01
Today, during our intimate encounter, Nathan was uncharacteristically fervent, and in the end, I was completely worn out.
With my body slumped against his chest, I was limp and drained, and an uncontrollable shudder coursed through me.
He had savagely torn my clothes to pieces, and they lay strewn haphazardly across the floor. Even the delicate lace on my underwear had been brutally ripped apart.
“There’s 200 thousand dollars in this card. Take it as a service fee for the three years you’ve
been with me.”
The bank card struck my right cheek with a cold thud, and the impact felt like a harsh slap.
I was completely taken aback.
Three years ago, Nathan, in a state of intoxication, and I had a one–night stand that led to a
relationship that endured until the present day.
Our connection remained hidden from the public eye, yet his friends invariably regarded me as his girlfriend, and I too had come to view myself in that light.
A service fee for three years?
The very concept left me bewildered.
“Nathan, I still have sufficient funds for Grandma’s medical treatment.”
Convinced that Nathan had made an error, I thought this money was meant for my grandmother’s care.
However, he let out a mocking chuckle and then pinched my chin. As a result, my lips, which were swollen and red from his kisses, pouted. Without an ounce of tenderness, he roughly rubbed my lips, making them swell even more.
Nathan let go of me, pulled out a cigarette from the bedside table, and, with practiced ease, popped it into his mouth and set it alight. “I’m getting married. Don’t come around anymore.”
In his embrace, I felt my body turn rigid. “To whom?”
His eyes were gentle and affectionate. “She’s back, and she just accepted my proposal yesterday.”
His tone was quite brisk, an obvious sigh of his good mood.
I knew who he was going to marry.
She was Jane Smith, the woman Nathan had always cherished and cared about deeply. Back then, when the man Jane had a crush on went abroad, she followed suit. She rejected Nathan’s confession, and it was on that very night that he got drunk, and we had a sexual
encounter.
All these years, I was under the misguided belief that his feelings for Jane had waned, yet grossly miscalculated the extent of her lingering hold over him.
Suddenly, Nathan blew a malicious puff of smoke straight into my face, shattering my train of thought.
12:54
Fri, 7 Mar M
or thought.
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This was one of his perverse amusements. He was well aware that my grandmother was grappling with lung cancer and that I loathed cigarettes more than anything.
“She dislikes the idea of me with other women, and I simply can’t bear to see her
heartbroken.”
one.
Each word that escaped Nathan’s lips was like a searing blade, slicing at my heart one by
Lying there beside him, completely naked under the same quilt, I felt utterly humiliated at
that moment.
In his eyes, I seemed to be a worn–out rag that could be casually thrown away after use.
I dug my nails deep into my palm, leaving behind blood marks, relying on the pain to uphold the facade of calmness.
“Nathan, what on earth have you taken me for these past three years?”
Nathan chuckled, his mockery unmistakable. He replied nonchalantly, “Aurora, I’ve never made our relationship public. You should be well aware of that. Don’t spout any nonsense in front of Jane. You know exactly what I’m capable of.”
The man who had been passionately intimate with me just moments ago had now hurled a harsh, menacing threat my way.
I have no recollection of how I stumbled out of Nathan’s apartment. It was three o’clock in the morning, and the frigid wind on the deserted street seemed to find every possible way to worm its way through the fabric of my clothes.
Gazing up into the pitch–black night, I wrapped my arms about myself, drifting in a sense of bewilderment, finding the whole situation bitterly ironic.
I was at a complete loss as to where to go.
The house my late parents had left me had been sold three years ago to foot the bill for my grandmother’s medical treatment.
Back then, Nathan had immediately whisked me off to his apartment and, with his usual domineering manner, declared that it would be my home from that point forward.
Since he had stomach problems, I took great care to prepare a diverse range of nutritious
meals for him.
Knowing of his susceptibility to allergies, I made the effort to personally oversee the customization of our bedding and curtains. Even the towel he used was procured by me after I’d traversed half the city in search of the perfect one.
Nathan was very attentive to me as well.
When I initially learned about my grandmother’s illness and was on the verge of a mental breakdown, he took care of everything related to her.
He would bring me along to the gatherings with his friends. Each time, he’d wear a smile D his friends joked that I’d be his future wife.
Once we were back home, Nathan would passionately pin me down and engage in repeated bouts of lovemaking.
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12:54 Fri, 7 Mar M.
His intense obsession with having sex with me led me to firmly believe that he held genuine
affection for me.
I foolishly thought that over time, I could gradually supplant Jane, his beloved woman.
However, I had ignored the fact that for a man, sexual desire and true love were not always
one and the same.
All of a sudden, the shrill ring of the phone rang out. I instinctively answered it.
Given that Nathan detested waiting, I had long since cultivated the habit of answering calls
without delay.
“Ms. Murphy, your grandmother’s condition has worsened. Please come to the hospital right away!”
I stood outside the ward, my eyes fixed on my grandmother who had just emerged from the operating room. A sharp pain shot through my heart.
The wrongdoings I had committed in my past life must have been countless, so I was punished in this life to suffer the loss of all the significant people around me, including my parents, Nathan, and the guy I had secretly adored for years.
Now, was my only remaining family member, my dear grandmother, also going to be snatched away from me?
“Ms. Murphy, if you can persuade Dr. Thompson to treat your grandmother, she might live a few more years.”
I clutched the doctor’s arm tightly. “Where can I find Dr. Thompson?”
“Dr. Thompson is a medical prodigy. He’s overseas, and it’s likely quite challenging for an ordinary person to get him here. You can ask Mr. Cooper for help.”
Nathan?
My hold on the doctor’s arm slackened.
Nathan had abandoned me as ruthlessly as discarding an old rag. Would he still be willing to help me?
Staring at my grandmother, her face deathly pale, I clenched my fists resolutely. I decided that no matter what, I had to plead with him to help me bring this doctor.
