Chapter 4

"Your mother's the one who passed away! Have you lost your screws, Nora? Why are you lying to me with that man? How much did he pay you?

"I spoke to my mom before I left this morning, and it's only been a few hours. How could she possibly have passed? If you're going to make up a lie, can't you at least make it sound believable?"

The call was disconnected. Nora stared blankly at the phone in her hand. "Elena has gone way too far!"

I eyed her and sneered, "Oh, so you realize that now."

Nora was stumped. Recalling the way she had spoken to me earlier, her face instantly flushed crimson.

Once the doctor finished the remaining procedures, I went to fill out the paperwork for the death certificate. Clutching it in my hand, I returned home, thoroughly spent.

Not long after I sat down on the couch, Elena and Ethan came through the door, giggling and messing around. The two of them were teasing each other, looking incredibly intimate.

As soon as she spotted me, Elena's expression instantly turned cold. Glaring at me, she snarled, "You're home? Then, why did you call me? Didn't I tell you that I'm going out with Ethan today and not to disturb me? What is your problem?"

Ethan tugged at Elena's sleeve. "Elena, please don't be mad at Tristan. He probably just wants you to come home sooner. He must've lied because he was desperate."

Elena snorted, shooting daggers at me. "Look at how considerate he is, unlike you, a pathetic excuse for a man who knows nothing but how to be jealous! If you want to make this marriage work, then shut up and deal with it. If not, let's just get a divorce!"

I looked at Elena coldly. I no longer felt a single ripple of emotion. In my previous life, she was the reason I had met such a miserable end. Now that I'd been given a second chance at life, I would not let history repeat itself.

"In that case, let's get divorced," I sneered. With that, I rose from my seat and went back to the bedroom to pack my things.

Elena was visibly taken aback. She followed me into the room and asked in utter disbelief, "Are you sure about that, Tristan? I'd love to see how you survive after leaving me; you've been freeloading off me for years—you're nothing but a useless loser!"

I looked into her eyes. For years, I had slaved away, held down the fort, and rushed to her side the moment she called. I had even cleaned up Ethan's messes more times than I could count. Yet, in her eyes, I was nothing but a useless loser.

How ironic.

"That's none of your business. I have my own ways." I packed up my belongings and prepared to leave.

Noticing that I was leaving, a triumphant glint surfaced in Ethan's eyes. "Tristan, why can't you talk things out with Elena properly? Elena's so good to you. Why don't you—"

I scoffed, drinking in Ethan's manipulative, hypocritical face. "Don't get ahead of yourself; we're still legally married. Until we officially process the paperwork, you're nothing but a pathetic little homewrecker throwing yourself at a married woman."

"How dare you—" Ethan glared at me as if he wanted to fight me, but he ultimately turned to Elena and stomped his foot. "Why's Tristan being so mean to me, Elena?"

Elena fumed, "That's enough! I dare you to say that again."

I sneered, "Am I wrong, though? Ethan is a shameless homewrecker, and you're a heartless monster. Honestly, you deserve each other!

"For the sake of this man, you abandoned your own mother when she was on her deathbed. How do you even look at yourself in the mirror?"

Elena raised her hand and slapped me hard across her face. Her eyes were bloodshot as she glared at me. "Didn't I tell you? You're not allowed to curse my mother!"

Clutching my cheek, I felt a ringing in my ears.

Just then, someone barged into our house. "How could you be so heartless, Elena?"

It was Nora; she lunged at Elena, pinning her to the ground.

Elena was dumbfounded. By the time she came back to her senses, her face was already covered in bloody scratches from Nora's nails. "Nora, are you fucking this guy or something? Why are you attacking me?"

Elena rolled over and fought back with all her might, but Nora held her down in a death grip. Nora rained blows down on her. Every single punch hit hard. Before long, Elena could no longer take it and began to wail in pain.

I couldn't bear to watch any longer, so I stepped forward and pulled Nora back. "That's enough. Unhand her."

Nora snapped back to reality, let go of Elena, and rose to her feet. "You truly are a monster, Elena!"

I lowered my head and looked at Elena, who was rolling around the floor like a dying pig. There wasn't a single shred of sympathy in my eyes. In fact, I felt gratified.

I hurled Lillian's death certificate right at her face. "Having a daughter like you is truly the greatest misfortune of Lillian's life. If you have even a shred of conscience left, go to the hospital and say your final goodbyes!"

Ethan's eyes instantly widened when he saw the document in my hand. He hurriedly grabbed his coat from the couch and slipped away before Elena could process what was going on. After all, he was deeply implicated in this matter and terrified that she would blame him once she came to her senses.