Chapter 3

"Is the fever burning your brain? Stop talking nonsense."

Austin threw me onto the sofa, his voice laced with impatience.

He looked around the room, appearing a bit uncomfortable.

"Vanessa came over a lot these past three years. She likes this aesthetic, so we changed a lot of the furniture."

I didn't bother to look at how my minimalist decor had been replaced by gaudy, French-provincial furniture.

Every trace of my existence had already been erased anyway.

My things were thrown in the rain like garbage, while hers occupied the master bedroom.

And this was the "new beginning" he wanted to give me?

He grabbed a folder from the coffee table and tossed it in front of me.

"Stop throwing tantrums. This is your compensation."

"It's the lead female role in a major blockbuster. I pulled a lot of strings to get this for you. It's your best chance to rebuild your career."

He put on a loving front, trying to buy me off with a movie role.

I looked down at the script, my heart turning to ice.

The biggest investor in this film was Vanessa’s family conglomerate.

And the script was filled with highly degrading nude scenes and graphic violence where the female lead gets abused by a psychopath.

I looked at him, feeling nothing but pure disgust.

"Thank you," I said blankly, placing the script back on the table.

The atmosphere instantly froze. Austin was clearly uncomfortable with my coldness.

In our past relationship, I was always the one trying to please him and keep the peace.

Seeing my fever-flushed cheeks, he suddenly stood up and went into the kitchen.

He started making the ginger tea I used to love.

Even though my heart was numb, a small flicker of emotion stirred inside me.

But before I could say thank you, I watched him pour the tea into a thermos.

Austin looked a bit guilty under my gaze.

"Vanessa's throat is sore today. She insisted I make this for her. I need to drop it off at the hospital."

"Consider this my way of apologizing to her on your behalf. After what you did today..."

My voice was hoarse. "Austin, why do you never believe me?"

He let out a mock chuckle.

"Believe what? That Vanessa pushed herself into the fountain just to put on a show?"

Austin's tone was dripping with sarcasm, as if I had told a ridiculous joke.

"Sabrina, you didn't use to be like this. Did the cyberbullying turn you into a psycho?"

Finally, he grabbed my arm and dragged me up from the couch.

"Come on. Stop acting up. You're coming to the hospital with me to apologize to Vanessa."

He gripped my hand tightly and shoved me into the passenger seat before starting the engine.

The car's dashboard screen was glowing, displaying the photo gallery.

There were hundreds of photos of him and Vanessa.

On the beach, in the snowy mountains, under the Eiffel Tower, and even kissing in our marriage bed.

The car heater was blasting, but I felt freezing cold.

Actually, I had prepared myself for this.

Or rather, I should have seen this coming seven years ago when I first got with him.

Everyone in the industry knew Vanessa was his "golden girl," the one he had chased for years but could never have.

They were childhood sweethearts who loved hurting each other.

Vanessa had once publicly declared: "I’d rather marry a beggar than Austin Montgomery."

Austin, young and prideful back then, actually walked away.

He chose me, an unknown actress at the time.

He kissed me at a massive celebration party in front of hundreds of people.

"You're great, Sabrina. You're better than her, gentler, and more obedient. Most importantly, you only have eyes for me."

I didn't take him seriously at first.

I knew a wild, uncontrollable woman like Vanessa would always be his true obsession.

But during our first year together, Vanessa "accidentally" knocked my birthday cake onto the floor.

That was the first time I saw Austin get furious.

He stood in front of me, shielding me from all the whispers.

The light caught the sharp lines of his face.

In that moment, I fell for him.

That was why three years ago, even after I was drugged and woke up to a storm of public hate, while Austin publicly announced his new project with Vanessa and hinted that I deserved the backlash...

I still hadn't completely given up hope.

Lost in my thoughts, we arrived at the hospital room with the thermos of ginger tea.

Vanessa smirked the moment we walked in.

"Austin, peel an apple for me, will you?"

Austin looked a bit embarrassed since I was standing there.

"Don't you have hands?"

"Oh? Someone complained that the matching profile picture I designed was too childish, yet he still quietly changed his to match mine."

"Hurry up, peel it!"

Vanessa's words reminded me of what I had seen on his phone in the car.

Austin's social media profile picture was indeed a matching set with Vanessa’s...

Both of their accounts were in the same private Snapchat group.

While Austin was driving, the notifications on his dashboard had been popping up. The chat history made me sick to my stomach.

"Mr. Montgomery, are you really going to have a public wedding with that crazy stalker?"

"Yeah, her drama from three years ago is literally legendary. It’s so embarrassing to be seen with her."

"You and Vanessa have been such a power couple these past few years. You guys are made for each other."