I had a feeling that everything would end soon.
I stepped forward and touched the broken ring, but it remained inert.
I wondered if my parents and sister held me responsible. I thought, “Do you blame me for marrying the wrong person, for causing your deaths? Is that why you won’t come to take me away?”
Suddenly, Oliver fell to his knees.
“Melisa, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have forced you to obey.me. Can I apologize to you?
“Please, wake up. Don’t leave with another man. Please stand and tell me you love me, that you’ll be with me forever! Didn’t you promise that on our wedding day? Why don’t you want me now? Tell me…”
The last time Oliver cried so desperately was when the Paget family faced bankruptcy. His father’s company secrets were leaked, causing the Pagets to lose a multi–billion–dollar deal, and years of savings disappeared overnight.
The leak of his father’s company’s confidential information caused the Paget family to lose a deal worth over ten bil- lion, wiping out decades of savings in an instant.
As a teenager, Oliver sat on the rooftop and bid me farewell.
“Melisa, I can’t like you anymore. I’m just a poor boy now, and my feelings will only weigh you down. Let’s end this here.”
I gently stroked his head and replied, “Oliver, what if I choose to love you from now on instead?”
I was determined to marry Oliver, sparking the first argument with my parents in 18 years.
Ultimately, my mother pressed a stone ring into my palm with tears in her eyes, saying, “Protect yourself.”
My father sighed and tapped my forehead. “The Paget family aren’t good people. You’ll understand one day.”
But at that time, Oliver was so determined and proud, promising to rise from the ashes, rebuild the Paget family, and personally seek justice against those who had wronged them.
Later, people ridiculed him as my live–in husband, a captive, and a present from the Paget family to the Talbot family to win their favor.
His aim changed from seeking revenge to an intense determination to outshine the Talbot family.
Yet, regardless of his achievements or competence, everyone attributed his success to my father’s assistance.
Consequently, my father’s prediction was fulfilled: Oliver employed the very tactics he once loathed to ruin the Talbot family and everything between him and me.
00%
09:11
Chapter 8
I couldn’t comprehend it–he had created everything with his own hands, so why was he crying?
288 Vouchers
While I was going through the Talbot family’s heirlooms, Oliver remarked, “Everyone who ever loved you has al- ready passed away.”
Wasn’t he the same?
All of New York was laughing at him, yet it was only the Talbot family that truly helped him, and only my past self had been hopelessly in love with him.
He had caused the deaths of those who cared for him, ultimately becoming the laughingstock that everyone in New York had always expected.
The police broke down the door and held a gun to Oliver’s head.
The forensic doctor covered me with a white sheet and sent my body for examination. Indeed, a gravel fragment was found lodged in my heart.
The gravel had severed my windpipe, while peanuts had swelled and blocked my esophagus. My lungs and stomach were filled with remnants of peanut soup–a favorite dish of mine since childhood.
Sadly, I was allergic to peanuts, and my parents had always forbidden me from having them.
Oliver and I first met at a private banquet.
Being mischievous, I slipped into the hall to ask the butler for a bowl of peanut soup while my parents were busy with business discussions.
When I encountered Oliver in the back garden, my face was extremely swollen. With genuine concern, he furrowed his brow and asked if someone had beaten me up.
I fainted in his arms.
From that moment, Oliver took over supervising my peanut–free diet from my parents.
Before I ate anything, he made it a point to taste it himself to ensure there was no trace of peanuts.
At one time, we must have truly loved each other.
Our relationship began with a bowl of peanut soup and ended with one, bringing it full circle.
In the end, Oliver accepted the reality of my death and knelt down, pleading, “I’m willing to die, but please allow me to handle my wife’s funeral. She has no family left. She can’t be without me.”
The police officer shook his head and pulled out a contract.
“Since your marriage united both families, you are bound by its terms. By intentionally harming Melisa Talbot and endangering her life, your marriage effectively ended. You no longer have the right to manage her funeral arrange- ments.”
He continued, “Furthermore, Ms. Talbot provided evidence before her death of your infidelity with several women.
39.1 %
09:11
Chapter 8
288 Vouchers
As per the contract, you’ll lose all your assets, which will be transferred to the Talbot family. If you disagree, you can hire a lawyer to appeal.”
He added, “However, you likely won’t have the opportunity, since, based on confidential documents left by Mr. Tal- bot at the company, you are required to cooperate with our investigation into the bankruptcy of the Talbot Group. We suspect you are the primary suspect–come with us.”
Oliver was laughing and crying at the same time, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
“Why? I just wanted to show I wasn’t the Talbot Group’s dog. How did it come to this?”
“Sir! More than a dozen female bodies were discovered in the basement, along with two others who are barely cling- ing to life!”
I shook my head with sadness.Oliver’s chances were gone now.
I had to leave swiftly–I didn’t want to meet him again in my next life.
As I turned away, sunlight poured through my bedroom window, warming my face. My sister stood there, elegantly dressed, smiling, and extending her hand to me.
“Melisa, I’m here to bring you home.
“Mom and Dad are walking slowly and still behind us. Let’s go greet them together.”
I nodded with determination, holding the ring tightly in my hand.
Thankfully, they were still there with me.
The end.
