Chapter 9
In the video, they spoke to the camera: “Ariana, look, we’ve locked Sarah in a dog cage.”
In the footage, they had trapped Sarah with a pack of vicious dogs in a large cage.
No matter how Sarah begged, they watched expressionlessly as the dogs pounced on her, tearing and biting.
In the second video, they tied Sarah to a pillar on the first floor, then repeatedly threw crystal chandeliers down from the second floor to strike her until she was covered in blood.
When pleading proved useless, Sarah began cursing furiously: “You seven cowards, you bastards! You don’t have the guts to stay true to your principles, but now you’re blaming me for everything!
Let me tell you, even if you rip your hearts out, Ariana won’t spare you a second glance.”
Soon it was my birthday. Anthony called me on video.
I didn’t want to answer at first, but after thinking it over, I decided to have it out with them once and for all.
However, as soon as I picked up the call, I heard Sarah’s frantic screams coming through the phone.
She was shouting: “Anthony, let me go! I was wrong! I’ll never 37
do it again!”
It turned out the seven of them had brought in a basket of venomous snakes.
Samuel wore a crazed expression as he said: “Ariana, back then I was nearly beaten to death by my stepmother. It was Mr. Weston who sent me to the hospital and later adopted me.
I was such a bastard before, actually hurting you. Now, I’m giving my life back to you.”
With that, he dragged Sarah with him as they jumped into the pit filled with venomous snakes. Soon, screams from both of them echoed from within.
Benjamin reached over to end the video call, then pulled me into his arms.
He said: “Don’t watch anymore. You’ll have nightmares.”
After that, I didn’t hear from them for a very long time.
In this life, I chose a major I loved, and with Benjamin taking care of me, my college life was especially fulfilling.
It wasn’t until the third year when new students enrolled that Anthony finally got into the University of Washington.
Samuel hadn’t died at the time, but was imprisoned for assault charges.
The remaining five found studying too difficult after repeating their senior year and gave up hope of getting into the University Washington, so they dropped out and entered society. I never 12:37
about them again after that.
Only Anthony persisted silently, repeating year after year.
During his repeat years, he had nightmares every night.
In his dreams, all seven of them had followed me to Harvard
Business School.
After graduation, Anthony took over Hall Corporation, and the other six each started their own companies. Everyone was doing well.
But Sarah had committed suicide in college. Anthony blamed the Hall family for everything.
After taking over all of the Hall family’s assets, he didn’t hesitate to send me to a mountain village and pulled the plug on Weston’s life support.
But later, when visiting Sarah’s grave, he noticed a QR code on
her tombstone.
He instinctively scanned it with his phone, and what popped up were photos and videos of Sarah hooking up with different older men during college. She had even died from AIDS.
If this was true, then what did his previous revenge against the Hall family amount to?
Anthony ran to the mountain village like a madman, only to witness me being beaten to death in a pig pen.
3/4
12:37
Anthony desperately wanted to make amends and apologize to
But when he searched everywhere at the University of
Washington, he couldn’t find me. A school teacher told him that Benjamin and I had gone abroad for an exchange program, with no set return date.
Only then did he realize I had been reborn and had truly let them go.
Three years later, Benjamin and I returned to the country. At that evening’s welcome banquet, I heard everyone lamenting about a boy who had finally gotten into the University of Washington but died from depression.
Let the past stay in the past.
I turned to look at Benjamin beside me and said: “Tomorrow’s a good day. Should we go get our marriage license?”
Benjamin smiled and said: “Yes.”
