He wasn’t just ugly; he had cruel fetishes. Seeing me cry and beg for mercy only excited him.
He married me just to torture me to death.
In this life, I needed to plan ahead.
Jessie continued to babble on about how gentle Gary was and how wealthy his family was. When she got excited, she reached out to twist my ear again.
I seized the moment, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward me. Pressing the shard of glass against her throat, I said,
“Jessie, I’m not marrying him. Do you understand?”
My father stomped his foot anxiously, pleading with me to put down the shard. His worry made him cough so hard he could barely breathe.
Jessie smirked, unfazed.
“Look at your father. How long do you think he’ll last without my help? Maggie, after your mother died, he raised you all on his own, always thinking of your well-being. And what have you done for him?
“Your father needs money for surgery. I’ve paved the way for you, so what’s your problem?”
After my mother died in a car accident, the person responsible paid us a large sum of compensation. My father was frail and sickly, relying on medication for years, and that compensation money was all we had.
During my college years, I paid for all my expenses through part-time jobs.
When I graduated and returned home, I found my father lying on a filthy bed, coughing violently, his chest rising and falling rapidly, surrounded by the mess of his sickness. That was when I learned Jessie had borrowed all our money, claiming she needed it for my cousin’s college tuition.
What had my father and I done to deserve this? We were only trying to be kind, trusting someone who didn’t deserve it.
Does being a good person mean you deserve to die?
I refuse to believe that!
I pressed the shard harder against Jessie’s throat, causing a thin line of blood to appear.
In a cold, menacing tone, I said,
“Pay it back! I want every cent you owe us, right now!”
Jessie shrugged and sneered, “No money here. If you want my life, take it! But killing me will ruin yours. Remember, I’ve already died once – I’m not afraid to die again.”
My father coughed into a tissue, which came away stained with bright red blood.
Her words were a grim reminder.
If I killed her, what would happen to my father?
His illness couldn’t wait. I needed to get him treatment immediately.
I knew Gary would pay for our wedding expenses, and that was the fastest way to get the money.