At an extravagant celebration party, my husband Caleb Winters once again ordered me to play the role of a maid. He pushed me in front of the new model his company had just signed, introducing me flippantly, “This is the dog I keep at home. If it weren’t for my mother’s kindness years ago, she’d have starved to death on the streets.” He commanded me to bow and scrape, to massage the model’s shoulders, to serve her with all my skills. Everyone laughed, waiting to see how I would continue to show my gratitude. Instead, I inappropriately brought up divorce. Caleb acted as if he’d heard the most ridiculous joke. He grabbed my neck, snarling viciously, “Aria Sinclair, you dare mention divorce? Have you forgotten who’s keeping your sick mother and paralyzed brother alive?” “If you keep acting up, I’ll cut off all your brother’s medical expenses right now!” Everyone bet that I would immediately cry and beg for forgiveness, saying I’d never let go of this golden opportunity I’d managed to grasp. But they didn’t hear his usually silent uncle, Lucas Winters, the true power holder of the Winters family, whisper behind me: “Divorce him. I’ll take care of you.”
“How dare Aria Sinclair mention divorce?” “Hah, she’s just talking big. Would she really leave? Her paralyzed brother, her half-dead mother, which one of them could survive without the Winters’ money?” “Exactly. Look at how submissive she is to Caleb. That maid outfit really suits her.” “Let’s place bets! I’ll put down a million that she’s just putting on a show today. In the end, she’ll obediently stay.” “I’m in. It’s a sure win.” I clenched the hem of my maid outfit, looking towards Caleb. The girl beside him was Mia Sullivan, a new model his company had just signed. She was now giggling as she poured more wine into his glass. Caleb held his wine glass, looking at me with a mocking smile. “Look at that. The person we Winters raised can’t even serve properly now?” “Who was it that knelt and begged us Winters to take her in back then? What’s this? After being Mrs. Winters for a few years, you’ve gotten too proud to serve?” Mia giggled and stretched her foot towards me. “Mr. Winters, my feet are so sore. Make her rub them for me?” “You heard her,” Caleb tapped my calf with the tip of his shoe. “Get to it.” He always did this, pushing me into the mud in front of everyone, watching me struggle. I crouched down, took off her shoe, and started massaging, one press at a time. His friends burst into raucous laughter, their faces full of schadenfreude. Just when everyone was waiting to see me swallow my pride as I had for the past seven years, I put Mia’s shoe back on, slowly stood up, and met his gaze. “Caleb Winters, let’s get a divorce.” The room fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted into even more unrestrained mockery. Caleb acted as if he’d heard something unbelievable. The casual smile on his face vanished completely. He shook off Mia and strode over to me in one step, his large hand violently gripping my neck. “Say that again?” His voice was low and vicious. “Aria Sinclair, have you forgotten how you begged like a dog at my family’s doorstep, asking my mother to take you in?” “You want a divorce? Fine!” The force on my neck suddenly increased, forcing me to look up at him. “Do you believe I’ll cut off your brother’s medical expenses right now? Let him die along with your half-dead mother!” “What you owe our Winters family, you can’t repay even in your next life!” Tears finally fell uncontrollably. That snowy winter night seven years ago floated before my eyes once again. My father was driving us to pay New Year’s visits when he swerved to avoid a child who suddenly ran into the road. The car lost control and crashed into an oncoming vehicle. In that car sat Caleb Winters’ father. The accident scene was horrific. My father died on the spot, my mother became a vegetable, and my brother suffered a severe spinal injury, condemning him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. And Caleb Winters’ father couldn’t be saved either. I knelt for a long, long time outside the Winters’ mansion. Snow and blood from my forehead mixed together as I kept kowtowing, begging Mrs. Winters to save my mother and brother who were still in the hospital. I was willing to do anything, to atone for the Winters family for a lifetime. Mrs. Winters finally nodded. She said, “Stay. From now on, take good care of Caleb.” I moved into the servants’ quarters of the Winters house, serving wholeheartedly. One night, Caleb, reeking of alcohol, barged into my room. The smell of liquor and hatred hit me: “Marry me! You have to live under my nose for the rest of your life, watching how I suffer because of your family! That’s how you atone!” To atone, I agreed. To repay Mrs. Winters’ kindness, I endured Caleb for seven whole years. But Mrs. Winters passed away from heart disease six months ago. I could no longer find a reason to endure. This kind of life, I didn’t want to suffer through for even one more day. Just as I was about to pass out from being choked, I seemed to hear a vague sentence float by. “Divorce him. I’ll take care of you.” It must be some bored person playing a prank on me. My vision was blurring, and I had no strength to see clearly.
