At Lavinia Hinton’s ninth wedding, her childhood sweetheart, broken by mental illness, once again caused chaos. He pressed a knife to my mother’s neck, laughing wildly.
“Lavinia, you can’t marry him! Either agree that the groom is me, or I’ll kill her!”
Lavinia looked at him with eyes full of sorrow. She tore off her bridal veil, tossed it to the ground, and pleaded helplessly. “Phineas Sanford, you see it too. It’s not that I don’t want you, but I can’t go against Cedric. I promised his mother I would never send him to a mental hospital.”
The guests drank their wine, whispering, mocking, and throwing scornful glances my way. My fists clenched, loosened, and clenched again. In the end, I pulled off the wedding ring and threw it at Lavinia.
“I wish you a happy marriage and a long life together.”
Lavinia, I truly let go this time and gave you what you wanted.
——
The wedding that should have been mine turned me instead into a guest, drinking wine and becoming the crowd’s joke. Lavinia told me to take off the groom’s suit and hand it to Cedric Marcellus.
The demand itself was humiliating, yet I had no choice; my mother’s life was still in Cedric’s hands.
Under countless eyes filled with mockery, scorn, and whispers calling me a cuckold, I removed the suit piece by piece.
“He’s really useless, a shame to men.”
“Trash, can’t live without a woman, huh?”
Those words rang in my ears, leaving my heart heavy and weak.
Lavinia once saved my mother’s life, and I swore I would marry only her. I waited for her, even when she abandoned our weddings again and again. But this time, I would not wait any longer.
She bent down to pick up the suit from the ground, guilt clouding her face.
“Phineas, don’t worry. Once I calm Cedric down, we’ll hold the wedding again.”
“Just bear with it this time. You know, when he falls ill, he’s like a child. Let’s treat today’s wedding as nothing but a farce.”
My mother looked at me with endless sorrow. The knife against her neck cut into her skin, leaving a thin line of blood.
“Phineas, don’t take off anymore…”
I pulled off my pants and threw them at Lavinia. “Is that enough?”
I said this while staring at Cedric, who looked back at me with eyes clear as if he were sane, a faint smile on his lips.
“As long as I’m here, don’t even think of marrying her. She’s mine.”
Before I could speak, Lavinia smiled at him gently and coaxed, “Hmm, I’m yours, forever yours. Come, put on the groom’s suit.”
Only then did Cedric look satisfied. When he turned his eyes back to me, they carried open provocation.
My fists clenched so tight the sound of bones cracked. I had once told Lavinia that, since he was sick, why not send him to Greenville for treatment?
She said she couldn’t rest assured leaving Cedric alone inside. He had no family left, pitiful enough, and instead she blamed me for lacking compassion, for being petty.
Every time we quarreled, the topic always circled back to Cedric.
I was exhausted, unwilling to keep entangling with them. If she loved taking care of him, then she could take care of him forever.
But the crowd burst into laughter, pointing at us, whispering and mocking as if watching a play.
My mother couldn’t stop crying from guilt, while Cedric still refused to let her go.
Just then, a group of doctors in white coats rushed in from outside. “We heard there’s a mentally ill person here trying to kill someone?”
No one knew who had called the police or alerted the mental hospital staff.
Frightened, Cedric gripped my mother tighter, the knife tip pressing into her skin, making her frown in pain.
“Cedric, calm down, don’t hurt my mother.
Lavinia slapped me across the face, her expression full of anger. “Phineas, why did you call the police and let people come? Didn’t I already tell you? You cannot send Cedric to that kind of place.”
I tried to explain it wasn’t me, but she wouldn’t listen.
Cedric had already lost control, the scissors stabbing toward my mother’s throat as blood spurted out.
I froze, struck as if lightning hit me, then rushed forward and used the moment to knock Cedric down with a single punch.
He fell hard into the wine rack, bottles shattering and liquor spilling over him.
Always claiming to care so much for my mother, Lavinia ignored the blood pouring from her neck and only worried over the uninjured Cedric.
I held my mother, pressing her wound with trembling hands, my face pale with fear as I shouted, “Save my mother, quickly!”
But Cedric, humiliated and furious after being knocked down, staggered back to his feet, grabbed a shard of glass, and stabbed it hard into me while my hands were tied up holding my mother.
The police finally reacted, guns raised, shouting at Cedric to stop.
The wedding had become complete chaos, nothing but ruins.
My mother held my hand, her voice weak and shaking. “Phineas, don’t cry. From now on, you don’t need to worry about me… just live the life you want.”
As soon as she spoke, her eyes slowly closed.
