Chapter 3

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

I didn't have the strength to block him anymore. Slowly, my arms dropped to my sides.

Ethan finally smiled. He nodded in approval.

"That's my girl. That's the supportive girlfriend I love."

"I'll bring you some cake when I get back tomorrow morning."

With that,

He turned and left without a second look.

The door clicked shut.

Only a suffocating, pitch-black silence remained in the apartment.

It felt like I was back in that dark alley years ago.

The horrifying memories rushed back. Anxiety clawed its way through my chest.

Right then,

A loud, violent knocking banged on the door.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

I crept up and looked through the peephole.

I met the bloodshot, drunken eyes of a man grinning wickedly.

"Open the door, bitch! Your dad sold you to me to pay off his debt. You’re mine sooner or later!"

"Just you wait!"

The childhood terror of being violated paralyzed me. I shook violently. My instinct was to dial Ethan's number.

But his cold words echoed in my head.

*“You need to learn to process your own emotions. Stop relying on me for everything.”*

Slowly, I lowered my phone.

I bit my lip so hard it bled, refusing to make a single sound.

I didn't sleep a wink that night.

When the morning light filtered through the curtains,

I dragged my exhausted body with heavy dark circles under my eyes into the living room, wanting to pour a glass of warm water to calm my racing heart.

But the moment I looked up, I froze.

A strange woman was sitting on my couch.

She wore a short white skirt and had a bright, radiant smile.

She stood up and greeted me warmly.

"Hi, you must be Iris. I'm Vivian, Ethan's secretary."

So this was the woman Ethan always talked about. The one who needed his constant protection.

Before I could even process this,

Ethan walked out of my master bedroom and announced casually,

"Vivian is going to live with us from now on. The office is close to this place, so it's much easier for her commute."

Years ago,

He had felt sorry for me because I had nowhere to go, and he brought my bruised body to this very apartment.

Back then, this place was my only safe haven. We lived together, fell in love, and built a life.

But now, he used the exact same excuse to bring another woman into our home.

How was I supposed to react to that?

Seeing my eyes well up with tears,

Ethan quickly opened a box of cake and held a forkful to my mouth.

"Silky girl, are you seriously jealous of my secretary?"

"Don't worry. You're the only one I love."

He raised three fingers to make an oath.

But the promise felt so cheap, so utterly meaningless.

"Iris, sweetie, I heard you suffer from depression," Vivian said, putting on a show of deep concern, though her eyes flashed with pure provocation. "But don't worry, I studied psychology. Ethan and I will heal you together."

Since she moved in,

Everything changed.

My personal vanity cabinet, which used to belong only to me,

Was now overflowing with her dresses and skincare products.

My antidepressants were pushed into a dusty corner, barely having any space.

To "heal" me,

They brought back all the knives they had previously locked away and placed them right in front of me.

They even removed the safety locks on the balcony doors.

"Vivian said that trapping you inside only makes you feel more like a patient," Ethan explained.

"Iris, live like a normal person. You can do this."

At night, the contrast was even more brutal.

In the past, even if I just sighed in my sleep, he would immediately wake up to comfort me.

Now, when I woke up screaming from nightmares, drenched in cold sweat,

He remained completely unmoved.

He didn't even bother to look at me.

"Vivian said you have to face your fears. Running away won't solve anything."

But after a month of this "therapy,"

My condition got drastically worse.