Chapter 4

For the three years I was with James, Emily kept threatening me with her life.

I had already broken up with James, and yet she still came to bother me.

I yanked my hand free and stepped back, putting some space between us. "Emily, listen up. James and I are over. Completely done. If you've got what it takes, make him marry you. Stop bothering me.

"And your life is yours. If you can't deal with it, that's your problem. It's got nothing to do with me. If you're sick, go see a doctor. Don't come out here acting insane."

My cold attitude seemed to set her off.

She suddenly snapped her head up, tears still hanging on her cheeks, but her eyes were totally crazed. "You're lying! You two never broke up, did you?

"You're still messing with him, aren't you? Otherwise, why would he keep showing up at your place every single day?

"Why won't he come back to me? Why won't he say yes and marry me? He's scared I'll get hurt, scared I'll do something stupid. That means he cares about me, right? That means he loves me!

"It's all your fault. You're the one who keeps hanging onto him, aren't you? You're the reason he won't marry me, right? It's gotta be you!"

She took a step closer, her voice getting shrill. "Get lost! Get out of this city and stop clinging to James. If you disappear, James will finally marry me. He'll come back to me. Leave now."

I was so annoyed that I almost laughed out loud. "Are you out of your mind? Whether I break up or leave is my own choice. You have no right to interfere. I'll say this one last time: stay away from me."

The fragile look on her face vanished, replaced by a wild, desperate glare. "You're not leaving?

"Fine! If you won't get out, I'll kill myself right here, right in front of your company.

"I want everyone to see that it was you who stole my boyfriend, and in the end, you drove me to my death.

"You're the other woman, a bitch who ruins other people's relationships.

"Everyone, look! This woman is Claire White. She stole my boyfriend. She's a bitch, the other woman."

It was quitting time. The area outside the office building was packed with people.

Emily's shouting drew a crowd of onlookers, all eager for some drama.

"Isn't that Claire White, the marketing manager? Is she hooking up with someone else's boyfriend? That's messed up."

"She's so young and already a manager. Bet she slept her way to the top."

"What a lowlife! No wonder the real girlfriend showed up to call her out."

Emily shot me a smug look. "Everyone, you all saw it, right? This bitch Claire is the one making me do this. She's the reason I'm about to end it!"

Soon, more and more people were shooting me dirty looks, whispering and talking trash behind my back.

Hearing all the vicious gossip swirling around me, I was absolutely furious. I glared at Emily's smug face and shouted, "Emily, I'm not your dad or your mom.

"Whether you live or die means nothing to me. If you're going to do something stupid, do it somewhere far away. Don't get in my way."

With that, I turned to walk away. She's crazy anyway. Her life or death is none of my damn business.

Suddenly, a shrill scream and the screech of tires exploded behind me.

I whipped around, my heart nearly stopping. Emily rushed straight into the traffic.

A black car screeched to a halt, barely missing her. The driver, still shaken, stuck his head out and started cursing like crazy. "If you wanna die, do it somewhere else. Don't fucking drag me into your shit, you crazy bitch!"

Emily collapsed in the middle of the road, a foot away from the car. Her face was as pale as a ghost, and she was shaking like a leaf.

"Emily!" A familiar, heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.

James rushed over like a gust of wind, yanking the limp Emily back to the curb.

He pulled her into a tight embrace, anxiously looking her up and down to see if she was hurt. "Emily, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Don't be scared."

He suddenly looked up, his eyes locking onto me, who was still frozen in place.

Those eyes that once overflowed with love were now seething with rage, cold disappointment and maybe hate. "Claire, what did you do to Emily?"