Chapter 1

I rushed to the entomology research institute to find my husband, hoping he could help save Dad and Mom. Instead, I was shut out. The security guard stopped me firmly. "Mr. Sanders doesn't handle matters after office hours. Please leave." I tried desperately to explain that it was a life-and-death situation. Only then did the guard relent and let me in. Inside, my husband, Vince Sanders, was lounging in his office, legs crossed, casually sipping hot tea. "Honey! Come with me, now! Something's happened to Dad and Mom!" I blurted, gasping for air. He raised his eyes to look at me, his voice cold and detached. "What could possibly have happened? Don't you know I don't deal with anything after work?" I struggled to catch my breath and pressed on. "They were stung by a queen hornet! It's critical!" But Vince let out a mocking snort, his tone dripping with disdain. "If they were stung, take them to the hospital. What good can I do? And anyway, I'm busy later—I need to take care

Chapter 2

I was overwhelmed by the grief of losing my in-laws. Picking up the phone, I called Vince to tell him the devastating news. "Honey, Mom and Dad are gone. It was painful for them at the end. You should come back to handle their affairs," I said, my voice trembling. To my shock, his response was a sneer. "They're dead? So what? Why make such a fuss?" he snapped. "People die every day. Do you think your parents' deaths are somehow a big deal? Don't be ridiculous!" I opened my mouth to explain that it was his parents who had passed, but he cut me off abruptly. "Why are you even calling me about such a minor thing? Don't bother me unless it's important!" From the other end of the line, I heard a soft, delicate voice interject. "Vince, is it Belle calling to pressure you to go home? Don't worry, I can manage things here with my mom. It's tough, but I'll be okay," Penny said sweetly. His tone immediately softened, oozing with concern. "I'm here for you. Don't worry about a t

Chapter 3

That night, Vince unexpectedly came home. As soon as he stepped through the door and met my tear-swollen eyes, the relaxed expression on his face twisted into a scowl. "Why do you keep putting on that miserable look? Who's it for?" he snapped. "So your parents died—what's the big deal? It feels like bad luck just looking at you." His gaze fell on the mourning band pinned to my sleeve. With a swift motion, he tore it off, his fingers quick and unkind. "Don't wear that stuff in the house. It's disgusting. If you want to grieve so badly, go back to your parents' home. Don't play the filial daughter in front of me!" He flung the band to the floor and crushed it under his shoe, grinding it in as if to destroy its very existence. I stood there, unmoving, watching it all with a blank expression. A thought lingered in my mind: what would he say if he knew I was mourning his parents, not mine? After venting his anger, Vince retreated to the bedroom and promptly fell asleep, as if

Chapter 4

Vince's face contorted with rage, the veins on his temples bulging as his voice erupted, carrying a note of disbelief interwoven with anguish. On the report, his parents' names were unmistakably listed. Beneath them were several grisly photographs—images of their swollen, misshapen bodies, stung beyond recognition by hornets. "This can't be my parents," Vince muttered, his voice shaking with desperation. "They would never look like this. It's not possible!" His gaze turned sharp, accusatory. "You must have been bribed by Belle! You're in on her scheme to deceive me, aren't you?" Watching his futile clinging to a fragile hope, I decided it was time to shatter his illusion completely. "Your parents are dead! They died on the very day I begged you for help!" I said coldly. Vince shook his head, his face pale. "That's impossible. Weren't the ones who died your parents? How could it be mine?" I let out a bitter laugh. "I called them Dad and Mom, didn't I? Or is that so hard for

Chapter 5

The morgue was so silent that the sound of breathing felt intrusive. After glancing over the bodies, Vince calmly laid the white cloth back in place. "These aren't my parents," he said. His certainty hit me with a pang of despair. "Vince, open your eyes and look properly! The hornet stings have disfigured their faces—of course, you can't tell just by appearance. Look closely. Mom is still wearing the gold ring you gave her, and Dad has the pendant from his birthday around his neck." Disbelief flickered in his eyes as he inspected the bodies again. Fingers. Neck. The ring. The pendant. Everything matched. In that moment, something within Vince broke. He collapsed to his knees, his body trembling as he fell against the corpses, wailing uncontrollably. "Dad, Mom, how could you leave me like this?" His cries tore through the sterile air, gasping and choking as though his grief could pull back what had been lost. A family that once seemed unshakable had crumbled in an inst

Chapter 6

It was as if a bolt of lightning struck Vince. His eyes widened in disbelief. He strode to Penny in a few hurried steps and clamped his hands down on her shoulders with alarming force. "What did you just say? You were at the scene the day my parents had their accident?" Penny froze, stunned by his sudden outburst. I reached into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and tapped on the screen until I found the photo."See for yourself," I said, holding it out to him. Vince stared at the image of his parents, their familiar faces caught in that moment forever. Tears spilled from his eyes without warning. But then he noticed it—a shadow in the background, fleeting but unmistakable. The figure belonged to Penny. Penny scrambled for an answer. "That day… I was just out hiking. I didn't know your parents were on the same mountain. It was just a coincidence." Her voice faltered as Vince's next question struck her like a thunderclap. "You said you disturbed a hornet's nest?" Realizi

Chapter 7

Hearing Penny's words, Vince's lips twitched involuntarily. Yes, he thought, how much had he sacrificed to get to where he was today? Late at night, when the world was still, Vince would often remember how, as a child, his friends would call him a freak. Now, they saw him as an important director. They were eager to offer hypocritical praise and insincere flattery, all feeding the twisted hunger within him. He couldn't imagine the disgust they would feel if he were to fall from his high position. The shadows of his childhood once again hovered over his heart. As if sensing Vince's hesitation, Penny spoke in a tone of feigned sympathy. "Vince, I'm the only one who can truly understand you. As for the pain of losing your parents, let time heal it. I'll always be by your side. What's more reassuring than knowing each other's secrets?" She flashed a cunning smile, one that sent a chill down the spine. The two of them were discussing their future so casually, right in front

All Chapters of Betrayal and Reckoning in Hornet's Venom: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7