Chapter 6

Just like that, Lester hurried off and left Margaret behind. She watched him disappear into the distance as a group of people handled the aftermath of the commotion earlier. Judging by his expression, something must've happened to Scarlett. Margaret suddenly laughed. She pulled out her phone and clicked on that anonymous thread again, and as expected, there was a new update. "I have a fever, and he chose to accompany me instead of his first love. He left her again." Margaret's smile widened as she saw herself being mentioned as Lester's first love. Tears suddenly trickled down her cheeks as she questioned her existence—what did she mean to Lester? If he truly loved her, why would he let a bitch like Scarlett walk all over her? The driver took Margaret back to Vista Heights. As for Lester, he didn't return the whole night. He didn't come back for the next few days either. After asking around, Margaret finally found out that due to a lapse in security in Lakeview, Scarlett had seized the chance to escape. Lester had been searching for her for a week to no avail. But he was persistent, even delaying his wedding prep just to find Scarlett. It wasn't until Margaret's birthday that he finally returned. He looked exhausted, and Margaret found the situation ridiculous. Lester, who was supposed to be the love of her life, was stressing himself out over another woman's disappearance. Margaret's birthday cake was still unlit on the dining table. Struggling to mask his distracted mood, Lester forced a smile and lit the candles. "Margie, make a wish," he said. "No matter what it is, I'll make it come true." Usually, people preferred to keep their wishes silent for fear that saying them out loud might jinx them. But for Lester and Margaret, they followed a tradition where he always made her say her wishes out loud. He would always strive to fulfill her wishes, no matter what it took. Margaret plastered a smile on her face, but her eyes were dim. She turned toward him and said stiffly, "I hope you'll stop searching for Scarlett." Lester froze. She held his gaze and continued, "Since she's escaped, stop looking for her. I'm tired. I want to let go of the past now." What she got in response was a prolonged silence. Finally, Lester pulled her into his arms. "Margie, she hasn't suffered enough yet," he said through gritted teeth, his voice laced with venom—as if trying to mask something deeper. "I'll let her go once I've avenged you." He was still reluctant to give up on Scarlett. Margaret felt so pathetic. Just then, Silas rushed in, panting. "Mr. Hamilton, we have news of Scarlett!" Lester's grip around Margaret suddenly tightened. Then, he completely let go of her and said, "Margie, wait for me at home. I'll be back soon." With that, he turned around and left with Silas. Once again, Margaret was left behind. The candles on the cake had burned down, and as she stared at them, she felt like her heart was the one in flames—not the candles. Otherwise, why would it hurt so much? Why? Her phone buzzed again. There was a new update from the thread. Numbly, she clicked on it. "I purposely leaked a bit of my whereabouts on the birthday of his first love. As I expected, he dropped everything and rushed to me." These past few days, Scarlett had been updating her social media. She never planned to escape—she did it all on purpose to make Lester realize how much she mattered. She just wanted to see him abandon Margaret over and over again for her. And each time, he did. Margaret's vision blurred. A jolt of pain surged through her chest. Her breathing grew labored as she clutched the armrests of her wheelchair. She hurried back to her room and fumbled through her bag for her depression medication. With trembling hands, she shook two pills from the bottle.