Chapter 3

Henry's POV

The moment my body hit the ground, the tension I'd been carrying finally began to ease.

Just when I thought Rachel's torment was finally over, she suddenly appeared in front of me again, angrier than ever.

Before I could say a word, she pulled out a small knife and drove it into my arm. Blood immediately began pouring from the wound.

However, that was not enough for her. She grabbed me by the collar and slapped me hard across the face twice.

"It was you! You were the one who called my parents and told them I died in the earthquake!

"You caused their accident on their way there! They both died because of you!

"My parents treated you like family. How could you do something like that? You're a monster!"

She didn't give me a chance to respond and dragged me into a car.

She drove at top speed the entire way. I was so sick that I kept retching.

The destination was her parents' graves.

I was forced to kneel in front of their headstones while the bodyguards pressed my head onto the ground.

By the time they finally let go, I was caked in dirt and mud.

Blood ran down the side of my face from scrapes, making me look almost unrecognizable.

Rachel didn't even blink. She simply stared at me coldly and said, "The fact that I haven't made you pay with your life for what you did to my parents is already more mercy than you deserve.

"You're going to kneel in front of their graves for three days and nights…"

Before she could finish, I laughed quietly.

"Rachel, you believe everything Clarence tells you. You're the biggest fool in the world. The only thing I'm grateful for now is that our wedding never happened."

Rachel froze for only a moment, then she slapped me again.

"Even after everything you've done, you still have the nerve to drag Clarence into this?"

My vision blurred. The world began spinning uncontrollably around me.

This was the woman I loved with everything I had for all these years. What a waste!

With the last bit of strength I had left, I lifted my eyes to look at Rachel. My voice was strangely calm.

"Rachel Trent, I deny every single thing you've accused me of. Even if you beat me to death, it wouldn't make any of it true!"

…

When I woke up, the smell of disinfectant filled my nose. My arms, legs, and face all throbbed with pain.

Rachel was sitting beside my bed with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.

She was the woman I'd once loved more than anything in the world, but now, she looked like a demon. Just looking at her made my entire body tremble.

I struggled to sit up, but the movement immediately woke her.

The moment she saw that I was conscious, a flash of relief crossed her eyes before disappearing behind a cold expression.

"Don't think getting sick means you're off the hook for what happened to my parents. I'll deal with you once you're better."

I didn't even have the strength to defend myself anymore and simply turned my head away.

At my attitude, Rachel was just about to lash out again when one of her bodyguards called her away.

The moment she left, I pulled the IV needle from the back of my hand. I used the wall for support as I slowly limped out of the room.

Just as I reached the stairwell, I heard Clarence's voice behind me.

"Henry, how shameless can you be? Rachel has publicly dumped you 99 times, but you still cling to her instead of leaving."

Now that Rachel was gone, Clarence dropped the act completely.

He looked at my battered body and snickered, "Tsk tsk tsk! How did our dear Mr. Murray end up covered in so many injuries? So what if you were born into a wealthy family? You still can't hold a candle to me!"

I stopped and turned around to face him.

"Clarence, what do you think would happen if Rachel found out that you were the one who made the final phone call to her parents? What if she learned that the whole story about you saving her life was just a lie? Do you really think you'd end up any better off than I did?"