Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
After my husband Julian fell in love with Vivian, the girl who bullied me relentlessly in high school, I was forced to learn three rules:
First, Vivian's commands had to be obeyed twenty-four hours a day.
Second, whenever Vivian claimed I hurt her, I had to drop to my knees and apologize.
Third, when Vivian wanted to sleep with my husband, I was the one who had to open the box of condoms for them.
If I refused, I would be thrown into the dark basement.
No food for seven straight days.
If I dared to resist, they would kill my dog.
I tried to run once, but they threw me into a psychiatric ward instead.
The day I was admitted, Vivian smiled like an angel and whispered in my ear that I was still the same pathetic loser I'd always been, telling me to rot in there until I died.
What she didn't know was that I had prepared a special parting gift for her.
In three days, they were all going to pay.
On the giant TV screen, Julian was down on one knee, proposing to Vivian.
Reporters shoved microphones straight in his face:
"Mr. Vance! Does this extravagant public proposal mean you've finally moved on from your past?"
"We heard you arranged a multi-million-dollar firework show just for Miss Blake. Is that true?"
Julian's smile was soft, his eyes dripping with indulgence.
Until a voice suddenly cut through the cheering crowd:
"Mr. Vance! What about your ex-girlfriend who was locked away in the asylum? Does she know you're getting engaged today?!"
Camera flashes erupted frantically.
Julian's smile instantly froze on the screen.
A second later, he pulled Vivian tightly into his arms and said with quiet conviction, "In this life, there is only Vivian for me."
I peeled the last strip of apple skin and let out a sudden laugh.
Behind me, the bodyguard shifted uncomfortably, avoiding my eyes.
Nobody expected that the broken woman dragged out of the mental hospital would be sitting here, watching the whole thing unfold live.
I don't know how long passed.
The front door clicked open. The TV was still replaying the proposal on a loop.
Julian walked in, holding Vivian's hand.
His eyes caught the small paring knife in my hand, and by pure instinct, he stepped in front of Vivian, shielding her behind his back.
His voice sounded exhausted.
"Rain, Vivian and I are just keeping up appearances. Her mother is critically ill and only wants to see her settled down before she passes. I had no choice..."
"Is that so?" I smiled faintly. "Keeping up appearances all the way into each other's bed?"
Vivian cut in, her voice sickeningly sweet and trembling.
"Rainie, please don't say that. You're breaking Julian's heart."
She took a small step forward. "I know how hurt you are. Your fake suicide attempts didn't work, so now you're lashing out in other ways... But the doctors explicitly said your moods are unstable. You might hurt someone..."
I counted down in my head.
Not even a second passed.
Julian's voice dropped, icy and furious. "Lorraine! Vivian has suffered enough for your sake! What more do you want?!"
Right then, footsteps thudded upstairs.
A guard hurried down, his face pale and conflicted. "Mr. Vance... in Miss Blake's closet... all her dresses have been shredded to pieces."
Julian's expression snapped.
He crossed the room in two strides, ripping the knife from my grip with savage force.
His fingers clamped around my wrist like iron bands, wrenching me up.
"You never change! After all these years, you're still trying to destroy her! Lorraine, do you really think my patience with you is limitless?!"
I stumbled against his brutal pull. "I never went near her room."
He didn't care to listen.
Slam.
I was thrown into the pitch-black storage room under the stairs.
The heavy door slammed shut from the outside with violent force. "Don't bother coming out until you apologize to Vivian!"
In the total darkness, I curled up on the cold floor, pulling my knees to my chest.
Through the thin wood, Vivian's soft, spoiled giggles soon drifted in.
Julian was whispering low, soothing words to her.
Before long, the rustle of clothes, breathless gasps, and intentionally loud moans pierced through the cracks like needles.
I shut my eyes.
Seven years.
Seven years of Vivian claiming I pushed her down the stairs, shredded her designer gowns, poisoned her drinks.
And every single time, Julian believed her without a shred of doubt.
“Rain, you're sick. Let the doctors help you.”
Even after I was dragged out of the facility and brought back to this house, I was still locked inside dark rooms every single day.
Now, listening to them making out right outside my prison, my heart was a barren wasteland.
My mind kept looping the scene from the screen.
A proposal watched by thousands. A multi-million-dollar display of devoted love.
None of it mattered anymore.In the pitch darkness, curled in the corner, I began counting.
One, two, three...
When I reached one thousand two hundred and seventy-four, Vivian walked in.
She stood in the center, and the overhead sensor light flickered to life.
The insults covering all four walls flooded my vision.
SLUT. BITCH. GO DIE, LORRAINE.
Red paint crawled over every inch of the drywall like crusted blood.
In the far corner sat endless bundles of tangled yarn.
I lifted my head, meeting her gaze dead-on for the first time.
"Thirty scarves. I finished knitting them."
The fake sweetness on Vivian's face melted into pure malice.
