"Ruby," Becky spat, staring into Molly's eyes with undisguised repulsion.
She had always been strong-willed and domineering.
"You just confirmed what I said before. You're no better than a whore, aren't you? You really took after
your mother, you both like enticing men who are already in relationships and destroying their families.
You're shameless! Isn't it enough that your mom stole my mom's happiness? Why did you have to
destroy my happiness too? Tell me, what sin did we commit to you and your mom in the previous life
that you have to make us suffer a lifetime of unhappiness?" Becky asked shrilly, her furious voice
directed at Molly.
Shrinking back in fear, Molly stared at Becky's almost demonic face. Looking at Becky's face full of
rage and malice, she suddenly remembered the face in her recurring nightmare. Painful childhood
memories exploded in her head. Memories that she had buried deep in the recesses of her mind
surfaced, making her whole body shiver. Slowly, the fragments of her childhood memories started to
gather together, the cruel memories almost made her writhe in agony. She felt as if her whole world
had been turned upside down. The explosion of unwanted childhood memories in her head almost
made her faint.
Becky strode menacingly towards Molly. Wide-eyed and trembling, Molly retreated backward. Knowing
that Molly was the biggest obstacle between herself and Brian ignited Becky's fury. Gnashing her teeth,
she turned the full force of her anger at Molly. "Ruby, you and your mom are unscrupulously fond of
stealing other women's men, aren't you? You don't care if you're just a means of warming up their beds.
It doesn't matter if you're just a toy for them, to play with whenever and however they like. How can you
be so shameless? Don't you have even a tiny bit of self-respect?"
"Stop it!" A switch seemed to turn on inside Molly. Her whole body trembled in indignation at Becky's
accusations. In just a few days, she had sustained enough stress to last her a lifetime. A desperate
resistance gave her the impetus to retaliate. "Becky, you don't know what you're saying! You have no
rights to talk about me and my mom like that. It was your dad that harmed my mom when he got drunk.
My mom was innocent, it was him who brought all these miseries upon my mom and me. So why are
you putting all the blame on us? You accuse me of stealing Brian, I did no such thing. And it's not like I
can control and manage my heart… Before you start blaming all these on us, have you ever thought
that we may be victims also? Didn't it cross your mind that we may be innocent and as hurt as you
are?" Molly asked Becky angrily.
Molly's words only served to infuriate Becky more. Without warning, her hand flew and connected with
Moly's face.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze as the sound of the slap reverberated around the room. Molly's face
turned pale, the livid marks of Becky's hand on her cheeks was the only color in her face. Becky glared
at her without repentance, her eyes shooting venomous sparks. Shock made Molly stiff, her hand lifted
unconsciously on her cheek which had felt numb at the unexpected attack. She felt heat flowing in her
cheek, it felt more painful and burning than when she was slapped by the man the other day. It seemed
like the burn and pain were coming out of her heart instead of her smarting cheeks...
Her eyes swelled and her brows flickered in humiliation. She could feel the sting of unshed tears as it
swirled around her eye rims, blurring her vision.
After a moment's pause, Becky cooled herself down, "You have no shame," she said in a voice full of
contempt. "Why on earth did God give me a sister like you?"
Lowering her head, Molly clenched her fist at the injustice of it all. She'd rather die than shed a tear in
front of Becky. Heaving a deep breath, she mustered all the courage she had left and brought her eyes
up to look squarely at Becky. "Fortunately, I don't have a sister like you!"
With that parting words, Molly walked out of the room with her head held high. Her clenched fists made
groove marks in her cold palms. She could still hear Becky shouting incessantly behind her, but she
didn't care. All she cared about was going as far away from her as possible.
Molly met Yoyo as she walked out of the room. Seeing her pale face and swollen eyes, Yoyo frowned
worriedly. "Molly, what happened? You look terrible! Are you OK?" she asked solicitously.
Molly continued walking as if she didn't hear Yoyo. Staring thoughtfully at her rigid back, Yoyo shook
her head. Obviously, Molly was not in the mood to talk. Looking towards the VIP patient room, Yoyo
frowned. She couldn't help but overhear the conversation between Molly and Becky. Even though the
VIP room was sound-proof, she still managed to overhear Becky's words. "Turns out that Molly is
Becky's sister," she muttered to herself. She found it hard to believe even though she heard it with her
own ears.
*
Walking briskly out of the hospital building, Molly was eager to leave the hospital as fast as her feet
could take her. The tears of humiliation still clung to her eyelids and she strove hard not to let them fall.
She knew that once she let it go, she wouldn't be able to stop. Gritting her teeth resolutely, she
continued down the steps. Keeping her head bowed down, she hoped that she could leave the hospital
grounds without being noticed.
To her relief, there was no one outside. She continued walking aimlessly along the street. Her mind
was in turmoil and she just followed her feet. She had no idea where she was going, she just wanted to
get as far away as possible. She wished she could leave everything behind just by putting a great
distance between them. But no amount of physical distance could separate her from the painful
memories of her past. Walking fast, without any destination in her mind was a recipe for disaster. But
Molly's only concern was to escape. She was numb to the pain coming from her sore feet. The sun was
already setting down and the warm glow of dusk is scattering around her, yet Molly kept on walking.
The streets were gradually emptying as the people went to their homes after a long day's work. The
chill of the late afternoon intensified with the absence of the sun's warmth, making Molly shiver
unconsciously.
She had no idea how far she had walked and how long, but she gradually started feeling the soreness
from her feet. Her tears had already dried up, leaving her eyes swollen and puffy that it hurt when she
blinked. All her physical discomforts meant little to her compared to the anguish in her heart. Looking
around, she smiled at herself mockingly. How could hovering in the street would help her escape from
her pain?
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