“A woman who doesn’t even want you to touch her… I really don’t understand why you married her.”
I swirled the wine in my glass quietly. The color reminded me of the blood Isla had shed for me when she was a child.
After her parents went bankrupt, they were forced to take their own lives.
The old butler, greedy for money, sold her off like a toy.
At that time, I was only a servant in a wealthy household. To keep my throat from being destroyed by poison, I pretended to be mute and used sign language to communicate.
Isla had stabbed the rich man and was beaten again and again, left hungry and weak. I couldn’t bear to see such a young girl die like that, so every day, I shared part of my food with her.
She was the only one who knew I could talk.
One night, while everyone was asleep, I secretly helped her escape. But we were caught, and the rich man tried to beat me to death right there. Isla threw herself over me, taking the blows meant for me, and her blood dripped down onto my face.
That was the first time I felt someone saw me as a real person.
Later, her aunt came with people to rescue her, and the rich man’s place was raided by the police. But we never got the chance to say goodbye.