The Coffin at the Banquet

My name's Daisy Scott, and I've wasted five years with Sam Gabriel. In these five years, love and hate wrapped around me like vines, squeezing the breath out of me. I hate him, but damn, I still remember how he once promised to protect me and my brother. That year, my brother Norman Scott had just gotten his acceptance letter to Peking University, and we caught Sam Gabriel cornered and beaten up in an alley. Norman's a hothead—he grabbed a brick and charged right in. He grabbed Sam and tried to run, but they couldn't dodge the truck barreling straight toward them. In the end, Sam Gabriel only had a few scrapes, but Norman Scott was stuck in the ICU for three whole days and nights. When the doctor came out, he said the guy survived, but his brain was seriously damaged. From now on... he would be retarded. Sam Gabriel knelt right in front of me, his forehead pressed against the cold floor. He said, "Daisy, from now on, I'll take care of you. I'll protect you and Norman—forever." At that moment, I believed him. I thought that man could hold up the whole sky for me—after all, Norman got hurt trying to save him. But the day Zoe Lincoln came back, everything changed. Zoe Lincoln is Sam Gabriel's first love—she went abroad for three years, and when she came back, she was still radiant, like a pure white rose untouched by any dirt. From that day on, Sam Gabriel's gaze always wandered toward Zoe Lincoln. He stopped bringing me little daisies every day, stopped playing blocks with Norman, and even when I worked late into the night, he wouldn't come pick me up anymore. Even though Norman was a bit slow, he still remembered Zoe Lincoln. That day, Zoe Lincoln came to our house carrying a bottle of peach blossom wine, calling it a 'reunion gift' for Sam Gabriel. Curious, Norman reached out and touched it—the wine bottle crashed to the floor with a loud smash, spilling wine everywhere. Before I even had a chance to apologize, Sam slapped Norman right across the face. Terrified, Norman curled up in the corner, whispering, "Sis, it hurts..." I lunged forward and pushed Sam away, but with bloodshot eyes he yelled at me, "Daisy! Look at the mess your brother made! Zoe brought this for me!" At that moment, the man standing before me suddenly felt completely strange. Everything that happened after felt like a nightmare. Sam Gabriel dragged Norman Scott out to the backyard pool while I was washing fruit in the kitchen, and then I heard a splash. When I ran outside, Norman was already thrashing in the water, his hands flailing wildly, shouting, "Sam, save me!" But Sam Gabriel just stood there at the pool's edge, his suit pants soaked at the cuffs, not moving an inch. Zoe Lincoln stood beside him, gently tugging his sleeve. "Sam, don't be angry. Norman didn't mean it." She was pleading with her words, but there was a smile lurking in her eyes. I dove into the pool, pouring every bit of strength I had to drag Norman Scott up. But he was already gone—no breath, lips purple, hands still frozen in that scratching pose. That day, I held Norman Scott's lifeless body, sitting by the poolside, crying all through the night. Sam Gabriel came over and grabbed me, and I asked, "Why didn't you save him? He became retarded trying to save you!" He looked away from my eyes and said, "He was careless and just fell in—that has nothing to do with me." Later, I went to him with Norman Scott's death certificate in hand. I said, "Sam Gabriel, marry me, or I'll expose how you let him die without lifting a finger." I knew I was cornering him, but I had no other choice. He hated that I forced him to marry me using Norman's death as leverage, and every day he wished I was dead.