The class fell silent.
Adam continued, "Then let me ask you this. Can any of you guarantee that every single one of your parents and ancestors was a saint?"
One by one, they lowered their heads in shame. I was won over too, by that razor-sharp sense of justice and the silver tongue that delivered it.
I said yes when he asked me to be his girlfriend.
Honestly, before I met him, dating had never crossed my mind. My mother's scandal had left deep scars, and I carried that darkness everywhere I went.
He was the light that found me there, warming every shadow until it was gone.
And now here I stood, drenched in a downpour, unable to make sense of any of it.
How could someone that good become the man standing in front of me now?
My vision went black. I hit the ground.
When I woke, it was already night. I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV needle taped to the back of my hand, fluid dripping steadily into my veins.
The doctor said, "You've been under too much emotional stress. You need to stay calm and rest."
I said, "Okay."
The word barely left my mouth before my phone rang.
It was Adam. I hesitated, then hesitated again, and still picked up.
"Valerie's gown got dirty. Go get that Starlit Night dress I ordered for you and bring it over. She needs a change."
So her name is Valerie. I repeated it silently to myself.
Starlit Night. Adam had commissioned a designer to tailor that gown to my exact measurements. It was meant for the party on our wedding night.
He used to refuse to let anyone so much as touch it. He said even a fingerprint would taint what it stood for.
Now he was tossing it to someone else like it was nothing.
Maybe it really was nothing anymore.
Still...
"Adam, I'm on an IV right now."
"You're perfectly fine. What do you need an IV for? Don't you dare throw a tantrum right now, or I swear you'll regret it."
Fine. One last thing. Consider it repayment for the day you saved me.
I didn't wait for the drip to finish. I asked the nurse to pull the needle, walked back out into the storm, took a cab home, grabbed the gown, and delivered it to him without stopping to catch my breath.
Adam said, "Valerie's waiting for you at the entrance. She wants to say thank you. Be gracious about it."
I gave a quiet "mm" and hung up.
But what Valerie gave me wasn't a thank-you. It was a slap across the face.
I never saw it coming. My head snapped sideways, my body spinning half a turn, and the gown slipped from my hands onto the ground.
Valerie burst into tears instantly, her voice trembling with wounded innocence. "I told you, if you didn't want to bring it, you could've just said so. Why did you have to throw the dress on the ground?"
I've never been good at reading between the lines. I had no idea what she was playing at.
But Adam seemed to understand perfectly. He strode out of the hotel in seconds.
Valerie turned on him immediately. "Adam, is this what you meant when you said she'd behave? That she wouldn't give me trouble?"
Adam glanced at the gown crumpled on the ground, and just like that, he'd made up his mind.
Another slap landed on my face. "I've spoiled you rotten, haven't I? Apologize to Valerie. Now."
I laughed. The kind of laugh that comes when fury burns past its own limit. "Adam, do you even hear yourself? Did you bother to ask where the handprint on my left cheek came from?"
Valerie didn't even try to hide it. She tugged at Adam's sleeve, blinking up at him. "I hit her. Are you going to be mad at me, Adam? I just lost my temper when she threw the dress on the ground. I couldn't help myself."
"You know how I am. I've always had a bad temper."
Adam pulled her against him by the waist. "I'm not mad. She deserved it."
Valerie flashed me a triumphant little smile.
I smiled too. Tears spilled down my cheeks, but I smiled. I'm the fool here.
But even a fool only had to endure three more days of this. Three days, and I would vanish from their world for good.
Adam, I hope you don't end up the same way as the man who ruined my mother.
