Spicy Cake Delivery Gone Wrong

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I'm a cake decorator.

One day, I received an online order from a girl who wanted me to make an apology cake.

Could you hide a pair of handcuffs inside the cake? she asked.

I went to a bar last night without telling my boyfriend first. He's upset with me. I want to make it up to him tonight.

I thought of my own fianc, Adriancold and emotionally distant.

We only had sex once a month and never played games like this.

I couldn't help but envy this girl a little.

That evening, I delivered the cake to the address she'd given me.

The moment the door opened, I froze.

Standing there was my fiancthe one who'd told me he was going back to his hometown for a relative's funeral.

Adrian.

The air felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs.

The cake box in my hand nearly slipped from my grasp.

The shock in Adrian's eyes lasted only half a second.

The next moment, his face returned to its usual cold detachment.

Ruby poked her head out from behind him, her eyes darting curiously between Adrian and me.

"Babe, do you know this delivery girl? Why is she staring at you like that?"

Adrian wrapped his arm around Ruby's waist, his fingers tracing lazy circles at the small of her back.

He took the cake from me, frowning slightly.

"No. Never seen her before."

Ruby said "Oh" and eagerly tore open the cake box.

The handcuffs I'd carefully selected tumbled out.

The silver metal gleamed harshly under the entryway lights.

"Wow, these look high quality!" Ruby exclaimed.

She held up the handcuffs, playfully waving them near Adrian's wrist.

"Mr. Hotshot Lawyer, are you my prisoner tonight?"

Adrian's eyes held an indulgent affection I'd never seen before.

I opened my mouth, my throat dry and aching.

"Adrian, you"

Before I could finish, Adrian grabbed a few bills from the entryway table and tossed them at me.

The money hit my face lightly before scattering at my feet.

"Thanks for the delivery. That's your tip."

His voice was cold as ice, his eyes carrying a warning.

Ruby was still laughing.

"Babe, you're so generous! Come on, pick it up! That's a few hundred dollars right there."

I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood.

I wanted to smash that cake in his face.

But I couldn't.

I thought of my brother, Cameron, still in prison, waiting for Adrian to help overturn his case.

He'd been caught up in an art forgery scandal and was facing ten years.

I crouched down and picked up the bills one by one.

I turned and left, not even having the courage to look back.

Behind me, I heard the door lock click shut.

Then came Ruby's teasing voice, dripping with pleasure.

"Ooh, careful... the handcuffs are so cold..."

I returned to our cold, empty apartment.

On the wall hung a photo from our engagement.

In it, I smiledgentle and compliant. Adrian was expressionless.

Darkness swallowed me like a rising tide.

My stomach felt like I'd swallowed leadheavy and painfully tight.

At three in the morning, I heard the electronic lock beep.

Click. The living room lights blazed on.

The sudden brightness stabbed at my eyes.

"What are you doing sitting here in the dark like some kind of ghost?"

Adrian frowned, his voice dripping with displeasure.

He loosened his tie and tossed his jacket onto the couch.

"Sitting there like a damn phantom. Bad luck."

He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of whiskey, and knocked it back.

"Since you already saw, I'm not going to bother hiding it anymore."

He leaned against the cabinet, his posture lazy.

"Ruby's young. She's vibrant. Being with her, I can actually relax."

"And you..."

He looked me up and down.

"We've been together too long. So long that when I'm having sex with you, I find myself distracted, counting how many new wrinkles you've developed."

My nails dug into my palms as I fought to keep my voice steady.

"So that's your excuse for cheating?"

"Adrian, let's break up."

Adrian stopped mid-sip.

He set down his glass and walked toward me, step by deliberate step.

He bent down, hands braced on the armrests of the couch, caging me in.

"Break up?"

He let out a low laugh.

"Summer, get your head straight."

"Cameron's case goes to trial next week."

"All I have to do is twitch a finger, and that crucial forensic report will conveniently go missing."

His tone was gentle, but his words were vicious.

My pupils constricted sharply.

Rage erupted inside me like a volcano.

I shot to my feet and shoved him away.

"Adrian! You're disgusting!"

Adrian grabbed my chin, his thumb brushing over my lips.

"Shh. Be good."

"You'll still be Mrs. Bennett."

"I need an obedient wife to take care of the house and deal with my family."

"Men need a little excitement, you know."

I jerked my head away and dry-heaved.

Adrian's expression darkened instantly.

He released me with disgust.

"You're killing the mood."

