Never to Meet Again, Never to Long for Again

The sting hit me before I even knew what was going on. Half my face went numb with pain and swelled up instantly.

“You’re a disgrace! What did our family do to deserve this? Ashlyn, how could you do something so nasty? You should’ve just died out there. You shouldn’t have come back!” Mrs. Sanders’ voice exploded in my ears, a mix of sobs and fury.

She pointed at me with trembling hands. Her eyes were bloodshot and full of hate. If someone had not held her back, she would have tried to kill me there and then.

Everyone was staring at me. The place buzzed with judgmental whispers and sneering remarks.

“So that is the young madam of the Sanders family? I heard she comes from a prestigious background. Who would’ve thought her private life would be so nasty.”

“Pregnant and still doing that. You have to admit, though, her figure’s incredible. Bet she’s wild in bed.”

“I watched that video. Tsk, never would’ve imagined... I heard her uterus was removed.”

“Look at her, she’s miserable. You think she’ll still be doing more disgraceful stuff?”

Mrs. Sanders grew increasingly furious. She pointed at Grant and snapped. “Divorce her. You have to divorce her!”

I was getting agitated. I tried to struggle up and tell Mrs. Sanders that it was not the truth, that I had not done any of those things, and that those people were saying nonsense, but I did not get the chance.

My resistance was quickly subdued by Jeremy, who held me down and shouted at Mrs. Sanders with rage, “What nonsense are you talking about? I know exactly what kind of person my sister is. I’m warning you, if you dare lay another finger on her, I’ll make you pay for it! And the rest of you, say one more word, and I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your lives!”

Grant stepped in front of me too. His gaze was firm as he said, “Mom, I believe in Ashlyn. I will never divorce her. Mom, please don’t disturb Ashlyn again. If you’re going to force me to divorce her, you’ll lose me as your son.”

Mrs. Sanders was so furious that her eyes rolled back. She nearly fainted on the spot.

I let out a silent, bitter laugh. Such noble words. Such a touching show of loyalty.

This was clearly part of their plan. They were the ones who ruined me, who made the whole world spit on me and call me a shameless woman.

This way, even if people found out that Jessie’s baby was actually Grant’s, no one would blame them.

This was the man I loved, and this was how far he was ready to go to destroy me.

Neither he nor my brother stopped to consider even for a second if what they were doing would break my heart.

Just as they wanted, I became the woman everyone pointed at in disgust. At last, I was no longer standing in Jessie’s way.

Tears rolled down my face, but I could not even begin to explain the weight of the injustice I felt.

The violent struggle tore my wound open again. Blood quickly soaked the pristine white sheets.

“Ashlyn! Ashlyn!” someone was shouting in a panic. It was Jeremy. He was shouting like a madman and calling for a doctor.

“Hurry! Where’s the doctor? My sister’s bleeding out. If anything happens to her, I swear I’ll hold all of you responsible!”

“She’s better off dead! A woman like her doesn’t deserve to live!” Mrs. Sanders spat out, but someone quickly dragged her out of the room.

My mind went blank. My whole body throbbed in agony.

It hurt so much I could barely breathe.

When I woke again, there was no one by my side.

Through the thin walls, I vaguely heard a doctor speaking. It was then that I realized that they had arranged for Jessie to stay in the room right next to mine.

With great effort, I managed to find my phone. The internet was flooded with vicious attacks aimed at me and waves of sympathy for Grant.

I forced myself to look away.

Instead, I reached out to a number I had saved but never messaged before. [I’ve made up my mind. I’d like to be one of the first test subjects.]

The reply came almost instantly. [Don’t you still have family? Are they okay with this? You know the drug is still in early development. It’s never been tested on humans.]

I did not hesitate. [All you need to know is that I consent. You said that if I agreed, you’d fulfill one wish of mine. I want you to fake my death. Make it look like an accident.]

This time, it took a long while before a message came back.

[Deal.]