A muscular man seized John by the arm. The boy kept struggling to break free, but there was no way he could overcome the man’s strength.Suddenly, Quinn took out a sharp knife that dazzled under the sun. With a slash, she ruthlessly made a wound on the boy’s arm, and almost immediately, his arm became drenched with blood.The wound was painful indeed, but John did not even make a sound, for he knew that his mother would definitely be worried.“John!”Shannon cried out loud in agony. “Quinn, let go of John! I will not let you hurt him!” Tightly, she squeezed the phone in her hand as her anxiety surged. Quinn was aiming the knife at John’s body at this time.“Quinn, you can do anything you want with me! Let go of John! Don’t hurt him!”“Shannon, I may consider your offer.” Slowly she put down her knife as she said, “However, I need something in exchange for his life. I’ll let him live as long as you take his place!”Shannon was so worried that she might hurt John again so she co
John was dead.Sean and his men had been searching for a week, but there was no sign of John anywhere.The area where John fell into was known to be inhabited by sharks. According to the search team, the blood from his wound might have drawn the sharks to him, thus making him easy prey. He might have been eaten by the sharks, which was why they could not find traces of his body anywhere.Shannon knew the reality very well. Her baby, John, was gone.The water was so cold and deep that there was no way John could survive the fall, especially with his body that was so soft and fragile.Shannon had said it over and over again—Quinn murdered her boy. An eye for an eye, she, as a murderer, deserved to be punished the same. Sadly no one believed a word she said.Quinn managed to fake a letter left behind by John, saying that he would rather take his own life than tie his mother down with his critical illness.Shannon stood there in disbelief. The phone was still clasped in her hand, wi
“Shannon!”Sean looked at her with utter disbelief. In hasty steps, he went straight to her. He wanted to hold her close in his arms, but he was scared. He was fearful that he might not feel any warmth from her.“Shannon!”He spent the next few seconds anguishing about whether he had let his fear get the better of him. Eventually, he gathered his courage and closely, he clasped her body in his arms. There was no way he could hide the pain in his eyes. He squeezed her body with all his strength just so he could feel her again. Only through such physical contact could he express himself. He was scared that she might leave him forever.“Hang in there, Shannon! I won’t let anything happen to you! You’ll be fine!”Sean carried her in his arms and rushed to the hospital. Perhaps he was too distraught with fear that it affected his observation; he came to realize that he could not feel her heartbeat the entire time. She was not even breathing, too.“Shannon, don’t you leave me alone!
Sam had been waiting for Sean outside the emergency room.Sean was brusque and impatient as he said to Sam, “Find out everything! I want to know what exactly happened to her in those years!” Even if they had a major argument, there was no reason for Julio to treat her with such savage violence by inflicting an injury to her that could disable her for life. “Duly noted.” He watched as Sean dashed into Shannon’s ward and pondered whether he should tell him the truth. Seconds later, he walked up to him again.He knew that Sean would be displeased that he had made a decision that he was not in a position to make, but he had to tell him the truth. The Gray family had always been generous to him, and he was still indebted to their help throughout the years.“Sir, I think there’s something that you should know.”“What’s the matter?”“I went to see young Mr. Gray a few days before the accident. He said that he needed my help, so I went to see him.”Sam paused for a moment to study hi
“Ms. Gray has been suffering for the past five years.”His eyes strayed to Shannon, who was still lying on the hospital bed. He was reminded of the help that he had received from the Gray family throughout his years in school, and he had been a family friend ever since. Shannon was a very talented girl; her optimism was especially admirable. With a silver-spoon upbringing, her life should have been easy and trouble-free. Therefore, he could not imagine how she endured the years in prison.The findings only made him sigh. It was heart-wrenching for Sean to find out what she had been through over the years. Though difficult, the truth must be made known.“The inmates were instructed to give Ms. Gray a hard time. Almost every day, they tortured her, even the guards were involved, sometimes. She was always injured, and the most severe incident was the one where four of her ribs were broken. That was also when they permanently disabled her hand.”Another incident came to his mind. “Oh,
Sean clenched his fists in exasperation. He never knew that she was deaf in one ear. How much pain had his beloved girl suffered?“Ms. Gray was already diagnosed with depression before her pregnancy. The child became her only reason to live. However, the sufferings were indeed too unbearably brutal for her to endure, and her depression became more severe over time. In the absence of hope, she cut her wrist just to put an end to her pain. Sometimes, her despair was so unbearable that not even the child could keep her alive.”Sean stared at Sam incredulously, for he never knew that she had attempted suicide several times before.He locked his gaze on her wrist to see if it was true. Indeed, many faint scars ran the length of her arm.Sean had lost faith in himself. He once made her a promise that he would spend his life keeping her safe, but all he had ever done was to cause her pain. If he had known what was going to happen, he would not have done as he did. However, there was no
He somehow felt a perverse satisfaction from making her feel embarrassed. Whenever he was in her presence, he would exchange intimacies with another woman, just to make her feel sickened at the thought of others having been intimate with him.He had also enjoyed throwing money in her face because he despised her. He had humiliated her by calling her a bitch. He had treated her as if she was a prostitute and even gave her away to another man.Tears rolled down his cheeks as he suffered from guilt. There were too many awful things that he had done to the girl he loved.Sam was at a loss of words.It was the second time that he saw Sean having a meltdown, crying like a boy over the woman he loved. Love had no boundaries, even for a man with so much wealth and power.Sam sighed deeply, for the two were impeccably in love, but not a day went by without them hurting each other. Eventually, both sides suffered. After a conspicuously long moment of silence, Sean finally broke the ice. “
Shannon was in excruciating pain; it was as if her body was being ripped apart into pieces. Every inch of her body ached so badly as though thousands of needles were pierced through her skin. She could see no light at the end of her suffering. With anguish, she had lost all hope in life.On the verge of dying, she felt someone tightening his clasp around her hand. The small gesture gave her some much-needed strength, like a warm sun in a harsh winter. She felt as if her dying heart had just been resuscitated. Out of curiosity, she wanted to see who was there giving her strength.Shannon tried to open her eyes. Even the small action required every bit of energy in her body. The first thing that she came to see was Sean’s face by her side. Instinctively, she struggled to pull her hand out of his grasp.Sean grabbed her hand even tighter, for he could no longer contain his joy. “Shannon, you’re awake! You’re finally awake!”Memories slowly returned, which made her heart sink. She