"Deborah, be careful when you go out, and come back early, okay? I will be waiting at home for you," Grandpa reminded me.
I looked up and flashed a bright smile at him.
"Got it, Grandpa!"
Little did I know, that would be the last time I ever got annoyed by his nagging.
I nervously arrived at Twilight Club.
The moment I stepped inside, the loud music overwhelmed me, and I felt a little out of place in the crowd.
"Deborah, over here!"
I followed the voice and saw the door to a private booth open.
Calvin was halfway out, waving at me.
When I entered the booth, there were only two people: Calvin and another guy. I recognized him. He was Calvin's close friend, Jack Wilson.
"Deborah, this is my friend Jack Wilson. Jack, this is my 'girlfriend,' Deborah Hope."
Jack glanced at me with a half-smile, his eyes showing a mix of disdain and amusement. His stare made me uncomfortable as he slowly curled his lips into a smirk.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jack Wilson. I hope you have a good evening."
After drinking the glass of wine Calvin handed me, I started to feel dizzy and quickly lost consciousness.
Right before I completely blacked out, I heard Jack's voice.
"You're really going for this? You’ve got no limits, huh?"
"Chubby feels better, man! Just wait, who wouldn’t envy us? No one's ever done a fat girl like this!"
Grandpa, help me.
I couldn't even say the words before everything went dark.
When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next afternoon.
I groggily sat up, realizing I was in a strange hotel room, completely naked and in pain.
I was groggy, and disturbing fragments of memory flashed through my mind.
Calvin and Jack...they violated me.
If I wasn't mistaken, they even recorded a video.
Fear and helplessness instantly took over my mind.
"What should I do? My life... it's ruined! Call the police! I need to call the police!"
Just as the thought crossed my mind, my phone started vibrating. I frantically searched for it, finally finding it under a pile of clothes.
It was Zoe calling.
In a panic, I answered the call, ready to pour out all my grievances, but the next words I heard hit me like a bolt of lightning.
"Deborah, thank goodness you answered! Where are you? Are you okay? You need to come to the city hospital right away! Your grandpa had a heart attack, and it looks like he might not make it!"
Her barrage of questions left me stunned, but that final sentence shattered me completely.
Grandpa... something happened to Grandpa!
I didn't have time to think about anything else. Throwing on my clothes, despite the pain in my body I rushed to catch a cab to the hospital.
But I was too late.
By the time I arrived, a white sheet—the thin line between life and death—already lay between Grandpa and me.
I collapsed to the floor, crying uncontrollably.
When I was just a baby, Grandpa had bought me from human traffickers. He saw me crying, helpless, and with all his savings, he rescued me, sparing me from a future of being crippled and forced to beg on the streets.
Back then, I was wrapped in a blanket embroidered with the word "Hope." My grandfather, Debron, wanted my name to reflect his own, so he named me Deborah Hope, saying I was a gift—like a symbol of hope, meant to bring new meaning to life.
Grandpa and I had always depended on each other.
Throughout my life, he gave me everything, always saving the best for me. He was the person I was closest to, yet I couldn’t even be there for him in his final moments.
Zoe lifted me up, pretending to wipe away my tears with concern.
“Zoe… what exactly happened?”
