Chapter 3

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 address.

“They’ve been stalking and harassing her ever since you posted that! Her phone is filled with people scolding her for something that isn’t even her fault! It’s because of you that she’s crying all the time and having nightmares!

“When did you become so cruel, Melinda?”

My nose felt hot, but I tried to keep the tears at bay as I met Terence’s gaze bravely. “Whether you believe me or not, the truth is that it wasn’t me who wrote that. I was still unconscious when the post was made.”

Sadie sobbed as she made her way to me. She shoved her phone into my hands and blinked at me innocently. She had typed out her protests.“Mel! You didn’t do it on purpose, right?”

Her gaze was taunting and prideful.

I suddenly understood what she was trying to do.

I raised the phone and looked at Terence. “Would you believe me if I told you she took my phone?”

I watched as Terence’s expression changed from shocked to furious.

“Are you telling me that Sadie used your phone to make a post about her being the bad guy?”

He pointed at me, livid. “Melinda! You couldn’t even try to make up a better excuse?! How would doing that benefit her?!”

Sadness filled my chest. It was exactly as I expected.

Sadie’s plan was filled with loopholes, yet Terence believed her unconditionally. She did not even need to defend herself.

My feelings of unjustness threatened to burst out. The more I tried to suppress them, the more my tears threatened to spill.

“Do you not believe me at all?”

Terence was silent for a long while before he scoffed. This was not the man I thought I married.

“You’re still acting like you’re innocent, huh, Melinda?

“You know Sadie can’t speak because her trachea was infected, don’t you?” He glared at me. “When the typhoon made landfall, glass shards pierced her ankle. She was bleeding nonstop, and she called you eight times, only for you to ignore her calls. I can’t imagine how hopeless she must’ve felt…”

“Why don’t you believe me?! Why are you doing this to me?!” I roared, “They had to cut my kidney out to keep me alive!”

Terence’s reply was cold. “I know what kind of person Sadie is. She would never lie to me.

“What happened to you was karma. You did this to yourself. You should be begging for Sadie’s forgiveness.”