Chapter 505 All Cannot Go Back
Sarah seemed lost in thought, reminiscing about something from long ago. Her face turned wistful, and she let out a bitter smile. "Fate's always been unfair to me. When I came back to the Martinez family, I thought I'd have beautiful princess dresses, warm milk, a big house, and a chauffeur to take me to school. I thought a bright future awaited me."
She continued, "But reality was worse. The Martinezes took me in only to abuse me—an illegitimate child treated like trash. They fired their servants and made me clean, cook, and serve the entire family while attending school. At night, I fought off relatives trying to assault me, terrified of being raped. With my father dead and mother imprisoned, I had nowhere to escape."
Sarah recounted her past in a calm, steady voice.
Many years ago, one night, a relative drugged her at home and tried to rape her.
Just as he was about to succeed, she grabbed an ashtray and smashed it over his head, causing a commotion that attracted the guests.
The would-be rapist turned the tables, accusing her of trying to seduce him.
She was mocked by the guests, and the Martinez family punished her by making her kneel in the rain for two hours before she could get up.
Driven to madness by the bullying, Sarah stole a car and sped through the rainy night on Ironwood Lane.
It was then that she hit Gilbert.
Years of suffering had already driven her to the brink of insanity, and a terrifying thought crossed her mind: since she had hit someone, she might as well kill him.
Gilbert, dressed simply, dragged his injured leg and bloodied body, desperately trying to escape.
In a moment of clarity, Sarah felt fear, shock, and confusion.
She didn't understand why she had such a wicked thought. She was terrified that if her intentional murder was discovered, the Martinez family would throw her in jail.
Sarah was afraid to sleep every night.
She fled to her mother's house, where Percy, who worked as a driver for the Hughes family in Silverbrook, looked down on her. Percy had bullied her a lot when she was a child.
This time, she came prepared, using Percy's embezzlement of Marlon's charity funds as leverage to force Percy to help her clean up the mess, find people, set fires, and kill.
Sarah wiped away her tears and stared at Margaret, her eyes red but smiling. "Margaret, if you were me, you'd do the same. Who doesn't want to be a good person? Do you think everyone has the qualifications and the means to be good? If I had to name the person I hate the most, it would be you."
"You were always so naive, so kind. Everyone liked you—classmates, teachers. Why should I be stuck in the mud while you were so happy? Initially, I only planned to take the charity money from the mute boy. But I didn't expect him to be the son of the man I burned to death. At that moment, I thought, if I could turn him into your enemy and watch you two tear each other apart, that would be interesting."
"Raymond saw me as his savior and felt guilty, wanting to repay me. He promised he'd divorce you and marry me. But I never expected him to fall for you, his enemy. He'd rather die than give you his liver. He even went gray overnight for you. To protect you, he used me to kill Hubert. He did to me what I had done to you. Margaret, do you think this is karma?"
Margaret looked at her coldly, incredulous. "Just because your life was bad, just because of jealousy, you did such heartless things?"
"Margaret, don't underestimate the jealousy between women. It can be deadly." Sarah laughed through her tears, which flowed down her cheeks like crocodile tears. "The only person I ever trusted in my life was Raymond. That time was the only light in my life. But I didn't expect Raymond to be using me, even if that beautiful time was stolen under your name. Thinking back, it still makes my heart flutter."
Sarah added, "That was the closest I ever got to happiness. I thought that night, after Hubert died, he would marry me. But it was just me getting too deep into the role. Once Hubert died, I was finished too. He ran straight to you without looking back. But I don't regret it. Clearing obstacles for Raymond was the best use of me."
She looked at Margaret, smiling mockingly. "After all the storms you've weathered together, what does it matter? Without me, you two will never be together. This is Raymond's karma for using my feelings. Margaret, he blamed the wrong person. Your parents' deaths are tied to him. How can you reconcile with him, how can you not be disgusted? So, you two will never be together. The Hughes family's downfall, your parents' deaths, his repeated harm to you because of me... these are all thorns between you, impossible to remove. "The man I can't have, you won't have either. Margaret, you're destined to be alone for the rest of your life. What does it matter if you survived a terminal illness? Living alone in this world, you have endured countless hardships."
As she left the prison, Sarah's heartless words echoed in Margaret's ears.
The rain poured down harder and harder, blurring her vision.
Yes, Sarah, Percy, and Hubert had all been punished.
But what good did it do? The Hughes family was down to just her, and her parents lay forever in cold graves.
Nothing could bring them back.
Her relationship with Raymond, her parents... the past happiness was like soap bubbles floating in the air, dazzling on the surface.
One gentle poke, and they were gone.
She had overestimated her own charm and underestimated the evil in people.
A car followed Margaret from a distance.
Inside the car was Alvin, who watched Margaret with concern and called her.
Margaret answered.
"Mrs. Howard, are you okay?"
"Don't call me Mrs. Howard; it's disgusting." Margaret held the phone, rain falling on her face, and replied coldly.
The man on the phone changed his address. "Ms. Hughes, where are you? Do you need help? If you do, please don't hesitate to ask."
Alvin was Raymond's man. Although Margaret didn't have any ill will towards Alvin, the fact that he was Raymond's assistant made her want to distance herself. "What's up?"
"Ms. Hughes, Mr. Howard wants you to come to the hospital tomorrow to meet him and sign the Hughes Group transfer documents."
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