Chapter 9
The night before the hearing, Gordon kept calling me nonstop.
Worn down by the incessant ringing, I finally picked up. The second the line connected, he launched into a tirade.
“Jolene Miller!” he yelled. “I never thought you could be this cruel. Serena is no longer allowed to practice medicine. Isn’t that enough for you?
“Her family’s bankrupt! Everything she did was just to get by. Why are you trying to ruin her completely? She didn’t even hurt
you.
“Besides, you’ve cleared your name. Wasn’t that enough? Why are you so hell-bent on destroying her?”
Gordon’s accusations kept coming, one after another. Before I knew it, my mind wandered back to everything that had happened in my past life.
Back then, when I hit rock bottom, I called him too, begging him for help. I had the hospital report in my hand. It confirmed I was still a virgin and not pregnant.
But Gordon didn’t even bother to look. Instead, he slapped the paper out of my hand and stared at me with eyes full of contempt.
“Do you really think I’d believe anything you say now? Serena is the internet darling and a genius in gynecology. How could she possibly misdiagnose a pregnancy?
“And now, you show up with some sketchy medical report trying to cause drama? Jolene, you make me sick! A two-timing, backstabbing woman like you deserves to rot in hell! Why aren’t you dead already?”
As he said all that, Serena stood beside him, watching everything with a cold gaze.
Then, Gordon shoved me hard, and I collapsed to the floor. Yet, Serena walked right past me in her heels. Worse, she ground her heel into my palm.
Tears streamed down my face, hitting the floor one after another. I didn’t understand. Why was she doing this to me?
She knew I wasn’t pregnant. If she had spoken up, I might’ve survived somehow. The slut label the internet branded on me could’ve finally been wiped clean.
I grabbed the hem of her pants, looking up at her with pleading eyes.
Yet, a malicious smile tugged at Serena’s lips. She looked down at me condescendingly and spoke slowly. “If you beg me, maybe I’ll consider clearing your name.”
Her words dripped with humiliation.
She was the one who misdiagnosed me, and she was the reason I got torn apart online. Now, she expected me to pay for her mistakes. Worse, she wanted me to grovel.
However, Serena had all the power. If she refused to speak up for me, I didn’t know what else I could do.
So, I gritted my teeth and stayed silent as tears streamed down my cheeks. Then, I swallowed my pride and groveled, again and again.
But when I was done, she burst out laughing. She covered her mouth and stared at me in mock surprise. “No way. You actually believed that? I was just messing with you. Of course, I lied. Sluts like you should rot in hell.”
Serena wore the sweetest smile, yet every word out of her mouth dripped with venom.
Right then, Gordon turned and asked what she had said to me.
She waved a hand, brushing it off. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just thought I’d give her a little advice, since she still hasn’t learned her
1/2
Charter B
lesson.”
The hatred I felt ran so deep that I’d never forget it. Whether it was this life, the next, or the one after that, I would still
remember it.
+15 Bonus
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.
