Chapter 2
Even Samara, who didn't really care about luxury brands, knew this bag was worth a fortune, easily over 70 thousand dollars.
The woman's eyes lit up the moment she saw the bag.
"Mr. Hale, thank you..." she said softly.
Evander gave her waist a playful squeeze.
"If you like it, that's all that matters," he replied.
"Mr. Hale, you're so sweet," she cooed.
She leaned in and pressed a kiss to Evander's cheek.
Evander's mood brightened considerably after her kiss.
Smiling, he walked right up to Samara.
"Still want the money?" he asked.
Samara held her breath; her heart, bruised and battered, suddenly dared to hope again.
"Yes," she replied.
Evander looked her up and down, his gaze lingering.
"Take off a piece of clothing, and you'll get 3 thousand dollars," he said, his tone cool.
The room went quiet, but it didn't take long before someone raised their phone and started recording.
"3 thousand dollars for every piece! Samara, what are you waiting for?" someone called out.
"Does underwear count as a piece?" another person chimed in with a laugh.
Evander lit up a cigarette.
"Yeah, underwear counts. Take it off and I'll make it 6 thousand dollars," he said, his voice low and teasing.
Samara's head snapped up, her eyes locking onto Evander.
She'd known him since she was fifteen.
Now, ten years had passed.
But today, she realized she didn't know him at all anymore.
Evander blew out a smoke ring.
"Come on, don't keep everyone waiting," he said, his voice cool and teasing.
As the smoke drifted through the room, the last thread holding Samara together finally snapped.
But then she remembered what the doctor had said at the hospital.
Finally, her hands trembling, she reached for the buttons on her top. One, two... The crowd around her kept up a steady stream of jeers and teasing.
Unconsciously, her face had grown cold and damp. When she reached the last button, she gripped the hem of her shirt tightly, refusing to go any further.
Evander let out a mocking laugh. "Keep going. Why stop now? Everyone's waiting to see."
"Yeah, hurry up and strip! 3 thousand dollars for every piece. Don't you love money? This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!" someone shouted.
The jeers and urging around her grew louder and louder.
At last, Samara shut her eyes for a moment, gathering herself, then opened them, her gaze clear and resolute.
"Evander, we're done," she said.
Samara drifted down the street, lost and numb.
She had brought up the 70 thousand dollars to Evander long ago.
"My mom's sick. Just treat it like I'm borrowing the money from you," she'd said.
They had known each other for ten years, even after they became a couple.
She'd never asked Evander for money, not even once.
But when she finally had nowhere left to turn and asked for help for the first time, all she got was Evander's mocking laugh.
"70 thousand dollars? That's not nearly enough. After ten years by my side, you should be asking for 7 million dollars, right?" he sneered.
He pulled out a check and smacked it against her face.
"Here, 7 million dollars. Consider it payment for saving my life back then. How's that sound?" he said.
Her hands shaking, she took the check.
"I promise I'll pay you back," she said, her voice trembling.
After her mom's surgery, she'd pay back every cent, even the 70 thousand dollars for her mom's operation. She'd figure something out, no matter what.
But when she got to the hospital, she realized the check wasn't even stamped.
After running around, she finally managed to find him at the club.
But all she got in return was more humiliation. It just never seemed to end.
Her clothes were still damp with spilled booze, sticking to her skin. The chilly night breeze made her shiver so hard her teeth nearly chattered.
She finally managed to step inside the villa, and only then did some warmth seep back into her body.
Since she'd made up her mind to break up with Evander, everything she'd left here had to be packed up and taken away.
There wasn't much. She finished gathering her things in no time.
But when she spotted the wedding dress hanging in the closet, her hand stopped mid-reach, her heart twisting painfully.
This was the first wedding dress she ever designed herself, after she graduated.
"Samara, did you design this because you want to marry me?" Evander had teased her back then.
His words from back then still rang in her ears.
"Will you marry me?" she'd asked.
Evander had wrapped his arms around her from behind.
"Yeah, when we've been together ten years, we'll get married," Evander had said.
Only a week to go until their ten-year anniversary.
But now, those promises felt like nothing but empty words.
"Don't move!" The sudden voice from behind made Samara jolt, her whole body tense.
It wasn't until the cold metal of the handcuffs clicked around her wrists that the reality hit her.
"You're suspected of theft. Please come with us," one of the officers said.
"I'm just here to get my own things!" Samara protested.
Samara tried to explain, her voice shaky, "Everything I just packed up is mine."
She hadn't taken a single thing that Evander had ever given her.
"Save it for the station. The owner called in a theft, so you're coming with us," one of the officers said.
'The owner...' The word echoed in Samara's mind, leaving her stunned.