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On the day I received the AIDS diagnosis for my fiance’s childhood sweetheart, he was intimately involved with her in our bridal chamber.
I refrained from intervening as I had in my previous life.
Instead, feigning ignorance, I turned away and tore the medical examination report to
shreds.
In my previous life, to save my fiance, Howard Lee, I rushed in to inform him that Vivian Lynn
was afflicted with AIDS.
Vivian Lynn, overcome with shame, fled and tragically died in a traffic accident.
Howard Lee claimed he didn’t blame me, yet on our wedding day, he bound me to Vivian
Lynn’s grave.
Broadcasting live, I was defiled for three days and nights.
He kicked me around like a rag doll, as if possessed.
“It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t slandered Vivian, she wouldn’t have run out into the street and
been killed by a car.”
“You like stealing men, do you? Well, I’ll let you watch yourself being killed before you die.”
My heart broke; only as I died did I realize the depth of his hatred for me.
Very well. This time, I shall respect his destiny and facilitate their profound love, even unto
death.
Unburdened by my meddling, the bedroom was quickly filled with the sounds of breathless
passion.
Vivian Lynn, overcome by emotion, wept.
“To be with you at the end… I could ask for nothing more.”
Howard Lee tenderly kissed away her tears, murmuring reassurances.
“There, there. I will find a cure, I promise.”
“Didn’t you promise to marry me? We’ll be wed as soon as you recover.”
I gave a mirthless laugh and turned to leave.
I couldn’t remain in that revolting place another second.
Because the moment I heard his voice, I was reminded of his lie: that Vivian Lynn was merely
the girl next door he’d known since childhood.
And how did he manage to coax me, yet again, into allowing Vivian Lynn to move into the bridal chamber my parents had so recently furnished for me, taking up residence in my master
bedroom.
Subsequently, in the name of avenging her, he subjected me to every conceivable
humiliation.
He refused to believe Vivian Lynn suffered from AIDS, convinced that I, driven by jealousy, had fabricated a false Medical Examination Report to deceive him, thereby causing Vivian Lynn’s untimely and tragic demise.
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Over those three days, he wantonly violated my dignity and five years of affection, leaving
them irrevocably shattered.
My pace quickened, my breathing grew labored.
Only when the door opened did I breathe a sigh of relief, as if I had survived some terrible
ordeal.
But before I could even recover, I caught sight of flowers on the shoe cabinet.
Vivian Lynn’s favorite lilies, no less.
Gazing at those pristine white petals, my stomach lurched, and I couldn’t help but gag.
My mind reeled with the venomous words Howard Lee had hissed in my ear, his eyes
bloodshot, in my final moments.
He’d said, ‘Don’t think death will absolve you. Even if you’re reduced to ashes, I’ll find a way to make you atone to Vivian.’
Later, true to his word, on the day I died, he ground my corpse into minced meat, using it to nourish the flowers in Vivian Lynn’s cemetery.
I forced myself, despite my discomfort, to return home.
The moment I saw my parents, all my pent–up grievances and longing instantly overflowed.
I threw myself into their arms without a second thought.
Seeing my red–rimmed eyes, my mother chuckled, teasing gently.
“Silly girl, we only saw each other this morning. Why the tears already?”
“You’re a grown woman, practically married, and still acting like a child.”
Has it only been a morning since we last met?
In my previous life, after my death and as my soul wandered, I witnessed my mother succumb to a heart attack brought on by overwhelming anger and anxiety, ultimately leading to
her demise.
And my father, attempting to avenge us, had his limbs broken by Howard Lee’s men, who left
him to die in an alley.
He was eventually devoured by wild dogs.
I believed I would never have the opportunity to see them again.
Yet, here they stand before me, and I find myself unable to suppress my tears.
Moreover, their deaths were, in essence, my doing.
My poor parents always treated Howard Lee like their own son, only to receive not a shred of compassion in return.
Thinking of all this, I wiped away my tears and addressed them.
“Mom and Dad, I no longer wish to marry Howard Lee.”
Upon hearing this, my mother was momentarily stunned and inquired as to why.
But how could I possibly reveal the truth? I merely shook my head, claiming I no longer cond for him.
D
Fortunately, after a moment of furrowed–brow contemplation, my father acquiesced.
“If my daughter does not wish to marry, then she shall not. I can well afford to support her
even were she to remain at home indalinikall
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And my father, attempting to avenge us, had his limbs broken by Howard Lee’s men, who left him to die in an alley.
He was eventually devoured by wild dogs.
I believed I would never have the opportunity to see them again.
Yet, here they stand before me, and I find myself unable to suppress my tears.
Moreover, their deaths were, in essence, my doing.
My poor parents always treated Howard Lee like their own son, only to receive not a shred of compassion in return.
Thinking of all this, I wiped away my tears and addressed them.
“Mom and Dad, I no longer wish to marry Howard Lee.”
Upon hearing this, my mother was momentarily stunned and inquired as to why.
But how could I possibly reveal the truth? I merely shook my head, claiming I no longer cared for him.
Fortunately, after a moment of furrowed–brow contemplation, my father acquiesced.
“If my daughter does not wish to marry, then she shall not. I can well afford to support her even were she to remain at home indefinitely; besides, that Lee man is hardly a catch.”
I don’t know why, but he doesn’t seem to hold Howard Lee in the same regard as before. Furthermore, upon learning of my impending marriage to Howard Lee, he repeatedly attempted to dissuade me.
Had I not been so insistent, even to the point of threatening to run away from home, he would never have relented.
The sheer absurdity of my past actions now strikes me as quite comical.