Sean spotted me curled up in the corner. His brows tightened with visible anguish as he took off his coat and gently draped it over me.
"I'm sorry, Sheri… I shouldn't have asked you to come pick me up this late. It's my fault." His voice trembled with guilt. "Believe me, time will ease everything. People will forget about the CD eventually. Until then, I’ll stay by your side—always."
On the way home, he held my hand firmly, refusing to let go.
After a long silence, assuming I had fallen asleep, Gregory—who was driving—sighed heavily.
“Brother,” he said, his voice laced with frustration, “let someone else handle this kind of thing next time. I really can’t take it. Didn’t you see how those scumbags looked at her? If you had been two minutes later… they would’ve stripped her in public!”
Gregory's next words hit me like thunder.
“Her father had just been rehabilitated. Their family was finally catching a break… and because of Christy’s one sentence, everything fell apart. And you, the person closest to her, are still thinking about how to keep her from rising again? Do you want to destroy her completely?”
My heart froze.
The drunkards outside the hotel… they were arranged by Sean.
I bit down hard on my tongue, tasting blood, forcing myself to stay silent.
Sean gently shifted me to the side. Then suddenly lunged and gripped Gregory by the throat, his voice low and hoarse with rage.
“You’ve had enough of the Noble Family’s food, haven’t you?! You want to bring this up now? If Sheri hears any of this… your wife and children will pay the price! Do you think this is yours to decide?”
There was the sound of choking and struggle. The car swerved wildly.
Just when it felt like we were about to crash, he finally let go.
Gregory coughed violently, gasping apologies in the silence.
Sean pulled me close again, his arms tightening around me. He pressed a kiss on my forehead and murmured to himself:
“Just hold on a little longer, Sheri… even if it's for me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
But this wasn’t love. It was cruelty dressed in concern. And I couldn’t take it anymore.
That night, when he finally fell asleep, I quietly snuck into the study. My hands trembled as I wrote a letter to my aunt, who worked at the National Conservatory of Music and Drama.
Sealing the envelope, I felt—for the first time in a long while—a sense of hope.
I couldn’t stay in this hell any longer.
The next morning, I had barely opened my eyes when I heard Sean speaking to Gregory outside the bedroom.
“Today is the opening ceremony at the girls’ school. When she wakes up, find a way to convince her to go.”
“But sir… she can’t even go out to buy groceries without being stared at. At an event like this—so many people…”
“Think about your wife and kids,” Sean said coldly.
Gregory went silent.
Moments later, the bedroom door creaked open. I felt a familiar hand gently ruffling my hair.
“Sheri,” Sean said softly, “it’s the opening ceremony today. Our family sponsored a lot of students—I have to go. There’ll be a crowd. You don’t need to come. Just rest.”
I forced a smile. “Alright.”
Once he left, Gregory lingered, nervously watching me eat. Finally, he spoke, hesitating.
“My son said when you substituted at their school, the kids really liked you. Today’s the opening ceremony… I think they’d love to see you again.”
I looked up, eyes calm. “I’ll go. Pack the car.”
But as soon as I arrived at the venue, I saw Christy’s smirking face in the crowd.
And I realized—
Sean didn’t want to protect me.
He wanted me humiliated again.
