Chapter 2

But Serena’s craziness went far beyond that.

The day after Serena's suicide, her Ins account released the audio from the voice recorder.

It was a scheduled post.

She must have set it up before she died.

The recording, coupled with a long, melodramatic caption, was enough to completely ruin my reputation.

That day, her fanatical followers flooded my private messages with unreadable, disgusting comments.

Even though I was dead, even though I couldn’t reply, couldn’t clarify anything.

They still relished in it, negative news covering every platform.

Serena truly deserved to be a movie star; she even turned our deaths into a theatrical performance.

Her fans didn't see her as a murderer. Instead, they thought she had endured for love, lurking for years just to make me pay the price I deserved.

I, the victim, was portrayed as the ultimate villain who tore apart a perfect couple and caused such a talented actress like Serena to die in the prime of her life.

My entire life story was dug up and displayed for the internet to feast upon.

My grave became a pilgrimage site for those rabid fans, who took pleasure in defacing it.

They even tried to dig up my ashes and scatter them, only stopped by the authorities.

Davies Corporation’s stock plummeted.

Even worse, core secrets of Davies Corporation mysteriously appeared in the hands of rival companies.

In just a few days, my family’s company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

My reputation, my career, my life—all of it was completely destroyed by Serena.

Even my very existence had ended at her hands.

I had never so clearly understood that the woman who had slept by my side for countless days and nights only wanted to destroy me.

Then, I finally remembered why Serena hated me.

Seven years ago, I had stopped Serena from rushing into traffic.

And because of that, Julian was hit and killed by an out-of-control car.

It turned out, from that moment on, Serena had held me responsible for everything.

She said I made her miss the chance to confess to Julian, the man she’d secretly adored for three years.

It made no sense.

Even if I hadn't confessed to her that day, she wouldn't have confessed to Julian either.

I was just unlucky.

Unlucky not just to confess to Serena the day Julian died, but to fall in love with that unhinged woman in the first place.

I thought, this time, I truly regretted it.

The next moment, a sharp scream jolted me back to reality.

A figure slammed into me, shoving me aside, and rushed into the surging traffic.

"Get lost, Liam! If anything happens to Julian, you'll pay with your life!"

I watched her clutch him tightly in her arms, like he was the most precious thing in the world, and I let out a bitter laugh, tossing the bouquet in my hand into the trash.

Pay with my life for him?

Julian, was he even worth it?

I’d understood it perfectly after I died.

There are so many women in the world; why did I have to be obsessed with just one?

Especially a toxic poppy that would demand my life as payment.

What a waste of time and effort.