Part 3Repeated Suicide for Love

A short while later, Adrian returned to my room.

“Sister-in-law, tomorrow is my anniversary with Maya. I was hoping you could plan something for us. You know what women like better than I do.”

I paused. “I’m not feeling well. You should do it yourself.”

He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of concern on his face as he reached out to feel my forehead. “Really? What’s wrong?”

At that moment, an angry shout came from the doorway.

“Sister-in-law, I can’t believe you’re so vicious! You’re using a voodoo doll to curse me!”

Maya stormed in, holding a doll riddled with pins, tears streaming down her face as she accused me. Her eyes, however, held a clear warning.

I realized instantly what she was doing. This was her revenge.

Without a second thought, Adrian believed her. He snatched the doll and threw it at me.

“How could you do this to Maya? What did she ever do to you?”

The pins pricked my skin, drawing blood. He just said I deserved it.

Seeing Maya still crying, he declared he was locking me in the hospital morgue for the night.

“Maybe then you’ll reflect on what you’ve done. I’ll let you out in the morning.”

I shook my head frantically, trying to defend myself. “I didn’t do it! She’s framing me, I swear…”

He slapped me across the face. “Enough! I believe Maya. She’s too kind to frame anyone!”

They locked me in the morgue without a shred of mercy.

Faced with a room full of corpses, I almost fainted from terror. I pounded on the door, begging him to let me out, but he never relented. Maya even had the power cut, plunging the room into absolute darkness.

I huddled in a corner, my head in my hands, consumed by fear and helplessness. The slightest sound made my hair stand on end.

In that moment, I began to seriously question my judgment in men.

By the time he finally let me out the next morning, I was burning with a high fever.

Adrian frowned. “I only left you in there for one night. Did you have to make yourself sick on purpose?”

His expression was complicated. “Let’s get to the party. I’ve sent someone to get you medicine. We can’t be late.”

I was weak, my voice hoarse. “I’m not going. I want to go home…”

He hesitated for a second, then forcibly pulled me into the car. “No. Maya is already upset about the doll. Even if you’re sick, you need to go and apologize to her.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll forgive you.”

My eyes were swollen and red. “I told you, I didn’t do it. Why should I apologize?”

His jaw tightened. He shot me a cold look in the rearview mirror. “Who else would want to hurt Maya?”

I sighed, a sense of resignation washing over me. I felt nothing but a bone-deep weariness.

When we arrived at the hotel, we walked into chaos.

Maya’s boss was there with a group of thugs, smashing furniture. “You messed up the accounts! The company lost two hundred thousand dollars because of you!” he roared. “Either you pay up, or you go to jail!”

Maya was terrified. When she saw Adrian, she ran to him as if he were her savior. “What do I do, honey? I really just made a mistake, I didn’t know it would cost so much.”

She pressed an ultrasound report into his hand. “Honey, I’m carrying our child. I can’t go to jail. You have to do something…”

Adrian looked at the report, and the deep frown on his face softened. He thought to himself, Finally, my duty is fulfilled. I can tell Beth the truth.

But two hundred thousand was no small sum. The Valerius family couldn’t produce that kind of cash on short notice.

The boss tried to force Maya to sign a work contract to pay off the debt.

“No, she’s just found out she’s pregnant. She can’t do strenuous work.”

Then, Adrian turned and pushed me forward.

He looked at me pleadingly. “Sister-in-law, Maya is pregnant and unwell. Please, just sign this contract for now. We’ll figure something out later.”

I refused, turning to leave. “I don’t owe him any money. Why should I sign?”

Adrian cut me off, his voice sharp and urgent. “Why are you being so difficult? This is a crisis! We’re family! How can you just stand by and do nothing?”

He grabbed my hand and forced my signature onto the contract. Then he stood by as the boss’s bodyguards gagged me and dragged me away.

In the struggle, my shirt was torn open, exposing my waist. The boss’s eyes darkened with lust. “I hear your husband just died. Seems like this family doesn’t care much about you anyway. Why don’t you pay the debt with your body?”

“Two hundred thousand. Twenty times with me. Seems fair, right?”

He ordered his men to hold me down. I was already weak with fever, and my struggles were useless against their strength. Helpless tears streamed down my face.

Seeing this, Adrian started to move towards me, but Maya grabbed his arm. “Those guys with him are dangerous thugs. Don’t go.”

“Besides, if she can really get us two hundred thousand, what’s the harm in being touched a little?”

Adrian’s first instinct was to snap at her, but then he saw her belly and forced himself to stay calm. “No, she’s still our sister-in-law. I have to help her.”

But Maya ran to a table, threatening to hurt herself. “Adrian! If you go and something happens to you, I’ll kill this baby, and then I’ll kill myself!”

He rushed to her side. “Don’t be rash, Maya! You and the baby have to be safe!”

I watched them, my heart turning to ash.

The boss’s hand cupped my cheek. “See? They don’t care about you.”

“Why don’t you just come with me? Be my little mistress. I’ll take care of you.”

Just as I thought all hope was lost, the bodyguards’ grip on me suddenly loosened.

The police burst through the door and pulled me to my feet.

Adrian sighed in relief, then looked surprised. “Who called the police? How did they get here so fast?”

He raised his hand, intending to wipe away my tears.

But at that moment, Maya clutched her stomach and cried out in pain. “Adrian, it hurts…”

He rushed back to her side, his face etched with worry. “Did the stress affect the baby? I’ll take you to the hospital right now!”

My heart was a dead, cold thing in my chest. I pulled out the severance agreement. “This is a list of offerings for my husband’s memorial. A family member needs to sign it.”

Without even looking at it, he scribbled his name, then scooped Maya into his arms and ran to the hospital.

I watched them go, my eyes like chips of ice.

Clutching the agreement, I turned and walked away without looking back.

From that day forward, I had nothing to do with the Valerius family.