He grabbed the jacket that reeked of Ruby's perfume and threw it over my head.

"Wash this. I need it tomorrow."

"And remember to visit Cameron at the detention center tomorrow."

"Make sure you tell him his brother-in-law is working 'day and night' to clear his name."

"If you don't behave, I might need to take a few days off."

With that, he turned and headed toward the bathroom.

Just then, his phone on the table lit up.

A message from Ruby flashed on the screen.

[Adrian, you're amazing. Does she enjoy it this much too? My legs are still shaking~]

Adrian paused and glanced at the screen.

Not only did he not hide ithe actually chuckled.

"That girl. So naughty."

His tone was like a knife plunging into my chest.

I grabbed the ashtray from the table.

Adrian, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, said coolly:

"Cameron's case file is still on my desk in the study."

My hand froze mid-air.

The ashtray felt impossibly heavy.

Finally, I let my hand drop, and the ashtray rolled onto the carpet.

Despair wrapped around my throat like vines, choking me.

Days of stress and humiliation finally broke my body.

My acute gastritis flared up while I was in the kitchen preparing honey water for Cameron.

A sharp pain hit me, and everything went black.

When I woke up, I was on a gurney in a hospital hallway.

People rushed past. The noise was deafening, like a marketplace.

A nurse walked over with a cold expression and slapped a payment notice onto my blanket.

"Summer Lincoln, right? Pay up now, or we're cutting off your IV."

I pulled out my phone to transfer money, but it showed insufficient funds.

Adrian had transferred all my money out of my account!

With trembling hands, I dialed Adrian's number.

No answer.

I called again. He hung up.

My stomach throbbed with pain. I pulled the IV needle from the back of my hand and shuffled toward the payment desk, clutching my abdomen.

As I passed the VIP ward section, I heard a familiar voice.

"Does it hurt? Let me blow on it. There, all better."

It was Adrian's voice.

So gentle it could melt sugar.

I turned stiffly and looked through the half-open door at a scene that made my chest tighten.

In the spacious, luxurious single room, Ruby sat on the bed wearing a pink hospital gown.

Adrian sat beside her, peeling an apple.

"Babe, I'm so clumsy. I burned myself making soup."

"No more kitchen for you. Just tell me what you wantI'll make it."

Adrian sliced a piece of apple and fed it to her.

"I already had the head of the hospital call in the best surgeon for a consultation. I promise you won't have a scar."

I shoved the door open, clutching my cramping stomach, my face deathly pale.

"Adrian, what gives you the right to freeze my account?"

Adrian's hand jerked. The apple slice fell to the floor.

He turned around. The moment he saw me, the warmth in his eyes turned to ice.

"Are you following me?"

"Summer, have you no shame? Faking illness and chasing me to the hospital to make a scene?"

Ruby shrank behind Adrian with a little gasp.

"Oh my God! Your face is so scary, like a ghost..."

Adrian patted her hand soothingly, then turned to glare at me.

"Look what you did! You scared Ruby!"

"She's already timidshe can't handle this kind of shock!"

The cramping in my stomach intensified. Cold sweat dripped down my forehead.

I was doubled over in pain, gripping the doorframe just to stay upright.

"Adrian, what right do you have to take my money? That was for Cameron's legal fees!"

Adrian sneered.

"You've been a little too defiant lately. Consider this a lesson."

He shoved me aside.

Already weak, I crashed hard onto the floor.

My stomach hit the ground. The pain made me curl up like a shrimp.

I couldn't even scream. My vision blurred.

Adrian stepped over my body and scooped Ruby into his arms.

"Did you hurt your wound just now? Let's switch rooms and have the doctor check you again."

I lay alone on the cold floor, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

"That guy's brutal."

"His wife's in so much pain..."

A family member from a nearby bed finally called for help.

When I woke up again, I was in the emergency room.

My phone held a message from Adrian.

An invoice.

[Ruby suffered psychological trauma from the scare. Her wound tore open again and she's experiencing mental distress.]

[VIP room fees plus emotional damages: $50,000 total.]

[Deducting it from your brother's legal fees.]

Then Marcus called.

He was Cameron's gallery ownerand the only friend who knew what I was going through.

"Summer, we have a problem."

Marcus's voice was urgent.

"Cameron's forensic report came back, but... Adrian's withholding it unilaterally."

"He says it needs re-examination and can't be submitted to the court yet."

"If we don't get the original by tomorrow morning, Cameron's going to be taken into custody."

My phone slipped from my hand.

