Share

Chapter 3

Author: Sophie Knowles
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56
James clenched his fists, hatred swirling in his eyes. "Are all of you stupid? How could you let a mere woman escape from here?"

Barbara patted his shoulder. "Maybe Anne just went out for a bit. She'll come back soon."

That made James even more angry. "Did I say she could go out?" he snapped unhappily.

Then, he turned to his assistant, Tom Hammond, and said, "Block all of Anne's cards. She'll come back when she has no money."

Tom hesitated before saying, "Boss, Ms. Jiles has never used any of the cards you gave her. She has always used her own money."

James was even more angry at that. "Then block her card too!"

Spouses did not have the right to terminate each other's bank cards. James was clearly furious enough not to think of that, so Tom just accepted the order for now.

James picked up his phone and began calling me.

My phone was just a few feet away from him. The screen lit up and went dark over and over again, yet he still did not notice anything.

In the end, furious, he began sending me a bunch of texts.

I stood beside my phone and watched as the texts came in.

"Where are you?"

"Come back here right this minute."

"Can you stop being jealous of Barbara? It's pointless!"

All of his texts went unanswered.

The feeling of losing control made James even more angry.

Barbara's mouth was twisted in a cruel smile when she saw James's attitude toward me.

I did not want to see the vindicative look on her face, so I tried to leave. However, a mysterious force pulled me back when I got to the door.

My soul could only linger beside the two of them.

James was quick to move on from me. Pretty soon, he got used to life without me.

He spent every day being sweetly in love with Barbara, only texting at night when he was bored.

Mostly, he just asked me to go back home. "Are you done sulking? If you are, come back. If not, then just stay out there forever."

He spent his days with Barbara, kissing her, eating with her, and talking to her while I was stuck in a cooler in the basement.

During their more intimate moments, Barbara would press herself to his body and ask, "Am I better than Anne, Jamie?"

James's answer was immediate. "She can't compare to you. She's old and ugly."

Barbara caressed his face. "I knew it. You got with her because you were upset that I went abroad."

My mind went back to the day I first met James.

It was a rainy night. Jacondale was caught in the middle of an unprecedented flood, and both James and I were trapped in it.

James had gotten hurt. His wound was infected, and he had lost consciousness.

My father had always taught me to be kind. Therefore, I carried him on my back and waded through the floodwaters to a rescue shelter.

He turned out fine. I, on the other hand, was not. My legs had been cut up badly by the debris in the floodwater. I had to walk with a limp for some time.

When James found out about this, he stayed by my side and took care of me without complaint.

It was only after we got together as a couple that I found out that he had a childhood sweetheart.

At the time, he had reassured me, "We were just friends. We would've been together a long time ago if that was a possibility."

I did not think that anything was wrong with that. Plus, James had been good to me, so I let down my guard and stayed with him.

However, after we got married, his attitude changed completely.

He would point at me and criticize me without any hesitation. "Your nose is flat. Your skin is terrible. You're not as pretty as Barbara."

I thought that my corpse would be kept in the fridge in Barbara's basement forever. Then, James went down to the basement for some reason during one of their dates.

I watched hopefully as he opened the door.

My body was completely mutilated by this point—every time Barbara got upset, she would come down to the basement and take a knife to my corpse. Blood and water mixed together on my face, frozen solid.

Therefore, James did not recognize me at first.

He thought that I was one of Barbara's scale models, the type that she used to do her research.

Then, he turned around and saw a diamond ring on my skeletal finger.

He had put that ring on my hand himself on our third anniversary.

