Chapter 4
The missing pieces of my memory gradually began to fall into place.
He wasn’t a stranger, nor was he some business associate of Sebastian’s- he was our college senior, Jared Kaplan.
He had pursued me aggressively back then, to the point that it constantly made Sebastian jealous.
But I was so consumed by my feelings for Sebastian that I never even spared Jared a second glance.
“How could it be him?” I wondered.
I tried to get out of bed, but my head felt like it was filled with lead. Dizzy and disoriented, I couldn’t take a single step.
As Jared grabbed at my clothes, pulling and tearing with increasing force, I scrambled to turn over, arching my back to resist while reaching for my phone on the nightstand.
I finally managed to get a grip on it and frantically dialed Sebastian.
But the call wouldn’t go through.
Just as my thin blouse was on the verge of being torn apart, the call finally connected–but it wasn’t Sebastian who answered. It was Courtney.
“Having fun?” she said smugly.
“Sebastian and I sure are. He’s already fast asleep.
“I actually told him not to bother with you, but he was so mad about you
0.00%
12:16
Chapter 4
pushing me and nearly causing me to miscarry. He insisted on getting even. I really couldn’t stop him.”
“What did she mean?”
“Was it Sebastian who sent me here?”
288 Vouchers
I suddenly remembered–after we got married, he’d already worked with Jared to humiliate me more than once. He even laughed while watching.
Sebastian wasn’t human. He was a monster.
I don’t know where the strength came from, but I managed to kick Jared off me and bolted for the window, throwing one leg outside.
“If you take one more step, I’ll jump!” I shouted.
“You might be sick, but I doubt you want to deal with a murder investigation.”
Jared immediately backed off, spitting on the floor.
“Fine, fine, I get it. You win, okay?” he said angrily.
“Quit pretending to be all pure. We messed around in college, too. I wasn’t even that into it.”
“College?”
Then it hit me. The night before Sebastian made things official with Courtney, Jared had invited us all out for dinner and karaoke.
Everyone said they were going back to their dorms early because they were tired.
But I had woken up the next morning in a cheap hotel room, sore and aching all over.
26.66%
12:16
Chapter 4
288 Vouchers
Before I could even figure out what had happened, Sebastian was already making a grand public display of love for Courtney, covering the dorm entrance with roses and confessing to her on the campus wall.
They started dating, and soon their sweet moments were plastered all over
campus.
And me? My young, naive love hadn’t even had the chance to bloom before it withered completely.
I had been so devastated that I never even stopped to question what had really happened that night.
Realizing he’d said too much, Jared fled the room in a panic.
I went back to my rented apartment, pulled out my packed suitcase, and placed the signed divorce papers on the table.
I took one final look at the place I’d called home for three years. I cut the love knot into pieces and threw it in the trash before walking out the door without once looking back.
Meanwhile, Sebastian was still lying in Courtney’s bed when he woke up in the middle of the night.
He suddenly remembered the hurt look in Emma’s eyes when he had cruelly accused her of carrying someone else’s child. The memory struck
him like a blade to the chest.
He thought to himself, “Even if all this was about getting back at her for what happened in college, it’s enough now. This ends here.”
“Courtney,” he said quietly, “I’ll take care of our baby. But my wife will always be Emma.”
Saying it out loud felt like a huge burden being lifted off his chest.
53.10%
12:16
Chapter 4
He raced home, eager to finally tell Emma the truth about his business success and win her back, to restore what was left of their marriage.
But when he opened the door, the apartment was empty.
288 Vouchers
Not even her toiletries were left behind. Just a crumpled bedsheet and the silence.
His heart sank. Then he spotted the divorce agreement on the table, signed and finalized, and next to the trash can–shredded pieces of the
love knot.
Panicking, he called her. But all he got was a busy signal.
“Emma, please come back,” he whispered, clutching the phone. “I’m begging you … Come home.”
86.21%
