Chapter 5
When Briella woke up again, she was in the hospital. The room was empty, but there was a loud commotion outside. “Sheldon, what the hell? We agreed to use Briella as the wager. You threw the match on purpose and let her off the hook.”
“If she dies, that’s just bad luck for her. If she survives, we’ll release the footage of her being played with on the seventh. Why did you suddenly change your mind?“}
Every word cut into Briella like a knife twisting in her heart. No wonder Sheldon had performed so poorly. He had planned this all along. He was so cruel he didn’t even care about her life, but why did he always stab her, only to give her a sweet treat right after?
Sheldon didn’t respond. He just stared into space with a complicated expression. After a moment of silence, one of his friends hesitated before asking, “Sheldon, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for Briella?“}
“Don’t forget, if it weren’t for her, Lilia wouldn’t have killed herself. You…“}
Before he could finish, Sheldon snapped. “Shut up! Even if every woman on earth died, I still wouldn’t love Briella! Got it? Get out! All of you, get the hell out! If anyone says another word, I swear I’ll lose it!“}
After driving his friends away, Sheldon stormed outside and bought a bottle of white liquor. The burning alcohol only made his already chaotic thoughts even messier. Images of Briella being pinned down by those men kept flashing in his mind.
Her agonized screams slammed into his chest like a sledgehammer. At that moment, all he wanted was to tear those men to pieces. He had to protect her even if it meant losing his business or going to jail, but that was not how it was supposed to be.”
From the very beginning, his goal had been to make Briella suffer, to make her die in agony, to avenge Lilia. After all, Lilia had grown up depending on him. If Briella hadn’t publicly pursued him, if she hadn’t used her wealthy background to torment Lilia again and again, Lilia wouldn’t have died. But… but what?!
Sheldon downed the entire bottle, yet he still couldn’t figure out his own feelings. When he returned to the hospital room, Briella was sitting on the bed, staring blankly ahead. She had been like this lately, lifeless, like a wisp of cloud about to drift away. Sheldon’s heart trembled. He walked over and pulled her into a hug. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’m not used to Jesse’s car. I didn’t expect to lose.“}]
A lie so easily spoken, even more pathetic than his fake affection. Briella was too disgusted to even call him out on it. Sheldon noticed her indifference and spent the next few days trying everything to please her. However, nothing was worse than a dead heart. Briella only grew more numb with each passing day.
With no other choice, Sheldon brought his work home. Ever since the gallery incident, he hadn’t gone to the office in a long time. Work had piled up and Sheldon was often still in meetings before bed. The day he finally had to go back to the company, his face was full of guilt. “Baby, I’ll be home early. If you miss me, call me, okay?“>
Briella glanced at the laptop on the coffee table and asked instead, “Can you leave the laptop? My streaming membership is logged in on it and I want to watch some dramas to pass the time.“>
Sheldon didn’t think much of it and agreed without hesitation. After he left, Briella turned on the laptop. The lock screen password was her birthday. She had once asked him, “You trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell your trade secrets?”
That man had kissed her with a doting smile. “Even if you sell them, it’s fine. You’re my most valuable treasure. My phone, my laptop, my safe, everything with a password use your birthday. You can check anything, anytime.”
Back then, Briella had trusted him completely. She had never actually checked anything, but now, when she used her birthday to unlock a private folder and failed, she finally realized how foolish she had been. Sheldon didn’t love her. He was just confident he had her under his control.
Briella let out a bitter laugh and tried a few other passwords. None of them worked. Then, suddenly, a string of numbers flashed through her mind, something she had once heard Sheldon murmur in his sleep. She typed them in and the folder surprisingly opened. Countless videos appeared before her eyes, each carefully labeled with camera locations and recording times.
Earlier videos clearly showed Briella’s face, but the man was never in the frame. Her allure, her surrender, every detail was laid bare. She was beneath him, as debased as the lowest prostitute. It was unimaginable how she could face the world if these videos were ever exposed. With trembling hands, Briella deleted every single video.
