The Cage Wife’s Revenge

Chapter 11

"Lori, I finally found you…"

Milford still had that intimidating, gang boss-like presence, wearing his usual suit, though his figure had thinned, and one of his legs now limped. His swagger seemed forced, like he was barely holding it together.

When he saw me stay silent, his eyes shifted to Enid. He crouched down, a strained smile on his face as he extended his arms. "Enid, do you miss Daddy? Come here, give me a hug."

Enid hid behind me, eyeing him warily.

I ushered Enid into the shop, closed the door behind me, and turned to face him. "What do you want?"

Milford paused, awkwardly. "Lori, I… I came to take you both home."

I shot him a sarcastic smile. "Home? You mean that place where a brother and sister-in-law share a man? That disgusting, filthy 'home'? Don't joke with me. We're done. You need to leave."

"No, Lori, it's not like that," he insisted. "I've figured out everything she did. I've cut ties with her. All my enemies are gone. No one will ever hurt you again. Come home with me, please. I'll make it up to you and Enid."

For years, I'd heard the same words from him: "Just endure for now." This was the first time he said he wouldn't let me suffer anymore.

Sadly, I didn't care anymore.

"After everything I went through, you're only saying this now, Milford? Don't you think that's pathetic?"

"You think that just because you say this, all the suffering I went through for over a year, the broken leg, my daughter locked in a dog cage… can be erased? What kind of compensation is that, and why should I accept it?"

Milford was left speechless, fumbling for an explanation. "Lori, it was Malissa who forged the message, making me think you were dead. Otherwise, I would never have let you go through so much…"

"Milford, you're supposed to be a gangster boss, but when things go wrong, all you do is shift the blame onto the woman."

"Malissa is despicable, but YOU, my husband, didn't even bother to investigate when you heard I was dead. You didn't search for my body. You just accepted it, then rushed to marry your sister-in-law, even turning a blind eye while she abused my daughter. Isn't that even worse?"

"Go away, Milford! The Lorraine you once knew is dead. Enid doesn't want you as a father anymore. To us, you're just a nightmare we're eager to escape. We're finally living peaceful, happy lives. Don't come here to disturb us. If you have any decency left, just leave us alone."

With that, I didn't even glance at him again. I turned around and went back inside the shop, pulling down the roller shutter, cutting him off completely.

The next day, when I took Enid to kindergarten, Milford was gone.

In front of the shop, I found a bouquet of bellflowers—his wedding proposal flowers. The meaning behind them was "a love that lasts until death." In the center was the ancient jade ring that symbolized the Lady of the House of the Wrights. The engraving had been changed back to my name.

There was also a small card with a simple message: "Lori, I'm sorry."

But sadly, some things couldn't return to what they once were. No matter how much he regretted or apologized, it was too late.

I threw everything in the trash, just like I threw away the past.

A few days later, I received the news of Milford's death.

Malissa had fainted in the dog cage. Milford had promised his late brother not to take Malissa's life, so he had someone open the cage and check on her. But Malissa suddenly attacked, sinking her teeth into his neck. She'd somehow managed to hide a blade in her mouth and used it to slit his throat.

In his final moments, Milford used the blade to end Malissa's life.

Within days, the Wright family's empire was quickly divided by Milford's former enemies. The old butler took Eddy back to his hometown, and from that point on, they both disappeared without a trace.

I never told Enid that Milford had died.

From the moment we left the Wrights behind, everything about him was no longer our concern.

The past was too dark to revisit. Thankfully, ahead of us lay a bright and hopeful future.

(The End)