A Confession Paid with Life

The cold metal tool slammed against my wrist, the sharp crack of bone shattering painfully piercing. "Felix Jones, look closely—this is the person you're protecting." Maggie Lynn's voice was laced with venom, each word stabbing with unbearable pain. I curled up on the ground, my vision blurred as I saw Henry Lynn's arm wrapped in bandages, the resentment in his eyes stabbing like needles. "It wasn't me, Maggie Lynn; that ointment wasn't from me." I struggled to speak, my voice trembling and barely coherent. "If it's not you, then who is it?" Maggie Lynn stepped on my injured hand, a searing pain forcing a piercing scream from my lips. She looked down at me with contempt; all the warmth she once showed had turned to disgust. "Felix, I was truly blind to have ever loved you." Henry Lynn feigned concern from the side: "Sis, don't let anger ruin your health. Felix might have just been momentarily confused." "Momentarily confused?" Maggie Lynn sneered coldly, bent down, and yanked my hair. "He's trying to kill my brother!" She dragged me to the center of the living room, where the Lynn Family's relatives and servants surrounded us. "Everyone, take a look," Maggie Lynn's voice echoed through the room, "It's this ungrateful wretch. I fed and clothed him, yet he dared to use inferior ointment to make my brother sick!" Whispers rose among the crowd; their accusing gazes struck me like stones. "I didn't!" I screamed with all my strength, "Henry took the wrong ointment himself; it has nothing to do with me!" Henry's eyes instantly reddened. He tugged at Maggie's sleeve: "Sister, I'm not lying. Felix gave it to me; he must be jealous of how well you treat me." With a sharp slap, Maggie Lynn's palm struck my face hard, blood instantly seeping from the corner of my mouth. "Still stubbornly denying it!" She tossed my hair aside. "From today on, get out of the Lynn Family. Don't ever show yourself in front of me again!" Dragging my broken arm, I stumbled out of the Lynn Family's Villa. Outside, heavy rain poured down. The icy rain soaked through my clothes, extinguishing the last flicker of hope. I didn't know where to go; aimlessly, I wandered into a brightly lit bar. "Give me the strongest drink you have." I lay over the bar counter, the pain in my wrist making my whole body tremble. The bartender looked at my hand and frowned. "Sir, you need to see a hospital." "Cut the nonsense. Just give me the drink." I waved my hand impatiently. The sharp liquor slid down my throat, momentarily dulling the pain in my body. Glass after glass went down, and my consciousness gradually blurred. "Well, isn't that Felix Jones? How did you end up like this?" A greasy voice spoke. I looked up and saw Maggie Lynn's business partner, a drunkard with a face scarred and rough. "Stay away from me." I pushed him, but he grabbed my arm. "What are you acting so high and mighty for? Even Maggie Lynn's dumped you—come play with me instead." I struggled desperately, my cries for help swallowed by the noisy music. At that moment, I saw Maggie Lynn standing by the door, dressed in an exquisite dress, clutching her handbag, looking at me coldly. "Maggie Lynn! Help me!" I shouted, grasping her like a lifeline. But she turned and walked out of the bar without a moment's hesitation. At that moment, something inside me, along with my wrist, completely broke. After some time, I heard hurried footsteps as the drunkard was pulled away. "Are you alright?" A strange male voice asked. I opened my eyes and saw a man in a security guard uniform standing before me; the drunkard had already been dragged outside. "Thank you." I said hoarsely. "You should leave quickly; this place isn't safe." The security guard handed me a tissue. I steadied myself against the bar and staggered out of the bar. The rain was still falling; I walked step by step through it, not knowing where I belonged. The pain in my wrist kept me awake all night. Just before dawn, I remembered the day I first met Maggie Lynn.