Chapter 1
Chapter 1
At the graveyard, Catherine Johnson was held down before a tombstone by bodyguards in the snow. She had knelt there for one day and one night. The woman on the tombstone had a lovely smile. She looked gentle and graceful.
“Catherine Johnson, so you still refuse to admit?” The man questioned coldly. Catherine looked towards the man at the side who was her husband, Anderson Clark, weakly and said, “I didn’t do it, why do you want to force me to admit?” Why did he refuse to believe her?
The man instantly jerked her up and seized her collar. “You’ve pushed her down the cruise ship, and everyone saw it. It has cost two lives, and you dare argue with me now?” It turned out her explanation had become an act of self-defense in his eyes!
Catherine’s body went cold and she spoke with red-rimmed eyes, “Andy, I really didn’t know how Isabella died. I’ve not sailed in any ocean before, have you made a mistake?” Anderson snorted. “We have witnesses and surveillance footage, and you say I’ve wronged you? I know your evil heart better than anyone.” It turned out she was evil in his heart.
Catherine could no longer hold back her tears. She was clear that Anderson was determined that it was her who did it. In his heart, she was the culprit that killed Isabella, and he would not listen to her explanation. Isabella was dead, and she would never match a dead person who was his dream girl.
“Hold her down and let her sign the divorce paper.” The bodyguards wanted to hold her down as ordered but Catherine struggled and pushed them away. She smiled and looked up, staring at Anderson’s face with her red-rimmed eyes and said, “That’s what you want, right? I’ll sign.”
It was not the first time that Anderson wanted to divorce her. During this year, she would receive the divorce paper every month on average and she had gone numb with it. Yet she had never signed it. However, it was different this time. Anderson was.
certain it was her who killed Isabella. A human life had placed a gap between them. She was afraid that no matter what she did in this life, she would not be able to keep him by her side anymore.
Although she knew that very well, her heart still plummeted when the bodyguard shoved the pen into her hand. She could not hold back her tears and her tears all dropped onto the spot where Anderson signed. “Should I force you to sign?” Anderson said the cruelest words and Catherine looked towards him with red-rimmed eyes. “Andy, is it true that you’ve never loved me before?”
Catherine looked exceptionally fragile at the moment. Her pale skin, red-rimmed eyes and even her reddish lips were shockingly dazzling that made people’s heart ached. Anderson turned his head away to avoid eye contact with her and said, “Yes. Sign the paper.”
Her heart was wrenched. Ten years of youth and one year of marriage had come to a dismal ending. Catherine raised her arm and wiped her tears away with her sleeve. She carefully wrote her name down at the signature space with her trembling hand. She no longer loved him, and she no longer could, but why did her heart ache so much?
She had knelt in the snow for one day and one night. Her whole body ached and she could not distinguish whether it was due to the coldness or something else. Catherine felt that she would faint at any time and she said while trying hard to support herself, ‘I’ve signed it, could you let me go back now?”
Anderson was not moved at all. His look went gloomier and gloomier. “Do you think that your guilt would possibly be cancelled out after divorce? Then won’t the price for committing a killing crime be too small?”
“What else do you want to do?”
“Catherine Johnson, I want the whole Johnson family compensate both of them. I want you to live in hell forever until the end of your life to atone for your sin for Isabella and her child.” His words were so cold as if they came from the bottom of hell.
Catherine’s blood seemed to curdle at once. She staggered and collapsed onto the snow, her vision blurred. “Andy, there’s nothing to do with my parents, please don’t involve my family, I beg you…” It was her own fault that she fell in love with Anderson. The Johnson Group was her parents’ hard work. She could not imagine what would happen to her parents if Anderson took revenge on the Johnson Group and the company bankrupted.
“Your family has used despicable method to trick me to marry an evil woman like you and you’ve taken Isabella’s life. The blood that flow inside you Johnson’s is all dirty.”
Dirty? Catherine uncontrollably trembled. She glared at Anderson with bloodshot eyes and retorted, “And I’ve never realized you’ve hated me and the Johnson family that much! Anderson, don’t you forget, you said that we Johnson’s are dirty, but your dream girl Isabella also grew up in the family, and she had the same blood as us.”
Anderson pulled down a long face. “She’s different from you.”
Catherine let out a grim smile and her heart was wrenched. She supported herself and stood to her feet with difficulty and shook the snow on her body away.
She stared straight at the man before her. “You thought it’s me who tricked you into this marriage, and it’s me who caused Isabella to lose her life. Anderson Clark, let me tell you, even if I don’t have anything, I would never conspire against my marriage and human life. Have you truly looked at Isabella properly before? It was her who adulterated my drink with drug back then, and a whole bunch of journalists came swarming in the next day, you…”
The one who should be the most despondent was actually filled with arrogance. That was what Catherine disgusted Anderson the most. “Catherine, do you think I’ll still believe you?” After finished, he turned his head away and looked at the photo on the tombstone. He was looking at the smiling face in the photo.
Catherine was in a daze when she saw that. Her husband was looking at a woman’s photo with gentle eyes that she had not seen before. The soft light in his eyes was the last sword that stabbed right into her heart and defeated her. “No matter what evil things you’ve done back then, she would always defend for you, saying that you didn’t do that on purpose, saying that you’re the best sister in the world, and I would have more tolerance towards you because of her. But what about you? You’ve killed her, and also our child.”
Catherine who was expressionless all the time suddenly let out a smile. So the child in Isabella’s belly was Anderson’s? No wonder. Catherine instantly snatched the photo off the tombstone and stamped the face which was smiling gently hard. “You ungrateful disgusting thing!”
