Chapter 2

Charles didn't say a word.

He held her tightly in his arms.

The video ended there.

I was falling apart.

We'd set three ground rules, but he tossed them aside like they never mattered.

I hated him with every fiber of my being.

That night, I hurried over to their usual club, the place where Charles and his crew always hung out.

When I arrived, Olivia was nowhere to be seen. Only Charles and his two buddies were there.

Charles's friend Lucas said with concern, "Emily's pregnant with twins. You need to stop seeing that college girl. She's trouble, man. Don't let her upset Emily."

He was always the one who looked down on me the most. When I first met Charles, everyone thought I was after his money.

Back then, Charles was the only heir to the Warren family. Nobody knew who my parents were, and all I had going for me were my grades.

We were worlds apart.

After the Warren family went bankrupt and Charles lost everything, I stuck by his side through thick and thin, watching him claw his way back from nothing. Years passed, and all that loyalty left me worn out and faded.

Only then did Lucas start to see me in a new light.

Charles took a heavy swig of his drink and glanced at his friend with a weary look. He said, "It's not like I want this either, but I can't control myself."

Lucas frowned hard and added, "If I'd known it would end up like this, I never would've hooked you up with her for kicks. I thought you were having some fun, not falling for her. Is a gold-digger like her worth ditching Emily?"

Charles immediately retorted, "I will never abandon her. Emily is the only woman I'll ever have as my wife in this life."

Charles's other friend Jack cut in, "But you know Emily. If she finds out you're serious about Olivia, she'll want a divorce for sure."

Charles said lightly, "She won't. She doesn't have a dime to her name."

Even these two worldly guys were left speechless, exchanging shocked glances.

All those years I'd stuck by Charles, and I still didn't have a single asset to my name. Guess he'd been keeping his guard up against me all along.

A man this scheming and guarded wasn't cut out to be a husband, or even a friend.

Seeing their expressions shift, Charles tried to explain, "It's not like I'm deliberately guarding against her. I know that the moment she gets some money, she'll walk away."

So in his eyes, I had no way out. I was chained to him for the rest of my life.

Lucas and Jack quietly nursed their drinks, not saying another word.

Outside the door, tears were streaming down my face.

I was overwhelmed with regret, realizing how completely I'd misjudged him.

I'd thrown away the best years of my life.

All of it was wasted on someone so unworthy.

I truly hated him.

I stormed out.

As I reached the top of the stairs, Olivia suddenly appeared. She looked me straight in the eyes, with a hint of mockery and malice, and shoved me hard, sending me tumbling down the stairs.

A piercing scream ripped from my throat.

When the people inside heard the commotion and rushed out, they found me crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, a pool of blood slowly seeping out beneath me.

Before anyone could come out, Emily slapped herself hard across the face. When Charles stepped out, she rushed over, clutching her cheek, tears streaming down as she wailed, "Charles, she hit me."

Charles didn't look at her. He brushed her off and hurried straight over to me.

At that moment, all my strength was gone. I could feel my life slipping away with every drop of blood.

The blood kept pouring out, and my vision blurred as consciousness started to fade.

Charles shouted, "Emily, stay with me! Don't fall asleep. I'm taking you to the hospital. Don't be scared."

His hands were stained red with my blood.

One of Charles's friends on the stairs gave Emily a brutal slap and snarled, "You bitch! If anything happens to her, you're dead meat."

The slap split Olivia's lip, and blood started oozing from the corner of her mouth.

She clutched her face and ran away in tears.