Chapter 18
“First, water filled my nasal cavity, burning like fire.” Annabel’s voice was soft, as if recounting someone else’s story.
“Then my lungs seized up. I wanted to breathe but could only inhale more water. The most terrifying part was…”
She looked up and continued, “You can feel life draining away, and you’re powerless to stop it.”
Kenneth noticed the unnatural twist of her left ring finger. It was a deformity from a broken bone that hadn’t been treated in time.
“I dreamed…” Annabel suddenly stood up and walked to the desk. From the bottom drawer, she pulled out a brown paper bag.
“You should take a look at this.”
Kenneth took the heavy envelope and emptied its contents onto the table. Inside were a stack of photos, medical records, and a marriage certificate copy ruined by spilled coffee.
“So this is your real name…” Kenneth’s words trailed off, stunned by what he saw.
In the photo, Annabel lay in a pool of blood. A deep gash marked her forehead, and the carpet beneath her was soaked dark red.
The medical report listed, “Three fractured ribs, comminuted fracture of right index finger, pulmonary edema…”
“This is…”
“Tristan’s doing,” Annabel’s voice was surprisingly calm. “He was my ex–husband…”
She paused for a second before glancing down at the marriage certificate.
“No, we actually had no real relationship.” She let out a self–deprecating laugh. “He thought the person in the sack was some thug who hurt his wife, but it was actually… me.”
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Kenneth flipped to the next page and saw surveillance screenshots. A tall man repeatedly pushed someone wrapped in a sack off a high pool deck. Beside him stood a beautiful young woman with a faint smile on her lips.
“Cassie Lawrence.” Annabel pointed at the woman. “She’s his legal wife; I was just a joke.”
Kenneth finally understood the source of her obsession with Morse Group. This wasn’t ordinary business rivalry, but a hatred etched into her very bones.
“So you’re going to destroy him.” He wasn’t asking a question.
Annabel walked to the window Moonlight cast a long shadow behind her.
“I want him to know what it’s like to lose everything.” Her fingers gently traced the glass.
“His company, his reputation, his…” Her voice abruptly stopped.
Kenneth stepped up behind her but did not touch her. He just quietly stood there.
“Revenge won’t bring you peace,” he said softly.
“Then what will?” Annabel turned sharply, a dark fire burning in her eyes. “Forgiveness? Forgetting?”
She pulled open the collar of her pajamas, revealing a ghastly scar below her collarbone.
“He hit me with an iron rod! 99 times, he counted every single one!”
Kenneth stared at the scar. Without a word, he suddenly reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
Annabel stiffened for a moment. She then collapsed against his chest as if all strength had been drained from her.
“I’m not trying to stop you.” Kenneth’s chin rested on the top of her head, “I just don’t want to see you consumed by hatred.”
He gently held her deformed fingers. “These wounds… They shouldn’t define your life.”
Annabel said nothing, but Kenneth felt the fabric against his chest growing damp.
Outside, dawn was breaking. Annabel finally calmed in his arms. Looking down at her, he finally made a decision.
“Show me all the details of your plan,” he said.
Annabel lifted her head, surprise flickering in her swollen eyes.
“If this is what it takes for you to finally let go and start over, I’ll help you,” Kenneth said as he wiped away her tears.
As the first ray of sunlight slipped through the curtains, Annabel pointed at Morse Group’s equity structure chart, explaining her acquisition strategy to Kenneth. Her voice was still hoarse, but her eyes had regained their clarity.
Sunlight spilled over the scattered documents, illuminating the soaked and wrinkled marriage certificate.
After staring at it for a moment, she casually tossed it into the trash.