Related chapters

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 4

    James finally recognized me. He paused in his steps, eyes wide as he stared at the freezer."Anne?" he said, his lips trembling. He staggered over to me and threw himself against the freezer, unable to believe his eyes. "Anne, is that you?"He reached into the freezer and took my hand. He refused to let go, even though it was so cold that he was trembling.I did not like him touching my body. It disgusted me.James reached out to check my heartbeats. It was unmoving. His expression was twisted in sorrow. "You're joking, right?" he said, his voice shaking. "Barbara told me it was just a minor surgery. Why are you here, Anne? "Oh, right, you were covered with a white sheet that day. They wouldn't do that to a living patient. Were you already dead then? And I did all that to you."The more he thought about it, the more his heart hurt.James slid to the ground on his knees, still holding my hand.This was the first time I had ever seen him so pathetic."You still hate me, don't

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 5

    The day of James and Barbara's wedding arrived soon.James did not apply for my death certificate. He married Barbara at the risk of committing bigamy.Fortunately for him, we hadn't publicized our marriage, so most of his guests did not know that he was already married.Even so, it was impossible to keep things under wraps. One person muttered under his breath when they passed by James, "I thought Mr. Chapman was already married."He was the first person who knew about my existence.James did not get angry when he heard that. Instead, he gave the person one of the best seats in the house.He gave him special treatment on my behalf, but it was just for his own sake.I was already dead. There was no need for that.The wedding was grand and lavish. James had filled the entire garden of his mansion with gardenias.Barbara pressed herself against James affectionately. "You really do love me, don't you? You didn't do all this when you married Anne."James' eyes were emotionless as

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 6

    James stood with his back straight as he instructed the doctors. "I know you care about this face a lot. I wonder how you'll live if you don't look like that," he told Barbara.Then, he pulled up a photograph on his phone and told the doctors, "Make her look like this."He grabbed Barbara by the neck. "You're not going to have any anesthesia, so just endure the pain."Under James' instruction, the doctors cut Barbara's face tremblingly.Realizing that there was no escape, Barbara lost it. Tears falling, she said, "I wasn't the one who killed Anne. It was you! If you hadn't given her the sleeping pills, she would still be alive right now. You're the one who killed her!"Anger burned in James' eyes.Before bringing me to the salon, he had fed me several sleeping pills so that I would remain compliant.He only blamed Barbara to lessen the guilt he was feeling.He knew that he was the main culprit; Barbara was just complicit in my murder.He just didn't want to admit it.Rushing

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 7

    James' parents finally had enough of his behavior.His mother, Jessica Moore, stormed over to the mansion angrily, only to find James watering the flowers.She grabbed one of the pots and tossed it aside. "Look at you. You're pathetic!"The flowerpot fell onto the hard concrete and shattered into pieces. James picked it up hurriedly, but it was too late—Jessica had seen the contents of the pot.It was my skull.She stared at the rest of the flowerpots in James' room, each containing more of my bones. "Have you lost your mind, James?"James' eyes reddened. "I miss her, Mom. I thought I saw her at my wedding with Barbara, but I didn't dare to acknowledge her. I'm scared that she still blames me for her death. I just want to keep her by my side as long as I can."No mother could bear to see their child in such pain.Jessica patted James on the shoulder comfortingly and pulled him into a hug.James continued sobbing."I have an idea," Jessica said. "Someone recommended a medium t

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 8

    James grasped onto that like it was his lifeline. "Anne, I have wronged you. Please forgive me for the sake of our bond. I really love you. I'll treat you well from now on."The medium interrupted him. "I can sense that the bond originated from your pleading too. In your past life, you begged for her to give you another chance as well. You have bound her to you for two lives."That meant that in our past lives, James had also begged for a second chance as he was doing so right now.I had agreed to give him a second chance, and yet he still treated me so cruelly.James' face went grey. Lowering his eyes, he mumbled, "Why didn't I treasure my second chance?"I scoffed. "Ask yourself that. Now, let me go.""Will you forgive me if I let you go?" he begged."Never," I said firmly. "I won't forgive you ever. Don't make me hate you more than I already do."My voice was firm. James could do nothing else but smile bitterly. "Alright. In that case, I release you."With that, my incorpor

