Take My Breath Away

"Right. Only a coward will torment a woman," Carlos said sarcastically when he heard James' words.

With one hand in his pocket, he walked up to James, patted the slimeball's cheek, and said, "Be patient. It will be your turn soon. I will not let you down, Dad." He stared the old man in the eye. Without averting his sight, he ordered the doctors, "Since Stephanie doesn't want the bastard in her belly, let's do her a favor— rip it out!"

He had waited for this day for more than a month. Stephanie was finally pregnant. It was showtime! He would make James watch while he paid him back with interest! Then he would know who was crueler between the two of them.

Two doctors held Stephanie tightly onto the operating table, and another one grabbed the tools and started the abortion procedure.

Stephanie's eyes widened in fear. Debbie watched. The operation was being done without giving her an anesthetic. She could imagine how painful it was.

But Stephanie bit her lower lip stubbornly. When the cold equipment was inserted into her body, she refused to scream, no matter how much it hurt.

Even if Carlos hadn't ordered the doctors to do the abortion, she wouldn't have kept the bastard anyway.

James bowed his head and clenched his teeth as hatred filled his heart. Glenda cried so hard that she was on the verge of passing out. She was making too much noise, so Carlos had her mouth gagged again.

Debbie couldn't stand the bloody scene anymore. She turned her head away from the operating table.

But she told herself not to be soft-hearted. Three years ago, James hadn't been merciful to her.

When the procedure was done, everyone thought that Carlos was done with the punishments. But the doctors remained. Carlos glared at James and asked, "Do you understand how Debbie had felt back then?"

His voice was cold, radiating an undeniably dangerous aura.

Debbie gazed at him and saw bloodlust in his sharp eyes.

James wondered whether he should nod or shake his head.

Carlos didn't really care how he felt. While James was working on a response, Carlos asked Stephanie, "Where's the woman who had impersonated Debbie?"

Blood drained from her face, making her look as pale as a ghost. But her eyes were not dead yet, and she didn't respond to Carlos' question.

The man stared back at her. "I hate your eyes," he said calmly. Every time Stephanie looked at Debbie, her eyes were full of malice and disdain.

Carlos' words shocked everyone. Debbie had never asked Carlos how he was going to deal with Stephanie, so she had no idea about any of this before she had walked into this operating room. What he had just said gave her a feeling that Stephanie was about to lose her eyes.

And she was right.

Operating on Stephanie without anesthetizing her had been cruel enough. Also, having a group of hobos **** her and Glenda was sickeningly heartless. What Carlos said next sent shivers down Stephanie's spine. "I had someone fill in an application to the Red Cross to donate your corneas and a kidney."

Loss of sight and one kidney wasn't bad enough to kill her, but it would damage her life forever.

Glenda was having a nervous breakdown; James' blood pressure was acting up and he was feeling dizzy. Yet, unlike her parents, Stephanie gave Carlos a cold smile and asked in a weak voice, "What do you expect me to say? 'Thank you for not killing me'?"

Carlos loathed her expression and tone. He averted his gaze towards James and announced, "If you kneel before Debbie and apologize, I'll spare her corneas."

James was stunned into a daze for a short moment. Then he nodded vigorously. The gag in his mouth was removed.

Once he was brought in front of Debbie, a bodyguard gave him a hard kick in the back of his knee, and he thumped to the floor on his knees.

His face went pale from the pain in the knees, and his forehead was filled with beads of sweat.

Stephanie saw all this from the operating table, but she was nonchalant, like an emotionless machine.

Debbie wasn't going to let James off so easy. She glanced around the operating room and saw a bottle of antiphlogistine.

She strode over, grabbed it, and smashed the bottle in front of James.

The glass bottle broke into pieces. The drug spilled all over the floor and splashed onto James. Debbie's shoes were stained too, but she didn't care. "Your apology wasn't sincere at all. Kneel over the broken glass. Then, we'll talk about forgiveness."

Carlos was surprised by Debbie's act. He grinned and thought, 'My wife is meaner than me. She is so cool! I'm so proud!'

James gasped and his eyes rolled in their sockets uncontrollably. He was about to faint. Niles was quick to run over to him and fumbled around his coat for his medicine. He found the pills for his high blood pressure. He looked at the label to confirm, took out five pills and gave them to James.

A minute later, James felt better.

He took a deep breath and sneered at Debbie, "Don't push me!"

"Push you?!" Debbie was enraged. She shook off Carlos' hand and kicked James in the chest.

He groaned painfully on the floor.

But Debbie was not done. She lifted her right foot and stamped on his chest mercilessly. Looking down at him, she asked, "I'm pushing you? Did you forget what you did to me three years ago? After Carlos' accident, you tied me to an operating table and coerced me into signing the divorce papers. You should have known this day would come."

Overwhelmed by emotions, Debbie raised her voice and yelled at him, "You hit me, forced me to leave Carlos' and my home, staged his death and tricked me to a fake funeral. You ruined my happiness and destroyed my life. You pushed me into severe depression. What do you say about all that?" Debbie's eyes reddened at the thought of her painful past.

Hearing her words, Carlos felt even more guilty.

Debbie removed her foot from James' chest and squatted down beside him. She grabbed his collar and pulled him up into a sitting position. "You're a murderer. I'll sue you and make you rot in jail!"

James struggled a little and smiled contemptuously at her. "You're only doing all this by relying on Carlos. Find some proof on your own, I dare you!"

"I rely on Carlos. So what? He's my husband. We count on each other. I might not be able to find out everything you did, but Carlos sure can. And now that I've seen the pathetic look on your face, I'll smile in my dreams tonight!"