Chapter 3

Three years ago, my dad tried to sell me off to a disgusting old man in his sixties, just to line his own pockets.

Lily and I looked so much alike. When I was desperate, I copied her style and tried to seduce Jensen.

Jensen was fired up, but after pinning me to the bed, he pulled back and kept his cool. After that, he told me to stay by his side.

To keep Jensen happy, I started copying Lily in everything. how I dressed, the way I spoke, even the way I moved.

On paper, we were a couple, but in reality, I was just his pet.

Everyone in our circle was in on the secret, and they all looked down on me for it. especially Yale. But I didn't care.

Being Lily's fill-in was way better than marrying some creepy old guy in his sixties. Besides, Jensen never laid a finger on me.

Even I couldn't explain what was going on in my head, but somehow, bit by bit, I found myself catching feelings for Jensen.

One night, after he'd had a few drinks, Jensen promised me that once his older brother married Lily, he'd marry me.

I knew deep down I was just his second choice, but I couldn't help feeling a bit of happiness and anticipation.

I was naive. I really believed that if we stayed together long enough, maybe love would grow between us.

It turned out that fate had other plans. Jensen's big brother died out of the blue.

From the second I heard about it, I knew Jensen would never marry me, not in this lifetime. So I kept waiting for him to cut me loose.

Three months ago, Jensen suddenly told me he was going to travel the world with Lily.

I thought he'd use that as a chance to break up with me, but instead, he asked Yale, the guy I got along with the least, to look after me.

And Yale was just plain nuts. He could've just pretended to follow Jensen's orders, but no, he actually took it seriously and kept tabs on me like I was some kind of criminal.

Because of him, I didn't even dare to hook up with any call boys. So I just channeled all my frustration into food, and in three months, I put on six pounds. People even started thinking I was pregnant.

I was pretty sure he was making my life miserable on purpose. That bastard was seriously vicious.

Jensen told me to get rid of the baby in my belly within three days. But since there was nothing there, I obviously didn't need to do anything about it.

So I just stayed home, slacking off and feeling totally at ease.

Just as I was about to go to bed that night, I got a message from Yale. [Are you dead yet?]

Sometimes, when one hated someone to the extreme, it weirdly turned into a whole new kind of feeling, almost like twisted affection.

So instead of blocking him, I ended up chatting with him anyway. [I am still alive and kicking.]

Yale shot back almost instantly: [It's honestly a miracle Jensen hasn't killed you yet.]

I thought so, too. He didn't mock me directly.

I: [Don't worry, I am going to live a long, long life.]

Yale: [Yeah, troublemakers never die. You look like you're impossible to kill.]

I: [I will take that blessing.]

The typing indicator kept blinking for about thirty seconds before his message finally popped up.

Yale: [What are you going to do about the baby?]

I was stunned for a moment before it hit me. He was talking about the imaginary baby in my belly.

Honestly, I didn't expect him to care, so I decided to mess with him: [The baby is innocent. Obviously, I'm going to let it be born.]

Yale: [Are you nuts? Aren't you afraid Jensen might actually kill you for real?]

I: [If I die, then I die. What's there to be scared of? I've got nothing holding me back now.]

The person I cared about most, my grandma, was gone. There was really no reason for me to stick around anymore.

Yale didn't reply for ages. Just when I thought he'd ghosted me, another message popped up.

Yale: [Who's the guy?]

I: [Too many to name.]

Yale: [WTF.]

I couldn't hold it in. I was cracking up on the couch, laughing so hard I nearly fell off.

Yale might keep tabs on me, but he's not glued to my side 24/7.

One day, when he was tied up with something, I seized the chance to hit the club and partied all night with a bunch of call boys.

The next day, he was the one who dragged me out of the bar. He was convinced that was the night everything went down.