Chapter 3

On the way, my best friend, Olivia Benton, called. She sounded excited, saying her company was finally taking off. If the new project went smoothly, she'd finally make it as an entrepreneur.

But the project was overseas, and she asked if I would go with her.

If I said yes, we'd be on a flight the next day.

I forced a smile and blinked away the tears. I said with a smile, "Okay."

Since our flight was in the evening, I went to the hospital early the next morning to replace my broken hearing aid.

Olivia came along. When she noticed the blood in my ear, her face went pale.

"What happened?" she asked me.

Cordelia kicked my ear the night before. It bled at first and hurt for a while, but when the pain faded, I thought I was fine.

It turned out that the bleeding hadn't actually stopped.

Olivia wouldn't drop it, so I told her everything that happened.

She was furious, cursing both Adam and Cordelia. She told the doctor to check me thoroughly and then marched off to pay the bill.

The doctor said it wasn't serious and just told me to take care of myself. I felt relieved.

But when Cordelia saw the bandage in my ear, she sauntered over with that smug grin she always wore.

She said, "Can't believe we're crossing paths again. You're really hard to shake off, huh? Anyway, guess what? I'm pregnant."

I froze. My heart clenched so tight that I could barely breathe.

"Adam is the father?" I blurted out.

Cordelia's eyes flickered for a split second, but she quickly hid it and answered coldly, "Duh. I've been dating him for so long. Who else could it be?"

She went on, "Since I'm already pregnant, the wedding should be soon. You're my cousin, so you have to come watch me marry him."

Her tone was dripping with smugness and provocation.

I stood there in silence, pressing my lips together.

I had never imagined Adam and Cordelia would go this far. They were even having a child now.

I tried to walk past her, but she stepped in front of me, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper. "I know you still have feelings for Adam, but you'd better not try anything stupid. That eardrum you gave him? You take that secret to the grave. Understand?"

I snapped my gaze up at her and shot back, "So you knew all along? Then why do I have to keep it secret?"

I never planned to tell Adam.

But I never expected to be threatened by this, either.

She let out a cold laugh, then pulled out her phone and showed me a photo that made my blood run cold.

In it, Nigel tore my shirt halfway open with his lips pressed against my neck.

"Wh-Where did you get this?" I stammered.

Cordelia burst out laughing. "Getting it was so easy. To Nigel, you're nothing but an outlet for his anger.

"You're born to be beneath me, Evelyn. People like you are meant to be used and thrown away. You'll never beat me.

"Guess what will happen if Adam sees this? Will he hate you even more?"

My nails dug into my palms, but that sting was nothing compared to the sick churn in my stomach just laying eyes on someone like Nigel.

Nigel was a total monster with a nasty temper. Any time I dared fight back, he'd beat the crap out of me.

He'd split my right ear open again and again with his slaps, and all I could do was swallow the pain.

I wanted to run far away, but Nigel knew exactly how to keep me trapped.

The eardrum couldn't be taken from a living person. If I wanted to give Adam my eardrum, Nigel was the only one who could pull it off.

He had the power to get Adam onto the piano competition stage or crush his dreams in an instant.

I endured the humiliation and pain for Adam's sake, and only when I saw him finally standing on that stage with a medal in his hand did relief wash over me. That was when I finally found the courage to escape Nigel for good.

Nigel never loved me. Hurting me was the only thing that ever gave him pleasure.

I seriously had no idea how that photo wound up in Cordelia's hands.

Seeing her standing there with that self-satisfied grin, something inside me finally cracked.

My hand trembled as I slapped the photo out of her hand, but she stumbled back dramatically, pretending to fall to the floor.

"Cordelia!" Adam appeared right then, rushing over to catch her. His eyes fell on the photo lying on the floor, and his expression turned to ice.

Cordelia buried her face in his chest and sobbed, "I honestly had no idea that photo was so important to Evelyn. I was just curious and asked about it, and she suddenly snapped and shoved me away."

My fists clenched so tightly my knuckles went white, and Adam's voice came out loaded with sarcasm.

He said, "I would've never guessed you were so into Nigel. I risked everything, even getting seriously hurt to save you, but you turned around and jumped into his arms for money.

"Now that I've got money, too, I don't see you running into my arms. Or are you actually in love with your sugar daddy?"

Hearing him humiliate me like that, all to defend Cordelia, froze my heart completely.

"If that's how you want to think about it, then I guess there's nothing left for me to explain," I replied flatly.

Adam's face twisted with rage, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. Hatred burned in his eyes.

He snapped, "Whatever. Whoever you've set your sights on now is none of my concern. But since you dared to shove my woman today, you're gonna pay the price.

"Either you bow and apologize to Cordelia right now, or you slap yourself across the face ten times."

I stared at him, unable to believe what I was hearing.

Cordelia and I had always hated each other. She lived to humiliate me, to watch me fall apart.

Adam knew exactly how she treated me, and yet here he was, defending her and forcing me to apologize to her.

I retorted instantly, "Not happening."

Adam let out a cold laugh and threatened me in a low voice. "I remember your bestie Olivia's company is finally picking up steam, right? If things go south now, she'll never get back on her feet."

His threat couldn't be more obvious, and my heart sank.

Back then, Olivia had to swallow her pride and beg for every investment, working late to keep her company afloat.

I watched her pour everything into it, trading her health and sanity for every bit of progress.

Adam knew Olivia meant the world to me, but now, he was using her as leverage to protect Cordelia.

My nails dug into my palm, a suffocating sense of grievance flooding my chest.

The humiliation burned, but I couldn't let Olivia's hard work go to waste.

Cordelia lifted her chin, totally convinced I would give in. "You'd better make up your mind fast. If you piss me off, your friend's company will crash and burn for good."

Staring at that triumphant smirk, I bit my lip, and before I even realized what I was doing, I slapped myself twice. The crisp sound snapped the room to attention.

Adam was stunned, and by the time he reacted, two burning red streaks had already bloomed on my cheeks.

I fought back the tears. "Olivia's got nothing to do with any of this. I did exactly what you asked. Don't hurt her."

Before I could bring down a third slap, I saw a flash of panic in Adam's eyes. His mocking expression vanished, and he reached out quickly to stop me.

At that moment, Olivia stormed over with the report and grabbed my hand. "Adam, you fucking jerk!"

She was so furious that she slammed the report into his face. Her eyes were swollen and red as she yelled, "She was the one who gave you her eardrum. She spent three years just to pay off your damn surgery bills. Is this really how you thank her?"