"Ten years, Lorraine, and you're still as pathetic and gullible as ever."
She dug her manicured nails straight into an old scar on my spine and twisted violently.
"If the timing weren't so bad, I'd love to strip you naked and post pictures of you everywhere."
"Too bad you're worn out, covered in ugly scars. Looking at you makes me want to vomit."
"Having the former top-student dog crawl at my feet isn't even amusing anymore."
I stared down at the dense needle marks covering the back of my bruised hands.
"You don't honestly think Julian still loves you, do you? If he loved you, how could he look right past all the wounds on your body? You're so pitiful."
The door clicked shut, plunging the room back into darkness.
Memories from a long time ago flashed through my mind.
Back then, Julian had been so gentle with me.
If I sneezed in winter, he would panic, fussing over me with flushed cheeks.
He would bundle me in his thick jackets, stuffing warm thermal packs into my frozen hands.
Then, he brought Vivian into his home.
I warned him over and over that Vivian was the monster who had made high school a living hell for me.
Back then, he held me close and promised, "I will never let anyone hurt you again. I'll protect you for the rest of my life."
Later, his words turned into:
"Rain, she's not that kind of person. Stop treating her like an enemy."
A few hours later, a guard opened the door to pull me up.
"Miss Blake said not a single word about what happened leaves this room. Otherwise... you know what follows."
I was dragged back to the master bedroom upstairs.
When Julian pushed the door open, I was still sitting in the exact same frozen posture.
Seeing my hollow expression, he did something unusual—he dropped onto one knee before me.
The next second, a cold band of metal was slid onto my ring finger.
"I remember your biggest wish used to be a ring from me."
"I went to pick up Vivian's ring earlier and grabbed this one for you on the way. You're not mad anymore, right?"
He leaned close, his palm resting on my hair.
"Rain, you know marrying Vivian is just a temporary arrangement."
"I'll marry you eventually. Once you get better."
I stared down at the ring.
It was a full size too large, dangling loosely, ready to slide off with the slightest flick of my wrist.
I slowly slid it off my finger and set it on the nightstand.
Julian's face finally darkened, a flash of irritation breaking through his calm facade.
"Lorraine, what is your problem—"
I cut him off, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Julian, do you still remember why I'm terrified of the dark?"
He froze.Looking at his blank face, I laughed out loud.
Julian's expression turned utterly cold.
"Vivian has endured enough of your tantrums over the years just because you're sick."
"Every single mess you made, didn't she and I clean it up for you? Lorraine, when is this endless drama going to stop?!"
He sighed heavily, his voice dropping into forced patience.
"Let's just get through Vivian's wedding first, alright? Stop acting out."
I wasn't surprised.
He had recycled this exact excuse for seven years.
The first time: Vivian just moved in, she needs time to adjust.
The second time: Vivian hasn't been feeling well emotionally, let's put the ceremony on hold.
The third time: Vivian's health is declining, we need to pause our plans.
Eventually, I stopped asking.
Every single time, Vivian would conveniently fall ill right on schedule.
A sudden fever, a twisted ankle, night terrors, insomnia.
Years ago, I would have smashed vases and screamed until my throat bled.
Today, I just sat there in silence.
"Vivian is kindhearted," Julian added. "She suggested we take you out for fresh air so you don't suffocate sitting at home."
Just then, the door swung open and Vivian stepped in.
She linked her arm through Julian's with practiced intimacy.
"Julian! I'm all ready. Let's head out!"
I followed silently behind them down the driveway.
By the gate, a few neighborhood women were chatting over iced lattes.
The moment they saw Vivian, their faces broke into warm smiles:
"Good morning, Mrs. Vance! Out for a morning stroll?"
"That proposal video yesterday was so romantic! My daughter watched it three times, crying that she needs to find a man like Mr. Vance!"
Then, their eyes landed on me trailing behind.
Their tones instantly flipped:
"Oh... is that Julian's crazy sister? She definitely looks off..."
"Vivian is an angel on earth. If it were me, I'd have shipped her off to a lockdown facility long ago. Having someone like that around the house is terrifying."
"I heard she attacked people before..."
I kept my head down.
I remembered.
For a long time, Vivian had used my supposed "mental illness" as cheap gossip to share with neighbors, security guards, and delivery drivers.
Soon enough, everyone avoided me like the plague.
I thought I had grown numb to it.
Until the young boy who used to play catch with me threw a heavy stone straight at my chest, screaming viciously:
"Freak! If you bully Aunt Vivian again, I'll send you straight to hell!"
Snapping out of the memory, I could hear Vivian chattering away in the front seat.
She talked about how magnificent the fireworks were, how many thousands of people cheered for them.
Julian nodded, smiling softly.
Every now and then, he reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
A practiced gesture, repeated ten thousand times.
Before long, the car pulled up outside a luxury bridal boutique.
The glass doors swung open, and the manager's eyes lit up the second she spotted Vivian:
"Miss Blake! You're finally here! That main gown you tried on last week left our entire team breathless!"
