Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“Laura, don’t be mad, we were just messing around last night.”
“I don’t know how I accidentally tagged you, we all agreed not to tell you.”
“Laura, you’re not mad, right?”
One provocation after another.
Outside the door, James knocked.
“Laura, what kind of ring do you like? I’ll take you to pick one tomorrow, okay?”
The sheer absurdity of it all felt like an invisible knife, cutting into my already shattered heart.
I sniffled and responded in a clear voice.
“Alright.”
That night, James was in a strange mood. He insisted on taking me to a business banquet hosted by a
partner company.
In the two years we had been together, this was the first time he was willing to bring me to a public event.
The banquet proceeded smoothly, and James seemed to be in a good mood-
Until Lily suddenly barged in, bumping into a wealthy businessman and spilling red wine all over him.
The deep red liquid soaked the man’s suit, and his expression darkened instantly.
“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you watch where you’re going?”
Lily’s eyes turned red immediately. She bit her lip, looking pitifully at James, unable to say a word.
James frowned and pulled her behind him protectively, his tone stiff.
“She’s just a young girl, President Parker. Don’t hold it against her.”
His dry response made President Parker’s face even darker. He pointed at Lily and sneered.
“Fine. Have her drink a toast and apologize, and I’ll let it go.”
Lily tugged at James’s sleeve as if pleading for help, still refusing to say a word.
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Chapter 3
James patted her hand reassuringly, then suddenly turned to look at me,
“Laura, you do it. Toast to President Parker on Lily’s behalf”
I froze for a moment before rejecting him outright,
“Why should I?”
James frowned, his expression full of disappointment–like I was the one being unreasonable.
“Lily is still young. She’s not used to this kind of thing.”
“You’re different. You’re used to it.”
The room instantly fell silent.
The guests exchanged glances, amusement flickering in their eyes,
Then, someone smirked and couldn’t resist making a comment.
“Didn’t expect this, huh? So young, yet so experienced. President Anderson, you’re really backy
“Exactly! Gotta hand it to President Anderson–his woman is so ‘capable.”
“We should all take notes from President Anderson.”
Their words dripped with malice, and my face turned paler and paler.
James’s expression darkened, and he was about to speak-
But before he could, Lily suddenly fainted, as if frightened by the situation.
James panicked immediately, scooping her into his arms and rushing out.
Leaving me alone, to face the growingly unscrupulous gazes of the guests.
In the end, it was President Parker who stepped forward and escorted me out.
As we parted, he draped his suit jacket over my shoulders and said,
“Young lady, you still have a long life ahead of you.”
With that single sentence, every bit of pride I had been forcing myself to hold on to crumbled.
When I got home, I stood in front of the wardrobe for a long time.
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Chapter 3
It was full–practically overflowing with gifts from James.
I took them out one by one and placed them on the bed.
The red lace camisole–James’s gift for our 100th day together.
The black thigh–high stockings–his anniversary present for our first year.
The nude–colored pointed heels–a birthday gift from him when I turned 20.
Every single gift had been tailored for me.
Every single one had reduced me to nothing more than an object of desire.
And I had only just realized–this was never love.
My phone screen suddenly lit up with messages from James.
‘Lily’s fine now. I’ll come pick you up.‘
‘I bought you a new ring. I’ll give it to you when I get back.‘
‘About tonight… I’m sorry.‘
Then, an unexpected call came in. It was Professor Howard.
“Laura, there’s been a change of plans. We need to leave a day early.”
“The car to pick you up is already downstairs. Hurry and pack your things.”
“Alright.”
I wiped away my tears, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the place that had trapped me for so long.
Before boarding the plane, I sent James one last message.
“James, I don’t love you anymore.”
The moment I hit send, my long–silent chat window began vibrating uncontrollably.
When James received my message, he was still at the hospital, taking care of Lily, who was pretending to have fainted.
Back when we were together, I rarely argued with him.
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Most of the time, it was him who got angry while I tried to appease hite–whether with words or with my body.
Even when we did argue, I hardly ever said anything harsh, let alone mentioned breaking up.
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