My girlfriend was deeply in debt because she needed money for her mother's medical treatment.
To pay it off, we worked at the entertainment company during the day and took on part-time jobs at night and on weekends.
That day, I dressed up as a male ghost and hid in a corner of a haunted house, preparing to scare the incoming guests according to the script.
Soon, a disheveled couple burst in, kissing passionately.
The guy shyly calls out his girlfriend's name, "Ariana, hurry up, let me see the sexy panties I gave you today, I'm gonna tear them apart!"
The woman said, "You've already torn seven pairs today … I won't have anything left to wear … and we still have to go to the hotel tonight for my mom's birthday …"
I thought it was just a coincidence, since Ariana's mother was in a vegetative state and currently lying in the hospital.
But the next second, the woman spotted me and flung warm underwear and a wad of cash at my face while said, "Shut your eyes and mouth, now get out!"
Warm liquid streamed from my temple, but I stood frozen in place. Because that voice belonged to no one else but my girlfriend of three years.
——
"Ernest, what are you still standing there for? Don't disturb Miss Thomas and her boyfriend, get out of there, now!" My manager's anxious voice rang through my earpiece, snapping me back to reality.
I quickly grabbed the props on the ground and fled the dim room in a panic, with suggestive sounds trailing behind me.
When I reached the front desk, I instinctively looked down at the items in my arms, plastic and red paint meant to look like blood, mixed with that pair of panties and the wad of cash.
The stack of bills was thick, at least twenty thousand, all brand new, no wonder it cut my temple.
If this money hadn't been thrown at my face by my girlfriend while she was getting intimate with another man, I would've been happier.
Maybe I would've even taken a photo to show off to Ariana, "Ariana, look, your mom's medicine for the month is covered. You don't have to work so hard." But now … Miss Thomas?
That title felt so unfamiliar. Was she really the same woman who once pinched every penny to save her mother, who huddled with me in a tiny rental eating instant noodles and promised to bring me happiness?
If that guy in the room was her boyfriend, then what am I? The things in my arms fell to the ground with a loud noise.
A few well-dressed girls sitting at the front desk glanced over, then smirked knowingly, "Ariana's first love just got back from abroad and already she's this thirsty? She's probably gone through dozens of panties in the last few days. She really goes all out for him, each pair costs over a hundred thousand and she's not even afraid that poor guy by her side might find out."
The other girl said, "So what if he does? Ariana's loaded. Besides, what can that poor loser even do? Lance left Ariana three years ago to go abroad. Ariana only dated that guy out of spite. Now that Lance's back, he's nothing. It's laughable how Ariana played the poor girl act for three whole years."
"Ariana's always been a hopeless romantic, she swore she'd only marry Lance. She even said her money is only for Lance to spend. No other man can dream of touching it. But that idiot Ernest actually believe her lies and worked himself to death helping her repay debts and save her mom. Hahaha …"
Their words exploded in my ears like thunder, leaving my insides aching in shock and pain.
Their eyes were glued to the monitor, filled with giddy anticipation. I followed their gaze and my breath hitched.
Under the night vision camera, the woman straddled the man, entwined in passion as if trying to devour him, desperate to release all her longing.
Even in the dim light, even with just a side profile, I instantly recognized her.
