulge Laura anymore. If she dares to hurt you now, she'll kill you later. Keeping such a menace around keeps me awake at night, terrified she'll poison me one day.”
Jacob patted her hand gently, offering comfort. “Don't worry, okay?”
He said more gently, “Everything will be fine once we get divorced. From now on, it'll just be the two of us, living happily ever after…”
He didn't finish his sentence. Suddenly, the living room erupted with the clamor of a crowd.
“Mr. Chastan is back!”
“Mr. Chastan, please look at the child in my arms! We had his horoscope read and many say he's blessed with good fortune. Adopting him as your godson would be absolutely perfect!”
“Mr. Chastan, look at my daughter! She's so well-behaved and obedient. She is our little angel. If you take her as your goddaughter, she'll be your little angel too!”
Several elegantly dressed individuals jostled each other, pushing their children toward Jacob. Caught off guard by this sudden encirclement, Jacob and Kiara froze.
Kiara snapped out of it and shouted at the crowd in exasperation, “What? What are you all doing? When did Jacob ever say he wanted to adopt a godson or goddaughter? If he wants a child, I can give him one. When did it become your turn?”
“Really?” I descended the stairs unhurriedly, pulling out Jacob's medical report amidst their astonishment.
“Didn't the doctor say he's infertile? How could you have him adopt someone else's child? You're pregnant with someone else's child and you're asking him to adopt it?”