"Mr. Vance must be done with his hectic schedule? You two used to come in for fittings every day... if it weren't for that family issue... oh, you've both been through so much."
I was pushed aside into a quiet corner by the staff.
The familiar suffocation tightened around my throat, and cold sweat beaded on my brow.
Suddenly—
Smack!
A sharp slap cracked across my face.
A middle-aged woman stood in front of me, her eyes burning with pure hatred.
"It's you! The little monster who drove Mrs. Vance to jump off that building! You murdered your own teacher, and you dare show your face in public?!"The entire boutique fell dead silent.
A few seconds later, the crowd caught on, and hands started shoving me violently.
The sharp pain of nails and fists tore across my shoulders.
"It is her! The girl from that huge scandal years ago! The one who bullied her own homeroom teacher until she leapt to her death!"
"She was her favorite teacher! I heard the teacher called her right before she died, and she ignored it!"
"She drove that poor woman into severe depression! Mrs. Vance was an angel! My own daughter was in her class... how could you be so evil?!"
I curled into the corner, letting their blows and curses rain down on me.
Memories came crashing back.
Back in high school, before Vivian and I reached this point of destruction.
Vivian had bullied me relentlessly.
Locking me in bathroom stalls, dumping filthy mop water over my head, tearing up my assignments, framing me for stealing.
I had survived all of that.
What broke me completely was Mrs. Vance.
Behind Julian's back, Vivian had targeted his own mother with the exact same venomous cruelty.
By the time I discovered the truth, Mrs. Vance was already gone.
Not a single soul believed that Vivian was the monster behind it.
Everyone pointed their fingers at me.
Even Julian.
"Enough!"
Julian's voice finally cut through the chaos.
He stood over me, looking down at my bruised face for several seconds.
Then, turning to the furious crowd, he said quietly,
"Everyone, please. She is mentally ill. My mother's soul in heaven will forgive her."
With that, he seized my arm and dragged me out of the bridal shop.
I stumbled blindly as he shoved me into the backseat of his car.
Vivian slid into the passenger side, letting out a perfectly timed, tearful sniffle:
"Julian... Rainie probably didn't mean to do it back then... I'm sure your mother has forgiven her from heaven..."
"She's used her illness as an excuse to do so many awful things over the years, and we've always tolerated it, haven't we..."
Before she could finish, Julian slammed his fist onto the steering wheel.
The horn blared in a deafening, shrill wail.
No one spoke.
Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt on the deserted highway shoulder.
Julian turned his head, his eyes freezing cold.
"Lorraine, they were right."
"You have no heart."
He kicked his door open and yanked open the door to my seat.
"Walk back yourself. If you can't make it home, you don't eat tonight. Consider it penance for your sins."
Vivian leaned out from the front, sounding worried. "Julian... what if Rainie tries to hurt herself again..."
Julian cut her off, his voice void of any human warmth.
"If she dies, she dies. Going to hell is where she belongs."
The door slammed shut. The luxury sedan sped away into the distance.
Scraping my bloody palms against the asphalt, I pushed myself up.
Clutching the guardrail along the highway, I took one staggering step after another.
I remembered high school.
The time I scored top marks in the district, and Mrs. Vance praised me warmly in front of the entire class.
That afternoon, Vivian trapped me in the restroom stall, forcing my head down toward the dirty toilet bowl:
"Oh, look at the star student. Think you're special? Your nightmare is just getting started."
For a long time, the days crawled by like torture, and I thought I wouldn't survive it.
Then Julian stepped into my life.
I thought I had found my savior.
Later, he was the one who drove the deepest daggers into my chest:
"Rain, stop making up these ridiculous stories. Vivian is kind and sweet. She could never do those things."
"You're just too paranoid. Should we book an appointment with a psychiatrist?"
"Your illness is getting worse. Snap out of it."
I walked for hours.
Night fell completely. Blisters burst beneath the soles of my shoes.
My body gave out, and I collapsed onto the freezing pavement.
A dull thud echoed as my head struck the curb, warm blood trickling down my temple.
Lying in the dirt, a bitter smile touched my lips.
What a shame. I was so close to finally getting away.
My vision blurred into gray. I slowly let my eyes close.
At the very same moment, across town.
Vivian twirled before the mirror in her custom lace wedding gown.
"Julian, do I look pretty?"
Julian stood staring blankly at the city lights outside the window, his brow furrowed tight.
Vivian walked over, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Don't worry, Julian. Rainie used to walk home on her own all the time. She knows the route."
"Yeah. Let's go. The ceremony is starting."
Julian stepped up to the podium, taking the microphone from the host.
"Thank you all for coming today to celebrate—"
Right then, a bodyguard stumbled through the double doors, gasping for breath:
"Mr. Vance... Miss Vance... she's dead."
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
- Search this code in the NovelMaster app:
543126Open NovelMaster → Search code → Find the title