Chapter 4
I was wearing high heels, and I sprained my ankle instantly. A small crack. rang out, and I was instantly breaking out in a cold sweat due to the sharp pain.
Three years ago, Benson had a high fever in the middle of the night, and it just so happened that the power was out in the neighborhood.
Our apartment was on the eighth floor. Though he was two heads taller than me, I resolutely carried him on my back and walked down the stairs. In the darkness, I missed a step and ended up shattering my ankle.
The doctor warned me that this ankle mustn’t get hurt again, or I might be crippled for good.
The pain right now was greater than that day. As I fell to the floor, my phone was sent flying, and its screen was flickering now. Enduring the immense pain, I said to Benson, my voice trembling, “Benson, get me an ambulance.”
My future husband from the Hoyt family had lost a leg; I had no intention of being a cripple.
I looked at Benson with almost a pleading look in my eyes. He rushed toward me, but Ethel wrapped her arms around his waist as he was about. to approach me.
Her eyes were brimming with tears as if she had endured great aggrievances and shock.
“I… I didn’t…”
She looked at him pitifully.
“I didn’t, Benson….
“I didn’t push Marlene… I didn’t know why she fell to the floor while trying to drag me down with her.”
With that, she burst into tears, looking exactly like the victim. “I slapped her back then, which is the truth, but I swear I didn’t push her today.
“How can I prove myself? What should I do to make you believe me?
“Benson, I’m so stupid. Could you tell me what I should do to prove myself?”
Our former classmates, who had been enjoying the farce behind us, whispered to each other, “Marlene tried to frame Ethel right after they met each other again?”
“On the way here, Ethel said she was worried Marlene still held a grudge about that slap and would do something to her.”
“Gee! She’s right about Marlene!”
“Marlene is Benson’s childhood sweetheart. Yeah. But so what? He’s with Ethel now. She has no right to be so possessive of him.”
Benson held Ethel in his arms tightly. “You’ve got nothing to prove. I trust you unconditionally forever.”
Then he frowned at me, who couldn’t move at all because of the sharp pain.
“Cut it out, Marlene. Aren’t you embarrassed by yourself? Drop the act already.”
“I’m not…” I said while trying to move, but another wave of pain instantly silenced me.
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Chapter 4
He sneered, “I thought I knew you well enough.
“But Ethel is right.
“Men can never imagine how merciless women can be toward one
another.
“Ethel slapped you eight years ago. So, you assumed everyone would take your side and believe she pushed you.
“You deliberately ignored my calls, showed up all dressed up, and now, you even stoop so low as to pull such lousy tricks. Marlene, you sicken
me.”
I could only grit my teeth and explain, “It’s not like that. I’m waiting for my fiance…”
Ethel instantly cried even harder. Getting all worked up, she actually was about to bow to me. “Fine!
“Marlene, if you insist on saying it was me, fine! I pushed you, OK? I’ll bow to you and apologize to you.
“Just please don’t take Benson away from me!
“I don’t care about anything else. I just wanna be with him. Please don’t stand in our way anymore.”
I knew I couldn’t count on them and could only crawl to my phone slowly while enduring the pain. Just as my fingertip touched the phone, Benson stepped on its screen hard.
“You’ve got superb acting skills, Marlene. Hats off! Not being an actress is a real waste of your talent.
“You want your phone? Apologize to Ethel first.”
I pushed his ankle away though to no avail. “I’m not acting! Have you forgotten? I once injured my ankle!
“And I’m not lying. I’m really here waiting for my fiance.
“I’ve never thought of competing with Ethel for you.”
But my words only fueled his fury, and his eyes were burning with disgust that I had never seen before.
“Fiance? Seriously? You really can blabber.
“You deliberately brought your injury up in front of Ethel because you wanted everyone to know you were once injured because of me, right?
“Fine! You asked for it, Marlene!”
He stepped hard and broke my phone. Then he picked me up by the collar, ignoring my pain, and faced me to the crowd. “Instead of letting you bewilder them, I might as well tell them the truth myself!
“Yes, I slept with Marlene for eight years!”
