Chapter 5
“What a jinx! She ruined a perfectly good wedding!” “Looking at her ungrateful face makes me so angry!” Seeing everyone complaining, my mom pulled me and said in a nice voice, “Sophie, we’ve always gone along with your madness no matter what. However, today is Hendry’s wedding, please don’t make a scene.” “Do you really want to ruin Henry’s entire future?” she asked. My dad also said impatiently, “All these years, because of your illness, your mom and I have worked tirelessly, day and night, to help you take care of Henry.” “Jerry also accommodated and tolerated you in every way and took great care of you.” He continued, “Henry knows you don’t like him, so he kept his longing all these years. He only dares to look at you secretly because he is terrified of upsetting you.” “For your sake, all of us have worked hard and cautiously. Can you just stop for a while for the sake of everyone working hard for you?” My father’s and mother’s tone was filled with blame and the gaze they directed at me was full of disappointment. As I stared at their weary, aging faces, my heart twisted in pain. “Yes. You’ve all worked hard all these years, but are you really doing this for me?” I let out a bitter laugh and raised my hand while pointing straight at Jerry. “Or was it for this murderer?” My sudden accusation made everyone’s eyes widen. “What the hell is she saying? Did she say her own husband was a murderer?” “It looks like it is. The key was, who did her husband kill?” “Exactly! I’ve worked with her husband for years and I know him. He is one of the kindest, most decent men I’ve ever met. He is generous and even volunteers at shelters on weekends! He’s the most perfect good guy I’ve ever seen.” “This woman is so crazy. Since she could not cause a scene, now she is throwing wild accusations at others.” “It’s too disgusting. After all the kindness his husband had done to her … she is truly an ungrateful person.” The guests were pointing at me and hurling insults at me. The disgusted expression on their faces as if they were looking at a madwoman beyond saving. Even my mother stared at me in shock. “Sophia, what are you even talking about? Jerry is so good to you, how can you say such things to slander him?” My dad was so mad, he was practically breathing fire. He asked angrily, “You keep calling him a murderer … so tell me, who did he kill?” I glanced coldly at Jerry. He looked at me with sorrow in his eyes at the moment. His face was filled with a wounded innocence. However, I turned a blind eye to the sadness in his eyes. I said each word seriously, “He killed my daughter, Mia Hollman.” My words caused an uproar in the venue. “This’s too rich. It’s about that imaginary daughter again?” “Will she keep talking about it? How long will she speak about that fantasy character?” “It’s been eighteen years, why doesn’t she stop?” “She’s getting worse and worse; she used to only say she had a daughter, but now she’s slandering people, saying that others have killed her non-existent daughter.” “I don’t even know what I’ll say about her anymore. I really don’t know why a brainless person like this is still wasting air by living in this world?” The people relentlessly scolded me, as if they had nothing to say to me. Except in Jerry’s eyes. There was surprise in there. However, he masked it and spoke in a sad tone, “Sophia, am I, Jerry, really that bad in your eyes?” Jerry and I had been in love since college and over the years, he had always treated me well. He used to plan surprises and gifts for me. When I was sad and sick, he would stay by my side to wipe my body and feed me. With one glance at my eyes and sighs, he could see all my joys and sorrows. He was the one person in the world who understood me best. I used to believe he meant his words that he loved me more than himself. However, I realized now how wrong I was, so terribly wrong. I looked straight at him with a cold voice, “Stop pretending to be innocent. That act doesn’t work on me anymore.” Since I knew everything now.