Chapter 15 Cruel Memories
Hansen scanned the still extravagantly decorated wedding room with his dark and strangely lightless eyes.
He was married to Jenna for four years, but she only lived in the Richards Manor for one. She fled to America for the remainder of the marriage.
She stayed in this room for the entire year she spent in the manor, but he never stepped into it again after their wedding night.
His mind flashed back to the night they got married. He entered the room in his drunken stupor and ravaged her body without restraint out of vengefulness and hatred. The memory from that night had been subconsciously burned into the back of his head this whole time.
That amorous night had taken root in his subconscious mind. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have asked Jenna to spend another night with him when she reappeared before him after three whole years.
He felt as if someone was seductively caressing the desire in his heart, causing a rush of blood through his body. He collapsed onto the soft bedding that was imported from Italy, and held his forehead as countless thoughts raced through his mind.
When he looked up again, he saw that his handsome face looked flushed in the large dressing room mirror. Feeling frustrated, he unbuttoned his shirt but suddenly widened his eyes at a certain realization. Right below his neck, his chest was covered in crimson red. He touched the sticky liquid with his hand and knew that it was blood.
He frantically took off his clothes and stood in front of the mirror. His muscular and fair-skinned upper body was covered in frightening blood red streaks. A pale and fragile face appeared in his mind, with blood dripping from her delicate fingers. He felt as if sharp claws were digging into the flesh of his heart. She got the blood on him when she was struggling underneath him inside the car a few hours ago.
He originally intended to take her to the hospital and dress the bloody wound on her palm, but he was inexplicably taken over by his sudden burst of rage and desire!
He sprang up and rushed out the door.
His mighty Hummer rumbled and growled, crushing Hansen’s heart under its wheels.
He started the car and rushed outside. He visited several hospitals in a row, yet failed to find Jenna.
He wandered around the streets in his impressive refitted Hummer, turning more than a few heads.
God d*mn it, is her hand okay? Is she already home?
With a heavy heart, he drove aimlessly through the streets and alleys. He hoped to see her pretty and delicate figure, but the thought made him smile bitterly. He couldn’t understand what he was doing.
A deep and quiet river surged across A City. In a dark and hidden corner, a breeze blew past drooping willows and brought a little bit of coolness.
Jenna sat gloomily with her arms around her knees, and her eyes looked like dead ash.
A collection of beer bottles laid silently around her feet.
It was only in this quiet corner that she could take off her disguise, show her real self, and lick her wounds.
A few hours ago, she came to the hospital alone. She went through the busy procedures of getting her wounds cleaned, medicated, and being put on a drip.
There were glass shards in every inch of the wound, some of them were broken and rubbed in when Hansen grabbed her hand. Each piece of glass dug into the flesh, and the excruciating pain ate into her heart and bones.
It took the doctor three whole hours to clean it up. She clenched her teeth and didn’t even make a sound.
After finishing the drip, she looked at her bandaged hand, but was too scared to go home because she didn’t want her mother to worry.
Her mother was far stronger than she imagined. After learning about her father’s tragedy, she did not cry nor curse the world. She simply slept with Jenna’s father’s urn for seven days and nights, then she never brought him up ever again.
Jenna brought a dozen cans of beer with her to the river bank.
It was the dead of night, no one was around except for a few couples.
She sat in the same position for god knows how long before her whole body became numb.
When she was still in A City years ago, she would also come to this familiar river and sit quietly when she was going through a hard time.
She opened a can of beer and raised her head to drink.
She was always sober, but not today!
She couldn’t relieve her heartache and misery! The palm of her hand was burning like fire. She needed to drink away her sorrows and numb her senses so that she won’t feel the pain anymore.
An entire bottle of beer quickly landed in her stomach. It wasn’t very strong alcohol, but since Jenna was straight edged, she was quickly flushed and began feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
She laughed, swung her arm, and threw the beer can in her hand towards the river.
Her nerves were relaxed and her heart felt so much better!
The pain was nothing!
With another “pfft”, she forcefully opened another can of beer and watched as the white foam streamed out from the opening, and felt like her stress was being released as well. She raised her head and downed the whole can.
She was 25 years old this year, and was no longer the naive little girl that she used to be. She hasn’t felt joy ever since she married into the Richards family. Her wonderful youth disappeared forever like a phantom, a reflection in the water.
In addition to Hansen’s indifference to her, she also had to endure the endless humiliation and torment given to her by the Richards family.
She shook her head and wiped her face with her hand. Her face was full of tears.
Three years ago, she was slapped by her mother-in-law not long after she married into the Richards family. At the time, Hansen stood beside her and watched her coldly as if he was watching a joke.
She did not cry or make a fuss, almost like she was an obedient child bride.
Even the workers and housekeepers of the Richards family scorned her due to her mother-in-law’s bullying and Hansen’s neglect.
Aria McAdams was free to openly and proudly enter the household as she pleased. Jenna’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Richards, was always delighted to see her and greeted her with warm smiles.
Although Aria wasn’t with Hansen yet, she had already captured her mother-in-law’s heart.
But Jenna’s mother-in-law only showed her apathy and disdain in response to everything Jenna did and never offered her any warmth, as if everything about Jenna’s existence was wrong.
She didn’t know what she had done wrong and didn’t know how to please her mother-in-law.
She happily married into the family because of her love for Hansen, but she was completely unprepared for the reality of living in a ruthless family.
Hansen saw her as a gold-digger, and his mother-in-law regarded her as her enemy. Her father-in-law never said much, but he remained indifferent to her.
The event that happened three years ago caused her father-in-law to faint from rage, and he was still lying on a hospital bed even now.
But she really didn’t know what was going on. She couldn’t explain herself!
There was no more room for her in that house.
Her father did not allow her to divorce, not to mention the grandmother of the Richards family. Faced with Hansen’s threatening eyes, she had no choice but to escape to America.
She wasn’t really sad or reluctant to leave that cruel and loveless home.
Except for her grandmother. The grandmother of the Richards family was a kind-looking woman who was well into old age. Although her eyes were already cloudy and senile, there was still a glint of wisdom and insight inside them.
She liked Jenna.
It was under her absolute order that Hansen had to marry Jenna!
When Jenna married into the wealthy family, she only received warmth and kindness from the grandmother. But the grandmother’s love for her only made her mother-in-law hate her even more.
Her husband almost never came home, and his eyes were always cold as ice when they looked at her.
Through the brutal days and nights, her only companions were her model cars.
Her painful heart was always in turmoil, like it was burning in purgatory. When she thought of the grandmother, she felt a small warmth in her heart and her face gradually relaxed.
It’s been three years. How was the old madam doing?
After more than several bottles of beer, she felt like her head was going to explode, and was so nauseous that she could vomit.
Hansen’s Hummer stopped at the entrance of the Heartfly Community.
But he was too scared to get out, let alone visit the family.
As the son-in-law of the Murphy family, he had never visited them once in all these years, nor did he ever fulfill his responsibilities as a husband.
He had a guilty conscience and was afraid of intruding the family. He was afraid of seeing Javon Murphy’s reproachful eyes and Sara Garver’s unhappy face.
He just couldn’t bring himself to their door.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
After a moment of silence, he drove off in the car.