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 1

    A sharp buzzing came from the machine on the side of my bed, signaling that the person on the bed had lost all vital signs.I floated in the air and watched the medical personnel bustle around my bed in a panic.This was the first time that the young nurse had encountered this situation. She didn't know that I was already dead, as she thought that I had just fallen unconscious due to the toxicity of the drugs, so she ran to the office in a panic.James Chapman and Barbara Simpson were entwined together in the office, their clothes disheveled. Both of them look displeased at being interrupted."Sir," the nurse started awkwardly. "Ms. Jiles is in a bad way."James straightened his collar and said impatiently, "Tell her to drop the act. It's just a simple cosmetic procedure. What can happen to her? I should've given her more anesthetic. She's always causing trouble for me."He thought that I was just pretending to be sick in order to get his sympathy, but I was really dead. I died j

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 2

    James was stunned for a moment. Then, disgust clouded his expression. "Why not take it up a notch and tell me she's dismembered? Dead? What kind of lie is that? I've really underestimated her, it seems. Well then, let her prove it. She'd better not show up in front of me ever again."In his mind, I had always been a liar and an actor.The doctor gritted his teeth. "It's true. She bled out. The entire room smells like blood. You should go take a look, sir.""That's enough!" James snapped. "I don't know how much she paid you to lie to me but remember your place. I will not visit her until she settles down."The doctor wanted to argue further, but James just turned and left.The surgery ended at night.Barely anyone stood up for me, especially after Barbara fired the nurse and the doctor who tried to help me.I felt a little sorry for making them lose their jobs, but then again, nothing good came out of working with Barbara.The doctors covered me up with a white sheet.James cam

Latest chapter

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 8

    James grasped onto that like it was his lifeline. "Anne, I have wronged you. Please forgive me for the sake of our bond. I really love you. I'll treat you well from now on."The medium interrupted him. "I can sense that the bond originated from your pleading too. In your past life, you begged for her to give you another chance as well. You have bound her to you for two lives."That meant that in our past lives, James had also begged for a second chance as he was doing so right now.I had agreed to give him a second chance, and yet he still treated me so cruelly.James' face went grey. Lowering his eyes, he mumbled, "Why didn't I treasure my second chance?"I scoffed. "Ask yourself that. Now, let me go.""Will you forgive me if I let you go?" he begged."Never," I said firmly. "I won't forgive you ever. Don't make me hate you more than I already do."My voice was firm. James could do nothing else but smile bitterly. "Alright. In that case, I release you."With that, my incorpor

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 7

    James' parents finally had enough of his behavior.His mother, Jessica Moore, stormed over to the mansion angrily, only to find James watering the flowers.She grabbed one of the pots and tossed it aside. "Look at you. You're pathetic!"The flowerpot fell onto the hard concrete and shattered into pieces. James picked it up hurriedly, but it was too late—Jessica had seen the contents of the pot.It was my skull.She stared at the rest of the flowerpots in James' room, each containing more of my bones. "Have you lost your mind, James?"James' eyes reddened. "I miss her, Mom. I thought I saw her at my wedding with Barbara, but I didn't dare to acknowledge her. I'm scared that she still blames me for her death. I just want to keep her by my side as long as I can."No mother could bear to see their child in such pain.Jessica patted James on the shoulder comfortingly and pulled him into a hug.James continued sobbing."I have an idea," Jessica said. "Someone recommended a medium t

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 6

    James stood with his back straight as he instructed the doctors. "I know you care about this face a lot. I wonder how you'll live if you don't look like that," he told Barbara.Then, he pulled up a photograph on his phone and told the doctors, "Make her look like this."He grabbed Barbara by the neck. "You're not going to have any anesthesia, so just endure the pain."Under James' instruction, the doctors cut Barbara's face tremblingly.Realizing that there was no escape, Barbara lost it. Tears falling, she said, "I wasn't the one who killed Anne. It was you! If you hadn't given her the sleeping pills, she would still be alive right now. You're the one who killed her!"Anger burned in James' eyes.Before bringing me to the salon, he had fed me several sleeping pills so that I would remain compliant.He only blamed Barbara to lessen the guilt he was feeling.He knew that he was the main culprit; Barbara was just complicit in my murder.He just didn't want to admit it.Rushing

