The Vast Milky Way, the Endless Night

Mary had assumed Kevin would be glued to Shirley’s side, but that very night, he took the initiative to ask her out to talk.

He chose the hotel where they’d first met—and first slept together. Even the room number was the same.

If they were going to end this, Mary wanted a clean break. Some things needed to be said, so she didn’t refuse. She even dressed up for the occasion.

When she pushed the door open, Kevin was already waiting. He handed her a glass of red wine, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “Mary, do you remember the first time we met? Back then, I never imagined you’d become my wife.”

She was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected him to remember. Taking a small sip, she offered a relaxed smile.

“Yes. It was my eighteenth birthday party. Someone drugged me, and I stumbled into your room by accident. I accidentally slept with you. I said I’d take responsibility. I never thought… I’d become your burden.”

The smile on her lips slowly froze. Her head felt suddenly foggy.

Kevin stepped forward to steady her, pulling her into his embrace. He pressed a careful kiss to her hair, his voice gentle, intoxicating. “Back then, I hadn’t fallen in love with Shirley yet. I even thought marrying you might be a happy thing. But later, I fell for her—helplessly. Then our families arranged our marriage. It forced me apart from her. I tried so hard to forget her, but Mary… I truly couldn’t.”

His voice grew increasingly sorrowful, then twisted suddenly. “Finally, Shirley came back. Finally, she was pregnant with my child. I thought I could keep her at last. But Mary! Because of you! Because of your viciousness, our child is gone!”

His hand clamped painfully around her jaw, his face contorting into a grotesque smile. “Hahaha… Mary, you should pay for your stupidity. You owe Shirley a baby. You're going to give her one.”

The wine had been drugged. As his accusations washed over her, Mary dug her nails into her own thighs until she broke the skin, but she felt no pain. Tears welled in her eyes. “Kevin! You’re insane!”

He didn’t answer. Helpless, she watched as several men crowded into the room. And the man she had loved for over a decade personally closed the door behind them.

Their hands groped her frantically. A wave of crushing shame washed over her. Mary felt she was going mad. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t stop them.

“Kevin, you bastard! I swear I'll haunt you until the day you die!”

She screamed the words at the door, then broke into choked, sobbing cries.

Only at the last possible moment did Kevin, his eyes bloodshot, finally re-enter the room. His fists were clenched, his face dark. “Castrate them!” he roared at the men. “Feed them to the dogs!”

His bodyguards swarmed in and dragged them away. He looked at the disheveled woman before him, raw desire blazing in his eyes. He seemed to have no resistance where she was concerned.

Without a word, Kevin moved toward her and roughly pinned her beneath him. Without even a hint of foreplay, he freed himself.

She felt the blunt pressure against her thigh, and the humiliation crashed over her again, hot and suffocating. With a final, desperate resolve, Mary fumbled in her bag, pulled out the small fruit knife she always carried, and drove it hard toward his chest.

A muffled grunt escaped him. He stared down at her in disbelief. A long moment passed before he managed to speak, his voice strained. “Mary… You meant to kill me?”

Shoving him off, Mary walked toward the door without a backward glance. “When you’re dealing with a rabid dog, you have to be more vicious to survive. You left me no choice, Kevin.”