Chapter 3

A month ago, Penny had gone to my mother's ward with the excuse of visiting and showed her a photo of herself making love with Aron.

It upset my mom so much that she passed out, and Penny left without even buzzing the nurse.

If I hadn't returned in time, my mother really would have died.

Aron was furious after learning what Penny did and left to punish her even though I tried to stop him.

He left for the whole night.

The sun was up by the time he returned to the hospital, his clothes ragged as he told me, "Don't worry, Lydia. I punished her so badly that she'll never try to pull something like this again. If she does, it will mean her death!"

I had teared up in gratitude at the time, but as it turned out, they were just making love while my mother suffered.

I laughed through my tears even as Penny sent more photos, including the mess that was my bed, and Aron who was sound asleep.

[Aron was so upset I almost killed your mom that he punished me seven times that night. Call it stress-testing your bed—no need to thank me.]

[Oh, and by the way, there was a camera recording the wedding the whole time, including the part with the AI video. It's been sent to your mom, so I wonder if that fossil will survive this time…]

Even as she sent a taunting emoji just to rub it in, my mind went blank.

Then, I started to rush straight for the hospital.

That was when my phone rang urgently again, and I picked up with shuddering fingers.

"Lydia!" my father, John Sims, cried anxiously. "What is going on?! Someone came saying he brought a video of your wedding, but your mother collapsed after watching a few seconds of it!

"The doctor said she's now in critical condition, and they need the specialist from before, but I can't reach the specialist!

"I can tell that you and Aron are fighting, but we really need the specialist's help now! Just bear with it for your mom's sake, okay? I'm begging you…"

John's voice was choking with tears beside my ears, and my hands kept shaking as I rasped, "It's alright. I'll go to Aron right now—Mom's going to be alright, I promise."

I knew Aron was forcing me to submit by using Molly's illness.

My tears were raining over my phone screen and blurring my vision, while my fingers trembled repeatedly.

However, he only answered after I called him for the fourteenth time. "Who's this, interrupting my wedding night?"

I ignored that and promptly said, "Aron, you have to send your specialist to operate on my mom. Penny sent the video to her—"

Aron simply snorted. "You left me at the altar, Lydia. And I'm now Penny's husband—is this how you talk to another woman's husband? And what other false charges do you have? If that's all you have, I'm hanging up."

My tears were gushing, and my chest hurt so much that I was suffocating, but I clenched my teeth to calm myself down. "Please send the specialist to save my mother."

I knew he wouldn't care about anything I had to say, and Penny might even have sent the videos with his permission.

Even as my head was buzzing, Aron finally growled, "Come to my bedroom. Shouldn't you apologize to my wife after making her upset? If you can please her, then the specialist will come."