Chapter 2
After Ruby was finished at the DNA test center, she then went on to the hospital to bandage up her wounds and injuries.
However, as soon as she sat down, a nurse hurried in and started shooing patients out.
“I’m sorry, but a young lady just twisted her ankle, and her boyfriend was so worried about her that he booked out the entire hospital. We can’t take in any new patients now.”
Ruby didn’t think that she would be met with such an unfortunate event. So, she just got up and prepared to leave.
While walking past the wards, she suddenly heard Ian’s voice. “Henry, don’t you think it’s a little overboard booking out the entire hospital just because of a small injury?”
“Cecelia has a fragile body. She can’t be in pain. I just want to spoil her and give her the best that she deserves.”
When Ian heard Henry’s doting voice, he thought of something too, and his eyes turned dim.
“My biological sister can’t bear to be in pain or suffering either. Our parents and I had been spoiling her ever since she was born and she was the apple of all our eyes.
“If it hadn’t been for me, she wouldn’t have gone missing when she was only seven years old. I’ve been feeling extremely guilty about it ever since. I keep dreaming of her crying and calling out my name in fear.
“I would die if it meant it would lessen the burden of my guilt. And after my parents took in Cecelia, I’ve just directed all of my love and attention to her, pretending that she was my sister. I’d just feel a little better if I did that.”
Henry sighed as he listened to Ian.
“Who wouldn’t?”
“What do you mean?”
Henry saw the suspicious look in Ian’s eyes and lowered his gaze to shield his emotions from him.
“I also watched as your biological sister grew up. She was so cute and adorable, and she would even keep calling me ‘Henny’ as she ran into my arms and hugged me. I kept promising myself that I would take good care of her for the rest of her life.
“If she hadn’t gone missing, I wouldn’t have given all of my love to Cecelia either. Those were meant for your sister instead.”
Ian and Henry exchanged glances in silence.
After a very long while, Ian finally said in a low voice, “I swear that I will find her and bring her back home.”
The corners of Henry’s lips curled up slightly. However, the smile never reached his eyes. “It’s a pity that I’m running out of time, though. I’m going to have to marry Ruby very soon.”
Ian understood where he was coming from. He said coldly, “Don’t fret. I’ll think of a way to get rid of her.”
Ruby listened quietly to the two men’s exchange outside the door. She thought that it was quite ridiculous.
So, Ian and Henry could only project their love and attention to Cecelia after she’d gone missing so that they’d feel less guilty about it. Unfortunately for them, they were even more blind than a bat. The person they had been looking for was right next to them all along, but neither one of them ever knew it.
Instead, they just continued hurting and tormenting her, making life difficult for her.
She then heard Cecelia’s coquettish voice calling out to them from not too far away. Ruby decided not to linger around anymore and quickly went down the stairs.
She went off to another hospital to get herself bandaged up. By the time she was done, it was already dark out, so she flagged down a car and asked for a ride home.
As soon as she got down from the car, however, the maids stopped her in her tracks and turned on the power washer, directing the spray right in her direction.
“Where have you been, Ms. Lynch? You’re such a filthy mess. You can’t enter the house like this! Here, let us give you a hand to clean you up! Hahaha!”
Ruby’s bandages were soaked through, and her wounds began to bleed again under the force of the power washer. Ruby felt as though her skin was being shredded to pieces under the powerful jet of water.
She lost her balance and fell to the ground, losing all energy to get back up. She didn’t even have the energy to struggle anymore. She could only curl herself up into a fetal position to try and protect herself.
She then recalled the words Ian had said at the hospital and knew that this was one of their tricks to make things worse for her and force her to leave.
The maids sprayed the water at Ruby for an entire hour. At the end of it all, Ruby’s skin was soaked through and bloated from the water.
She shivered from the icy cold water on the ground, unable to find the strength to even crawl back up. It took her a long while of recomposing herself before she could finally stagger back into her room.
She ended up with a high fever that night.
The maids didn’t care about her condition, however. They then made up an excuse that they wanted to clean up in her room and locked her out on the balcony for the entire day.
When they finally released her, they doused her body with a bucket of hot water before dragging her back out into the icy pool and forcing her to soak in it under the guise of having her cool off.
Ruby was tormented until there wasn’t a single dot of color left on her pale skin and her body was covered in nicks and bruises. Finally, they threw her into the store room, where she could finally catch a breather.
Still, Cecelia didn’t forget to send numerous text messages to taunt Ruby.
“I just received a photo of you looking like a drenched cat in the winter. You look as pathetic as a lost puppy whose entire family just got killed. You poor, poor thing.
“I heard that you’re sick too. If that’s the case, I’m afraid you won’t be able to join us at the hot springs after all. Do you even know how much it had cost Ian to book the entire hot spring resort out here?
“Oh, and Henry also gifted me ten sets of jewelry today. I said I wanted to give you half of it, but he told me that he didn’t want his gift to be tainted by you and got mad at me. Did you know how long I had to comfort him after that?”
Ruby never replied to a single one of those text messages. She knew that it would very soon be over.
