Chapter 2
It was only now that I realized that for Marcus, our six years together had meant nothing. To him, it was just one big joke that only I took seriously.
Marcus's romantic fireworks for Anna sent the livestream into a frenzy again. The chat was blowing up with comments.
One commented: [Mr. Reed absolutely adores Anna. I've never seen him spoil any woman like this before.]
Another commented: [He might act all tough outside, but once that door closes, he's just a big softie, diving straight into Anna's arms for hugs and kisses.]
As I stared at the flood of comments, my gaze grew distant. My nails dug so deep into my palm that I should've felt pain, but I was completely numb.
Someone had once said those same words to me.
That was after I took a knife for Marcus and spent three days and nights fighting for my life in the ICU.
When I finally woke up, Marcus was right there, keeping vigil at my bedside, looking like he hadn't slept at all.
Back then, his eyes were shadowed with exhaustion, his face pale and worn out. Even his crew behind him couldn't help but whisper, all of them envious.
One of them said, "When has Marcus ever gone this far for a woman? He's been here day and night, not even sleeping. No matter what we say, he just won't budge."
Another said, "Looks like Marcus is finally ready to settle down. He's totally fallen for Anna."
But now, thinking back, I wondered if all those sweet things he did for me were out of guilt, or if he was just trying to cover something up.
A massive golden barrage flashed across the screen, yanking me back to reality.
It read: [Baby, if you don't like it, just smash its teeth in and cut off its claws.
[If anything happens, I've got your back.]
Taffy was my baby. I'd raised her since she was a kitten; she was always by my side. There was no way Marcus didn't recognize her.
But he just stood by and let Amy abuse Taffy in the most brutal way imaginable. It wasn't just that he didn't care about Taffy's life; he was stomping all over my heart, too.
I commented: [Who dares touch it!]
My comment was instantly swallowed up by a flood of hype in the chat, with Taffy's helpless, hopeless screams echoing in the background.
I was shaking with rage, my face drained of all color. I barely managed to steady myself by gripping the chair, struggling to catch my breath.
When the call finally connected, I took a deep breath, but my heart felt like it was plummeting into an icy abyss.
I said, "Dad, you were right. I really misjudged him.
"I'll go back with you. I'm begging you, help me this once."
I begged Zack, my dad's right-hand man, to help me track down the livestream's location.
Turns out, Amy was all the way out at the border. No wonder she was being so brazen.
Zack kept telling me over and over not to do anything reckless, promising they'd be there soon.
But Taffy's cries were like a thousand tiny needles stabbing straight into my heart. It hurt so much that I could barely breathe.
I had to see Taffy right now; not even a second more could pass.
Putting on an act for Zack, I threw my stuff together and rushed out, flagging down a cab without a second thought.
The cat torture frenzy in the livestream raged on, each round of abuse sending the crowd into an even wilder frenzy.
With Marcus vouching for her, Amy got even bolder, acting like she could do anything she wanted.
Some viewers noticed I was still in the livestream.
One of them commented: [Damn, that woman just won't leave the live stream. She is so shameless.]
Another commented: [Does she have some kind of freaky kink or what? The more we trash her, the more she seems to enjoy it!]
On screen, Amy locked eyes with the camera and gave a sly, mysterious smirk.
She said, "Let's see if she is the real deal: time to show her true colors."
An invite to join the stream suddenly popped up on my screen.
I was about to reject it, but Amy stared straight at me through the camera, her voice cold as ice.
She said, "This is the last chance I'm giving you to save that pathetic creature. Consider it a gift.
"Are you sure you want to refuse?"
I hesitated, biting down hard on my lip, my fingers shaking as I finally hit accept.