Chapter 3
That night, Randy never returned home.
My calls and texts went unanswered.
Thus, I went to his friend and asked where he was, and the answer I got was, “Sorry, Debra, I’ve no idea where he went.”
He sounded apologetic, but there was no evidence of it on his face.
After saying goodbye, I turned back and caught him talking casually with
a coworker.
“Did you see that woman just now? She looks a lot like my friend’s first love, but no matter how much she resembles her, she is not. The moment my friend saw his first love post a photo with a guy, he panicked and booked a flight to France to pursue her.”
I don’t even know how I made it back home. My face was pale as paper. At some point, my knee injury was torn open again and it was bleeding.
But I didn’t care. I kept clutching my phone, calling Randy again and again, desperate for him to pick up.
He didn’t answer.
My wrist gave out, and the phone fell from my grasp and landed on the
carpet.
The screen flashed and then went dark.
Tears rolled down my face and soaked into the carpet beneath me, leaving spots all over.
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In the darkness, my throat tightened, and I let out a choking sob.
***
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Randy’s friends were waiting to see me break down and spiral into some hysterical mess over him.
However, as they continued to wait, nothing happened.
I had just finished another show when my assistant ran to me, phone in
hand.
“Debra, your phone’s been buzzing nonstop. I thought it might be important, so I brought it over.”
I thanked her and took it, only to find that they were all group chat
messages.
That night, I had secretly made a new account and used Randy’s phone to add myself to their group.
“Randy, there’s something wrong with Debra these days. I haven’t seen
her at all.”
“Yeah, I was waiting for her to come cry and ask about you. I love seeing her look all pitiful.”
It took a bit before Randy responded, “Do not worry about her. Let her cool off. She’s far too clingy. This is a perfect opportunity for me to spend time with Audrey. She just got over a breakup, and I need to be there for her.”
‘You got a point. Audrey’s far more important. We’ll keep an eye on Debra for you. Go win your beauty back, and by then, you won’t need that stand–in anymore.”
“Randy’s just playing it smart by keeping the backup in case the main plan
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Chapter 3
falls through.”
Randy didn’t respond again and went offline.
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I let out a bitter chuckle as pain spread quietly from my chest, suffocating
- me.
To stop myself from thinking about him, I asked the manager to increase my shows to six per week.
Music numbed the pain and brought memories.
I first met Randy at the Twilight Bar. Back then, I was only a small singer, and few people came to hear me sing.
I had few fans, but I did draw the wrong type of attention.
A man offered to be my sugar daddy. When I declined, he became enraged and created a scene, saying in front of everyone that I was nothing more than public property, free to ride.
The manager was too focused on calming the crowd to care about me, let alone defend me.
I was frozen in place, embarrassed and helpless.
Then Randy stepped in. He defended me and took me away from the
chaos.
“Don’t be afraid. I believe you,” he said, handing me a tissue. His eyes crinkled, kind and bright.
His few words gave me incredible strength.
I couldn’t help but fall for him, who appeared in my world as a savior.
Back then, I was a mess, and I longed for someone to save me and lift me
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Chapter 3
- up.
But I forgot that the person didn’t need to be Randy.
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