Chapter 3

The darkness rushed towards me like a tidal wave. I felt like I was drowning, gasping for air but still suffocating.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard voices outside.

"Alex, baby, aren't you worried that poor bitch will get jealous if you bring me here?"

I could hear the sound of passionate kissing.

Alexander's voice was full of suppressed desire. "Don't worry, she can't make trouble. She can't get out. She's probably just wailing in there right now."

So he knew about my suffering.

At that moment, I could almost see him lifting Scarlett's lingerie, just like he had at the karaoke bar.

His low whisper hit me like a hammer, making my brain reel. "Besides, don't you think her screams make it more exciting?"

My throat was already hoarse from begging.

It felt like I had swallowed a huge block of ice in my chest. I could barely move my body.

In my hazy consciousness, images from the past floated before me.

I first met Alexander on a sweltering summer day.

I was wearing a heavy mascot costume, handing out flyers, when a group of kids started chasing and hitting me with sticks.

My body swayed, and I nearly fainted.

"You can't bully people like that!"

It was Alexander who stopped them and chased them away.

Then he handed me a bottle of ice-cold water, saving me from heat stroke.

He sat down beside me and said gently, "I've handed out flyers in the heat before too. I know how tough it is."

Then he told me that he came from a similar background as me.

My heart pounded like a drum, and the world seemed to go silent except for the sound of my racing heartbeat.

After that day, we naturally got together.

We rented a small studio apartment together and slept on a narrow twin bed.

But he was good to me, bringing me gifts every day after work.

When I burned myself while cooking, he would kiss my fingers with tears in his eyes.

"Olivia, thank you. You don't know how much I love you."

Due to family troubles, I developed a sleepwalking problem.

He would thoughtfully put foam padding on the corners of tables and cabinets, afraid I might bump into them.

I thought he cared about me, but that day at the karaoke bar, I clearly heard him tell others,

"That bitch even sleepwalks. It's disgusting how she wanders around in the middle of the night!"

I fell into a deep sleep.

My last impression was of Alexander's contemptuous and arrogant face at the karaoke bar that day.

That scene pierced my heart like a sharp sword.

I woke up gasping for air, to find Alexander staring at me intently.

His eyes were deep, his thoughts unreadable.

Seeing me lower my head submissively, he said, "Done throwing a tantrum? That's better. I'll take you out for our anniversary."

He dragged me to an upscale restaurant.

Alexander lied without blinking an eye, "I saved up for a whole year to bring you here."

I sneered inwardly. One meal here probably cost less than what young master Alexander spent on drinks in a single night.

Alexander expertly pulled out a chair for me and prepared the cutlery.

"I'll spend time with you properly today, to celebrate us making up."

"From now on, I'll accompany you here for every anniversary. It'll be our special secret."

He whispered in my ear.

My heart fluttered slightly at these sweet words.

Seeing his sincere and doting gaze, I felt a bit dazed. Was he just too good at acting, or had he started to believe his own act?

Maybe he did have some genuine feelings...

Just then, Alexander's phone started ringing.

Scarlett's coquettish laugh came through. "Alex, baby, I need you for something."

Alexander didn't hesitate for a second. "I'll be right there."

I watched Alexander impassively.

"I have to go." The person across from me left without a second thought, completely forgetting his promise to spend our anniversary with me.

Watching his cold retreating figure, the last flicker of emotion in my heart was completely extinguished.

I saw Lucas and greeted him.

Just as I was about to leave, Scarlett walked in through the door.

"Well, well, I was wondering why this restaurant smelled so bad. Turns out it's the stench of poverty from someone here!"

She had brought a group of her friends.

Before my family went bankrupt, these people used to flock around me.

I straightened my back and stood up, not wanting to cause trouble. I tried to leave through the side.

"Excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

But Scarlett had her friends block my way. "What could you possibly have to do? Go seduce some rich man?"

"Or have you already picked your target and can't wait to strip naked and throw yourself into his bed? So eager... Olivia, how can you be such a slut?"

"Is this really the daughter of the Reed family, one of the richest in the city? What would your parents think if they saw you like this?"

Scarlett covered her mouth dramatically and raised her eyebrows.

Her friends laughed along on cue.

"Don't go too far!" I glared at her angrily, suppressing my fury.

My family had always helped her, but for some reason she kept targeting me and my family.