Chapter 3

Julian and I had been college sweethearts. For him, I had turned down the chance to move abroad with my mother and stepfamily, staying behind to work and use my own money to pay for his medical school and residency until he landed a prestigious hospital position.

Yet my love had turned into the very dagger twisted into my chest.

My body ached with deep, throbbing agony. I picked up my phone, hoping a distraction might make the hours crawl by faster. I desperately wanted to go home to Mom and my family.

Social media was filled with vicious hate toward me and lavish praise for Chloe.

Suddenly, a new post popped up on Instagram—it was Chloe’s private story.

In the picture, Chloe was wearing skimpy black lace lingerie, straddling a bare-chested man. Her pale, thin thighs were fully exposed, with fresh sashimi arranged suggestively across the man’s abs.

Her caption read: "Suddenly starving tonight. Time for a feast!"

There was a distinctive dark mole right on the man’s abdomen. I recognized it in a heartbeat—it was Julian.

Ha. Medical mentor and bright-eyed resident? It was all a filthy lie to cover up their affair!

With shaking hands, I took a screenshot.

Moments later, the story was deleted, and an incoming FaceTime audio call rang through.

My trembling finger accidentally accepted it. Over the speaker came a sultry, breathy moan: "Dr. Vance... is your wife as tight as me? Don't bite so hard... ah..."

Julian’s voice sounded thoroughly intoxicated with lust: "How could that old woman ever compare to you? Good girl, Chloe, just a little more..."

Calmly, I started the screen recording, captured the audio, and hung up.

Now that I had decided to stop loving Julian, my heart no longer broke over his betrayal. I only felt a deep, suffocating disgust for both of them.

The next day, my heart was light with anticipation for Alexander’s arrival. I was finally going home.

Yet my peace was shattered once again by Chloe and Julian.

Early in the morning, Chloe bustled into my room under the guise of checking my blood sugar.

"Dr. Vance was so rough last night, my legs are still shaking," she bragged openly, trying to provoke me. But her smirk faltered when she saw no anger on my face.

"You're just an old hag. He fell out of love with you ages ago, otherwise why would he force you to eat all that spicy food?" A twisted smile touched her lips as she leaned down to whisper in my ear, "We both knew eating that much capsaicin would trigger a miscarriage. But just to keep me happy, he didn't give a damn about your baby, or your life."

"He doesn't love you," she stated triumphantly.

I met her gaze and smiled faintly. "And? You really think he’s going to love you forever? You mock my age, but you’ll grow old too. The day will come when he gets just as sick of you as he did of me."

"One day, he’ll force you to swallow poison just to appease the next young girl he finds."

"Shut up!"

She raised her hand to strike me, but the sudden sound of approaching footsteps in the hallway made her freeze. In a flash, she snatched the paring knife from my bedside table, shoved the handle into my weak palm, and dragged the blade across my skin, leaving a deep, bleeding gash.

Then, taking advantage of my limp grip, she used my hand to graze the blade lightly across her own porcelain neck, leaving a faint red scratch.

Dropping to her knees beside my bed, she burst into hysterical tears. "I'm sorry! If cutting me makes you feel better, then do it! It's all my fault for falling in love with Dr. Vance. I was the one who seduced him last night... I'm so sorry!"

I stared in stunned disbelief at her seamless acting. The very next second, Julian stormed through the door, his face thunderous. He pulled her up from the floor, his handsome features tight with bitter disappointment.

"Chloe, if you have a problem, take it out on me! Chloe is only eighteen! She's battling an illness! How can you be so vicious? Did you actually try to murder her?"

Chloe managed a pathetic, tearful smile. "It's fine, Dr. Vance. It really was my fault. She had every right to hurt me. Please don't fight because of me..."

I threw the knife to the floor, holding up my blood-drenched hand. "Julian! Are you completely blind? Can't you see through such a pathetic trick?"

Catching sight of the heavy bleeding from my palm, Julian hesitated. He took a half-step toward me, clearly intending to dress the wound.

Unfortunately, Chloe whimpered right on cue: "Dr. Vance, my neck hurts so bad... and my stomach is cramping again..."

Without a second thought, Julian turned his back on me and gathered her into his arms. He pressed a soothing kiss to her forehead, casting a brief, guilty glance in my direction. "I'll page a nurse to bandage you up. Chloe's stomach can't wait. I need to take her for some soup right now."

With that, he carried Chloe out of the room, walking away without looking back once.

By the time the nurse finished stitching and wrapping my hand, twilight was settling over the city.

When a tall, imposing figure pushed open the door, I jumped in surprise.

Looking at the familiar yet grown-up face, I gasped softly, "Alexander? Is that really you?"

Alexander Hayes was breathtakingly handsome. Julian had always been considered good-looking, but next to Alexander, he paled in comparison.

Even though we were only step-siblings through our parents' marriage, Alexander had always treated me with endless tenderness.

Seeing the bruises and bandages covering my body, his jaw tightened imperceptibly. He walked to my bedside, gently wiping away the stray tear on my cheek. "You've been through hell, haven't you? It's okay now. I'm here to take you home."

Alexander murmured softly, his voice dropping into a tone far darker than his usual gentle warmth: "Don't worry. Anyone who laid a finger on you will pay for every single drop of blood."