Back at the Winters mansion, Caleb once again threw me into the servants’ room. “Don’t come out without my permission!” He slammed the door shut with a bang. I slid to the floor. My neck, which had just been gripped, was still throbbing with pain. My heart felt numb. I don’t know how long it had been when my phone suddenly rang shrilly. It was an unknown number. “Is this Ms. Aria Sinclair? This is Central Hospital. Your brother Alex Sinclair has developed post-operative complications. His condition is critical. Please come immediately!” My head felt like it was exploding. I sprang up from the floor, frantically pounding on the door. “Caleb Winters! Open the door! I need to go to the hospital!” “My brother is in trouble! Please, open the door quickly!” There was no response from outside, only faint music. “Caleb Winters! Open the door!” I pounded on the door with all my might. My hands turned red, and my throat went hoarse. After a long while, the door was finally opened. Caleb stood in the doorway, his clothes somewhat disheveled. “What are you making a fuss about in the middle of the night?” Mia was clinging to him, looking at me with seductive eyes and a smile. “What trick is big sister trying to play now? Mr. Winters is quite busy, you know.” “My brother needs surgery! Caleb, take me to the hospital, please!” I rushed forward to grab his arm, but he shook me off in disgust. “Aria Sinclair, haven’t you had enough of this act?” Mia whispered in his ear: “Mr. Winters, I think she’s just trying to get your attention like this. What a manipulative bitch.” Caleb pinched Mia’s chin, smiling. “You’re such a good girl.” When he looked at me again, his eyes were cold as ice: “Weren’t you so good at crawling back then? All the way from my family’s doorstep, making my mom soft-hearted enough to take you in. Now if you want to go to the hospital, you can crawl there yourself.” Mia laughed, looking at me with triumphant eyes. Caleb no longer looked at me. He left with his arm around Mia, slamming the door again. “Caleb Winters!” No matter how I shouted, there was no more movement outside. This won’t do. I can’t wait! I looked around this small room. The windows were sealed with iron bars. The only way out was that door. I found a broken mop handle and tried to pry the door lock with all my strength. The lock was very sturdy. It didn’t budge after several attempts. Time ticked by, and I was frantic with worry. I spotted a fire extinguisher in the corner. Without thinking, I grabbed it and smashed it against the door lock! The loud noise was particularly jarring, but finally, the lock was broken! I rushed towards the main door as fast as I could. The security guards tried to stop me, but I just kept running, heedless. Rain mixed with tears blurred my face, biting cold. Just when I despairingly thought I would run my legs off, a beam of headlights illuminated me. The window lowered, revealing a sharply defined profile. It was Caleb’s uncle, Lucas Winters. “Get in,” he said concisely. I practically crawled into the passenger seat on all fours. With no time for thanks, I blurted out the name of the hospital incoherently. He said nothing more, driving quickly towards Central Hospital. As I got out of the car, Lucas handed me a business card, telling me: “If you encounter any trouble you can’t solve in the future, try contacting this number. Remember, you are your own person first.” My mind was in chaos. I clutched the card and ran out of the car. Rushing into the emergency room, I grabbed a nurse and asked, “Alex Sinclair! How is my brother Alex Sinclair?” The nurse looked at me, her face full of hesitant sympathy. The door of the nearby operating room opened just then. The doctor walked out wearily, taking off his mask. “We did our best.” “The patient insisted on having that surgery himself. The success rate wasn’t high, but he persisted, saying he wanted to stand up, to give his sister a surprise…” The doctor sighed, “This is the letter he wrote before the surgery, asking us to pass it on to you.” The nurse stuffed a letter into my hand. “Sis, by the time you read this letter, I might have succeeded, or… I might have gone to find Dad. Don’t cry, big sis.” “I know how much you’ve suffered for Mom and me all these years. It’s all because I’ve been holding you back. I want to stand up. I don’t want to watch you being bullied by Caleb anymore.” “The doctor said there’s a new surgery. Although it’s a bit risky, what if it works? I want to stand in front of you like a man and tell you that I can take care of you now.” “Sis, none of this is your fault. Don’t blame yourself. If it fails… don’t be sad either. I’m just going to find Dad. He must miss me too. You have to live well, live for our share too.” “Your brother who will always love you, Alex.” I hugged that letter, sitting in the hospital corridor, crying my heart out.
