Chapter 3

Thinking he had settled everything, Julian picked up his ringing phone.

In the quiet living room, Serena’s sweet, whiny voice leaked through the speaker.

"Julian, I miss you so much."

Julian’s tone instantly softened. "Wait for me. I'm coming."

He hung up and turned back to me.

"Chloe, did you hear everything I just said?"

My face was completely blank. "Yes."

Satisfied, he smiled and reached out to ruffle my hair.

The heavy scent of Serena’s perfume on him made me want to throw up.

"I'll send you my uncle's contact info in a few days. He has no interest in women anyway, so you two can use each other as a cover."

With that, he turned and left, leaving me with nothing but his retreating back.

It turns out that when you are hurt to the absolute limit, you can't even cry.

My eyes were dry and bloodshot as I watched him vanish from my life.

I did hear him.

But I didn't love him anymore.

Without making a sound, I packed my things and moved into a small rented apartment.

I took everything—except that necklace.

Julian didn't even notice.

Pleased with my "obedience," he quickly sent me Christian’s Snapchat contact info.

[My uncle is perfect in terms of looks and family background. Your parents will love him.]

[Too bad he's not into women.]

[Otherwise, I'd actually be jealous.]

I had no intention of adding Christian, nor did I want to deal with Julian.

I muted the notifications and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, however, my phone rang. It was Christian.

His voice carried the faint, husky tone of someone who had just woken up, making my heart skip a beat.

"Chloe, why haven't you added me on Snapchat?"

"I waited up all night."

I bit my lip, unsure of what to say.

He was Julian’s uncle, and the largest shareholder of the Sterling Group.

I couldn't afford to offend him, so I racked my brain trying to think of a polite rejection.

"If you don't add me, how am I supposed to return your ring?"

"It looks expensive. Selling it second-hand should get you at least forty thousand dollars."

Only then did I remember that the ring I had saved up to buy was still with him.

That ring had cost me seventy thousand dollars.

The financial loss stung, and I immediately threw my hesitation out the window.

"I was too tired last night and fell asleep. I didn't see the message."

Christian let out a low chuckle.

"I see. Add me now, then."

For some reason, I had the uncanny feeling that he could see right through me.

"Okay."

And just like that, we connected on Snapchat.

He immediately sent me a location pin.

[See you tonight.]

I could only reply politely:

[Okay.]

At 7:00 PM, I arrived at the restaurant.

But just as I reached the entrance, my phone rang. It was Serena.

Her voice was thick with heavy, panicked tears.

"Chloe, I hit someone with my car! I'm so scared... I can't tell Julian."

"Can you please come and help me?"

My heart squeezed. Despite everything, I couldn't just ignore this. If it weren't for Julian, Serena and I would have been great friends.

I quickly sent Christian a text canceling our meeting and rushed to the address she gave me.

When I arrived, the street was deserted, but the ground was splattered with blood.

Serena was standing by her car, physically unhurt but trembling.

"Serena, what happened?"

Serena grabbed the hem of my coat, her grip vice-like.

"I'm still not used to driving this car... I ran a red light."

I frowned, looking around. "Where is the person you hit? Did you call 911?"

I pulled out my phone to dial, but Serena suddenly snatched it and threw it violently onto the pavement, shattering it.

"Don't call!" she shrieked.

Her breathing was shallow, a wild, ruthless look in her eyes.

"I'm getting married soon. I can't have a scandal like this!"

Looking at my shattered phone, my face went cold. "Serena, a person's life is on the line. You can't do this."

Serena slowly whispered, "But... I hit her really hard."

I froze, a sickening dread pooling in my stomach.