Chapter 3

　　"I'd like to thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate my return to Medi-Tech. It means the world to me," Richard said into the mic, standing behind a podium that rose to his midsection. The hall had gone dark, a spotlight shining on him while the rest of the club glowed with dim RGB lighting.

　　Waiters still passed drinks around, weaving through a forest of onlookers who stared at Richard with grinning admiration.

　　"I want to thank my family for not abandoning me when that case with my ex-wife began, and for standing by me from the very beginning to the very end. And to the love of my life and fiancée, Jennifer—thank you for visiting me in prison every single day, and helping me stay sane throughout."

　　Jennifer beamed as Richard turned toward her. The spotlight followed, illuminating her as applause echoed across the hall.

　　I watched from the bar, eyes locked on him, blood boiling with resentment. I took a slow sip of wine from my glass.

　　"Prison was a dark, but enlightening place," Richard continued, voice calm. "It gave me time to reflect on my business, my family, my life. Though it felt like purgatory for all my past sins, it taught me that life isn't about making money or being idolized by fans around the world. It's about changing people's lives."

　　He smiled—so innocently I could've puked.

　　I should've left by now, but I was aching to do something. Something I'd wanted to do for a long time but had always been too afraid to.

　　Even now, I was still so fucking afraid.

　　"And that is exactly what I plan to do—continuing as a scientist and CEO of Medi-Tech Pharmaceuticals," he announced.

　　The entire building erupted into applause. I could hear the thunderous claps echo from the floors above. Everyone was watching.

　　"Madam, are you alright?" the bartender asked, his eyes dropping to my right hand.

　　I turned. I'd wrapped it in a white handkerchief to stop the bleeding after punching the restroom mirror—the voices in my head were getting too loud.

　　The handkerchief was soaked now, blood dripping steadily to the floor.

　　"Yeah… I'm fine," I mumbled.

　　He stared with suspicion. He wasn't concerned for me, just worried about the potential chaos I might cause.

　　"Alright then," he said, offering a tight smile that made it clear: he knew exactly what was going on in my head. Then he turned away.

　　I drained the last few drops of wine and rose from my seat, slipping the empty glass into my purse.

　　"Even in prison, I didn't stop working," Richard continued, pacing the stage, mic in hand. "I spent every day developing new, better ways to improve human life. I wrote formulas and did calculations too complex for the other inmates to understand. And finally, I came up with what you might call... a miracle drug."

　　I moved through the crowd before the bartender could notice I was gone.

　　"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Therapyne," Richard said. A large image of a pill bottle appeared on the screen behind him, met with another wave of claps.

　　"My dearest supporters, we've made a breakthrough in psychopharmacology. This drug not only cures all mental disorders within weeks, but it makes users better people than they were before."

　　Gasps and murmurs rippled through the room.

　　"This will change lives. End conflict. Usher in a new age of peace and harmony. And the best part?" Richard paused mid-stage. "It doesn't matter if you have a condition or not—anyone can take it. Because Therapyne is designed to make people better versions of themselves."

　　"It's non-addictive. No side effects. Completely organic. It's still in the final stages of testing, but we're opening preorders tonight—for our exclusive members."

　　I pushed through the crowd, shoving bodies aside until Jennifer came into view.

　　I pulled the wine glass from my bag and gently pressed my thumb against the underside of the bowl. It snapped clean from its stem. All this luxury, and they still couldn't afford durable glassware.

　　Blood dripped from the cloth around my hand, coating the sharp stem.

　　I crept toward her, my whole body trembling. My heart pounded. My grip on the glass shook as I raised it.

　　Tears blurred my vision.

　　Then my hand dropped. I couldn't do it.

　　I wanted to—but I couldn't.

　　I'm not a killer.

　　Just as I turned to leave, the spotlight caught me, freezing me in place.

　　"Look who's still here," Richard said from the stage.

　　He descended the stairs slowly, mic still in hand. "Didn't think you'd still be at this event after the humiliation you faced earlier. Your latest conquest has already left the building. Left you here alone. So... why are you still here?"

　　I stayed silent, frozen, trembling. My grip on the stem tightened.

　　"Ladies and gentlemen," Richard said, now beside me, "this is the woman who tried everything to destroy me. She's the reason I spent four years behind bars. She had her army of supporters, and all I had was my beautiful Jennifer standing beside me."

　　He pulled Jennifer forward, holding her hand.

　　"Now look at her. A shameless whore. A penniless wench. A useless ragdoll."

　　Tears welled in my eyes. I gritted my teeth, glaring at him with a thirst for vengeance that burned hotter than ever.

　　I saw his twisted smile. I saw myself again in his arms—helpless, weak, worthless.

　　For so long, he made me feel like a slave. Like nothing.

　　But not anymore.

　　"No... I'm not that person," I thought as tears streamed freely down my cheeks. "I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

　　With a scream tearing from my throat, I lunged—thrusting the glass rod forward, aiming straight for his precious face.

　　In that final second, I thought it was all over. That I'd finally gotten justice.

　　But then, something changed. Richard beat my expectations at being a piece of shit.

　　One second, I was striking at Richard's face—

　　And the next, the glass stem was buried deep in Jennifer's chest.