“You dare to show up?”
The reason James had left the country back then was because he truly believed Simon loved me.
But now? James deeply regretted it.
If he had been around, I would never have suffered like this.
He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control himself, forcing himself to stay calm.
“Give me her body back.”
Simon hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.
Every night, he dreamed of the moment he abandoned me, seeing me struggle in agony.
“Why should I?”
“Because I’m her husband…” Simon barely finished his sentence before James punched him hard.
He had the nerve to call himself my husband in front of James?
“Husband? When you were tormenting her, did you ever think about being her husband? Where were you when she died?! Simon, do you not feel disgusted with yourself when you say that?”
Simon’s throat tightened, and he knew full well that he had no right.
“Please… I’ll do anything you ask. I’m begging you…”
Simon’s voice was filled with desperation, completely broken.
James let out a cold laugh. “Anything? Fine! Then go drag Hollie to Laura’s grave, have her kneel and beg for forgiveness! And then, torment her a thousand times worse than you did Laura! After all, wasn’t it for her that you abandoned Laura?”
James’ words cut deep, stabbing Simon without mercy.
—
Simon stumbled home, drunk.
As soon as he sat down, Patel burst in, “Sir, the project, the project’s failed!”
The project Patel referred to was one Simon had partnered with the Burke family on just three days ago.
Burke’s original partner had pulled out, and Simon, trying to help Hollie, picked up the mess. But little did he know, the Burke family was involved in illegal dealings.
Now, they were being hunted across the city, and Simon was caught in the mess.
Phone calls flooded Simon’s line. The doorbell rang.
Patel opened the door, and Simon’s mother stormed in.
She slapped Simon hard across the face, “You fool! Kneel!”
She had been abroad but flew back as soon as she saw the news yesterday.
She never expected the son she raised to do something so reckless. “I’ve told you before, Hollie’s no good, but you still did something so stupid for her!”
Simon’s mother was so furious she nearly fainted.
She had always liked me since I was a child, and when I married Simon, she was my biggest supporter.
But fate is unpredictable, and she never imagined that in just a few years, things between us would come to this.
“How many times must I tell you, Laura was the wife you married with dignity, and you know exactly what kind of people Hollie and her mother are! You knew how hard Laura’s life was in the Burke family better than anyone.”
Simon knelt on the ground, biting his lip hard.
“I know I was wrong, Mom, I really do. I just want to see her… I truly know I was wrong…”
James’ and Simon’s mother’s words echoed in his mind.
At that moment, Simon was in unbearable pain.
I never thought I would see James like this after death.
How satisfying.
But really, what’s the point of regret after everything is lost?
“Now that you know you were wrong, what good is it? The most important thing now is to help the police catch Hollie! Give Laura the justice she deserves!”
Simon deployed every resource he had, scouring all of Sunnydale, not even sparing a fly.
He actually managed to find Hollie and her family before the police did.
But instead of turning them in, he took them to an abandoned garage.
“What are you doing?!”
My father trembled in fear as he looked at the group of menacing figures.
Simon stepped forward and kicked him to the ground.
“It’s because of you that Laura was never happy.”
Was Simon seeking revenge, one by one?
Was he trying to ease my resentment by doing this?
I watched coldly, curious to see what he would do next.
“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me! It was them, I had nothing to do with it!”
My father tried to flee, but Simon grabbed him by the collar, twisting his fingers viciously.
My father’s face contorted in agony as he screamed.
“Does it hurt? This is how you used to torment Laura.” Simon said as he broke another of his fingers.
He kicked my father into a water basin, repeatedly dunking his head until he nearly drowned.
Next was Hollie’s mother.
Simon locked her in a cage with wild dogs.
She was covered in blood, screaming, clutching her head.
But it wasn’t enough for Simon. He ordered salt to be poured on her wounds.
I stood there, watching in stunned silence, as she passed out from the pain.
Only to be woken up again by a bucket of cold water.
“I’m innocent! Why are you doing this to me? Why?” she shrieked.
Simon crouched down, staring at her. “Innocent?”
“It was your daughter who killed her, who killed my wife.” His eyes flashed with a trace of sorrow.
Hollie’s mother, however, had lost her mind. “Blame Hollie! That bitch did it! It had nothing to do with me!”
How laughable.
In the face of disaster, she was quick to abandon her own daughter.
But Hollie didn’t know yet.
She had no idea her mother had already thrown her under the bus.