Chapter 5

I stood there for what felt like forever.

It was like an invisible layer of ice started crawling up from my feet, slowly freezing my blood, my limbs, and finally my heart.

Even swallowing was impossible. It felt like my throat was stuffed with broken glass.

Then, a tiny, uncontrollable shiver ran through me.

My eyes moved stiffly, glancing past all those faces twisted in laughter and landing on the one man who always stood apart from me: Julian.

My lips moved, but no words would come. I wanted to ask, "Is any of this real? Back then, when I asked why you treated me so well, you didn't answer. Turns out, this is the answer waiting for me all along.

"But after all those days together, those gentle glances, the way you stayed by my side and took care of me, do you really never feel anything for me, not even a little bit of pity or regret?"

Julian and I locked eyes for a few seconds. His smile faded a little and calmly looked away.

At that moment, I understood. I shut my mouth slowly. There was no need to ask anymore. I wouldn't degrade myself any further.

I thought I'd cry or throw a fit, letting all my pain and anger explode in tears and screams, but I didn't do any of that.

My throat was choked and sore, and my heart felt like being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand. The pain was so sharp, it felt like it might stop beating.

But my eyes were dry, like a dried-up well; not a single tear would come. I couldn't get a single word out.

I stood among them silently, letting their mocking laughter slice through me like knives.

They kept laughing and messing around until they finally got tired of it and slowly quieted down.

Then they started staring at me, puzzled and curious, wondering why I wasn't reacting at all.

Finally, I let out a slow, heavy breath. My voice was so hoarse that I barely recognized it myself. I said to them, "We're not friends anymore."

From that day on, I dropped out of college.

Right after that, my dad's company collapsed, and his reputation went down the drain.

But he couldn't let it go, like a desperate gambler who'd lost everything but still believed he could make a comeback. Our family's situation kept spiraling downhill.

If my mom hadn't clung to the last bit of money and refused to let him get his hands on it, I probably wouldn't have had a chance to go back to college.

We moved out of the rich part of town, the place that used to scream status, and ended up in some run-down, out-of-the-way apartment complex.

I sold off all my luxury goods: motorcycle, piano, designer bags, and watches. Seeing my bank balance go up, I finally felt a bit less anxious.

But there was one more thing I did. I asked my new boyfriend, Nathan Wilkinson, to help me persuade my dad.

Unlike me, he was a real genius. Though he was still young, he'd built his own business from scratch back in high school.

It would be more convincing for him to analyze the pros and cons in the business market than for me, who they ridiculed as "simple-minded".

Bossing him around didn't bother me at all.

Because I knew his reasons for getting close to me were as shady.