I’ll Marry Him to Take My Revenge

Three years after my release, Sebastian Wheeler returned, more obsessed than ever. He used threats, bribes, and finally, locked me inside. The most absurd moment came when he brought Isabelle, the woman hed left me for, to kneel before me.

Nora, Sebastian said, his voice thick with false grief, Ollie is gone. Will you keep holding a grudge against us forever?

Isabelle chimed in, We want to make it up to you!

Their words twisted the truth like needles. I snapped, my hand striking his face. Make it up to me? How dare you? If you hadnt stolen Ollies life-saving medicine for her daughter, Sophie, he would still be alive. Is this your idea of making amends? Framing me and letting me rot in prison for three years?

Sebastians eyes flickered. But I love you, he stammered. You were so emotional back thenI was afraid youd hurt them.

I laughed bitterly. Love? The same love that killed my son and sent me to prison? If thats how he defined love, I could play by the same rules.

I met his eyes, full of hope and guilt, and replied calmly, Fine. Ill remarry you.

"No!"

The word shot out the moment I finished speaking. Isabelle, still kneeling, jerked her head up, her voice a sharp cry.

Sebastian's gaze shifted to her.

She quickly backpedaled. "I just... I'm afraid Sophie won't be able to handle it."

"If you and Nora remarry, what does that make Sophie? An illegitimate child? She's so young... I don't care about my own reputation, but Sophie..." Isabelle's voice trailed off as tears began to stream down her face, a perfectly calculated performance.

It worked. Sebastians expression softened with pity.

Just as he was about to reconsider, I spoke again. "That's an easy fix."

"From now on, Sophie can call me 'Mom'."

"That way, you and I will have a child again, won't we, Sebastian?"

He stared at me, stunned for a moment. Then, his eyes lit up with a manic glee. "Yes! Of course!"

"Nora, Ollie's gone, but we still have Sophie. And besides, you're her aunt, after all!"

Isabelle was dumbfounded. She had assumed my pride would never let me agree to remarry him, which is why she'd put on this show of kneeling beside him. She never imagined I would accept Sophie, too.

Her tears fell harder. "No, you can't!" she sobbed. "Sebastian, Sophie is my child. How can you let her call someone else 'Mother'?"

I smiled.

I reached out and gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "Because," I whispered, "you killed my child. As compensation, your daughter calling me 'Mother' seems more than fair."

I turned and extended my hand to the still-kneeling Sebastian. "Do you agree, Sebastian? If you do, we'll get remarried. I'll even forgive you and Isabelle. We can be a happy family again."

The ecstatic relief in his eyes was sickening. He scrambled to his feet, grabbing my hand. "Yes! Of course, I agree!"

"Let's go. Let's do it now!" He spoke quickly, terrified I might change my mind. He practically shoved me into his car and sped toward the courthouse.

In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of Isabelle in the back seat, her face a thundercloud of fury. I could almost taste her bitterness. After everything she'd done to drive me away, to use my son's death to finally break up my marriage, I had agreed to come back so easily.

Her venomous gaze shifted. She pulled out her phone and tapped out two quick messages. A moment later, she cried out from the back seat.

"Sebastian, something's wrong!"

"The doctor just called! Sophie's condition has gotten worse! We have to get to the hospital, now!"

"What?!"

Sebastian slammed on the brakes. Without even a glance in my direction, he spun the car around and raced towards the hospital.

A private doctor was waiting anxiously by the entrance. He jogged over as we pulled up. "Mr. Wheeler, her condition is very unstable. The research on this disease is limited in this country, we don't have many options... Dr. Shaw?"

The doctor looked at me as if he knew me. His face lit up. "Wait, Dr. Shaw, you specialize in this field, don't you?"

He turned back to Sebastian. "Mr. Wheeler, now that Dr. Shaw is out of prison, why not have her take over Sophie's case? Your son... he passed from the same illness. Dr. Shaw must have done extensive research."

I almost laughed. The same old trick. Isabelle was using her child again to play the victim, to paint me as the villain.

As I was thinking, Isabelle dropped to her knees in front of me again, her cries tearing through the quiet hospital entrance. "Nora, I'm begging you. Please, save Sophie. I know I was wrong before. I'll be your servant for the rest of my life, you can torture me, do whatever you want to get your revenge! But the child is innocent! If not for my sake, then for Sebastian's. She's his child, too! Please!"

Her performance was flawless. Sebastian, of course, fell for it. "Nora, the doctor has a point. Let's just put the past behind us. You can be in charge of Sophie's treatment..."

Crack!

My hand flew out, and the sound of the slap stunned everyone into silence.

But I hadn't hit Isabelle. I hadn't hit Sebastian.

I had slapped the doctor, hard, across the face.

"Who gave you permission to say Ollie's name?" I roared, my voice raw with fury. "You're another useless quack! You couldn't save Ollie then, and you can't save Sophie now?"

