Chapter 7

After taking a few pills, the pain only seemed to intensify. Margaret poured out three more… then five… then ten… The entire bottle dropped to the floor. A moment later, she coughed up a mouthful of blood. That day, Lester never found Scarlett. Her game of playing hard to get wasn't over yet—just a small bait was enough to throw everything into chaos. He continued sending his men to search for her every day, while proceeding with his wedding preparations in a high-profile manner. As news of the wedding spread, Scarlett could no longer stay still. But instead of going to Lester, she came straight to Vista Heights to find Margaret. Inside the villa, the two women looked at each other in silence. Scarlett was covered in scars, most of them inflicted by Lester himself when she was first locked up in Lakeview. Who would've thought that just half a year later, he'd be turning the city upside down just to look for her, as if he couldn't bear to live without her? "Margaret, I know you've been reading my posts." Scarlett cut straight to the point, a smug smile tugging at her lips. Everyone thought she was just making up a story for clout, but only one person kept checking that thread, clicking it every time it was updated. She knew it was Margaret. "How does it feel to watch the man you love fall for someone else?" she taunted. But Margaret didn't respond. She looked fragile and thin, and she was also disabled. Yet for some reason, she always made Scarlett feel inferior. Scarlett had pursued Lester for years, but Margaret had won his love so effortlessly. A flicker of resentment flashed in her eyes when she saw how unfazed Margaret was. "Margaret, do you think he's so eager to announce the wedding because he wants to marry you? Or is it just to force me out of hiding?" she asked with a sneer. Margaret clutched the armrests of her wheelchair, as if the truth she'd never wanted to admit had been shoved in her face. Her face went pale in an instant. Finally striking a nerve, Scarlett let out a triumphant laugh. Of course, Margaret would be heartbroken. The 16-year-old Lester, who had once vowed to marry her, was now using their wedding as leverage to lure out another woman. As Scarlett closed in on Margaret, hurried footsteps sounded behind them. Right when Lester barged through the door, Scarlett pulled out a knife she'd hidden on her body. He froze. "Scarlett, if you dare touch her, I'll kill you!" he bellowed. But she didn't stab Margaret. Instead, she aimed the tip of the blade at herself. Tears filled her eyes as she looked back at him. Her smugness was gone, replaced by a bitter, broken smile. "Lester, I would never dare hurt your first love. I know you hate me for turning her into a cripple. Since you'll never let me go, I'll repay her with my life. Will that be enough?" With that, she drove the blade straight into her chest. Lester's face went white with panic. "No!" he screamed, his voice trembling just as much as before. But the blade had already impaled Scarlett's chest. Rushing toward her like a madman, Lester shoved Margaret aside and scooped Scarlett into his arms. Her entire body was covered in blood. "Scarlett, don't die!" he cried out. "I won't let you die!" He bolted out of the door with her in his arms, never once looking back at the woman he had knocked over. Pain shot up Margaret's legs as she lay there on the floor, her wheelchair tipped over beside her. She stared blankly at the open doorway, feeling like her heart had been crushed into pieces. She couldn't get up on her own and lay there for what felt like forever. In the end, it was the caregiver who helped her up when she came back and saw the mess in the house. "Oh, no, Ms. Reynolds! How did this happen? Mr. Hamilton will be heartbroken when he sees this." Margaret's cheeks were streaked with dried tears. She barked out a painful laugh when she heard the caregiver's words. How could that be true when he'd just walked out on her with such determination?