Chapter 2

Anita!

That was my stepsister’s voice. 

My heart skipped a beat, my breath caught in my throat. 

The realization that my stepsister was in the opposite ward dawned on me. 

Maybe… Just maybe. 

“Relax, Dear. It's just an injection.”

Raymond's voice.

He was also in there.

I couldn't believe my ears. 

I couldn't control the rapid beating of my heart as my legs took me there. 

Hearing Raymond's voice alone was already doing strange things to my heart. 

I didn't know why I was suddenly happy, but maybe that man and his son were only playing a prank. 

Raymond had to be my savior. 

“An injection!? Just an injection!?” Anita's screams continued. “Ray, I might die! Tell her to remove it!”

Raymond's frustrated sigh resounded from the ward. “It's okay. You may leave.” 

His instruction must be directed at the nurse whose footsteps approached the door before she emerged from the ward. 

The nurse almost bumped into me. Thank goodness I'd already recovered from the shock. 

“Miss, how may I help-”

I shook my head, gesturing at her to keep silent.

I didn't like the bad premonition rising in my chest. 

The feeling of discomfort was already suffocating me. 

Why was Raymond with Anita instead of me? Did he leave my side just before I woke up? 

Taking my silent request, the nurse quietly walked away. 

My fingers shook as I reached for the doorknob. 

Taking in a deep breath, I tried to shut down the image of him running to my stepsister’s rescue. 

“Ray, I'm scared. What if I had died in that fire?” Anita's sullen voice interrupted me from opening the door. 

“Well, nothing happened,” Raymond murmured. “Why did you go there in the first place? I told you not to.”

But Anita's sobs only increased. “How else was I going to confirm that you would fulfill your promise of getting rid of that bitch on your wedding day!? Now I'm traumatized for life! The only thing that makes me happy is that bitch is finally dead!”

Bitch?

What bitch?

Was Anita referring to me? 

Ha! No!

She must be speaking about someone else. 

Anita wasn't only my stepsister, but we were practically best friends. 

She would never-

“Of course, not even her ashes could be found. Now that Melissa's dead, nothing will stand in our way.”

No way!

I threw my head back to laugh but found out I'd lost my voice. Only those damned hot tears rolled down my cheeks!

Why was I crying when this could only be a nightmare? 

I was still unconscious and must be having the weirdest nightmare of my life. 

Raymond didn't!

He and Anita-

I staggered against the wall, my palm wandering to my chest. 

My heart ached! I couldn't breathe. I peeked through the slight opening of the door to make sure I didn't mistake those voices. 

There they were. 

Raymond sat on the bed beside my stepsister, hugging her so tightly as if he'd suck her into his body.

Just in time, he lifted her chin and caught her lips in a deep kiss.

My eyes burned with tears. I shut them tightly hoping that I would find myself in a different scene when I opened them. 

But no! They were still kissing. Raymond's hands were all over my stepsister's hospital gown.

Was my whole life a lie? 

It was arson and Raymond planned to kill me so he could be with Anita.

No wonder he didn't even look at me while the fire surrounded me. 

It was no wonder that he rushed to Anita's rescue instead. 

I trudged away, swaying towards a random direction. My senses had left me, and so was my confusion.

The only feeling in my heart at the moment was one that I never thought I would ever feel. 

Betrayal. 

It was like a sharp knife that sliced through the flesh of my heart. 

Raymond and I were meant for each other since we were born. 

We'd been inseparable since childhood. We went to school together, we did everything together.

He was my existence. The only man I'd ever looked at. 

Why?

Why did he do this to me?

A gust of wind breezed past, whipping my hair across my face. 

My legs hit a hard marble and my eyes traveled down to the vast busy street far below. 

How did I get to the rooftop? 

Perfect.

Maybe I should have died in that fire. Then I wouldn't confirm Raymond's betrayal. 

But even now, it wasn't too late. If I didn't die right now, this burning pain in my heart would eventually kill me. 

“You can jump. But not from my property.” 

The deep voice startled me. I glanced to my left, and my eyes bulged out. 

Leaning against the railing with his hands folded across his chest, the man stood tall and mighty, his sharp gaze boring through me. 

That man again. 

“If you're tired of life, why waste my time saving it?”

I gulped. 

Saying he was intimidating was an understatement.

For a girl who had been surrounded by (raised under)

I didn't know why I was shuddering under his sharp gaze. 

I didn't know when I jumped away from the edge of the marble. “W- Who are you?”

“Won’t matter to someone who will soon die.” He lit a cigarette. 

I sighed. 

He mentioned death so casually as if it were an easy thing. 

I'd never thought about taking my life until this moment. 

What's the point of living anyway?

Raymond was my everything. Anita was my only sister and friend.

“I wonder who your death will benefit though.” He put out the cigarette, crushing it underneath his shoe. “Ah, yes. It will take the burden off some people's shoulders.”

I didn't like his tone. 

I didn't like his sarcastic words. 

“Just step out of my building before you do that.” He stepped forward, leveling his narrowed eyes with mine. “See that building over there?” He pointed towards an adjacent skyscraper. “The owner will be happy to have you jump from it.”

Then he walked past me, nudging me out of the way. 

Seriously? 

Such a jerk!

Was he even the same man who saved my life?

Suddenly, I didn't have the desire to die anymore. 

His words were true. 

Killing myself would lift the burden off some people's shoulders. Wouldn't it make Raymond and Anita happy? 

Those two infidels deserved at least a slap for fooling me!

Why not let them have a taste of their own medicine?

By the way, who exactly was this man?