I shuddered as the rope tightened over my wrists and legs.“Terence, I swear I didn’t ignore Sadie on purpose! You have to trust me. Please!”“Trust you?” Terence’s hand holding the rope paused.I nodded fiercely, tears streaming down my face.“Eight times!” He pinched my chin. "Sadie called you eight times, and you ignored every call! You didn’t even call her an ambulance! How do you expect me to believe you?!”His eyes flashed red with anger, and I felt my chest constrict.The typhoon made landfall in our city two days ago, and the emergency center where I worked had received countless calls.One number had called multiple times, but nobody was on the other end when we picked up.At first, I thought I was talking to an asthma patient who had experienced an attack due to the extreme weather, so I patiently waited for them to collect themselves and speak.“It’s alright if you can’t talk. If you need an ambulance, just knock twice on anything around you, and I’ll call one.”Th
The nurse ended the call before Terence could finish his rant. She looked at me with shock as if to ask, ‘Is that really your husband?’My lips stretched into a bitter smile. “Can I sign it myself? You heard how he—” Tears began to stream down my face. Once again, Terence had made it clear that despite being his wife, I meant nothing to him compared to his first love.The nurse looked at me sympathetically as I signed the consent form. Just doing that drained all my energy, and I fell into a deep sleep afterward. In my dreams, I revisited a time from years ago. The year before this happened, Sadie suddenly left the country and cut off all contact. At the same time, Terence lost his father in a car accident. Both incidents happened one after the other, and Terence turned to alcohol to cope with the loss of his first love and his father. By the time he stopped drinking so much, his stomach was already in terrible shape.For a whole year, I was the one who dragged him home
It was four days later when I woke up again. My left hand was in a cast, and all my wounds were dressed. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Terence and his angry gaze. Beside him stood Sadie, her eyes red and pitiful. Seeing that I had woken up, Terence stepped toward me and questioned, “Why are you lying to the internet about what happened?” He did not ask about my wounds at all. I was beyond confused. “What are you talking about?” Terence tossed his phone at me. “Quit playing dumb.”I took the phone and saw a post made at midnight: [Please Do Not Prank Call the Emergency Hotline.]The entire post was written from ‘my’ point of view, complaining about how Sadie deliberately stayed silent on call to wrongfully occupy the emergency hotline.It was an emotional post, and it was trending thanks to furious netizens reposting it and filling the comments section with comments taking ‘my’ side. Some netizens even found Sadie’s personal information and doxxed her
That day, I learned how true love could make Terence abandon all logic. I had done nothing wrong, yet he assumed the worst of me. It started drizzling outside the hospital.Terence squinted, and his voice was cold. “You’re unresonable!”…After the two of them left, I searched online for a tech-savvy hacker and paid him to look up the poster's IP address. Then, I called my colleague and asked her to send me a recording of the calls from that night. My heart sank when I heard her words. “Sorry, Linda. We just lost all the data from that day. The IT department is trying to recover it now.“But don’t worry. Before the data was lost, your husband and some girl dropped by to collect a copy.”I clenched my fist. I knew Sadie was involved in getting rid of the call logs. I had to find other evidence. Before I knew it, the sun had set. Too much had happened that day, and I was exhausted, so it did not take long for me to fall asleep. The next morning, I was woken up by a ser
Once the reporters saw me, they turned to shove their microphones in my face instead. “Miss Snyder, is Ms. Walsh telling the truth? Did you really mock her?”“Of course not—”“She did.” A text-to-speech generated voice rang out. It was Sadie.She looked at me, then began to type on her phone. The automated voice continued, “I didn’t want to tell the whole world at first, but the harassment was becoming too much. I had to get the truth out there.”Terence stepped forward in agreement. “Sadie is right. I may be Melinda’s husband, but I don't agree with what she did that day.”He grabbed my wrist and shoved me forward. “Melinda, you should take this chance to apologize to Sadie in front of everyone today.”“Apologize?” I looked at Sadie and asked coldly, “Do you think you deserve my apology?”Sadie looked uneasy and began to type, “I don’t know why you mocked me and lied on the internet, Mel, but I want to believe that you didn’t do it to hurt me.“If you don’t want to apologize
Everyone started to talk among themselves. This time, they were looking at Sadie. “Hold on. Who’s telling the truth?”“I don’t think Melinda’s lying. She swore on some pretty serious things.”“Yeah, that was crazy.”Sadie looked frantic as the crowd began to sway. She grabbed Terence’s sleeve and shook her head, her eyes red and brimming with tears. Just then, I received a message from the hacker I reached out to previously, and I smirked at the familiar address.“Oh, Sadie. You’re still insisting that I made that post, huh?” I looked at her. “Then how do you explain this IP address?”Sadie’s expression morphed into one of embarrassment and shame. I turned to the reporters. “You’re all here today for the inside scoop on the hottest gossip in town, right? I have the evidence right here. Come get it yourself.”Some reporters pulled out their phones. Sadie looked positively furious. There was a vicious look in her eyes. As the reporters approached me with cameras, Sadie su
