Chapter 3

In the end, I finally steeled myself and cut off all contact with my dad. I locked myself away in the villa, holed up every day, counting down the days and just waiting for those three years to pass.

As the three-year deadline was drawing near, Martha showed up at my place.

She asked, "Aubrey, if you died, would Benjamin still want a divorce?"

I was totally confused by her question at the time.

It wasn't until the day before Benjamin was set to divorce Martha that he took me to a bungee jumping platform. I had a heart condition and a serious fear of heights. Places like this were a total no-go for me. Ever since my heart stopped when I was seventeen, Benjamin never brought me to places like this again.

My eyes were full of confusion as I stared at him, totally lost, about to ask what he was thinking.

Then Benjamin suddenly dropped to one knee right in front of me. For a moment, I thought he was about to propose.

But he said, "Aubrey, I've got a piece of land that's tied up with my rival. I need his help, and he's crazy about extreme sports, so..."

He went on, "Martha's afraid of heights. She can't do the bungee jump. Aubrey, just this one last time.

"After this, Martha and I will be square, and I'll make you my wife."

In that moment, I was frozen, my fingers trembling uncontrollably.

My ears buzzed so loudly I couldn't hear what Benjamin was saying.

I tried to speak, to challenge him, "Don't you know I have a heart condition? That I can't go bungee jumping? That I could die?"

But my throat tightened; I couldn't get a word out. Finally, I broke down completely.

He said, "Aubrey, if you don't want your dad to be shamed, if you don't want everyone finding out you've been my lover for three years, then sign the liability agreement."

He was using my dad's reputation and mine to corner me. I was stuck. I knew there was no way out for me up there on that bungee platform.

So I signed it. At least this way, my dad wouldn't have to be talked about because of me.

Right before I was pushed off the bungee platform, I couldn't help but ask Benjamin, my voice soft and a little naive, "Did you ever love me?"

He froze for a second, then reached out and ruffled my hair, his gaze full of doting tenderness as he pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

He whispered, "In this life, you're the only one I love, Aubrey."

I smiled, tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.

'What a liar,' I cursed him in my heart, but then I couldn't help thinking, 'If he really loved me, how could he just let me die?'

So that was it. He didn't love me; that was why he could let me go.

Too bad I only figured it out when everything was already over.

*****

Shaking off the memories, I found myself in the alley behind the bar. I never thought I'd bump into George Robertson, Benjamin's little brother.

He was cornered at the mouth of the alley by seven or eight punks.

He wore a windbreaker, clutching a wooden stick in one hand, his expression grim and every swing ruthless.

George was nothing like Benjamin. At Kingsbridge University, he was the notorious campus troublemaker, partying, drinking, brawling, you name it, he was in on all of it.

On his very first day, he nearly got kicked out for going up against ten guys in a fight outside campus. If Raul hadn't stepped in, he'd have been toast; instead, he just got written up.

"Damn it, George! What did I ever do to piss you off?" one of the punks yelled. "You just show up outta nowhere looking for a fight? You think you can mess with me or something?"

George just smirked, didn't bother replying, and slammed his foot into the guy's stomach. The punk staggered and hit the ground, now really seeing red.

He suddenly whipped out an illegal knife from his pocket, braced himself on the ground with one hand, and started advancing toward George with a menacing look.

I quickly hit play on the fake police siren app on my phone.

The siren got louder, sounding like it was coming closer. The punks glanced around nervously, and the guy quickly hid the knife again.

"You got lucky this time, George! Next time, I'll slice you to pieces!" one of them spat.

With that, the punks cursed under their breath and bolted.

In an instant, the alley went dead silent.

I stepped out from the shadows.

George didn't move. He just stood there, blank-faced, his eyes dark and unreadable. Blood streaked his jaw, and his lip was swollen and bruised. He looked downright intimidating.

"George, are you trying to flunk out or something?" I asked.

He still didn't move, his lips pressed into a thin line, his body trembling slightly.

I frowned. "You're in your second year already. One more strike and you really think you'll make it out of here with a diploma?"

George just kept silent, his eyes locked on me the whole time, not looking away for even a second.

The way he was staring at me made me feel weirdly uncomfortable. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to leave.

George's voice suddenly called out from behind me, raspy, like sandpaper scraping.

"Aubrey, I can make it," he said, his tone stubborn.

George jogged after me, catching up quickly.

Usually, he was the loudest guy around, always joking and never taking anything seriously. But today, he barely said a word.

I figured he was probably just tired from the brawl, so I let it go.