I slapped him again, a backhand blow that sent him sprawling to the ground. He looked up, bewildered, his eyes darting to Isabelle. This wasn't what she had told him in the text. He was just supposed to shift the responsibility to me, to push Sebastian's buttons until I caved. Why was I attacking him?

I didn't stop. I kicked, I punched, and then I went for his throat.

"Quack! Fraud! You're all in on it!" I screamed. "You killed my Ollie, and now you're trying to kill me!"

The doctor's face turned purple, and he began to choke, gasping for air. "Ma'am, I'm sorry!" he wheezed. "It was Isabelle! She told me to say Sophie's condition was worse, to make you the primary physician! I had no choice, I just work here, I can't afford to get on her bad side! I have the text messages on my phone! Please, let me go!"

Slowly, I released my grip. I reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and used his terrified face to unlock it.

There it was. Tell Sebastian that Sophie's condition is worse. Get him to make that bitch her primary physician. We'll figure out the rest later.

I held the glowing screen up for Sebastian to see.

Isabelle's face went white. She grabbed his pant leg, wailing, "Sebastian, no! Let me explain! I was just so worried about Sophie! Think about it, Nora developed a targeted drug for Ollie when he was so sick. If she treated Sophie, it would be so much more effective! I swear, I was only thinking of what was best for Sophie!"

Sebastian's expression was a twisted knot of confusion and anger, his eyes fixed on the word bitch. He was silent for a long time. Just as he was about to help the sniveling Isabelle to her feet, another pair of hands beat him to it.

Mine.

I leaned down and gently helped Isabelle up, a sweet smile on my face. "Of course I believe you, little sister. After all, you must trust me so much. You conspired with Sebastian to steal Ollie's life-saving medicine for Sophie, leading to my son's death. And yet, here you are, willing to entrust your own daughter to me, the mother who has every reason to want revenge."

My voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "You must trust that I won't take this opportunity to torture her, to maim her... to kill her, do you?"

Isabelle was so terrified she forgot to cry. She just stared at me as if I were a monster.

I even reached out and stroked her hair. "Just kidding," I said, my voice eerily cheerful. "With me around, Sophie won't die so easily."

I turned back to Sebastian, my smile radiant. "Sebastian, let me be Sophie's doctor. Don't worry. I will do everything in my power to keep her alive."

Seeing that I was not only willing to forgive him but also to save Sophie, Sebastian was overjoyed. He agreed instantly.

Isabelle, however, finally found her voice. "No! You can't go near her!" she shrieked, grabbing my arm. "You're insane, you'll kill her! You're trying to get revenge on me!"

She tugged at me so hard I stumbled. Sebastian caught me, shoving Isabelle away. "What are you doing? I haven't even dealt with you about that text message. Now Nora has agreed, and you're the one backing out?"

Isabelle could only point at me, speechless. I leaned against Sebastian, my eyes welling with tears, a perfect picture of fragile vulnerability. It was a mirror image of the act she had pulled on me so many times over the years. The sight seemed to drive her mad. She dug her nails into her palms, drawing blood, before she managed to compose herself.

"I'm sorry, Nora," she said through gritted teeth. "I was just so emotional. I didn't mean it."

I was still smiling, but my eyes were ice. "It's okay, little sister. I just got out of prison. It's natural for you to be excited to see me. I'm excited, too. We have... a long time to catch up."

With that, I stepped away from Sebastian and pushed open the door to Sophie's room. The girl looked at me with the same terror as her mother, but with Sebastian in the room, she had no choice but to let me examine her.

I glanced at her latest chart. "Sophie's condition is critical. She needs surgery immediately. Any delay will only make things worse. Let's schedule it for the day after tomorrow. I'll perform it myself. After the surgery, she should be completely cured."

Sebastian was ecstatic. He wrapped his arms around me, his lips brushing against my cheek. "Nora, this is wonderful! Thank you! I knew you'd still be willing to save her!"

Only Isabelle glared at me, her face a mask of pure hatred, forced to smile through her rage.

It was only then that I realized it.

Being the villain... felt so damn good.

Later that evening, after I had settled in at the villa, Isabelle cornered me on the staircase. She gripped my wrist, her voice a low hiss. "What are you planning to do to Sophie? You bitch. Weren't the people I paid to take care of you in prison enough to teach you a lesson? You get out and you're right back to seducing Sebastian. You go to him right now and tell him the surgery is off, or I swear... I will make you pay."

I looked down at the red marks forming on my wrist and chuckled. "What are you so afraid of? There's always a risk of death with a surgery like this. Sophie's just unlucky to have a mother like you. So... she'll die on the operating table. But don't worry. Sebastian won't be sad for long. He's waiting for me in the master bedroom. Soon, we'll have another child."

My blatant provocation sent her into a frenzy. "You'll regret this!" she spat. "I'm kicking you out of this house, right now!"

She dragged me to the edge of the stairs, then let go, throwing her body backward. "Aah!" she screamed.