The Initial Insult

"That b*tch messed with the wrong wife!" An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. Hell hath no fury than... A Woman Scorned!

I see her in his arms. Adrian’s hand is at her waist, and she’s looking up at him like he hasn’t spent years breathing the same air as her without ever earning that look. My fingers curl around my glass. Then he says something. I don’t hear it. I don’t need to. Because Wren… giggles. My world tilts. I’ve heard her laugh before—sharp, defiant. But this was different. And it was not for me. Rage claws up my throat, aimed straight at Adrian. I shouldn’t care. Except I do. I fucking do. Then Wren stumbles. Adrian catches her, pulls her back—and their lips collide. Just a peck. Clearly accidental. But it detonates inside me. Something snaps. The glass slips from my hand, shattering, and all I see is red. My body moves before my mind can catch up. Because suddenly, it all crashes into place. Her silence. The loss. It felt like I’d lost something I didn’t even know I was holding onto. And I was the one who did it. My pranks. My cruelty. I was the reason her scholarship got revoked! God! A bitter taste floods my mouth. She cut me off because she had every right to. Because I deserved it. But that doesn’t mean I can let her go. It doesn’t mean I will. If it takes groveling, I’ll grovel. If it takes begging, I’ll beg. Hell, if it takes dropping to my knees in front of this entire fucking college and tearing my pride apart piece by piece just to earn a fraction of her forgiveness. Because she matters. I don’t care about anything except her slipping out of my reach. And I’m ready to burn everything down for her.

On the day the male influencer patient was discharged, he posted a tearful video accusing my chaste, principled doctor wife of sexually assaulting him. In the clip, he cowered in a corner of the hospital, trembling, his clothes disheveled. With a terrified cry of "Dr. Shelby," he abruptly cut the footage. Overnight, my wife became a monster in a white coat—public enemy number one across the internet. We begged him, again and again, to come forward and clarify the truth. Instead, he posted an injury assessment report and wept about being bullied by his doctor. My wife had no way to defend herself. She was suspended pending investigation—and in the end, she leapt from the thirtieth floor. I endured humiliation and waited for the truth to surface. When it finally did, I obtained a reexamination report that proved her innocence. But by then, no one cared about the truth anymore. And I, consumed by despair, died of cancer. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day that patient was first admitted. This time, I begged my wife to take leave—I wanted to take her away from this doomed fate. But my gentle wife wrapped her arms around me, her eyes red, and said, "Don't be afraid, honey. This time… I won't run away."

Before entering the SAT venue, I suddenly realize that I can't find my admission ticket at all. That's when my rival, Sara Foster, texts me. "You're still dreaming of taking the exam, huh? Why don't you take a good look at what this is?" I see ripped pieces of my admission ticket floating on the water in the photo. I start trembling violently at the sight. Just as I'm about to ask Sara why she ruined my ticket, I see another text message from my childhood friend, Josh Hooper. "Remember when I told you to get into Calder College just so you could keep me company there? It's all a prank. I've given up on my guaranteed admission spot so that I can attend Westbrook University with Sara. "I was also the one who took your admission ticket away. I was worried that you might ruin my relationship with Sara by badgering us, so I've decided to make you repeat your senior year." That's when the exam bell rings. I can no longer hold myself together, so I slump to the ground in a fit of despair. The moment my vision blurs with tears, a live comment appears out of nowhere. "What are you crying for? Remember the guaranteed admission slot that Josh has given up on? According to the rules, it has been passed to the one ranked second, which is you!"

"Nina is that you. You look so beautiful" a guy said. "Have some drink" "No, she is leaving," said the harsh voice, and next thing I know champagne was all over my dress. I gasped as it stained it. Before I could react he grabbed me and dragged me to the pool area. I yanked my hand. "What the hell. You ruined my clothes" I half yelled. "What the fuck you are doing in my party looking like a slut" he yelled angrily while pinning me to the wall. Listening to his words my blood boiled. "Let me guess you came here to ruin my mood by showing your ugly face," he said letting me know his hate. "Stop giving so much importance to yourself. I'm here because of your mom. My face must be ugly but ugly souls like you are not even worth wasting my life's a single second" I said angrily pushed him but he didn't move. "I can hide my ugly soul behind this face but ugly ducklings like you carry their ugliness which can't even be hidden by beautiful dress because they stain everything around them with their ugliness," his words were hurting my soul but I won't cry. With all my power I pushed him making him fall in the pool. "Happy Birthday," I said with a smirk on my face but he didn't let me go. Things he did to me after it still send a shiver to my spine. One thing was clear on that day that I don't want to see his face again in this life. But I don't know what the hell I'm doing standing in front of him in Church wearing a wedding gown and looking at his angry victory smirk on his face with my glassy eyes.

On my first day back with my wealthy family, Caelum, the young man who had taken my place, stood off to the side with his shoulders hunched, looking timid. He looked nothing like the privileged young heir he was supposed to be. He hid whenever he saw anyone. When he could not hide, his eyes would turn red, almost as though he was about to cry, especially whenever he ran into my mom, Linda. Linda threw herself into my arms and sobbed. "Your brother has never been close to me, not since he was little. No matter how hard I tried, he never let me love him. Thank goodness you're back." My three sisters weren't fond of him either. "He's been a troublemaker since childhood, and now, we find out he's not even related to us by blood. No wonder we could never bring ourselves to treat him as family." Caelum's face went pale, and I instinctively held his hand. The next moment, we both heard a vicious woman's voice. [Here comes another brat. Watch how I deal with eyesores like you!]