Chapter 3

"Don't put it so ugly."

Eva rolled her eyes. "And don't act like you're such a victim. After all, I'm the one who pulled you out of that car back then. Otherwise you'd probably have been reincarnated as a pig ages ago."

I fell silent for a moment.

It was precisely because of that reason that I'd held off on breaking with them for so long.

Terence swatted the water glass in front of me over and sneered along, "It's your own fault you couldn't come up with the bride price. How is that on us?"

Eustace was smiling too, a deep, knowing smile.

Just as I'd thought.

They wanted every last benefit, but they didn't want to play the villains.

They were counting on pushing me to back out on my own.

If that was how it was.

Then I'd give them exactly what they wanted.

"Fine."

"The wedding's off."

I stood up to leave.

But Eva grabbed hold of me.

I looked at her face.

I actually thought she wanted me to stay.

Instead, the next second she flung a signed statement at me.

It read: I, Zane Gilbert, promise that from this day forward I will no longer pester Eva Henson.

So she'd already prepared everything.

My heart sank all the way to the bottom, as dead as it could possibly be.

No hesitation.

No wavering.

I took the pen from Eva's hand, signed my name, pressed my thumbprint, and then left.

Behind me, Eustace smiled at the relatives and friends and said, "Everyone, eat and drink, don't hold back."

Terence chimed in, "Everybody raise a glass—let's celebrate my sister's happy breakup!"

At once, laughter broke out all around.

It carried into my ears, unbearably grating.

But I didn't look back. My gaze went slightly cold as I pushed the door open and walked out.

I was curious.

Just how long they'd be able to keep laughing.

The moment I got home, I saw a girl standing at the door.

It was Eva's cousin: Norma.

"What is it?"

Having seen that family's true faces, I gave Norma nothing warm.

I figured she either didn't know I was bankrupt and wanted something from me.

Or she knew I was bankrupt and had come to kick me while I was down.

"The medical bills you covered for me before, and the money you gave me for rent."

Norma took out an envelope stuffed with cash.

I couldn't help freezing.

In all my time with Eva, this was the first time I'd ever seen money I'd handed out come back.

"I was going to give it all to you at the end of the year, but I heard you went bankrupt. I figured you'd need the money, so I scraped some together from friends."

Norma left it at that, then turned to go.

"Wait."

I caught her by the wrist. "The money I gave you didn't add up to this much."

"I don't have much myself, but you helped me. When someone's in trouble, I help if I can."

Norma said it with a smile.

In the sunlight, she looked almost like an angel, completely out of place with Eva and the rest of them.

Warmth spread through my chest—and then I suddenly caught sight of the long scar on Norma's wrist.

"That scar—when did you get it?"

Right before I lost consciousness in the car accident, I'd caught the faintest glimpse of a hand pulling at me.

And there had been a scar just like that on the wrist.

But Eva's wrist had no such scar.

I'd always assumed my memory was wrong.

"I've had it since I was little."

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Norma didn't dare look at me. Once she'd pulled free of my hand, she hurriedly tugged her sleeve and rushed off.

I picked up my phone and called the butler. "Find every eyewitness from the scene of that car accident of mine six years ago."

"Ask them who exactly it was that saved me."

A little over an hour later, the butler called back.

"Mr. Gilbert."

"It's all been checked out."