I took the cup of red tea she had handed me and made my way back to the room.

I sat silently by the window for over an hour, before, almost on impulse, I unlocked my phone and logged into Instagram—an app I hadn’t used in ages.

To my surprise, I had gained a few more followers.

But when I clicked on one of their profiles, I saw that Ella had posted something just ten minutes ago.

[There was a cockroach in the house, but thankfully, my honey arrived just in time. I was terrified—honey even bought me a new ring and told me that our relationship is as eternal and genuine as the meaning behind this ring.]

The photo showed a delicate hand adorned with a six-carat pink diamond ring. As my eyes landed on the butterfly tattoo on the back of her hand, my chest tightened.

It was Ella…

I could never forget how, when she curled my hair with a curling iron, I had noticed the vivid black butterfly tattoo on the inside of her hand.

Vernon hadn’t come home that night.

The next evening, when he returned, he was wearing a brand-new set of clothes.

He walked toward me, holding a bouquet of jasmine, and began placing the flowers one by one into a vase.

"Vernon," I called softly, "Have you gathered all the evidence? The one about Ella?"

At the mention of Ella’s name, Vernon paused for a split second, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes, but he quickly recovered and replied, "Not yet. Those people took Vale's family’s hush money. They're scared of retaliation, so they won’t talk."

When Vernon left for the United States to study abroad at seventeen, I stayed behind in the country with Sophia.

It was because I helped a classmate that Ella and her group started targeting me.

The dirty water poured over my head, the centipede in my cup, the dead rat in my pencil case... the shards of glass embedded in my knee, the cigarette burn on my shoulder, and the burns on my arm from the curling iron.

I had asked for help, but Vale’s family had such strong connections that no one came to my aid.

It wasn’t until I saw Ella on a date with some gangsters that everything changed. She called me, "Hey, cripple."

She ordered the thugs to drag me away, but I fought back with everything I had, biting off a chunk of flesh from her arm. She went insane, slapping me over and over, then slamming my head into the wall.

When I woke up, I saw Vernon, who had rushed back from overseas, holding my hand, his eyes red as he kept repeating the same words.

I could read his lips, and he was saying, "I’ll kill them."

In that moment, I realized with terror that I had gone deaf.

The thugs and everyone who had bullied me were taken to the police station by Piers’s family. Only Ella—she was sent to another province the very next day.

Five years ago, Vale's family had caused a scandal involving a fake daughter, and Ella, the imposter, was kicked out.

Two years ago, I saw her again—kneeling on broken glass, crying as she apologized, "I’m sorry."

But I didn’t just want her apology. I wanted her to face legal consequences.

"I want to see her tomorrow," I told Vernon.

Vernon agreed.

Ella, as if there were something hanging over her head, was forced by Vernon to kneel and apologize to me every month. She did so, without fail.

Vernon told me it wouldn’t end until she had atoned for her sins and I had forgiven her.

But as I walked into the room, I caught him on the phone, speaking as if no one was around. It seemed like he was giving instructions to someone.

"Give those people a bit more money, and make sure they keep their mouths shut."

"Ugh, it’s just that Rosa keeps asking about Ella. After all this time, she still can’t let it go. It’s such a hassle."

His voice carried a clear tone of helplessness. I gripped the doorframe tightly and retreated back to my room.

In that moment, my heart shattered into pieces.

It wasn’t that Vernon hadn’t gathered the evidence—it was that he didn’t want to hurt Ella, so he pretended he hadn’t collected anything.

When did Vernon change?

I leaned against the door, listening to Vernon make another call. This time, his voice was soft and affectionate as he spoke, “I’ll go back to your place tomorrow. Rosa wants to see you. Don’t worry, she won’t do anything to you.”

After being kicked out of Vale’s family, Ella had been staying in Fogsunken Village. She’d arrived not long after I did.

She was wearing a cheap coat, the fabric worn and faded, and her once-manicured nails had been removed. Even her complexion looked pale and unhealthy.

But I couldn't miss the fact that her long hair was still silky and well-maintained, her skin flawless from proper care, and there were clear marks of possessive kisses on the side of her neck.

I clenched my fists, staring at her as she lowered her head obediently, yet muttered bitter words. “Ella, I’ve found a lawyer. You’re going to prison.”

Ella looked up, a flash of mockery in her eyes, but she quickly lowered her head again and knelt before me.

Her words were dripping with malice. “I’m not going to prison. You’ll never see that day.”

She muttered under her breath, “Fucking cripple.”

Just then, Vernon entered. He walked past Ella like she was a stranger, sat beside me, and asked, “It’s getting colder. Daisy made Clam Chowder for you. Want to go back and have some?”

As he spoke, he threw a quick glance at Ella.

I bit my lip. Barely ten minutes had passed, and Vernon was already rushing to rescue her.

“I just recorded some of the things she said to me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady as I pulled the recorder from my bag and handed it to Vernon.

In an instant, Ella’s face drained of color.

Vernon frowned slightly as he played the recording. When it reached the part where Ella had called me a “fucking cripple,” his brow furrowed deeper, and he glanced at Ella.

“What did she say?” I asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Vernon put the recorder away, his throat moving slightly—an involuntary sign of a lie.

He sighed and said, “She said she was sorry, that she knew she was wrong.”

I stood up, my eyes still on Ella as I suddenly slapped her hard across the face!

Her head snapped to the side, and I hit her so hard that my palm was still tingling.

“What’s the point of saying sorry? Going to jail is the only way you’ll pay for what you’ve done,” I said coldly.

Ella’s tears immediately started to fall. She looked at Vernon with pleading eyes, but Vernon ignored her.

Instead, he gently took my hand, rubbed it, and then gestured, “Don’t dirty your hands.”

Vernon escorted me out of Ella’s place, and after helping me into the car, he seemed to remember something. “I have a meeting with the other party at noon. You go back first, alright?”

The driver was already waiting in the front seat, and I nodded. Vernon kissed my cheek and watched as I drove off.

Once home, I put on my headphones and opened the surveillance app on my phone.

The sounds that came through were ambiguous, filled with a tension that made my skin crawl.

“It’s her own fault for looking for trouble. She can’t hear me, so what’s the harm in saying a few things to her…”

Ella was sitting on the sofa in a bunny maid outfit, her expression defiant but her eyes red, on the verge of tears. “I know you love her the most, so don’t come to me anymore. I shouldn’t even be alive. It’d be better if I were dead.”

“Why don’t you just send me to jail?”

Vernon had already removed his shirt. He kissed Ella fiercely on the lips, acting tough as he said, “Your life has been mine since two years ago. If I don’t want you to die, you won’t.”

Seeing that Ella was about to cry, he quickly wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and sighed. “Stop crying, honey. What’s the point of saying such things? How could I bear for you to go to jail?”

“Rosa’s holding a grudge against you. Just don’t make her angry, and in a few years, it’ll all be over.”

It turned out Vernon had always thought I would forgive Ella.

But there was no way that was ever going to happen.