The Wedding, The Goodbye

The excruciating pain paralyzed me. I helplessly felt the increasing dampness beneath me, the smell of blood growing stronger.

I could clearly sense the baby in me was slipping away. I wanted to call for help.

However, Chester's hateful gaze and Susan's mocking smile stopped me from doing so.

I held back my tears and the rising taste of blood with all my strength while I held the photo tightly.

I tried to curl up, but I failed. The blood flowed even faster.

Finally, I could not hold back any longer and spat a large mouthful of blood. A small portion splattered onto Susan.

"Ah!" Susan screamed in shock and hid behind Chester. She grabbed his clothes, causing him to flare up with even more rage.

"You just can't stop acting like you're the victim, huh Jess?" He kicked my stomach.

"You love to act, huh?"

I coughed up more blood with each of his kicks. He only stopped until I could not cough any longer.

Chester grabbed my chin as though he wanted to crush it.

"Stopped coughing, have you? Have you run out of blood?

"Your acting is terrible, Jess! You're strong on most days. How can you be so weak now? Are you trying to extort me?"

At this point, my pants were soaked, turning into blood-stained trousers, a dark, eerie shade of red. A pool of blood began to collect beneath me.

Susan screamed again, her voice even more shrill than before, as if she were the one being tortured.

"Chester! She's bleeding down there! She must've been fooling around behind your back and caught some filthy disease!"

She pinched her nose and said, "It stinks. My baby and I can't stand scenes like this—"

I glared at them and hissed, "I'm pregnant!"

Chester froze, then quickly sneered. He shielded Susan behind him.

"You really are a clever, calculating woman! If you were carrying my child, you would've gone to my mother and screamed for your share of the family inheritance long ago. Why would you still be acting here with us?

"You're just jealous that Susan is pregnant! You probably filled your pants with blood packets!"

I shook my head and laughed, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Even my whole body trembled with each laugh.

Blood continued to pour out of my mouth and dripped down my chin.

I looked at him, my eyes dull as I said, "Bring me to the hospital, and the truth will speak for itself. I'll beg for Susan's forgiveness if I'm lying!"

He lifted his foot and stomped on my lower back, speaking slowly, gritting his teeth with each word, "I don't have time for this, Jess. Even if you die today, you must apologize to Susan before you go!

"And this blasted photo! That old lady bothered me a great deal, alive or dead. I'll burn her last photo today!"

He grabbed the photo from my hands and slammed it to the ground.

My heart broke along with the photo frame. The shards pierced my face, drawing blood, but I felt nothing.

I screamed, and I managed to break free from Chester's foot with unknown strength. I grabbed a shard of glass from the floor and lunged at him.

He was shocked and kicked me away.

Susan's face turned pale. She quickly lifted his shirt to check, instantly bursting into tears and sobbing uncontrollably.

"You're badly hurt, Chester! What do we do?"

I watched them coldly, my teeth grinding so hard that they almost shattered.

It was only a small scrape the size of a coin on his stomach. The blood had stopped in no time.

Meanwhile, my palm was nearly severed, the bone visible beneath the skin, held together by a shred of flesh.

My repeated resistance and Susan's taunting pushed Chester over the edge.

He stormed over and shoved the bookshelf onto me.

I felt every bone in my body snap, and I could not hold back a scream.

He glared at me to ensure I could no longer move, then raised his foot and pressed it on my face.

He then set the photo on fire right in front of me.

The photo turned to ashes in an instant. My heart was crushed with sorrow.

"I'll kill you, Chester! I'll kill you!"