Suffocated to Death

After great effort, I finally reached the doorknob. However, I realized that he had locked the door from the outside.

I tried with all my strength to make a sound, but my throat felt completely blocked. All I could manage were hoarse, rasping gasps.

Desperately, I pounded on the door. Once, twice, three times…

The sound grew weaker and weaker until I no longer had the strength to even lift my hand in the end.

Just as my consciousness was about to fade, I heard the butler's voice outside the door.

"Mr. Henderson, are you sure you want to do this? If Mrs. Henderson really…"

"Shut up! One more word, and you're fired!" Blake snapped impatiently.

"If she doesn't suffer a bit, she'll never learn."

The lack of oxygen made my head buzz violently, and my vision started growing darker. In the end, I could see nothing at all.

…

"Forget it. Let Melinda out. The key is in my study drawer," Blake finally instructed coldly.

The butler's expression turned uneasy as he acknowledged the order over the phone.

Blake wrapped his arms around Rosie and said guiltily, "To make it up to you, I just bought you a villa in the south of the city. Why don't we go and take a look now?"

Rosie's eyes lit up and she excitedly pulled him toward the door. "You promised! I want a pink princess room and a huge garden!"

Blake smiled and affectionately tapped her nose. "Okay, whatever you want."

Along the way, Blake held Rosie's hand tightly, as if pouring all the affection he had into her. Yet for some reason, my face kept surfacing in his mind, refusing to fade.

Buzz! Buzz!

In that split second, the vibration of his phone interrupted his thoughts. Blake glanced at it irritably and found that it was the butler.

"What is it?"

"M-Mr. Henderson…" The butler's trembling voice came through the phone. "Mrs. Henderson, she—"

"What now? What is she trying this time?" Blake frowned impatiently. "Tell her I'm busy and that I don't have time for her games!"

"N-no, Mr. Henderson. Mrs. Henderson seems to be…" The butler took a deep breath as if gathering all his courage before continuing, "It seems she's dead."

"Dead?" Blake's expression instantly turned livid. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Then, he suddenly recalled the call from the butler that morning.

'Could it be that… No, impossible! Melinda had worked so hard to marry me, so how could she possibly die? She must be pretending so she could win my sympathy,' Blake thought.

"Mr. Henderson, I'm not lying." The butler was on the verge of tears. "Mrs. Henderson's body is already—"

"If she's dead, then she's dead. She's always been good at pretending to be pitiful to gain sympathy. Are you helping her to deceive me too?"

"But—"

"That's enough! Tell her that if she doesn't want to come out, she can stay locked in there. I don't want to hear another word about her!" Blake roared and hung up.

He cursed inwardly that I had dared to threaten him like this.

"Blake, did something happen to Melinda?" Rosie asked softly.

"It's nothing." Blake gently patted her back. "Don't be soft-hearted with her after what she did to you."

"Still, she is my sister…" Rosie's voice trembled and sounded on the verge of crying.

However, I clearly saw the corner of her lips curl into a faint smile.

Blake let out a long sigh and stroked her hair softly. "You're too kind. That's why she always bullies you."

Kind? Rosie?

Looking at them, I almost laughed in fury.

A few days ago was our third wedding anniversary. I had prepared a table full of Blake's favorite dishes and waited for him with joy.

However, what he brought back wasn't a gift or flowers. Instead, it was Rosie, my so-called sister.

Rosie's Fake Act

Rosie clung affectionately to Blake's arm and said sweetly, "Melinda, I'm sure you don't mind me here, right?"

Looking at how close they were, I found it almost unbearable to watch.

Blake frowned and said impatiently, "Why should you care what she thinks? If you want to come, you can. Since when does she get a say?"

Suppressing my anger, I reminded him coldly, "Today is our wedding anniversary."

"So what?" Blake sneered, pulling Rosie to sit at the table. "If you don't like it, then leave. No one is forcing you to stay."

His words were like needles piercing my heart.

We had been together for years, yet I still couldn't get a single trace of affection from him in return.

After taking a few bites of the food, Rosie's expression suddenly changed. She covered her mouth and began to retch.

Seeing her reaction, Blake panicked immediately. "What's wrong, Rosie? What happened?"

She weakly pointed at the dishes in front of her and said with a trembling voice. "I'm allergic to peanuts. Melinda, did you put peanut sauce in the food?"

"I didn't!"

I knew this was clearly another act by Rosie. After all, I hadn't used any peanut sauce at all.

"Melinda, how could you do this to me? I know you don't like me, but why would you kill me…"

"Melinda, have you lost your mind?" Blake roared.

He scooped Rosie into his arms and rushed out like a gust of wind.

Late at night, Blake returned home. He yanked me off the bed and dragged me into the living room. When I saw a crate of red wine placed in the center of the room, my heart dropped.

"Blake, what are you doing?" I looked at him in terror, my voice trembling.

He let out a cold laugh and replied, "Melinda, how can you be so vicious? Rosie is so kind, yet you dared to harm her. I'll make you pay for the suffering you caused her."

