\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
I opened my mouth and spat a mouthful of blood toward the sound of the voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the point of living like this? If you\u2019ve got guts, just kill me!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Completely enraged, the kidnapper lost all reason. He stabbed me twice. Blood gushed out instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It seemed fate had a cruel mercy. The blade had pierced a major artery of mine.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I was \u201cfree\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A hostage who couldn\u2019t bring a ransom was just trash. So, I was tossed aside like a rag, my body growing colder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew it. I was finally about to give Bryant what he wanted\u2014I was going to die.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But if Bryant found out I died, would he be overjoyed? After all, this was what he wished for day and night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Would he feel even a twinge of pain? A shred of regret? Probably not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But\u2026 It didn\u2019t matter anymore.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes in despair. I didn\u2019t know how long it had passed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unbelievably, I opened my eyes again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, I was sitting upright at the dining table, exactly where I\u2019d left it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.17\u00a0<\/p>\n
I lifted my hand-soft, slender, nails perfectly manicured and glossy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was confused. Was all that just now merely a bad nap?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the pain felt so real, the hatred so intense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I tried to push myself up to stand, but my hands passed right through the tabletop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At this time, Bryant returned from outside, bringing a chill with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He acted as if I weren\u2019t there, sitting directly across from my empty seat. He frowned slightly at the full table, clearly annoyed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy isn\u2019t this cleaned up? Leaving it out for the New Year?\u201d he snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier this evening, Mrs. Whitney prepared the meal, hoping to wait for you\u2026\u201d Seeing Bryant\u2019s dark expression, the housekeeper swallowed the rest of her sentence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWait for what? For me to come back? I\u2019m here now, and where is she? Playing this kidnapping game to threaten me. She thinks it\u2019s fun?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I knew Bryant. This was the sign before his temper truly exploded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Not wanting to make things hard for the housekeeper, I reached to clear the dishes in front of me. But my hand passed right through the plates.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What was going on?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I hurried over to the housekeeper, wanting to stop her, but my grasp met only air.\u00a0<\/p>\n
22.70%\u00a0<\/p>\n
1017\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t help but twist my lips into a mocking smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So\u2026 I\u2019m dead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I really died in that kidnapping \u201cgame\u201d he mentioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2026 I\u2019ll go look for Mrs. Whitney right away\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The housekeeper didn\u2019t know I was dead. She searched the villa from top to bottom, front to back. But she found nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She returned to the living room, facing Bryant, her legs trembling badly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cM-Mrs. Whitney isn\u2019t home. I don\u2019t know where she went. She sent all of us away this evening. She\u2026 She said she wanted some quiet\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hearing this, Bryant lazily lifted his eyes. \u201cSince when does she call the shots in this house?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOr, do none of you want your jobs anymore?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The housekeeper bowed her head, not daring to make another sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I watched him with deep sorrow. When did things between us come to this? We weren\u2019t always like this\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
I met Bryant in my final year of university. He was leaning pale against a roadside tree, struggling to breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He grabbed the hem of my pants as I rushed to class. \u201cHelp.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was a medical student, so I recognized his asthma attack immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Saving lives was our duty. Without hesitation, I helped him and took him back to my place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back then, I lived with an old lady, Suzan Morrison. To make ends meet while studying, I rented a tiny place near campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During the days Bryant stayed, I could tell his family was well-off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t cook at all, didn\u2019t even know what color eggs were used to make fried eggs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Later, Suzan passed away. With tears in my eyes, I told Bryant, \u201cI don\u2019t have a home anymore.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he took my hand and said, \u201cMarjorie, wherever I am, that\u2019s your home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And now, after my death, he said, \u201cSince when does she call the shots in this house?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryant asked the housekeeper with a frown, \u201cWhen does she usually come back?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The housekeeper kept her head down, timid. \u201cMrs. Whitney never stays out all night.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bryant scoffed, saying, \u201cTell her to stop acting. No matter what game she\u2019s playing, I will divorce her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, he stood up and slammed the door on his way out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Moon-Cursed Princess by Mark Twain 3 \u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 I opened my mouth and spat a mouthful of blood toward […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-your-life-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22852\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}