Terence grabbed my hand and whispered, “No! No, Melinda. No! I don’t want to get divorced.“Granny will be alright, Melinda. She loves me, and she’s so nice to me. S-she won’t want us to get divorced." He was practically kneeling before me. "Please don’t talk about divorce! Please…”My heart clenched. Granny only liked Terence because I did. She did not want me to be alone after she died, so she treated Terence like her own grandson, hoping he would continue to love me and care for me. I bit my lip. My lungs felt like they were filled with cotton, and I felt like a knife was being twisted in my chest. “Please leave us alone, Terence…”His complexion was pale. He tried to reach for my hand, but I swatted it away. “Don’t touch me. You’re dirty.” Hatred burned in my eyes. Terence’s lips wobbled, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He stared at me for a long while. “I’m sorry, Melinda. I’m sorry… I really am.”Terence paused for a while, regret painting his eyes. “I hated that Sadie
Everything seemed to pause.I smiled and looked at Sadie sarcastically. “I didn’t know the police were miracle healers too. I can’t believe they cured your trachea!”Terence looked shocked. “You were lying to me this whole time?!“It’s all because of you that Granny’s injured and Melinda wants to divorce me! You lied to me and caused all this!”His eyes were red, and his fists were tight. He looked moments away from ripping Sadie into pieces. His eyes were filled with regret and hopelessness when he looked at me again. A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry, Melinda…”It took Sadie a while to get out of her stupor. Then, she began to laugh. It started as a small chuckle and grew into a maniacal laugh, complimented by her red-rimmed eyes.“You’re right. I’ve been lying to you this whole time! But you enjoyed it, didn’t you? “It’s not my fault you were torn between me and Melinda! You loved how sweet she was to you, but you couldn’t forget what we had.“Your
I expected Terence to leave me alone, but he rented an apartment nearby. Perhaps I had been too forgiving while we were together, so he thought I would forgive him one day if he did not give up. Disapproving of this, I decided to ignore him.However, that did not hinder him at all. He continued to woo me, and my doorstep was often littered with flowers or gifts. Fortunately, I convinced Granny to take a trip with her friends. Otherwise, she might have forgiven him in the end. I ignored Terence the entire time until one day, one of my neighbors returned from a trip and brought me some souvenirs. Terence rushed over angrily. His eyes flitted between us before questioning, “Who is he?! Are you two together? Have you two slept together?!”I suppressed my anger and looked at him calmly. “You and I are divorced. Surely you remember that.”Terence’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t do this to me, please, Melinda. I can’t forget you. I really can’t…”“And how is that my problem?” I inte
Time flew by, and before I knew it, three years had passed.Since that whole fiasco, I had quit my job and opened a bookstore with my savings. Granny was also recovering well.Unfortunately, Terence found me again. That night, I had closed up the bookstore and was on the way home when I saw a familiar silhouette under my apartment. “Melinda.” Terence looked at me longingly, a large bouquet of roses in his hand. He had lost a lot of weight these past three years, making his features look even sharper on his pale face. “It’s been a while.” I did not like the anticipation in his eyes. “You should know you’re the last person I want to see.” He continued to look at me.He looked especially lonely under the pale moonlight. I turned to walk away, only for him to grab my wrist. His eyes were downturned as he started to tell his story. “I kept thinking about what we had when I was in prison, and I can’t forget about how you stood in front of me when that guy hurled the beer
Everything seemed to pause.I smiled and looked at Sadie sarcastically. “I didn’t know the police were miracle healers too. I can’t believe they cured your trachea!”Terence looked shocked. “You were lying to me this whole time?!“It’s all because of you that Granny’s injured and Melinda wants to divorce me! You lied to me and caused all this!”His eyes were red, and his fists were tight. He looked moments away from ripping Sadie into pieces. His eyes were filled with regret and hopelessness when he looked at me again. A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry, Melinda…”It took Sadie a while to get out of her stupor. Then, she began to laugh. It started as a small chuckle and grew into a maniacal laugh, complimented by her red-rimmed eyes.“You’re right. I’ve been lying to you this whole time! But you enjoyed it, didn’t you? “It’s not my fault you were torn between me and Melinda! You loved how sweet she was to you, but you couldn’t forget what we had.“Your