I yanked the IV from my arm. Blood backflowed, staining half my hand red.

I took a cab through the pouring rain to Adrian's private villa.

Adrian was celebrating Ruby's birthday there tonight.

The forensic report was in the study.

I was soaked to the bone, looking like a beggar as I burst into the villa.

The main hall was ablaze with lights, music pounding loud enough to hurt.

A crowd of well-dressed men and women were partying.

At the center were Adrian and Ruby.

Ruby wore a pristine white evening gown, nestled in Adrian's arms.

It was the dress I'd worn at our wedding reception.

"Adrian and Ruby are such a perfect match!"

"That Summer Lincoln is nothing."

Adrian stroked Ruby's hair affectionately.

I stood in the doorway, rainwater dripping from my hair onto the carpet.

"Adrian. Give me the report."

My voice wasn't loud, but in the brief pause between songs, it rang clearly through the hall.

Everyone turned to look at me.

Their eyes glittered with anticipation, eager for the drama.

Adrian swirled his wine glass lazily, looking down at me.

"Summer, you're getting more and more out of line."

"This is Ruby's birthday party. Why are you dressed like you're attending a funeral?"

Ruby lifted her skirt and walked over, covering her mouth in mock surprise.

"Oh, don't be mad! I just thought this wedding dress was so beautifulI wanted to try it on."

"Adrian said I look way better in it than you do. Why don't you just give it to me?"

I stared hard at Adrian.

"I just want the report. Keep the dress. Keep Adrian. I don't want any of it."

Adrian's expression darkened instantly.

He slammed his glass down on the table and pointed at the broken glass scattered on the floor.

Someone had knocked over a champagne tower earlier.

"You want the report? Fine."

"Crawl over here on your knees. Hold up Ruby's train so the dirty glass doesn't stain her wedding dress."

"If you make her happy, I'll give you the report."

The room fell silent.

Then erupted in even louder laughter.

"Crawl! For your brother, what's a little crawling?"

"Adrian really knows how to have fun!"

I looked at the sea of broken glass, the sharp edges glinting coldly.

Then I looked at Adrian's emotionless face.

For Cameron.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and dropped to my knees.

The moment my knees touched the glass, searing pain shot through me.

Blood instantly stained the white carpet.

I bit down hard and crawled forward, one agonizing movement at a time.

Every inch I crawled left a trail of blood behind me.

The room filled with jeers and whistles.

I crawled to Ruby's feet and lifted her train with shaking hands.

Adrian watched the scene, a flicker of something complicated crossing his eyesbut it was quickly replaced by satisfaction.

He pulled an envelope from his jacket and tossed it in front of me.

"Take it. That's what you wanted."

I grabbed it like a lifeline, my hands trembling as I opened it.

But the moment I saw what was inside, my blood ran cold.

This wasn't the forensic report.

It was a confession letter!

Written in a forgery of Cameron's handwriting, admitting to all charges!

"Adrian..."

I looked up at him, rage blazing in my eyes.

Adrian smiled lightly.

"Cameron entered the same national competition that Ruby competed in. I think this confession suits him better."

"I'll help him get a reduced sentence. He'll only have to serve three to five years."

Ruby crouched in front of me innocently, her big eyes blinking.

"Sorry, sis. I made a bet with my friends that I'd win that competition. Your brother's just going to have to stay inside for a while."

Every shred of sanity I had left shattered in that moment.

I grabbed a steak knife from the table and lunged at Ruby.

Ruby stumbled backward in panic.

"Help! She's trying to kill me!"

She flailed wildly, knocking over a massive candelabra on the table.

The burning candles rolled off and ignited the flammable drapes.

Flames shot up, racing along the carpet.

"Fire! Run!"

The crowd screamed and scattered.

The fire spread with terrifying speed, thick smoke billowing everywhere.

Adrian's face changed. Without hesitation, he scooped Ruby into his arms.

"Ruby, don't be scared. I'll get you out!"

He charged toward the door.

On his way, he kicked over a storage shelf that was blocking the path.

The heavy wooden frame crashed down and pinned both my legs.

Crack. The sound of bones snapping.

I screamed. I was trapped.

Through the flames, I watched Adrian carry Ruby out the front door.

Smoke choked my lungs. My chest burned.

The temperature around me climbed higher. My skin began to blister.

I looked down at the fake confession in my hand, pulled out a lighter, and set it on fire.

The flames reflected in my tear-filled eyes.

If I'm going to die, I'll die completely.

A massive explosion shook the villa.

Everything went dark.