Before I could react, he shoved me violently to the ground. Then the servants pinned me down tightly. I struggled desperately, but it was useless.

"I didn't harm Rosie! You have to believe me!" I cried out in despair.

"I can't believe you are still making excuses even now!" Blake said as he grabbed a bottle of red wine and roughly pried open my mouth, pouring the liquid in.

"I remember that you are allergic to alcohol."

The wine streamed down from the corners of my mouth. I choked violently and could feel my stomach churning in agony.

I have a severe alcohol allergy. Even a small amount of it could be fatal.

"Please don't. I'll die!" I begged, but it only made him more ruthless. "I never wanted to hurt Rosie. Please believe me…"

The allergic reaction grew stronger, and my body swelled as if inflated, burning with pain. My throat began to swell shut, making it harder to breathe.

I gasped desperately, but the air felt thinner and thinner. At the same time, darkness crept into my vision.

In agony, I looked at Blake and tried to beg him to stop.

But the moment I opened my mouth, I erupted into violent coughing. My stomach churned, and I could not hold it back.

I vomited.

When the mess stained his hands, he flung me aside in disgust.

"You're disgusting!" He slapped me twice, making my head spin and my ears ring.

Soon, more and more red patches spread across my body, merging into terrifying rashes. I felt like a fish thrown onto land, struggling on the brink of death.

However, Blake only looked at me coldly and said, "It hurts, doesn't it? Rosie felt the same just now!"

Then, he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. "I thought you were good at taking care of people. Why couldn't you take care of your sister?"

I looked at him in despair. Memories of his past tenderness flashed through my mind like a carousel.

When I was young and bullied, hiding in a corner and crying, it was Blake who handed me a lollipop and comforted me.

"Melinda, don't cry. If you eat candy, it won't hurt anymore." Then he went and fought off the people who had bullied me.

But that boy who had once treated me so gently had personally pushed me into hell.

When Blake finally grew tired of forcing wine down my throat, he grabbed my hair.

The Only One Who Cared for Me

My scalp throbbed with pain, as if it were about to split open.

He yanked me up from the ground and dragged me into the room like a piece of trash.

"I'll ask you one last time. Are you going to admit that you harmed Rosie?"

I looked at him in despair. The love I once felt had long since turned into bone-deep coldness. My swollen throat made it impossible for me to say even a single word.

…

On the other end of the line, the butler stared at my decaying body, his face pale. He was so frightened that he nearly dropped his phone.

With trembling hands, he called Sarah Lokesivan, Blake's mother.

When I saw his actions, I rushed forward and tried to stop him, but my hand passed right through the phone.

I didn't want Sarah to see me like this.

When I was little, my parents were always busy with business and often left me with the Henderson family. Sarah pitied me and treated me like her own daughter.

She was the only one all these years who never took Rosie's side.

My death would already devastate her.

I didn't want her to see me in this state, but I no longer had a physical body. All I could do was watch helplessly as the butler made the call.

Soon, accompanied by the screech of brakes, Sarah stumbled into the room. I watched as her face filled with terror.

"Melinda! My dear Melinda!" She cried out and rushed toward me.

However, I was already a cold corpse. All I could do was watch as she collapsed beside me, her trembling hands reaching out to touch my disfigured face.

"Melinda, why would this happen to you…"

The heat had left my body badly decomposed. Sarah tried to close my eyes, but no matter how hard she tried, they remained open.

"She can't rest in peace. My dear Melinda has suffered so much injustice…" Sarah sobbed uncontrollably.

She was heartbroken, and there was nothing I could do but watch in despair.

"Where is Blake? Where is that monster?" Sarah demanded through her grief.

The butler lowered his head awkwardly. "Mr. Henderson hasn't been home for days."

With trembling hands, Sarah dialed Blake's number. "Blake, where are you? Get back here right now!"

On the other end, Blake sounded impatient. "Did Melinda say something to you again? I've told you before to stop interfering in my affairs!"

"Melinda is dead! Why aren't you home?"

In that split second, there was a brief silence. Then Blake said, "Mom, why are you playing along with her nonsense? Faking her death is ridiculous."

Sarah's voice broke into sobs. "How many days has it been since you came home? Melinda's body is already decomposing! Do you even know what you've done?"

There was a flicker of panic in Blake's eyes, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by his usual coldness.

"Mom, stop playing along with her games. She did all these just because she wants me to come back. I saw allergy medicine on her bedside table myself. If she's going to lie, she should at least make it convincing."

"What allergy medicine? How did Melinda die?" Sarah's voice was filled with disbelief and anguish. "Did you hurt her again? Blake, if you did this to her, I will never forgive you!"

"Mom, can you stop being childish? I don't have time to play games with you. Put Melinda on the phone. I want to talk to her," Blake said impatiently.

On the other hand, Sarah looked at my cold body and closed her eyes in despair, allowing tears to slide down her cheeks.

"Blake, you are such a disappointment."

The call ended with a harsh click, leaving only the cold, empty tone.

I watched as Sarah collapsed weakly beside the bed, her vision blurred by tears.