Mary could not concentrate on her work throughout the day, continuously pondering why Agnes was there. After endless reflection, she eventually understood why Agnes seldom mentioned her family – from a young age, she did not have a complete family. While angry about recent events, viewing this perspective, Mary recognized an eerie parallel between them; they were both orphans. She once thought she had a family, but it was a borrowed one. She had lived off others’ happiness for years while her existence had no joy.
Unable to sleep, images of her father, mother, and grandmother haunted her, bringing a fresh wave of pain with every remembrance. She nestled under her blanket, seeking to shut out all light sources, or more accurately, to escape from reality.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door; Mary got out of bed and opened the door.
Agnes entered the room, a noticeable scowl on her face. She scanned the room briefly, her gaze finally settling on Mary. She gave Mary a once-over, hate to the bone.
“How could a young noble lady like her find herself living in such a humble and lowly place? I truly fail to comprehend how she could endure staying here longer.”
Mary was furious at being contemptuous and ironic but soon realized the purpose behind the words. So, she decided to retaliate.
“What lowly place are you referring to? Is this different from where you were raised to adulthood? By demeaning this place, are you degrading yourself?”
Facing Mary’s unabashed retort, Agnes’s eyes flamed with anger as she replied.
“Be silent, will you? What are you pretending to be? Do you still think you’re noble? Are you just a woman abandoned by men? A bankrupt soul with nowhere to turn? No one in this world considers someone like you beautiful or prestigious. In the past, I always had to play second fiddle when I was with you, but times have changed, so don’t raise your voice at me. You should know your place.”
Mary laughed in her sorrow. So, the person she considered a sister all along saw her as a thorn in her side. The smiles, the conversations, the concern – all were deceit. What she had just heard was the stark truth.
Stepping back, Mary distanced herself from the wicked woman before her, horrified by the cruelty she witnessed. Her throat was tight with emotion, her words coming out in a strained whisper.
“So… now I understand why you could commit such a heinous act… stealing your best friend’s husband.”
Agnes turned to face Mary defiantly.
“Test your wits for me; let’s see how intelligent you truly are,” she taunted.
Mary had no interest in preserving this woman’s dignity. With things progressing this far, she might as well lay all her cards on the table.
“Because you were always envious of what I had. You outwardly expressed admiration but harbored resentment within. You believed I was undeserving of what I had and that only someone as capable as you should possess them.”
Mary stepped forward. Her finger pointed in the woman’s direction as she voiced the words she’d never thought she’d have to utter.
“Let me tell you something. There are things in this world that you cannot have by mere desire. Narrow-minded individuals like you will never find happiness in this lifetime.”
Agnes forced a smile, but her expression quickly hardened.
“Do you want to know why Andrew chose me over you?”
Before Mary could fathom her intentions, Agnes had already let loose words of unfathomable cruelty. Their venom was immediate and unrelenting, leaving no room for doubt about their devastating potential.
“It’s simple. I could offer him what you could not. He wanted to see you ruined, your home destroyed. He wanted your father to pay for the pain he inflicted upon his family. I helped him get close to you and your family, orchestrating events until today when your world has come crashing down. His words to you were just part of the plan. The reality is far more ruthless.”
Agnes paused, her lips curling into a malicious smile. She did not cease her verbal assault, her words piercing Mary like daggers.
“From the very start, your entanglement was a mere arrangement. Surely, you’re not naive enough to think I’m attempting to deceive you now? Wake up! You’ve been duped quite badly. That cunning man orchestrated all of this, and you’ve simply been a fool to fall into his trap.”
Mary tried to keep a brave face, but her facade crumbled under the weight of the hurtful words. She had been gullible; she had trusted him, and in doing so, she had allowed him to harm her family.
But in Agnes’s cruel words, Mary noticed a flaw, an inconsistency. She approached Agnes and confronted her head-on.
“If everything was a plan he concocted, then isn’t his relationship with you also part of that scheme?”
Agnes was startled. She shouted in Mary’s face.
“No! I met him before he learned about your family’s past. He said he loved me because we shared commonalities. He claimed we had empathy, a bond that would keep our love strong and enduring. Unlike you, you are just the daughter of his enemy.”
Once again, Mary felt like a knife had pierced her heart upon hearing the two words “the enemy.” She had approached him with pure love, only to be repaid with his resentment. Yet he was oblivious that she was now an orphan, devoid of family or kin. The people she had regarded as her parents were, after all, strangers to her.
Agnes still had not yet relented, for she hadn’t achieved her desire. She sat down at the table, her gaze icy sharp, her voice clear as it rose.
“You are not allowed to stay here because this is my home. Your presence here only serves to discomfort me. It is best that people like you retreat to some lonely place, perhaps to some temple, rather than loiter in populated areas and pollute the air.”
Mary was choked with anger at the words she had just heard. She loathed Agnes, whose mock cordiality had finally revealed her true colors.
The echo of footsteps departing lingered, but the hurt remained. Mary didn’t understand why she had to endure such humiliation. She was not the perpetrator but the victim, yet she had no means to resist.
The night was still, devoid of any noise, and her sobs became more profound in that silence. This was not the wailing of a newborn, but the crying of a grown person wounded deep within.
Sitting next to her bed, she contemplated everything that had happened. She couldn’t let those who had caused her pain to be satisfied. They would have to pay for everything they had inflicted upon her. From now on, she would not just live for her mother, her father, and her grandmother but also for herself.