Chapter 5 Chapter 5

“We have to report this to the police,” Rachel said as she grabbed her phone.

I shook my head. “Don’t,” I said.

“Why? He already hurt you.” Rachel began to cry.

“Please get me a drink first. I’m very thirsty.”

“Okay.” Rachel wiped her tears, got off the bed, and hurried out of the room. Five minutes later she returned with a bottle of mineral water.

“Drink first,” she said, handing me the opened bottle.

“Thank you,” I replied softly.

“Was it Brother Fagan who hurt you like this?”

“Hm…” I murmured, nodding. “He slapped me and strangled me until I almost died.”

Rachel looked at me with pity. Her tears flowed again. “Oh my God… How could Brother Fagan be so cruel to you? He’s truly heartless.”

I forced a smile. “It’s okay. Now I have a reason to file for divorce. And if he refuses, I’ll put him in prison with the evidence of these injuries on my body.”

Rachel let out a heavy sigh. “Your body is wounded, but your heart is the most shattered. I know you love Brother Fagan very much. You must be deeply disappointed.”

Rachel was right. More than the wounds on my body, the wound in my heart hurt far more. It didn’t bleed, but it kept tearing slowly, leaving trauma that might never heal.

“Rachel, I have to have proof to fight Fagan.”

She nodded. “You need a medical examination.”

“Yes. But there must be other evidence too,” I said, looking at her intently.

“What is it?”

“Photos and videos.”

“I understand.” Rachel took out her phone and asked me to lie down. She took pictures of my whole body, then photographed every part that had injuries—my cheek, neck, arms, knees, and finally my palms.

“Show the room and take photos of my wedding pictures,” I instructed again.

“Done. What now?” Rachel asked.

“I have to leave. Help me pack,” I said. “Not much—just enough,” I requested.

Rachel moved quickly, pulling a suitcase from the corner of the room beside the wardrobe.

With my body still weak, I slid off the bed. I chose a few important things—only what truly belonged to me—and put them into the bag.

My hands were shaking, not because of the pain, but because of fear. I was afraid Fagan would suddenly come back and ruin my plan to leave.

When everything was ready, Rachel went ahead, dragging my suitcase down the stairs to the ground floor.

I followed slowly.

When I reached the living room, I stopped. I turned back and looked at the house for the last time—the house I once thought was my heaven, the place where I hung all my hopes and love.

“Goodbye,” I whispered.

My gaze fell on our wedding photo hanging on the wall. My smile there looked so happy—so foolish.

“I hope we never meet again.”

“Zura, come on!” Rachel called from inside the car. The engine was already running, waiting for me.

“Yes… I’m coming.”

I took a deep breath, then closed the door of that house. Not just its door, but also a chapter of my life full of lies. Without looking back, I walked quickly and got into the car, leaving behind a past that had almost taken my life.

At the hospital, the car stopped in the parking area. For a moment I stayed still, gathering my courage to undergo the medical examination.

“Um… actually…” Rachel suddenly spoke. Her face looked hesitant, her eyes occasionally glancing at me before looking straight ahead again.

“What is it?” I turned to her. “Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

Rachel took a slow breath. She turned to me with sad eyes. “Yes,” she answered softly.

I closed my eyes. My chest ached. How many more lies were being hidden from me?

“About Brother Ardiaz loving you—honestly, I’ve known for a long time.”

“When?”

“When you had the miscarriage.”

“Actually, Brother Ardiaz went abroad for your sake.”

“What do you mean?” I looked at her again, turning my body to face her.

“It was Brother Fagan who asked him to leave,” Rachel replied quietly. Her tone sounded fearful, as if telling the truth was a grave sin.

Silence filled the car for a moment.

“At that time… when you were bleeding,” Rachel continued, her voice even softer. “At the hospital, I accidentally saw Brother Fagan and Brother Ardiaz arguing. Brother Ardiaz was furious because Brother Fagan refused to sign the consent form for the operation.”

My heart thudded.

What?

“But in the end, Brother Ardiaz gave in. He knelt in front of Brother Fagan. He promised to stay abroad according to Brother Fagan’s request.”

My chest felt tightly crushed. “Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand?” I asked weakly. My heart still refused to believe it. Fagan couldn’t possibly be that cruel. And Ardiaz couldn’t possibly love me. We were friends.

“I’m sure,” Rachel replied firmly. “I wasn’t alone. My mom heard it too. But she forbade me from telling you.”

My body went limp. I let out a long breath. The memories surged back—the darkest day of my life.

The day I lost my unborn child. Seven months ago.

I remembered it vividly. One hour after taking the vitamins Fagan bought me, my stomach suddenly began to hurt. When I complained, Fagan only told me to rest. He said he had an important meeting at the office that day, but promised to come home at lunchtime to take me to the hospital.

That promise was never fulfilled.

Before lunchtime arrived, blood flowed heavily, and with that blood, my small hope was gone forever.

“Miss… actually, Brother Ardiaz is a good person,” Rachel’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “It’s just that he’s often compared to Brother Fagan. That’s what made him rebellious and often get into trouble.”

I exhaled heavily.

“That doesn’t matter anymore,” I said softly but firmly. “Everything is too late. It can’t be fixed.”

I stared straight ahead.

“Now there’s only one thing I want—to divorce Fagan. No matter how.”