Chapter 3

Late at night, I curled up in bed, trembling, when I saw Olivia's new post.

She and Marco sat in a Ferris wheel car, fireworks blazing outside the window. The man gazed at her with doting tenderness.

The caption read: [So this is what it feels like to be loved.]

My heart sank into stillness. I liked the post.

The door lock turned. Marco pushed inside. When he saw the image on my phone screen, embarrassment flashed across his face. "Sonia, I didn't mean to leave you behind. Olivia was upset."

I made a soft sound of acknowledgment and pulled out a document from my bag, handing it to him. "Sign this."

Marco relaxed, probably assuming it was a property contract—something he could use to appease me with material things like always. It never occurred to him that tucked inside was a termination of engagement agreement.

He didn't even look closely before picking up a pen and signing his name. Marco glanced at my calm expression, an odd feeling stirring inside him. He was about to say something when a phone call interrupted. His expression changed. He dropped the document and left in a hurry.

I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and crouched down to gather the pages one by one.

The next morning, a deafening bang—the door was kicked open. The fury in Marco's eyes looked ready to devour me.

He strode forward and grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he'd crush my bones. "Sonia, how can you be so vicious? To get revenge on Olivia, you actually spread her intimate photos. Last night she couldn't take it and tried to kill herself."

Pain shot through my wrist, sweat beading on my forehead. I forced the words out. "I didn't."

"You still dare to act."

Marco's face darkened. He dragged me outside.

In the hospital room, Olivia lay pale, gauze wrapped around her wrist. When she saw me, she broke into gasping sobs. "Sonia, why would you do this to me?"

Tightness gripped my chest as I asked her, "Olivia, did you really try to kill yourself?"

The next second, a sharp slap cracked across my face, cutting off my words. My ears rang. My head snapped to the side.

Marco's hand trembled, his eyes bloodshot. "Enough, Sonia. How many times are you going to hurt Olivia? Apologize to her."

"I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize?"

My voice shook, but I answered stubbornly.

Disappointment filled Marco's eyes, but more than that—disgust. He tapped something on his phone screen. "Won't apologize? Then let everyone see just how degraded you were five years ago."

My mind went blank.

Before I could react, those photos I thought had been destroyed long ago reappeared on the internet. Cold dread swept through my body. My heart trembled.

Five years ago, he'd held me in his arms, gently comforting me. "Sonia, don't be scared. I had people scrub all those photos from the internet. No one will ever see them again."

Five years later, he used those same photos to shove me back into hell.

Suddenly, my phone rang. The care facility.

"Miss Sonia, when will your father's medication arrive? His condition is critical right now. We need to administer it immediately."

"What?"

I stared daggers at Marco, my eyes reddening. "Marco, didn't you say the medication was already delivered? Why is the facility saying they don't have it?"

My voice shook, fear spreading through me.

Marco instinctively stepped forward, but Olivia spoke up. "Sonia, how can you accuse Marco like that? I personally delivered the medication he asked me to take last time. I handed it directly to the hospital room. You can't lie about your father just to avoid apologizing, can you?"

Olivia's tone was wounded, but triumph gleamed in her eyes. Where Marco couldn't see, she mouthed words at me: The old bastard should've died already.

I couldn't take it anymore. Before I knew what I was doing, my hands were wrapped around her throat.

The next second, tremendous force slammed me to the ground. My wrist struck the metal bed frame. Pain burst through me, tears flooding my eyes.

Marco's eyes were bloodshot, his voice coming through gritted teeth. "Sonia, have you lost your mind? You dare lay hands on Olivia right in front of me, and you're lying about your father. I can see I need to teach you a lesson before you'll learn to behave."