A Hundred Goodbyes

I stared blankly at the couple sitting by my hospital bed, trying to make sense of the stream of words spilling out of their mouths. I didn’t know why I couldn’t remember the people in front of me.

Apparently, my name was Zoe Jennings and I was the long-lost daughter of a wealthy family, the Jennings.

However, someone else had already replaced me. When I went missing as a child, the Jennings adopted a girl named Yvonne Jennings to fill the gap I left behind.

When they found me years later, they welcomed me back with open arms, or so it seemed.

At first, they were kind to recompense the long absence of familial warmth I’ve endured over the years. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long.

It only took one false accusation from Yvonne for everything to change. She complained to them that I had bullied her. No matter what I said, my parents always believed her. They even said that a liar like me brought disgrace on the Jennings family.

After a few times, my parents, who were supposed to dote on me, only had eyes for the adopted daughter. The place that should have been mine was completely taken over by someone else.

I attempted suicide and almost died, being sent to the hospital. Lying there in that sterile hospital bed, I watched the people who were supposed to love me glare at me like I was a burden. My mom's voice was full of disappointment.

"Zoe, you didn’t use to be like this. You used to be such a sweet girl. But ever since you came back, you’ve been nothing but trouble. Always picking fights with Yvonne, lying, and manipulating. You even drugged Shawn just to force him into marrying you! Do you really think he could ever love you for that?"

Her disappointment stung harder than the IV in my arm.

"Shawn is the head of a mafia family. Ruthless and cold. Do you think a man like that would ever be gentle to a woman who tricked him into marriage? Do you think using suicide will make him care?" She scoffed. "Grow up. If you pull this stunt again, no one’s going to save you."

No comfort. No concern. Just shame.

I stared at the tiny holes in my hand from the needles and wondered when exactly I became someone so easy to give up on.

I had a husband who wouldn’t even look at me, and parents who wished I’d never come back.

Since that was the case, I might as well let go and leave. I wouldn't beg them to care for and love me a little more. I couldn't force something that never belonged to me.

Then, the door swung open.

Through the small crowd of hospital staff, I saw him: Shawn Scott.

However, he wasn’t alone. He was holding Yvonne in his arms, gently adjusting her bandages like she was made of glass.

I caught his eye. He stopped walking, frowned, and walked straight toward me.

"Zoe, you’re Rh-negative, right?" His tone was brisk. "Yvonne's lost a lot of blood. The blood bank’s running low. You’ll donate your blood."

No please. No question. Just a command.

I was too stunned to respond.

Then, without warning, he grabbed my chin, leaned down, and kissed me. Well, that's if you could call a cold, mechanical press of lips a kiss.

"There. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?" he sneered. "Don’t think I don’t know your tricks."

Behind him, the nurses whispered.

"That’s the infamous Mrs. Scott, isn’t it? The one who faked her suicide just to get a kiss?"

"How sad. He’s never once looked at her the way he looks at Yvonne."

Before I could even answer, I was dragged to the testing room. Blood drained from my veins as easily as his love had.

By the time the nurse pulled the needle out, I was as pale as a sheet. Meanwhile, Shawn had already been called out by the doctor.

Yvonne walked in just as I tried to steady myself. Her face was a portrait of mock concern.

"Zoe, seriously, you could die a hundred times and it wouldn’t make a difference. Shawn will never love you. Not like he loves me. Even our parents think I’m the better daughter."

She leaned closer, lowering her voice into a venomous whisper, "You know, Shawn did love you once. He was going to propose on your twentieth birthday, but I couldn’t let that happen. So I drugged you both and made sure you slept together. Then, I told him you did it."

I clenched my fists.

She just smiled. "Since then, Shawn felt that you were too calculating and thus started to regard you with a subtle, creeping disdain. But at the same time, he still liked you.

"You know what really made him hate you? That baby. Just when I was about to think of other ways to smear your reputation in front of him, you got pregnant. His grandpa knew that and forced him to marry you. After that, he thought you were just using the baby to trap him.

"Every time you tried to kill yourself, I was right there, feeding the fire. And it worked, didn’t it? Now he can’t even stand the sight of you."

It turned out that everything was all Yvonne 's doing.

"Why have you been so against me?"

"Because I don't want Shawn to love you, nor do I want our parents to like you. It's that simple. I’m willing to do everything to drive you crazy and make everyone hate you!"

"Don't you fear that I'll tell Shawn about the truth of the drugging incident?"

"He won't believe you anyway. Just say it." Yvonne shrugged nonchalantly.

I didn’t say a word because she was right.

I was the crazy one in everyone’s eyes. The liar. The manipulator. The girl who cried wolf one too many times. Even if I told the truth now, no one would believe me.

I left the hospital, got into the car and was ready to go home.

After getting in the car, I took out my phone, found my best friend, Tasha Lane, who was a lawyer, in the contact list and sent her a message. "Tasha, I need you to draw up divorce papers and a legal document for me to sever ties with my parents."

It was time to end this life and start another.