I no longer cared about Lavinia or anyone else. I carried my mother and followed the ambulance.
But her artery had been pierced. Even with emergency treatment, she couldn’t be saved. She died on the operating table.
I collapsed in the doorway, drowned in guilt and grief.
Was this fate cursed? If not, why else would my mother’s blood be spilled on my wedding day?
Lavinia called, but I didn’t pick up.
In the end, she sent a message. [Phineas, how’s Mom?]
[I’m sorry, I’ll apologize to you on Cedric’s behalf! I already brought him out of the mental hospital. The director tested him, and all the results were completely normal.]
[As for why he stabbed your mother, maybe it was just ordinary anger.]
[I’ve already spoken with the police. This is our family’s matter, we can solve it privately. Just pay some money, and it’ll be fine.]
I gripped my phone so tightly my hands shook, fury boiling inside me until I thought I would explode.
Why? Why did she still release him when he had already killed? Normal results?
Damn. I was sure Lavinia’s hands were behind this.
In that instant, I sobered completely. I picked up the phone and called her.
“Why did you still let him out? He already killed someone!”
“But the one he killed was the person who provoked him. You and your mother are the ones who trigger him. Cedric won’t kill people casually.”
“So if you want things to stay fine, just go along with him. Don’t set him off.”
“You have to understand, when mentally ill people kill, they don’t get sentenced…”
The call dragged on, almost every word defending Cedric. There was no point in continuing.
I hung up and, with numb steps, walked into the operating room. Taking one last look at my mother’s face, I still broke down, crying like a child.
If I had lived by my own will, if I had cut ties with Lavinia earlier, my mother would still be alive.
But reality gave no second chances, only the cruel truth.
Without telling anyone, I quietly brought my mother back to our hometown and buried her alone.
After the funeral, I called my superior.
“You agreed to my last suggestion.”
“Leave in three days.”
Right after I hung up, Lavinia called.
Without thinking, I cut the call and went to a bar to drink alone.
I didn’t return until very late. The moment I walked in, I saw a man and a woman tangled together on the sofa.
“Lavinia, say you love me the most.”
“All right, hmm! I only love you, I’ll never marry Phineas.”
“Wherever you go, you have to take me. Don’t ever look down on me.”
If Lavinia showed even a hint of hesitation, Cedric would punish her in bed until she gave in.
They were so lost in their frenzy that they didn’t even notice I was standing there, watching it all.
Heartbroken? To see my fiancée, with my own eyes, bringing home a killer and throwing herself at him?
No, there was no heartbreak. Only disgust. Only rage.
Cedric finally turned his head and met my eyes with open provocation, yet he never once stopped.
His eyes burned with humiliation, as if to say: See? As long as I’m here, you two will never be together. I’ll make you suffer, slowly, until despair eats you alive.
Lavinia kept calling his name, but he ignored her completely. Following his gaze, she turned, and when her eyes landed on me, they widened in shock.
The flush of desire drained from her face, leaving her pale as death. She scrambled to put on her clothes, her breath ragged and uneven. Pushing Cedric aside, she rushed toward me.
“Ah, Phineas, why did you suddenly come back?”
Her hand trembled as she reached out, but before she could touch me, I shoved her away.
I had been gone for ten days, and not once did she ask where I was. All her attention had been on Cedric.
“Don’t touch me. You’re filthy, covered in another man’s spit.”
My words hit her like a strike. She froze, panic filling her eyes.
“Phineas, don’t say that to me.”
“You know he’s sick. If you don’t give in to him, he’ll lose control, and then he’ll hurt people.”
The longer I looked at her face, the angrier I became.
“Why give in to him? Why refuse to send him to a mental hospital, even if it costs lives? If he’s really sick, then you’re no better, you’re sick too.”
“Take him and leave my house. I don’t ever want to see you again.”
At my words, Lavinia’s eyes went wide with panic. She reached out to grab me.
“Phineas, don’t do this, okay? You can show kindness to a stray cat, so why are you so cold to someone who’s lonely?”
I pushed her hand away, my voice flat. “Because when I saved the cat, it gave me warmth in return. But him? Helping him only makes him worse.”
“When we dated, you always dragged him along. When we were in bed, you left me to calm him down and put him to sleep. Even our wedding, it was ruined again and again because of him. Tell me, if being with you means nothing but exhaustion, why should I keep staying with you?”
“We’re breaking off the engagement right now. From this moment on, we’re done.”
“Take him and go.”
Lavinia’s face went pale at my shouting. Having been caught in such shamelessness with Cedric, she had no strength left to argue.
