Chapter 3

After dinner, Alexander's friends insisted on heading to a nightclub.

Naturally, I had to go along.

The music was deafening.

Alexander sat in a secluded booth with Vivian, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

They were so close that they might as well have been sharing the same seat.

His actual girlfriend, meanwhile, had become completely invisible.

His friends kept whispering among themselves, occasionally glancing in my direction with amused expressions.

"Claire, sweetheart! Come on, have a drink with us!"

One of them raised his glass.

"Here's to you for taking such good care of Alexander all these years."

Marcus Cole, a slick-haired trust-fund playboy, approached me with a drink.

Alexander wasn't paying me the slightest bit of attention, and Marcus clearly took that as an invitation.

His words carried an unmistakable double meaning.

I forced a sweet, slightly foolish smile.

Idiot.

Then I pushed the glass away with a delicate gesture.

"Marcus, I'm really not much of a drinker. Maybe I'll just have a little..."

"Oh, come on! What are you worried about? Alexander's right here!"

Another man immediately joined in.

"What's the matter, Alexander? Don't tell us you're too protective of your girlfriend to let her have a drink!"

Alexander didn't even glance in our direction.

He was too busy leaning toward Vivian, laughing softly at something she'd whispered.

His silence was all the permission his friends needed.

Apparently, I was once again being used as a prop to prove to Vivian that she was the only woman who mattered to him.

With Alexander's tacit approval, the men crowded around me.

"Claire, maybe you should learn your place."

"Vivian is a real pianist. She's won international awards! What about you? What can you do besides drink, smile, and spend Alexander's money?"

"Oh, don't forget shopping!"

The entire group burst into laughter.

For a moment, I felt strangely disconnected from the room.

So that was it.

I'd once played piano for Alexander.

I'd thought he might appreciate hearing me perform something I'd loved since childhood.

Instead, he'd flown into a rage.

He'd slapped me across the face and threatened to have my hands destroyed if I ever touched a piano again.

"If I catch you playing again, I'll make sure you never use those hands for anything!"

After that, every piano-related item in the mansion disappeared.

Even the old sheet music I'd treasured since childhood was torn apart and thrown away.

Now I finally understood why.

He'd thought my playing was an insult to Vivian.

The men continued forcing drinks into my hands.

One glass after another.

They laughed, mocked me, and made increasingly disgusting comments.

My stomach churned, and the room began to spin.

Then Marcus, the man who'd first offered me a drink, decided to take things further.

Using his drunkenness as an excuse, he slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me against him.

His breath reeked of alcohol.

"Come on, sweetheart. Why don't you come have some fun with me?"

His face moved closer to mine.

I stiffened immediately and tried to push him away.

But his grip only tightened.

Finally, Alexander reacted.

He grabbed Marcus by the wrist.

"Keep your hands off her."

Marcus looked startled.

"Relax, man. I was just joking. What's gotten into you?"

A few people exchanged knowing looks and chuckled.

Vivian gently tugged at Alexander's sleeve.

"Alexander, don't make a scene over something so trivial."

She glanced at me with a sympathetic expression.

"Marcus and Claire have both had too much to drink. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

Her words made it sound as though I'd been encouraging Marcus's advances.

Alexander's expression darkened.

He grabbed my arm roughly.

"Let's go. Now."

His fingers dug painfully into my wrist.