“Catherine, how dare you!” The rim of Anderson’s eyes went red at once and he pushed Catherine away recklessly. He then carefully picked up the photo that had gone out of shape from the snow. Catherine staggered and she forbid herself to fall down.
She spit blood towards Anderson and let out a desperate and tragic smile. “Why can’t I? If it’s not because of me, Isabella was already dead ten years ago. She was only a bastard daughter given birth by the deceased first wife of the Johnson family, if it’s not because of me, how would she have the right to be in the upper circle? With her lousy academic certificate? Or with her skinny body and average look? Family background, academic qualification and looks, which one could she possibly defeat me?” And how could you love her that much?
Anderson’s look went gloomier and gloomier. He slapped her on the cheek and her face swelled up at once. A trace of blood was seen at the corner of her mouth. “How could you humiliate her even when she’s dead? Catherine, have you not realized your mistake yet?”
Catherine smiled more ferociously. She felt that she was pathetic and pitiful. She raised her head and stared at the man before her with bloodshot eyes. “I was wrong, Anderson. The biggest mistake I’ve
made was to fall in love with you! I knew that you don’t have a heart, but I was still stubborn enough to love you for ten years.”
Anderson stepped forward and held her down. “Kneel down! Pray for your forgiveness!” Catherine struggled aggressively and bawled madly, “I won’t! I’ve never harmed her, why should I kneel down? Both of you had had an affair after you married me and you want me to kneel down for the other woman? You wish!” She spitted.
Anderson was looking ferocious and he choked her. He was so eager to choke the woman before him to death. Catherine gradually lost her breath. Her eyes that used to be limpid and shiny gradually glazed over. There was only hatred in her marble- like eyes. She was locking her eyes on Anderson. Anderson felt a rush of uneasiness once more and he loosened his hands.
Catherine collapsed onto the floor. Anderson stepped on her head with his leather shoe and said hatefully, “So you refuse to kneel and pray for forgiveness from Isabella? Good, one life for the other, having said that, you’re even benefited when you’ve taken two lives. You’ll spend the rest of your life in jail praying for forgiveness. And you don’t need to be scared of loneliness, because your family is gonna keep you company.”
Catherine let out a wry smile. Blood flowed down from the corner of her mouth and dropped onto the snow. The white snow was. instantly stained red. “Anderson, you better not give me any chance to revive in this life, or else, I’ll dig out Isabella’s grave even if it costs my life! I’ll not let her die in peace!” Anderson was so enraged that a smile broke upon his lips. “Oh yeah?”
“You bet! Anderson, didn’t you hurt me as you want because you know I love you? You know what, I won’t love you anymore from now on! And I’m not afraid of you hurting me anymore!” Having said that with the rim of her eyes red, Catherine only felt her heart bored with holes and even breathing was painful. Anderson hated so much that his face contorted. “Great! I’ll never let you revive then!”
After finished, he gave a wave and a row of policemen scurried over. Before Catherine could react, Anderson had kicked her towards them cruelly and took over a wet wipe indifferently from the bodyguard beside him. He wiped his hand slowly and he behaved like he had touched something filthy when he touched Catherine.
A row of policemen put the handcuffs on Catherine deftly. She looked at the handcuffs on her hands and had understood everything. She struggled and turned around to glimpse at the man who was in black suit. He was throwing the wet wipe onto the snow with disgust after wiping his hands.
To him, she was afraid that she was even more unworthy than the garbage he had used to wipe his hands. Yet he would always be the person she saw among the crowds at first glance. How pathetic and tragic. Her lower abdomen hurt from his kick and she was already dead inside. She actually managed to calm herself down at that moment. While supporting herself from the policeman beside her, she yelled at Anderson with a level gaze, “Anderson Clark, you better pray you could be ignorant for the rest of your life, or else, you’ll regret one day!”
Her voice went into Anderson’s ears through the wind. It sounded like a curse, but also sounded like it was expressing the woman’s reluctance and grievance. Anderson watched her getting dragged away by the police and part of his heart felt empty. He shook his head in a split second and took over a bouquet of chrysanthemum from someone near him. He then stooped and put it before Isabella’s tombstone.
“Isabella, I’ve revenged for you and the child.” He looked at the photo that had gone out of shape due to Catherine’s stamp. He hated that woman, yet he could not feel happy when the woman had faced the consequence she deserved. Icy snow fell onto his body and head, and everyone’s hair seemed to become white at once.
A reckless and adorable little girl suddenly popped up into his mind out of nowhere. She was holding his hand in the snow while saying intimately : Andy, we’ll be together until we grow old. His heart was
instantly wrenched. He did not understand why that happened when he obviously hated that woman the most. He shook his head trying to get that woman’s smile out of his mind.
Catherine was dragged away by the police. She still saw that man at first glance through the people. He was kneeling down in front of Isabella’s grave and caressing the ruined photo carefully. Catherine closed her eyes in agony.
“Sebastian Johnson has jumped off the building.” A policeman suddenly yelled inside the police car. Catherine who had been closing her eyes with an expressionless face in the car instantly shuddered. She looked at the policeman with shock and her lips trembled. “What…what did you say?”
“Your father has jumped off the building, from the Clark Tower.”
“I have to say, why didn’t you just stick to become a mistress instead of taking someone’s life? Great, your father has now committed suicide and your whole family is involved.”
“Alright, we’re not fit to say that. She’s very stubborn. We’ll let her see the footage during the murder which was provided by Mr. Clark once we reach the station. Let’s see if she’s still reluctant to admit or not.”
Catherine could no longer hold it any longer and she vomited blood. “She’s vomited blood, hurry up and head to the hospital…” NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.
“She’s no longer breathing, is she dying now?”