Cedric, however, grew agitated. He clenched his fist and swung at me.
“Don’t bully Lavinia. I’m mentally ill, if you make me angry and I kill you, I still won’t go to jail.”
That same excuse again. Rage boiled in me, and I kicked him hard, sending him sprawling.
Lavinia, who had stayed quiet in guilt until then, suddenly rushed forward the moment she saw Cedric struck.
“Phineas, stop it right now.”
I didn’t stop. Instead, I pressed harder, stomping down on the back of his hand.
“You might be mentally ill, but this is self-defense. I studied law, I know how to deal with you.”
As I pushed harder, Cedric screamed again and again in pain.
Lavinia rushed forward and shoved me aside. “Enough! I know you’re angry at me and taking it out on him. If you have something to vent, take it out on me. Don’t make things harder for him.”
When I still refused to move my foot, Lavinia grabbed a baseball bat and struck me on the head. Pain shot through me, and only then did I let go.
The moment she saw blood trickle down my forehead, she froze, realizing she had gone too far. She stepped forward, wanting to check my wound.
But Cedric clutched his arm and whimpered, “Is my hand broken?”
Then, with tears in his eyes, he added pitifully, “I knew it. Poor orphan, no one cares about me, not even a lonely man with an illness.”
With just those words, Lavinia’s attention shifted completely back to him.
Her shame quickly turned into anger as she shoved me back. “Serves you right. Who told you to start it?”
“Alright, it’s just a little blood. It’s not like you’re going to die. But Cedric is different. The doctor told me I have to watch him every second, we can’t let him get provoked, or what if he takes a knife and hurts himself, or kills someone?”
“And tell Mom not to stay mad. After I calm Cedric, I’ll buy the cassava cake she likes and go see her. We’re not breaking the engagement. I’m not saying it again.”
With that, Lavinia left with Cedric. As they walked past me, Cedric raised his middle finger in mockery.
My head throbbed, and I had no energy to argue with him. Once they were gone, I started clearing out everything of Lavinia’s from the house.
When I was done, I called the landlord to end the lease. But the very next day, I was ambushed, beaten unconscious, and dragged away.
When I opened my eyes again, Cedric was standing there with a cigarette hanging from his lips, several men behind him glaring at me with hostility.
It was obvious they hadn’t come with good intentions. I forced my battered body upright and faced Cedric.
I stared at him for a long moment until he smirked.
“Looks like you’ve figured out I’ve been faking the illness. But what can you do about it?”
“As long as Lavinia stays with me, I’ll never admit it. You’ll never beat me.”
He blew smoke straight into my face. I frowned and stepped back.
“What do you want?”
“I want you out of the picture for good. Lavinia is mine, but she still loves you and won’t let go.”
“You worthless pauper, you’ve blocked my path. If I don’t get rid of you, I’ll never have peace.”
No sooner had he spoken than he waved at the men behind him. “Throw him off the sixth floor and let him die.”
I clenched my fists and fought with everything I had. In the struggle, Cedric grabbed a knife and plunged it into my chest.
Just then, Lavinia rushed in. “Stop it!” she shouted.
Cedric quickly yanked the blade out and stabbed himself, pretending I had attacked him. At the sight of blood, his men panicked and scattered.
He pressed a hand against his wound, staggered toward Lavinia, and collapsed in her arms. Blood soaked her clothes, throwing her into panic.
I fell to my knees, pain drowning me, my vision going black as her furious voice rang in my ears.
“Phineas, you really deserve to die, how could you try to kill Cedric!”
Cedric pretended to faint, but before closing his eyes, he urged her to get him to the hospital.
Lavinia shot me a hateful glare before quickening her steps and dragging Cedric away. In the end, I lost all strength and collapsed on the ground, and not once did she look back at me.
At the hospital, Lavinia sat anxiously on a bench, her restlessness showing through. She didn’t even know why, but my pale, powerless face kept flashing in her mind. Could it be that Phineas was hurt, too?
Just then, the doctor came out and told her Cedric’s wounds weren’t serious. Even so, her heart still wouldn’t settle. After giving Cedric only a brief glance, she found herself wanting to go look for me.
But Cedric clung to her with excuse after excuse, keeping her from leaving and not even letting her answer calls.
By the fourth day, when Lavinia could no longer fight the panic pressing in her chest and finally tried to step outside, several police officers appeared before her.
“You must be Cedric!”
“You’re guilty of two serious crimes, fraud and murder. You pretended to be mentally ill and used a knife to kill two people.”
“The victims were a mother and son, Odette and her son Phineas.”
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