Terence grabbed my hand and whispered, “No! No, Melinda. No! I don’t want to get divorced.“Granny will be alright, Melinda. She loves me, and she’s so nice to me. S-she won’t want us to get divorced." He was practically kneeling before me. "Please don’t talk about divorce! Please…”My heart clenched. Granny only liked Terence because I did. She did not want me to be alone after she died, so she treated Terence like her own grandson, hoping he would continue to love me and care for me. I bit my lip. My lungs felt like they were filled with cotton, and I felt like a knife was being twisted in my chest. “Please leave us alone, Terence…”His complexion was pale. He tried to reach for my hand, but I swatted it away. “Don’t touch me. You’re dirty.” Hatred burned in my eyes. Terence’s lips wobbled, and his eyes were red-rimmed. He stared at me for a long while. “I’m sorry, Melinda. I’m sorry… I really am.”Terence paused for a while, regret painting his eyes. “I hated that Sadie
Everyone started to talk among themselves. This time, they were looking at Sadie. “Hold on. Who’s telling the truth?”“I don’t think Melinda’s lying. She swore on some pretty serious things.”“Yeah, that was crazy.”Sadie looked frantic as the crowd began to sway. She grabbed Terence’s sleeve and shook her head, her eyes red and brimming with tears. Just then, I received a message from the hacker I reached out to previously, and I smirked at the familiar address.“Oh, Sadie. You’re still insisting that I made that post, huh?” I looked at her. “Then how do you explain this IP address?”Sadie’s expression morphed into one of embarrassment and shame. I turned to the reporters. “You’re all here today for the inside scoop on the hottest gossip in town, right? I have the evidence right here. Come get it yourself.”Some reporters pulled out their phones. Sadie looked positively furious. There was a vicious look in her eyes. As the reporters approached me with cameras, Sadie su
Once the reporters saw me, they turned to shove their microphones in my face instead. “Miss Snyder, is Ms. Walsh telling the truth? Did you really mock her?”“Of course not—”“She did.” A text-to-speech generated voice rang out. It was Sadie.She looked at me, then began to type on her phone. The automated voice continued, “I didn’t want to tell the whole world at first, but the harassment was becoming too much. I had to get the truth out there.”Terence stepped forward in agreement. “Sadie is right. I may be Melinda’s husband, but I don't agree with what she did that day.”He grabbed my wrist and shoved me forward. “Melinda, you should take this chance to apologize to Sadie in front of everyone today.”“Apologize?” I looked at Sadie and asked coldly, “Do you think you deserve my apology?”Sadie looked uneasy and began to type, “I don’t know why you mocked me and lied on the internet, Mel, but I want to believe that you didn’t do it to hurt me.“If you don’t want to apologize
That day, I learned how true love could make Terence abandon all logic. I had done nothing wrong, yet he assumed the worst of me. It started drizzling outside the hospital.Terence squinted, and his voice was cold. “You’re unresonable!”…After the two of them left, I searched online for a tech-savvy hacker and paid him to look up the poster's IP address. Then, I called my colleague and asked her to send me a recording of the calls from that night. My heart sank when I heard her words. “Sorry, Linda. We just lost all the data from that day. The IT department is trying to recover it now.“But don’t worry. Before the data was lost, your husband and some girl dropped by to collect a copy.”I clenched my fist. I knew Sadie was involved in getting rid of the call logs. I had to find other evidence. Before I knew it, the sun had set. Too much had happened that day, and I was exhausted, so it did not take long for me to fall asleep. The next morning, I was woken up by a ser
It was four days later when I woke up again. My left hand was in a cast, and all my wounds were dressed. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Terence and his angry gaze. Beside him stood Sadie, her eyes red and pitiful. Seeing that I had woken up, Terence stepped toward me and questioned, “Why are you lying to the internet about what happened?” He did not ask about my wounds at all. I was beyond confused. “What are you talking about?” Terence tossed his phone at me. “Quit playing dumb.”I took the phone and saw a post made at midnight: [Please Do Not Prank Call the Emergency Hotline.]The entire post was written from ‘my’ point of view, complaining about how Sadie deliberately stayed silent on call to wrongfully occupy the emergency hotline.It was an emotional post, and it was trending thanks to furious netizens reposting it and filling the comments section with comments taking ‘my’ side. Some netizens even found Sadie’s personal information and doxxed her
The nurse ended the call before Terence could finish his rant. She looked at me with shock as if to ask, ‘Is that really your husband?’My lips stretched into a bitter smile. “Can I sign it myself? You heard how he—” Tears began to stream down my face. Once again, Terence had made it clear that despite being his wife, I meant nothing to him compared to his first love.The nurse looked at me sympathetically as I signed the consent form. Just doing that drained all my energy, and I fell into a deep sleep afterward. In my dreams, I revisited a time from years ago. The year before this happened, Sadie suddenly left the country and cut off all contact. At the same time, Terence lost his father in a car accident. Both incidents happened one after the other, and Terence turned to alcohol to cope with the loss of his first love and his father. By the time he stopped drinking so much, his stomach was already in terrible shape.For a whole year, I was the one who dragged him home