Chapter 3

2、

An intense itch flared up on my skin, snapping me out of my trance.

Looking down at the red hives spreading across my hands, a deep sense of sorrow washed over me.

Years ago, I had thrown myself in front of Jason to shield him from an armed mugger, resulting in my ring finger being smashed by a hammer.

Because of that injury, I had to give up classical piano and walk away from the grand concert stage forever.

Later on, Jason tracked down the attacker and smashed the man's hands to avenge me.

Back then, he looked fierce and protective, just like he did when he turned those street thugs on me at the party to please Mindy.

If I had known about Mindy's place in his heart before falling hopelessly in love with him, I would never have let myself fall so low.

After all, I was once a proud, radiant pianist who commanded the spotlight.

The first time I discovered Mindy's existence was on our first anniversary.

I sat in a fancy downtown restaurant, full of anticipation, waiting for Jason to arrive.

He never showed up, not even when the restaurant turned off the lights and closed for the night.

He ignored all my calls and left my texts on read.

Just as I was about to call the police in panic, I stumbled upon a photo posted by his best friend.

In the picture, a pretty girl leaned her head against Jason's shoulder while he gazed down at her with tender warmth.

That look of profound devotion felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over my burning heart.

When he finally came home late that night, I thought he would explain himself.

Instead, he walked past me like I was invisible and locked himself in the study until morning.

When I confronted him the next day, he simply told me she was his childhood friend and warned me not to overthink things.

From that day on, his attitude toward me grew noticeably colder.

To bridge the gap between us and make him happy, I tried my best to befriend Mindy.

For a brief period, things actually seemed to improve between us.

Until one afternoon, when I showed Jason my new designer handbag, and he suddenly seized a pair of scissors and shredded it in front of me.

"Why did you buy the exact same bag for Mindy? You know damn well she hates having matching items with anyone!"

"No wonder you acted so eager to be her friend. It was all a scheme to humiliate her and push her buttons."

"Moira, I never realized how calculating and wicked you truly are!"

Faced with his blind accusations, I was utterly bewildered, but I desperately wanted to clear the misunderstanding.

I tried to tell him that Mindy had specifically begged me to buy matching bags together.

Jason didn't listen to a single word.

His mind was consumed entirely by the thought that his precious Mindy had been wronged.

That was the moment I realized Jason had always been in love with Mindy.

I was merely a convenient rebound, someone he used to nurse his bruised ego after Mindy abruptly married another man overseas.

From then on, whenever Mindy and I clashed, the blame was always mine.

Just because Mindy claimed she couldn't understand classical music, Jason threw my rare, prized sheet music collections straight into the incinerator.

He even stood by and watched while Mindy mocked me for being a useless cripple who could never touch the keys again.

When I couldn't bear it anymore and told her to leave my house, Jason threw me out into the pouring rain while I was running a blazing fever.

Thinking back on all of it, the rash across my body burned with unbearable intensity.

Wiping away my tears, I walked over to the first-aid kit like a lifeless doll and took out the allergy medication.

Just as I was about to swallow the pill, my hand froze over my lower stomach.

How could I forget that I was four weeks pregnant?

This baby was supposed to be my surprise engagement gift to Jason.

Yet before I could share the good news, he presented me with an unforgettable spectacle of betrayal.

That brutal gift had destroyed my illusions once and for all.

It gave me the courage to walk away from this dead-end devotion.