Chapter 3

3.

In my past life, Chester targeted me precisely because of the survivor pension left by my late father.

Before our wedding, he used his paralyzed mother's medical expenses as an excuse to drain my savings.

After we married, his mother grew even more vicious, constantly driving wedges between my uncle's family and me.

Once they sucked every last cent from my pockets, all they had left for me were insults and beatings.

That entire family was a pack of bloodsucking demons in human skin.

My chest burned with fury at the memory.

Then I suddenly remembered that Chester had borrowed two hundred dollars from me just last week.

I clenched my fists. I had to get my money back!

I marched straight toward the Miller residence, driven by sheer indignation.

Dusk was falling, and the country dirt road was nearly deserted.

As I approached the Miller homestead, I heard a series of strange bird calls.

The chirps were sharp and unnatural, nothing like the wild birds in the woods.

I paused in my tracks and spotted a dark figure lingering near Chester's front porch.

It was Widow Rita Gable.

A moment later, the rickety wooden door creaked open.

I slipped quietly behind the thick trunk of an old oak tree.

Chester and Rita maintained a careful distance of several paces as they slipped toward the cornfield at the edge of the woods.

My instincts told me something filthy was happening, and I followed them like a shadow.

The tall cornstalks provided perfect cover.

I crouched low, stepping soundlessly between the rows.

Parting the green leaves, the scene before me made my stomach churn with disgust.

Chester was locked in a sloppy, wet embrace with Widow Gable, making sickening smacking noises.

Rita was old enough to be his mother's peer, yet he was eagerly kissing her all over!

I clamped both hands over my mouth to keep from gagging out loud.

Rita's whiny voice sounded sickeningly sweet.

"You bad boy, why haven't you come to see me lately?"

"Are you planning to marry that little Sadie Croft and toss me aside?"

Chester panted heavily, offering muffled reassurances.

"Not at all. Nothing is set in stone with her yet. Don't bring her up―she's bad luck."

Rita clung tightly to his neck, refusing to let it go.

"Then tell me, who's better? Me or her?"

"You, of course. Always you," Chester answered without a second of hesitation.

Rita giggled coquettishly before pressing further.

"And how do I compare to your ex-wife?"

The lust on Chester's face instantly vanished, and he pushed Rita away in cold silence.

Feeling snubbed, Rita pulled several crisp banknotes from her blouse and shoved them into his palm, her tone dripping with sour jealousy.

"I really don't see what's so special about Clarissa Evans. She cuckolded you and ran off, yet you still obsess over her!"

"Shut your mouth!" Chester hissed, his voice trembling with sheer malice.

"Mention her name again, and we are done forever!"

Frightened by his dark glare, Rita quickly clung to him again, kissing and soothing him frantically.

Watching them fawn over each other made me feel both repulsed and suffocated.

In my past life, whenever I dared utter Clarissa's name, Chester would look at me with that exact murderous rage.

I had always assumed he hated her for leaving.

Only now did I understand that Clarissa was the sacred, untouchable queen of his heart.

How ridiculous that in his eyes, I ranked even lower than Widow Gable.

As I was lost in thought, Chester's sinister voice broke the silence again.

"Do you still have any of that livestock breeding hormone left? Get some for me."

Rita giggled and slapped his chest playfully. "What do you need that stuff for?"

"That little brat Sadie is being stubborn. I need to force her hand."

The blood in my veins ran ice cold.

Rita kept laughing. "What if it makes her sick?"

Chester let out a callous grunt.

"If she gets sick, so what? Once her virtue is ruined, her uncle will have to pay a massive dowry just begging me to take her!"

My entire body shook with pure rage.

That absolute monster!

He was actually plotting to drug me and ruin my life!

I must have been completely blind in my past life to ever love such a venomous beast.

The two of them began tearing at each other's clothes again in the dirt.

Staring at their pants discarded carelessly on the ground, a wild plan struck me.

Holding my breath, I reached out through the stalks, snatched both pairs of pants in one swift grab, and bolted!

As I ran toward the road, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Help! Somebody help! There are thieves stealing crops in the cornfield!"

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