Justin didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he ordered his men to give Norah a proper burial.
His phone rang countless times during the night. Even though he didn’t answer, he knew exactly who was calling.
It was the woman responsible for Norah’s death.
He was so busy the entire night that he only finished everything by dawn. Taking Norah’s ashes, he placed them into the grave himself.
While he hated himself, he hated Selena even more. If she hadn’t deceived him, he wouldn’t have only learned after Norah’s death how much she had done for him.
Selena had repeatedly framed Norah, making Justin hurt her over and over again.
Thinking back, he had made Norah watch as he slept with Selena, forced her to obey Selena, and even thrown money in her face. Now, the memories made his heart ache.
He had loved Norah more than his own life, yet he had unknowingly hurt her again and again because of someone else’s lies.
The name carved into the tombstone was piercing. As he brushed over Norah’s name with his trembling fingers, he was overwhelmed with sorrow.
What was the point of living now that Norah was gone?
But before anything else, there was still one thing he had to do.
V
Justin’s phone rang again. This time, he didn’t ignore it. As the grief in his eyes faded and was replaced by an icy hatred, he picked up the call.
“Justin! Where have you been? Why didn’t you answer my calls? I was so worried!”
It was Selena. She was almost in tears. Last night, she had been on edge, terrified that Jeremy would reveal what had happened to Norah. After her bath, she came out to find that Justin was
gone.
She was panicking. She feared that at any moment, Norah would appear with Justin, and he would never look at her again.
Selena would be reduced to a mere afterthought.
She barely slept as she called both Justin and Norah repeatedly. When no one answered, she was so overwhelmed by fear that she was shivering.
Selena was absolutely terrified of Norah. She knew she could never truly compete with her, so she had pretended to be the one who donated a kidney to Justin and saved him from the avalanche. The fact that she had continuously set Norah up made Justin despise her.
She thought she wouldn’t have to live in fear anymore once she married Justin.
But just the mention of Norah–she didn’t even have to show up–was enough to steal Justin away from her again.
But why? Norah didn’t even love Justin! She abandoned him!
Selena loathed Norah.
Now that Justin had finally answered her call, she immediately put on her most pitiful act, disregarding everything else. “I started feeling dizzy again when you were away last night. I could barely breathe. The doctor said it’s because I’m missing a kidney. Can you come back and stay with me?”
She used this excuse often, and every time, Justin would drop whatever he was doing to be with her.
“Sure. I’ll come back right now.”
Justin used to feel sorry for her. But after knowing the truth, he felt disgusted hearing Selena use this excuse.
How dare she say such things?
A cold, mocking smile appeared on his face as he ended the call. His white suit had long been replaced with solemn black–the color of mourning
“Mr. Johnson, are we heading back?” Jeremy asked at the right moment.
“Of course. How can we not? Selena went to great lengths to marry me. I must take good care of her.” Justin’s voice was devoid of emotion as he got into the car.
An hour later, he arrived at the home he shared with Selena. The moment he opened the door, Selena, dressed in a seductive nightgown, eagerly threw herself into his arms.
“Justin, I missed you so much… Where were you last night? It was our wedding night, and you didn’t even stay with me…”
She used every trick in the book, arching her waist as she pressed herself against him. She knew that while she could never surpass Norah in his heart, Justin still desired her body.
As they had been intimate many times, Selena knew exactly what Justin liked. Now, she boldly and seductively tempted him, hoping he would, as always, forget everything and lose himself in passion with her.
But Justin’s gaze remained ice–cold as if he were watching a joke unfold.
Staring at the face so close to his, he grasped Selena’s chin. In the midst of her hopeful anticipation, he ruthlessly slapped her across the face.
