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In the car on the way back,Henry said gently,"Lucy,don't pay attention to Amanda's moral blackmail.No matter what the result is,it's not your fault."
I nodded, forcing a reassuring smile for my brother.
Amanda applied for medical parole on the grounds of protecting the fetus,but her relatives were still in custody.
A few days later,the police station called and said that Amanda's cousin wanted to see Henry and me.
"Mr.Henry,Miss Lucy,I want to make a deal with you,"the live-streaming woman had lost a lot of weight in just a few days.
"What capital do you have to make a deal with us?"Henry didn't even bother to look up at her.
“Information, something that could solve your...immediate problem. All I ask is that you drop the charges against me for the villa damage.” she said eagerly.
Henry said nothing. I kept silent too.
Hatred flashed in the live-streaming woman's eyes."The baby Amanda’s carrying isn’t yours,Mr.Henry."
My brother's expression didn't change much.He tapped the table with his hand."Go on."
"The day she secretly checked your phone when you were drunk and saw your chat records with Miss Lucy,she cried and told me that you were having an affair.I took her out to relax,but we met her ex-boyfriend at the bar,and they had a one-night stand."
So Henry was cuckolded by Amanda.I clenched my fists in anger.
"How can you be sure the child isn't mine?"my brother asked.
"Remember that minor surgery Amanda had? She was terrified the anesthesia would harm the baby, she had been using contraceptive pills for the past six months while she was with you.But she didn't take the pills that time with her ex-boyfriend,"she seemed afraid we wouldn't believe her."If you don't believe me,you can investigate.Her ex-boyfriend's name is Mike."
Henry stood abruptly. The woman scrambled forward. “You’ll let me go now, right?”
“I’ll verify your story,” Henry said. “If true, I’ll drop the charges.”
I seethed as we left the station. Among these people,she was the most hateful.She insulted me to gain popularity and profit.If I hated Amanda the most,then she was the next.I didn't want to let her off.
Henry sensed my mood. “Lucy, don’t fret. It’s easier to crush her outside prison walls.”He ruffled my hair. “Trust me. No one gets away unscathed.”
I should’ve guessed. Amanda’s family was in business—a business now teetering on collapse.
Amanda didn't keep the child.It was said that her ex-boyfriend went to the hospital to see her and said he would take responsibility for her and the child.
Amanda wasn't touched.Instead,she became very emotional."I'm carrying Henry's child.It has nothing to do with you.Get out!"she shouted.
Her boyfriend,although poor,was very infatuated.He went to the hospital to accompany her every day.When she tried to run away from him through the fire escape,she missed a step.
Not only did she lose the child,but her uterus was also removed.
"Brother,was it you?" I whispered, torn between satisfaction and sorrow.
"I found her ex-boyfriend and gave him a million dollars to take good care of Amanda,"my brother said leisurely while drinking coffee,showing no sign of embarrassment from being cuckolded.
Not long after Amanda recovered,she was sent back to prison.
In the end,the verdicts for her and her relatives came out.Some were imprisoned,and some had to pay compensation.They finally paid the price for their actions.
The last time I saw Amanda,she was completely broken.
"You know what?The house you smashed was the wedding house Henry bought for you.And the decoration design was my wedding gift to you,"I said,watching her stunned expression.I sighed and continued,"The piano you smashed was supposed to be a surprise from my brother.I can't even play the piano."
Her lips trembled,and she couldn't utter a word.I slowly walked away as she burst into heart-rending sobs.
A few years later,Henry found a truly beautiful,gentle,and loving sister-in-law for me.I designed and decorated their wedding house again.By then,I had become a well-known designer,and my design skills had improved significantly.My soon-to-be sister-in-law was very satisfied with my work.
One afternoon, Henry sent me to the park with my pregnant sister-in-law. There, we spotted a disheveled woman muttering to herself. My sister-in-law pitied her, reaching for her wallet.As we got closer,we heard her mumbling to herself.
"I'm Mrs.Henry.I'm carrying Henry's child.Haha.Henry’s building me a mansion! There's a world-famous painting worth five hundred million.It's so beautiful.And there's my favorite piano.The sound is so wonderful."She mimed playing ,lost in fantasy.
My sister-in-law was stunned.I stepped forward and supported her."Let's go.These days,anyone seems to think they can have a claim on my brother."
I helped my sister-in-law walk towards the sunlight,leaving Amanda,lost in her crazy dreams,in the shadows behind us.
