Chapter 3

After going to the hospital, I got home around midnight. He didn't come back in the evening as he said he would, and I didn't inquire as I usually did.

The next day, his assistant brought me his compensation - two black cards.

This was Jack's default compensation after hurting me each time.

He specifically emphasized that one card was an apology for making me entertain, and the other was compensation for forcing me to be a nude model.

Expressionlessly, I labeled the two black cards with the numbers 96 and 97 and carelessly stuffed them into a drawer.

Looking at the drawer full of black cards, I knew that I would soon be free.

After packing up some personal belongings, I headed downstairs towards the stables.

Jack had given me many things, but I didn't want any of them.

The only thing I wanted to take was the horse named Snowflake.

It was a birthday gift from my parents when I turned 18, and after the bankruptcy, it was all I had left.

But Jack hated animals, yet he still built a stable just for Snowflake, for my sake.

Seeing me come to feed the horse, a servant smiled and said, "Madam, the master is already feeding the horse."

I was stunned. He was always so attentive to small things, making me think he had truly fallen in love with me.

I went over expressionlessly, intending to get the last two perfect scores.

But when I arrived at the stable and saw the situation clearly, my heart instantly chilled!

Olivia was riding on Snowflake's back, viciously whipping the horse's head. Snowflake whinnied in pain repeatedly.

And Jack stood by with interest, just watching.

He clearly knew that Snowflake was my most beloved horse! Yet he still watched Olivia beat it.

I rushed over, screaming frantically:

"Stop! It's my horse! Don't hit it!"

Seeing me run over in panic, Olivia landed two more vicious lashes before stopping:

"Sister-in-law, so Snowflake belongs to you? Jack said he had a particularly unruly horse here, so he brought me to play with it."

"I really like this horse. Sister-in-law, could you sell it to me?"

Jack also came forward, frowning as he looked at me:

"What are you yelling for? Don't you know Olivia's mental state isn't good? There are other more expensive horses in the stable. Just give Snowflake to Olivia and pick any of the others you want, isn't that fine?"

I looked at him in dismay: "Have you forgotten? This is the heirloom my parents left me."

Jack was stunned for a moment. Just when I thought he would tell Olivia to get down,

He said: "Just this once. I'll buy you a better one later, okay?"

Olivia immediately threw down the whip, stroking Snowflake's head with eyes full of reluctance and tears:

"Jack, if sister-in-law is unwilling, then forget it. It's me who's trying to take what others love and making myself disliked. I'm so despicable, I don't deserve such a good horse. Don't force sister-in-law."

This made Jack even more distressed. He emphasized again that I should give Snowflake to Olivia.

I looked at him in shock. Olivia clearly knew how important Snowflake was to me and was deliberately trying to upset me.

But Jack just indulged her.

I didn't want to speak. I just went forward to lead Snowflake away.

But Jack caught up and grabbed me.

"It's just an animal. If Olivia wants it, give it to her. You're living off me, can't I make decisions about your horse?"

Even though I was willing to die rather than sign, he forcibly pressed my handprint onto the sales agreement.

Olivia said haughtily:

"Sister-in-law, your horse is mine now."

At that moment, Snowflake seemed to sense something and kept whinnying at me.

The next second, Olivia viciously stabbed the whip into Snowflake's eye.

My heart sank sharply: "Snowflake!"

Snowflake reared in pain and started galloping wildly. Olivia swayed chaotically on its back, screaming in terror:

"Jack, save me!"

Jack was scared out of his wits. He found a hunting rifle in the storage room and aimed at the horse's head, ready to shoot.

I frantically blocked the gun barrel, begging him:

"Don't shoot! I can calm Snowflake down, I can—"

"Get out of the way!"

Before I could finish, Jack had already roughly pushed me aside, aimed again, and pulled the trigger.

With a bang, the bullet pierced through Snowflake's skull. The horse fell to the ground.

Snowflake was lifeless, and my heart felt like it had been stabbed through. I hugged the horse's body and cried until I was numb.

In my daze, I heard Jack and Olivia's conversation:

"Jack, sister-in-law..."

"An animal died, so it died. As long as you're okay, that's what matters."

"It's fine, I'll count this as one perfect score for her. After all..."

"There are still dozens more to go."

No, there weren't. There was only one left.

After cremating Snowflake, I returned home and took out my diary.

Snowflake was the last memento my parents left me, but because of my powerlessness, it died.

Perhaps Mom and Dad were telling me from heaven that everything should end, that nothing should bind me anymore.

With tears in my eyes, I wrote the number 98 at the end of the dense list of numbers.

But then a shadow fell across my desk.

I quickly turned around and saw Jack's tightly furrowed brows.

He looked at my diary with a dark face, an uneasy feeling rising in his heart:

"What does this 98 mean?"