What Is a Moon Without a Star?

The day after, Mark moved out of Starr Manor and blocked Fiona's number.

Noris, Boris, and Yannick all followed suit, leaving the butler approaching Fiona in confusion when she returned. "Ms. Starr… should we tell Mr. Starr?"

Fiona twirled her champagne flute and snorted. "Nope. They'll all be gone eventually anyway—they've saved us the trouble by taking out their own rubbish."

Seeing that the butler remained uncertain, she smiled but said nothing. "Just pack up whatever personal effects they've left behind and send it to them… If they'd give you their address, that is."

The butler nodded, but he kept staring at Fiona, who looked like a completely different person now, clearly having more to say.

Eventually, he gave in just as he started to leave. "Alcohol is always bad for your health, Ms. Starr, and you've been drinking a lot."

Fiona stayed silent, only shedding tears after the butler gently closed her bedroom door.

She certainly knew that alcohol was bad, but she was hurting so much—for herself, and for her unborn child.

After Sue died, he had abused her sexually every single day as if to vent all his frustrations, not caring how much she was hurting and leaving as soon as he blew his load.

She had no idea where his resentment came from and kept bearing with it, bearing with the fiery pain to get out of bed and get painkillers.

When she got pregnant, she was filled with hope as she looked forward to giving birth, only for Mark to destroy everything for her.

She didn't die on that mountain exactly because he wanted her to survive, so that he could lock him in that basement with rats and bugs.

Eventually, the rats got too hungry and started eating her from her toes, and she was left in despair up until the moment she drew her last breath…

-

That night, she worked overtime again.

After washing up, she lay in bed, exhausted and not noticing that the manor was strangely quiet.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in the basement, and the almost familiar darkness was no different from a pair of hands strangling her.

Her eyes widened, and she shuddered as she curled up.

A dark figure then emerged from a corner—it was a homeless bum who stank from head to toe.

Seeing that she was awake, he shoved a pill down her throat with his dirt-covered fingers.

Fiona flailed helplessly, her tears gushing in fear.

She tried to puke it out, only for the bum to slap her viciously across the face. "Don't you dare! It's the good shit—you'll feel so good that you could die!"

He started groping her all over, and Fiona couldn't fight back as she was quickly turning limp.

Soon, he left her toplesss, his bloodshot eyes wide with crazed excitement.

Then, he smiled greedily as he looked at her crotch and started reaching there…

Even as Fiona despaired, someone yelled her name, and she felt herself lifted to the air.

Mark had come running, his forehead covered in sweat.

His eyes were red when he saw what had happened, and he started punching the bum viciously in the face and kept doing it until the bum was almost dead and coughing blood.

Unable to quell his rage that threatened to burn him to ashes, he got up, not bothering to look at the bum again as he took off his jacket and covered Fiona.

He then scooped her up in his arms, his warmth easing the coldness she felt.

She pressed herself against his chest before she knew it, her tears unstoppable and quickly leaving his shirt wet.

Her sobs seemed to echo in Mark's ears, leaving him feeling like he was punched in the gut…

-

Later, when Fiona jerked awake, she felt restlessly hot all over and couldn't help pressing her thighs together.

She heard voices outside and fought against her discomfort to get out of bed.

She soon heard Noris snapping, "What's your problem, Mark?! We agreed to get revenge for Sue's sake! I paid that bum so much, only for you to save that bitch?!"

Those words spoken behind a wall struck Fiona like a club to the head!