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 5

    The day of James and Barbara's wedding arrived soon.James did not apply for my death certificate. He married Barbara at the risk of committing bigamy.Fortunately for him, we hadn't publicized our marriage, so most of his guests did not know that he was already married.Even so, it was impossible to keep things under wraps. One person muttered under his breath when they passed by James, "I thought Mr. Chapman was already married."He was the first person who knew about my existence.James did not get angry when he heard that. Instead, he gave the person one of the best seats in the house.He gave him special treatment on my behalf, but it was just for his own sake.I was already dead. There was no need for that.The wedding was grand and lavish. James had filled the entire garden of his mansion with gardenias.Barbara pressed herself against James affectionately. "You really do love me, don't you? You didn't do all this when you married Anne."James' eyes were emotionless as

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 4

    James finally recognized me. He paused in his steps, eyes wide as he stared at the freezer."Anne?" he said, his lips trembling. He staggered over to me and threw himself against the freezer, unable to believe his eyes. "Anne, is that you?"He reached into the freezer and took my hand. He refused to let go, even though it was so cold that he was trembling.I did not like him touching my body. It disgusted me.James reached out to check my heartbeats. It was unmoving. His expression was twisted in sorrow. "You're joking, right?" he said, his voice shaking. "Barbara told me it was just a minor surgery. Why are you here, Anne? "Oh, right, you were covered with a white sheet that day. They wouldn't do that to a living patient. Were you already dead then? And I did all that to you."The more he thought about it, the more his heart hurt.James slid to the ground on his knees, still holding my hand.This was the first time I had ever seen him so pathetic."You still hate me, don't

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 3

    James clenched his fists, hatred swirling in his eyes. "Are all of you stupid? How could you let a mere woman escape from here?"Barbara patted his shoulder. "Maybe Anne just went out for a bit. She'll come back soon."That made James even more angry. "Did I say she could go out?" he snapped unhappily.Then, he turned to his assistant, Tom Hammond, and said, "Block all of Anne's cards. She'll come back when she has no money."Tom hesitated before saying, "Boss, Ms. Jiles has never used any of the cards you gave her. She has always used her own money."James was even more angry at that. "Then block her card too!"Spouses did not have the right to terminate each other's bank cards. James was clearly furious enough not to think of that, so Tom just accepted the order for now.James picked up his phone and began calling me.My phone was just a few feet away from him. The screen lit up and went dark over and over again, yet he still did not notice anything.In the end, furious, he

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 2

    James was stunned for a moment. Then, disgust clouded his expression. "Why not take it up a notch and tell me she's dismembered? Dead? What kind of lie is that? I've really underestimated her, it seems. Well then, let her prove it. She'd better not show up in front of me ever again."In his mind, I had always been a liar and an actor.The doctor gritted his teeth. "It's true. She bled out. The entire room smells like blood. You should go take a look, sir.""That's enough!" James snapped. "I don't know how much she paid you to lie to me but remember your place. I will not visit her until she settles down."The doctor wanted to argue further, but James just turned and left.The surgery ended at night.Barely anyone stood up for me, especially after Barbara fired the nurse and the doctor who tried to help me.I felt a little sorry for making them lose their jobs, but then again, nothing good came out of working with Barbara.The doctors covered me up with a white sheet.James cam

  • Forced Beautification   Chapter 1

    A sharp buzzing came from the machine on the side of my bed, signaling that the person on the bed had lost all vital signs.I floated in the air and watched the medical personnel bustle around my bed in a panic.This was the first time that the young nurse had encountered this situation. She didn't know that I was already dead, as she thought that I had just fallen unconscious due to the toxicity of the drugs, so she ran to the office in a panic.James Chapman and Barbara Simpson were entwined together in the office, their clothes disheveled. Both of them look displeased at being interrupted."Sir," the nurse started awkwardly. "Ms. Jiles is in a bad way."James straightened his collar and said impatiently, "Tell her to drop the act. It's just a simple cosmetic procedure. What can happen to her? I should've given her more anesthetic. She's always causing trouble for me."He thought that I was just pretending to be sick in order to get his sympathy, but I was really dead. I died j

DMCA.com Protection Status