Chapter 3

3. She was Silas's high school classmate and the girl he had secretly loved for years.

Because she was sickly as a child, she had been sent abroad for treatment before finishing high school.

The year Riley left was the same year I transferred into Silas's elite private school.

My dad had just made a fortune in real estate after a massive government buyout.

He immediately sent me to that prestigious school, hoping for a better future for me.

The teachers were top-tier, far better than at my old public school.

The students were all heirs to powerful families, polished and wealthy.

Then there was me―with my blunt bangs and my awkward, shy demeanor.

I didn't fit into their world. My grades were constantly at the bottom of the class.

For some reason, a girl in my class took an instant dislike to me.

Back then, my family's wealth was nothing compared to theirs. They looked down on "new money" like me.

The bullying started almost immediately.

First, I was isolated. Everywhere I walked, a vacuum formed around me. No one would speak to me.

Then came the petty tricks.

My homework would go missing. Glue was smeared on my chair. People pulled my hair or drew on my clothes.

But that was only the beginning.

Eventually, they turned physical.

They would kick and punch me before locking me in the school bathroom overnight.

They forced me to skip class with them, taking me to high-end clubs where they used me as a prop in their sick games.

Whoever won the game got to humiliate me.

It happened countless times until one night, Silas happened to walk past the VIP lounge where they were tormenting me.

We were in the same class, and I knew his family was powerful―more powerful than anyone else's.

In class, he always seemed to be daydreaming with a scowl, yet his grades were perfect.

When everyone else isolated me, he was the only one who didn't go out of his way to avoid me. He lived in his own world.

That night, he appeared like an angel of vengeance and warned the ringleader to stop.

They were too terrified of Silas to argue. They scattered instantly.

I was left in the booth, soaked in expensive champagne, shivering.

I didn't know what to say. I just looked at him, trying to find the words to thank him.

But he moved first. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me.

"Quinn, stay with me from now on. I'll protect you."

From that day on, no one touched me.

And from that day on, Silas's name filled every page of my diary.

I only dared to write his name. Any other words felt too bold for a girl like me.

He was my light.

When I found out he was going to the University of Chicago, I studied until my eyes bled.

He started helping me, lending me his notes and encouraging me to reach my goals.

By then, my dad's business had exploded. The students who once bullied me were now begging for my father's contact info.

Everything was looking up. I began to pursue Silas in my own quiet way.

He knew how I felt, but he never gave me a straight answer.

I didn't care. I followed him all the way to Chicago.

Then came the confession, the proposal, and the marriage.

And finally, the moment he walked away with Riley in his arms, leaving me to be slaughtered.