Chapter 17
Tears started streaming down Sage’s face as she laughed. The memories from her past life of being mistreated, insulted, and tormented at the
mental institution flashed before her eyes.
The nurse in charge of her had been burly and strong; she could drag Sage along with her with just one hand grabbing her by the hair. She could also slap her bowl of oatmeal to the floor with one blow.
The nurse could even pinch her mouth hard and forcefully pour the medication down her throat when she refused to take them….
Sage had always thought the mental institution had arranged for the nurse to torment her as a way of sucking up to Ian. She never would’ve expected the horrible nurse to be Ivy’s relative!
This meant that her life in the mental institution had been so horrific
because of Ivy. At the thought of the torment she’d suffered and the pain she’d experienced because of her stomach cancer, Sage wanted nothing more than to strangle Ivy to death.
Why had she been so cruel? She already had Ian’s heart. He’d even sent Sage to the mental institution for Ivy’s sake. Why had Ivy refused to let her off
the hook?
Ian looked at Sage, who was slumped on the floor. Despite her suggestion to remain connected over the phone, he’d still been worried about her pulling something funny. So, he’d followed her upstairs.
He never would’ve expected to be greeted by the scene of Sage trying to strangle Ivy when he’d exited the elevator, though..
Now, Sage lay amongst a pile of scattered fruits. Her eyes were unfocused, and she seemed to have lost all her strength. She lay limp on the floor.
She had a smile on her face, but her tears didn’t stop..It was almost as if
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she’d been through something horrifying and devastating; her face was filled with sorrow, resentment, and hatred.
Oddly enough, lan didn’t get mad over her insanity. On the contrary, his heart ached a little.
“Ian…” Ian was about to help Sage up when he heard Ivy call his name
feebly. When he saw the blood on her forehead and the redness around her neck from Sage’s strangling, he said to the frozen woman, “Go get a first- aid kit!”
The woman hurriedly went to look for one. Ian helped Ivy up and over to the couch. Then, he walked back over to Sage. He dragged her by the arm. “Get up.”
Sage was limp all over. When he dragged her by the arm, he felt like he was pulling a lifeless doll. Suddenly, it made him feel uneasy. He frowned and asked, “Didn’t you come up here to apologize? Why did you go mad like that?”
This time, when Sage heard his voice, her eyes started to focus. The
strength seemed to flow back into her body. It inexplicably made Ian relax.
“Are you going to get together with Ivy once we’re divorced?” she asked. Her voice was hoarse; her tone was devoid of emotion.
Ian frowned again. He asked in return, “Is that why you wanted to take her
life?”
“I found the first–aid kit!” Just then, the round–faced woman came over.
Ian wanted to help Sage to her feet, but she pushed him away coldly. She got up herself, straightened her clothes, and left without another look back.
Ian was about to chase after her to ask what had happened when Ivy hissed in pain. Since Sage had caused this debacle, he stopped and turned to Ivy. Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“What do you mean you’re fine? If she’d hit you any harder, you’d need stitches!” the woman exclaimed while tending to Ivy’s wound. “Who was that? Why did she bully you like that as soon as she stepped in here?”
Ivy forced out a smile. “I think she has the wrong idea about me.”
“What sort of wrong idea? You’re just too nice, Ivy! Why are you still speaking up for her when she treated you like that? If you ask me, you should’ve called the cops on her!”
Ivy noticed Ian frown at that. She said to the woman, “You should head home for now. We can talk about this tomorrow.”
The woman was reluctant to leave but could tell this was the wrong time for her to linger. “Get some rest, Ivy. Call me if you need anyone to care for you tonight.”
After the woman left, Ian asked Ivy, “What happened? Why did Sage
suddenly try to strangle you?”
He’d been listening on the phone the whole time but hadn’t heard anything out of the ordinary.
Ivy put on a scared look. “Did you reprimand Sage–Mrs. Holcomb- because of what happened earlier today? I already told you it was fine. She was just throwing a tantrum and acting in the heat of the moment. She’d be fine after venting her anger.”
Ivy’s meaning was clear–Sage had been upset because of Ian’s reprimand. That was why she’d tried to kill Ivy.
Ian didn’t say anything. He couldn’t help feeling there was something wrong with Sage but couldn’t pinpoint it.
When Ivy saw how tightly furrowed his brows were, she said, “I’m fine on my own, Ian. You should go check on Sage. It’s so late now; we wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”
Ian didn’t insist on staying. “I’ll have a doctor drop by to check on you. I’ll make it up to you for what happened today.”
With that, he left. When he was gone, Ivy locked the door. Her expression darkened.
Sage had already tried to kill her, yet Ian hadn’t gotten mad at Sage. All he’d done was try to salvage the situation by compensating her on Sage’s behalf.
Compensation was the last thing she wanted!
Though Sage’s earlier reaction was within Ivy’s expectations, she still couldn’t help feeling that Sage had changed. In the past, Sage would’ve exploded with the slightest provocation.
But that day, after waking up from jumping off the balcony, Sage hadn’t screamed and shouted at her. She’d even calmly told Ian to enjoy his time
with her.
And over the next few days, Sage hadn’t caused any trouble for her.
This morning, Sage had even insulted and mocked her. Could someone suddenly become smarter overnight?