The next day, the immigration office informed her that her paperwork was complete. Briella packed her bags with a methodical calm. As the room emptied, her heart hollowed out. The space they had built together, piece by piece, was being destroyed by her own hands.}
That evening, a friend called to invite her for dinner, but Briella declined, saying her final goodbyes. Her friend was surprised and asked when she’d be back. After a few seconds of silence, Briella replied with a sense of release, “I won’t be coming back.“}
Just as she finished speaking, Sheldon walked in. “Who won’t be coming back?” Briella quickly ended the call, a flicker of tension crossing her face. She didn’t want any complications at this point. Sheldon strode over to her, his voice tinged with a panicked urgency. “Sweetheart, what do you mean? I’m right here. What do you mean you’re not coming back? We promised to be together forever.”
His expression was so sincere that for a moment, Briella almost believed him. She nearly blurted out the question of whether he was, as his friend had suggested, getting too caught up in his own act. But the recent events were still vivid in her mind and any more words would only lead to further humiliation. Briella looked up at him, her gaze steady. “I wasn’t talking about me. I was talking about a dog I used to have. It got lost and never came back.“}
Sheldon smiled. “Your expression made it sound like something serious. If you want, we can get another one.“}
Briella shook her head. Sheldon was about to say something when he noticed the suitcase in the corner. His smile faltered and a sense of unease crept in. “Sweetheart, why are you packing?“}
Briella followed his gaze. “Just some old clothes I don’t need anymore. I’m planning to donate them.”
Thanks to Sheldon, she had watched him act so much that she could now lie without batting an eye. She had always donated items in the past, so this was perfectly normal.
9:08 PM
Still, Sheldon felt something was off. He stared at Briella, trying to read her. That woman shrank back on the bed, changing the subject. “Weren’t you supposed to be busy this afternoon? Why are you back?“}
Seeing that she seemed normal, Sheldon dismissed his suspicions. He walked over and hugged Briella, looking genuinely apologetic. “I missed you, so I came back to check on you. Sweetheart, the company’s been hectic these past few days and I won’t be able to stay over. You’ll have to sleep alone for a couple of nights. But I’ll definitely be at the awards ceremony in two days. I have a big surprise for you, live on national TV!”
The thought of those videos drained the color from Briella’s face. Thank goodness she had deleted them, leaving no trace, even in backups or the cloud. Briella slowly unclenched her fists. “Just focus on your work.“>
Sheldon was pleased with her understanding, but a nagging feeling remained. He kissed Briella’s forehead and instinctively reached under her clothes. Briella recoiled, feeling disgusted. “I’m not feeling well. Let’s just sleep.“}
Sheldon didn’t return home for the next few days. He said he was busy with work, but Briella saw from Celia’s updates that they were inseparable. She ate takeout alone while Sheldon peeled shrimp for her at a fancy restaurant.
She tossed and turned at night while Sheldon watched the stars with Celia on a mountaintop. She replayed the videos sent to the adult chat groups while Sheldon shielded Celia from the paparazzi. She had once had all of this, too. But back then, Sheldon’s words were of love, but his eyes never truly saw her. It was so clear now the difference between love and indifference. Briella silently muted Celia, letting her shattered heart die.
Two days later, the weather was bright and sunny. Briella packed up Sheldon’s belongings and arranged for same–day delivery. On her way back, she caught the scent of flowers in the breeze. She turned to see the roses in the garden, blooming in their full glory.
Sheldon had planted them for her. Because she had once mentioned liking roses, he had searched for various breeds, sparing no expense. The CEO of a major company often found himself covered in dirt in the flower beds. She felt sorry for his hard work, but he said, “Anything for the one I love. This rose garden is the proof of our love.“}
The first rose bush still had a wooden plaque he had carved himself. “Sheldon loves Briella, forever and always.” Time had passed and the plaque had faded, the words now blurred, like the so–called love built on lies. Briella tore off the plaque and found an electric saw in the tool shed, cutting down all the rose bushes.
Two hours later, the once vibrant backyard was a chaotic mess. Briella called someone to clean up the debris, then dragged her suitcase away without looking back. Before boarding the plane, she opened Sheldon’s chat window, pausing for a long moment.”
She had so much to say. She wanted to explain Lilia’s death, to question his cruelty, to know if there had ever been a shred of love in the past five years. But in the end, she sent a message. [Sheldon, this is the end.]}
After the message was sent, she blocked all of Sheldon’s contacts and boarded the plane. Goodbye, Sheldon.}
