Chapter 3
Raymond dashed in, looking at Regina with worry. “Are you hurt?”
I stared at the broken pieces scattered on the floor, my hands trembling as I tried to fit them together. They were shat- tered too badly.
My fingers got cut, and my blood streaked the porcelain shards red.
I couldn’t hold back my sobs, and Raymond frowned.
“They’re just some worthless things. I can get you new ones later.”
“These aren’t the same,” I whispered.
He clearly understood how much these things meant to me. I rarely took them out.
Regina’s face was full of regret. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I was planning to give it to you later, so I put it on the table. But I tripped, and they broke. I’m sorry.”
I began picking up the pieces, carefully placing them in a box, but Raymond kicked them away.
“Don’t pick it up.”
More pieces are scattered everywhere. I sobbed so hard I started hiccupping.
“Why… why can’t I pick them up?”
He tried to kick again, but I clenched the pieces in my hands, lifted my chin, and glared at him fiercely. Raymond stopped.
I stubbornly gathered every shard and put them in the box. Holding it tightly, I stood and faced Regina.
“Why did you touch my things?”
I always kept them safely in the cabinet and rarely touched them. They couldn’t have broken on their own.
Raymond pulled Regina behind him.
“She said she didn’t mean it. What more do you want?”
For the first time, he shouted at me so harshly for someone else. He had even kicked away the last things my parents left me.
I felt an overwhelming sadness and cried so hard that I could barely breathe.
“I… I kept them in the cabinet. How could they break if she didn’t touch them?
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“These were gifts from my parents. Why… why would you do this?”
Raymond continued to defend her. “So what if they’re broken? I said I’ll buy the same ones. What’s your problem?”
I stepped back, my voice shaking. “You also think I’m a fool, a lunatic, don’t you?”
There was a flicker in Raymond’s eyes I hadn’t seen before.
He said, “Just go downstairs now. I’ll buy the exact same ones tomorrow.”
I shook my head, clutching the remaining pieces tightly. Drops of blood stained the wooden floor.
I said quietly, “They’re different. Mom and Dad made this themselves.
“You can’t replace them.”
Regina’s eyes were red. “It’s all my fault. I’ll see if I can fix it.”
Raymond seemed a little relieved.
“Alright, Regina knows about restoring antiques, so let her try.”
My hands shook as I tried to pass the box to her, but she almost dropped it.
I lunged forward, trying to catch it, but Regina stumbled back like someone had pushed her.
The box fell, and the pieces broke even more. I couldn’t even recognize the face of the porcelain doll anymore.
Regina’s hands, supporting her on the floor, were cut by the shards. She broke down and cried loudly.
“Raymond, I never thought she would get so mad at me. It’s all my fault.”
Raymond’s eyes burned with anger. “Why would you shove her? Do you realize how important hands are for an art conservator?!”
I stared at the shattered pieces on the floor, feeling helpless. “I… I didn’t!”
“If you didn’t push her, would she risk her own hand like that?! That makes no sense at all.”
He told the servants to lock me in a room until I admitted my
mistake.
Raymond simply wouldn’t believe me.
I sat alone in the small room, clutching the wooden box filled with broken fragments.
Ever since that childhood accident, I’ve been terrified of darkness and always need a light on to sleep.
Before, the house was lit wherever I went. Now, Raymond had sealed the windows shut. Everything around me was pitch black.
My hands shook uncontrollably. I was scared, like something was blocking my mouth and nose, and I couldn’t breathe. I collapsed, gasping.
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I held the pieces inside the box tightly, as if that could save me.
“Mom… Dad…”
My father died trying to protect me when I was small, and my mother later got sick and passed away.
People say my father’s death was my fault, but my mother always told me I was the bravest child in the world. Father was a hero.
My body began to heat up. My stomach was empty, and I was so thirsty.
I wanted to tell Raymond that I knew my mistake. I didn’t want him to marry me anymore. I just wanted to go home. to my mother.
When I tried to get up, I collapsed again onto the floor.
I pounded on the door, but no one came.
I could smell blood on my hands. I was so thirsty that I tried to drink it, pressing the shards into my skin. I felt like I was bleeding out, yet no one came.
Outside, thunder roared. There should have been some light, but none got in.
Before, whenever there was a storm, Raymond would stay with me. He would say, “Don’t be scared, Elea, I’m right here.”
No matter where I went, he always appeared. I curled up, waiting and waiting.
My body grew hotter and hotter, and my mind started to blur.
After what seemed like forever, Raymond finally opened the door. He held a glass of water and looked down at me.
“Do you understand that you were wrong?”
I nodded frantically and grabbed his pant leg.
“I know I made a mistake. I really do.”
He smiled and offered me the water.
I drank like a fish, desperate for water. When he noticed the water was all mixed with blood, his eyes widened in shock.
“Eleanor!”
The next thing I knew, I completely passed out.
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