Chapter 3 His Cruelty That Pierced Her Heart

The operation took almost eight hours to complete. John managed to survive, but his condition had become progressively worse. His life depended on all sorts of expensive medication to buy him more time until the umbilical cord from her second pregnancy became available to be extracted. Without the medication, he would not even last for a month. Shannon wiped the tears away. She was released from prison a year ago and met Sean again after a long separation. They were still married, not for love, but for vengeance. He wanted to punish her for the betrayal. He ruined her career in every way possible so that he became her only source of income. She had to make money by prostituting herself, solely to him. It was a great sorrow to her every time she kneeled before him, like a prostitute, but there was no other choice. John was her life, and she would trade anything, including her own dignity, in exchange for money, as long as it could pay for John’s recovery. She was determined to carry on regardless. Shannon gave her messy hair a comb before she left the hospital. She made a call to Sean Ford’s villa and to her surprise, he was there. He might not be in the mood for sex during broad daylight, but she had to give it a try as she desperately needed the money. She laughed at herself with a gleam of mockery. All she needed to endure were a few thrusts and if she was lucky, she could make 5,000 dollars. There was nothing to be ashamed of, for she was already used to the humiliation. With a brazen assurance, she stepped into the villa. “Sean.” She went straight to their bedroom and to her astonishment, what she saw on the bed had crushed her heart into many tiny bits. Her stepmother, Quinn Yates, was seen clinging so tightly to Sean’s body. He brushed his fingers across her chest, in an eager attempt to undress her. He unbuttoned her shirt, one button at a time. Shannon’s voice cracked with emotion. “What are you doing!?” In all fairness, that was such a dumb question. Almost immediately, she acknowledged their presence with a condescending smile. There were a man and a woman alone in the bedroom. Their untidy clothes spoke for themselves. What else could they be doing? She could tolerate any other woman, but not Quinn. Quinn was the one responsible for all of her miseries. Six years ago, it was Quinn who had threatened her with her father’s life in order to drive a wedge in her relationship with Sean. She went to see her father after the breakup, only to realize that her father was already long dead, murdered by Quinn herself. The lethal weapon that killed her father was the paring knife that Quinn often used. She put on a glove to cover up her traces, so Shannon’s fingerprints on the knife became the only evidence. “Quinn, get the hell out of here! You’re the one who killed my father. You should be buried alive for what you’ve committed! How dare you seduce my husband!?” With all her strength Shannon pulled the woman out from Sean’s embrace. “Sean, you’re my husband. I don’t want you to touch Quinn! Six years ago, it was she who threatened me with my father’s life. She...” “Snap!” Sean gave her a hard slap on the cheek. “Shannon, I’ll kill you if I hear you speak another word of her in such a demeaning manner!” “What are you trying to achieve by spreading slander? Rest assured that I won’t believe a damn word that comes out from your mouth! I only know that my child is dead because of you and Julio Hayes. Quinn was the only one who stayed by my side when I was deemed disabled!” Shannon stood and stared blankly at Sean in disbelief, for he had never hit her before. That was a first. Quinn was, again, the culprit of yet another misfortune of hers. The physical pain was one thing, but her heart ached even more at the thought of his empty promises. Shannon, I promise to spend my whole life loving you, cherishing you and making you the happiest woman in the world. Sean, you once promised her happiness, but now, it meant nothing. Sean was just as stupefied as Shannon, for it was never his intention to slap her. In his eyes, there was a glimpse of remorse. The thought of his child’s death steeled his heart against pity. He could never forgive her for what she had done to their child in her restless pursuit of fame and wealth. His upper lips curled in disdain as he spoke, “Why are you here in broad daylight? Are you really eager to make money? If you’re here for business, you have to be ready for it. I’m not paying for the layer of clothes,” his sarcasm was intended to rob her of her self-esteem. “Take them off!”