Chapter 4

He grabbed my jaw in a tight, painful grip, his eyes bloodshot.

"You won't take my money, and now you won't even let me touch you?"

"Hailey, you love money more than life itself. What kind of game are you playing now? Or did you find yourself a richer sugar daddy?"

I pushed him away with all my strength, pulling a pillow tightly against my chest to shield myself.

"Why do you care so much?"

"You have a pure, high-class mistress waiting for you. If you're feeling desperate, go find her. Don't come looking for trouble here."

Those words seemed to snap him out of his drunken haze.

He stopped struggling and stared at my face intensely, trying to read my expression.

But the absolute coldness and detachment in my eyes only made him more frustrated.

Something was different.

I expected him to go to Lily, but the next morning, I found him sleeping quietly on the living room couch.

My phone rang, and I walked back into my room to answer it.

"Chloe? What's wrong?"

"Hailey... I'm moving back to California. That psycho Lily used Julian's name to threaten my boss. I got fired this morning..."

A heavy weight pressed down on my chest.

No matter how hard I tried to endure, I was still dragging my friends down with me.

Chloe tried to keep her voice cheerful.

"It's fine. I've been wanting to leave this place anyway. Now that you're leaving too, there's no reason for me to stay in New York."

After hanging up, I frantically opened my jewelry box and dumped everything out.

Fortunately, I still had some gold pieces I hadn't sold.

With the current price of gold, this would be enough to support Chloe for a few years.

I chose a pawn shop far away from the city center.

But the moment I walked through the door, I realized I had walked straight into a trap.

Lily’s voice sneered from behind me.

"Julian, you're too naive. You actually thought this woman had changed."

"See? A dog never changes its habits. She's right back to selling the jewelry you bought her."

Her eyes gleamed like a predator locking onto its prey.

I clenched my fists, my entire body trembling.

This girl who claimed to be so pure and innocent had gotten Chloe fired, tracked my location, and baited me all the way here.

"This jewelry wasn't bought by Julian," I said, my voice shaking with exhaustion. "I bought these with my own savings. If you hadn't gotten my friend fired, I wouldn't be here selling them..."

With a harsh flick of his wrist, a cold-faced Julian knocked the jewelry box out of my hands.

The gold pieces scattered across the dirty floor with a sharp clatter.

Swallowing my pride, I dropped to my knees and desperately began picking them up.

I couldn't lose a single piece. This was Chloe’s living expense.

I owed her too much. I couldn't let her suffer because of me.

Julian stepped on one of my gold rings, looking down at me like I was dirt.

"You are truly disgusting, Hailey."

"You stopped taking my money, and I actually thought you had changed. You play hard to get in front of me, only to sneak out and sell jewelry behind my back. If Lily hadn't warned me, I might have actually felt sorry for you."

I didn't even look up. I handed the gathered gold to the shop owner.

"They are all pure gold. Please weigh them. I only want cash."

Julian spoke cold and clear to the owner.

"Anyone who buys gold from her will be an enemy of the Vance family."

The shop owner's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air.

I looked up at Julian, disbelief washing over me.

"Don't do this! This is my own money!"

Julian leaned down, pinching my chin tightly.

"Hailey, does a person like you even have personal property? Is there a single thing you own that I didn't pay for?"

I let out a cold laugh, tears finally spilling over.

"If you hate me this much, why do you keep dragging this out? We can just get a divorce."

Divorce meant nothing to me now since I was leaving this world anyway.

But maybe, just maybe, I wanted to know how much he truly hated me.

Julian’s pupils contracted, and his grip on my jaw loosened slightly.

Lily panicked. "Julian, are you really going to believe this liar?"

"If you believe her, then I’ll leave. I’ll just accept that I'm the bad guy today."

Julian immediately grabbed Lily’s arm, pulling her close and kissing her forehead.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're too sweet to ever scheme against anyone."

When he looked back at me, his eyes were devoid of any warmth.

"Call every jewelry shop in the city. None of them are allowed to do business with Hailey Miller."

After they left, I walked for hours clutching my jewelry box.

I walked until my legs went numb, finally arriving at Chloe’s apartment.

I handed her the gold and told her to sell them whenever she got back to California.

Chloe took them, her eyes filled with tears.

The last weight on my chest was finally lifted.

Once midnight passed tonight, I would finally be free.