My brother’s ashes were light, fitting into a small ceramic urn. I knelt before my father’s grave, hugging the tombstone, my fingers tracing the engraved words. “Dad, Alex has come to keep you company.” “You won’t be in pain anymore where you are.” I went to the hospital, holding my mother’s withered hand against my face. “Mom, I’ll take care of you from now on.” The money I’ve saved from taking on private jobs over the years is enough to pay for medical expenses. I don’t need the Winters family’s support anymore. Leaving the hospital, my feet unconsciously led me back to our old house one last time. I dug out an old photo album from the corner. There was a photo of Alex when he was fifteen. He was on the green field, wearing a jersey, smiling like the sun. Holding that album, I returned to the Winters mansion. Pushing open the door, it was still the same deafening music and flirtatious laughter. Caleb was slouched in the center of the sofa, Mia nestled against him, surrounded by several young and beautiful female artists, all signed to his company, chattering away. Over the past seven years, I’ve grown tired of this scene. He had made me dress up as a bunny girl, as a snake woman, just to give them more amusement. But today, I won’t play along anymore. I walked over and put the divorce agreement on the coffee table in front of them. “Caleb Winters, sign it.” Caleb picked up those few pages, his gaze falling on the title. He snorted. “Aria Sinclair, you really don’t give up, do you? Coming with this again?” He crumpled the agreement in his hand, contemptuously throwing it on the ground. “Getting smarter now? Forgot how you were begging me to open the door yesterday? Now you’re putting on this act again?” “Want a divorce? I’ll tell you what, in this lifetime, you can forget about it!” I don’t know why, but tears suddenly fell, without warning. Caleb looked at the wet trails on my face. He reached out his hand, almost touching my cheek, then suddenly stopped, throwing his hand back even more forcefully. “Put away this crying act of yours! Who are you trying to fool? I’m telling you, Caleb Winters doesn’t fall for this!” I looked at him, forcing back the tears: “Caleb Winters, it’s been seven years. I’ve used everything I have to atone. Now Alex is dead. This debt, I don’t want to repay anymore.” “What did you say? Alex is dead?” Caleb’s face changed. Mia bent down to pick up the album from the table. She acted as if she had discovered something particularly interesting, speaking in an affected voice: “Is this your crippled brother? He looked quite lively back then.” She then picked up Alex’s letter, “What’s this? Oh my, this handwriting is so ugly! It’s like chicken scratch. He wasn’t illiterate, was he?” The people around laughed uproariously. Mia fanned herself with the letter, her hand slipping, the letter fluttering to the ground. She raised her foot, about to step on it— That letter was written by Alex, using fingers that couldn’t bend properly, painstakingly forming each stroke! I lunged forward, grabbing Mia’s hair, pulling her down and pinning her to the carpet! “Don’t touch that!” Caleb answered a phone call, his face turning ashen as he hung up. He turned back and with one move threw me off. My lower back hit the corner of the coffee table hard, the pain making my vision go black. “Aria Sinclair, have you gone mad?! Seducing me wasn’t enough, you’re even going after my uncle?! Does our Winters family owe you or something?!” He dragged me by my hair like a dead dog: “Shameless! Go kneel in the ancestral hall! Apologize to my father, to Mia!” He kicked away the prayer mat in the ancestral hall, “Kneel properly!” I looked at his twisted face, hunched over as I knelt down, my forehead slowly touching the stone tiles. The ancestral hall was very quiet, with only the sound of my heavy breathing left. I don’t know how long I knelt there. My consciousness gradually blurred, sinking completely into darkness.
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