3
Hector gently pushed Gemma aside, but there
was no trace of anger on his face.
“How did you come out dressed like this?”
Hector asked, furrowing his brows.
If it were me, he wouldn’t speak so softly. He
would only frown and scold me sternly.
He loved her but he didn’t love me. That was
the difference.
My heart ached. I felt sad for myself. My
years of persistence and love for him were
like a joke.
Gemma playfully stuck out her tongue and
said, “I heard the sound of your car just now.
ᄀ
I couldn’t wait so I ran out.”
She smiled and took hold of my hand, saying,
“Welcome back, Jenna.”
Although she was smiling, Gemma’s eyes
were extremely cold, like a venomous snake.
I shivered, and my hands reflexively recoiled.
I really wanted to escape. Gemma’s
expression was exactly the same as the
director’s.
Every time the director wanted to abuse me,
she would look at me like this.
Every time Gemma called, I would receive a
deeper and heavier punishment that day.
L
The director said, “That’s because you made
Gemma unhappy, so you have to pay the
price for your despicableness, you despicable
woman.”
Gemma looked at Hector with a grievance
and said, “Hector, is Jenna still angry with
me? Back then…”
“That’s enough!” Hector grabbed my
shoulders. “What are you doing now? You
were wrong back then. Why don’t you reflect
on yourself?
“Maybe…” he impatiently looked at me,
“Hasn’t your bipolar disorder improved yet?”
I suddenly lost the desire to say anything to
him.
L
Hector had already unilaterally sentenced me,
and he firmly believed in Gemma’s words.
My mother had bipolar disorder, but I really
didn’t.
Before I was sent to the mental hospital, I
repeatedly pleaded that I was not sick, but he
refused to believe me and only said, “Go to
the hospital and receive treatment. It’s good
for you and others.
“You are dangerous. You hurt others easily.”
However, I really didn’t have bipolar disorder,
nor did I harm anyone randomly.
That day, Gemma took the initiative to
provoke me and insulted my deceased
mother.
Gemma’s smiling face was arrogant and
malicious. Every word she said was hurting
- me.
“You, just like your mother, were a crazy
woman that nobody loved. No matter how
insane your mother became, even if she tried
to commit suicide, she couldn’t win your
father’s heart back. She was truly foolish and
laughable, utterly incompetent.
“And you, just like your mother, were
ridiculous. Hector likes me. You are just a
shameless clown who shamelessly chases
after him.”
Gemma leaned close to my face, smiling
triumphantly, “No matter how hard you try,
you can never surpass the place I hold in his
heart.”
ᄀ
I was angry and upset. I didn’t allow anyone
to speak about my mother like that.
Anger took over, and I resorted to violence.
As we fought, Gemma rolled down the stairs,
bleeding.
But I didn’t exert any force at all. Among the
two of us, Gemma was closer to the inside.
How could she possibly roll down the stairs?
My head was buzzing, but Gemma, the injured
one, wore a victorious smile.
At this moment, Hector’s roar rang out,
“Jenna, why are you so malicious?”
With Gemma’s painful cry, Hector looked at
ᄀ
me with hatred and said, “If anything happens
to her, I won’t let you off.”
I tightly held onto Hector’s hand, trying to
explain, but I was harshly thrown away.
Hector walked away without looking back,
holding Gemma in his arms.
The doctor diagnosed Gemma with a leg
injury. She could still walk normally, but she
would never be able to step on the stage
again in her lifetime.
For a dancer, it was undoubtedly fatal.
Gemma cried sadly in the ward.
And I was kicked down by Hector, kneeling in
front of Gemma’s sickbed, feeling humiliated
and embarrassed.
L
“I really didn’t push her down.”
“Still refuse to admit your mistake?
I was explaining but he thought that I was making an excuse. At the signal from Hector,
one of his bodyguards snapped my right pinky
finger.
The pain of having my finger cut off made me
break out in a cold sweat.
Hector, however, smiled indifferently, “This is
what you deserved!”
He said coldly, “You made Gemma break her
leg. She will never be able to dance ballet in
her whole life. So you should also stop
playing the piano. That’s fair.”
I laughed like crazy. Fair? Really?
He refused to believe me. All these years of
companionship were in vain.
I didn’t do anything wrong but my dream was
buried with it. He clearly knew how important
the piano was to me.
When we were still a sweet couple, I leaned in
his arms and solemnly declared, “I want to
become a pianist. This is not only my dream,
but also my mother’s wish.”
Now, he tightly grasped my weak spot and
dealt me a fatal blow.
Gemma watched as my finger was broken. A hint of pleasure and satisfaction flashed in
her eyes.
On the surface, she pretended to be kind and
said that she didn’t blame me. It should be
because I had inherited bipolar disorder that I
did such a thing.
She said firmly, “If you have bipolar disorder,
you need treatment. You can’t just harm
people like this.”
“Hector, I really didn’t have bipolar disorder.
That day, Gemma…”
I explained anxiously. I really didn’t want to be
taken to the hospital.
Wouldn’t a normal person go crazy if they
were sent to a mental hospital?
L
But my explanation was interrupted by
Gemma’s crying.
“Hector, my leg hurts so much,” Gemma said
with tears in her eyes. “Hector, I can never
dance ballet again. I don’t even know what I’m
going to do in the future.”
Gemma helplessly embraced Hector, as if
Hector was her only reliance.
Hector angrily stared at me, refusing to listen
to my explanations any longer, and insisted
on sending me to a mental hospital.
His expression was cold. “Jenna, one must
atone for the mistakes they have made. You
should stay in the hospital and reflect on your
actions.”
<
“Jenna has been pampered since she was
young and has never experienced any
hardships,” Gemma said with a worried
expression. “I’m afraid she won’t be used to a
hospital with poor conditions.”
It seemed like she remembered something.
She smiled with curved eyebrows and eyes, “I
happen to know a good hospital with good
conditions. I happen to know someone there. I
will ask her to take good care of Jenna. I
believe Jenna will recover soon.”
Gemma glanced at me. The malice and
gloominess in her eyes sent shivers down my
spine.
Hector nodded in agreement, and so I was
forcibly taken to that mental hospital,
beginning my hellish days.
<
It was not until I arrived at that mental
hospital that I understood the true meaning of
Gemma’s words.
I was the object of ridicule by everyone. I was
their punching bag.
I was the main target of the director’s punishment. She used me to scare others.
I would never forget how the director stripped me naked, pinned me to the ground, and made me bark like a dog while mercilessly
whipping me.
“This shameless bitch is a shameless home wrecker. Everyone, take a good look at what
she looks like!”
The crowd surrounded me, spitting at me and making disdainful laughter.
They slapped me, kicked me, locked me in
the toilet, and kicked my soup onto the
ground…
