As I struggled desperately against the restraints, Valerie dismissed my fear with a careless remark, “So what? It’s not like you’re going to die.”
One person was no match for a group of bodyguards.
Without further ado, Valerie had me tied securely to the drop tower seat. The ride operator, seeing that all the safety checks were complete, pressed the start button.
No matter how much I fought, it was futile.
As the ride ascended to its highest point, my face turned ashen, my legs trembling uncontrollably. Those few minutes felt like an eternity.
When the ride finally ended, I stumbled off, my entire body shaking. A wave of dizziness hit me like a freight train, and I crouched down, barely able to keep upright.
Valerie looked at me with a fleeting moment of guilt, nervously touching her nose as if debating whether to check on me.
But before she could say a word, Ayden tugged at her sleeve.
“Valerie, let’s go ride the Ferris wheel together!”
This time, she hesitated briefly.
Yet the moment Ayden pouted, she immediately gave in, abandoning me where I stood.
The dizziness worsened until I collapsed on the ground.
When I woke up, I was already at the hospital, and the doctor was scolding me.
“Young people these days are so reckless! With your condition, why would you even think of getting on something like that? Are you trying to kill yourself?”
I spent the next few days recovering in the hospital.
Not once did Valerie call to check on me.
After being discharged, I returned to that so-called "home" and I began packing my belongings.
Halfway through, Valerie and Ayden returned, laughing and chatting as if nothing had happened.
“You finally decided to come back?” she remarked with indifference.
I didn’t react, my face a mask of calm.
Seeing my apathy, she suddenly looked uneasy.
Her mocking tone softened as she walked closer. “Ayden’s agreed to let us get married. Isn’t that great? We can finally go ahead with the wedding. Aren’t you happy?”
Her carefree grin made me chuckle bitterly.
She frowned. “What’s so funny?”
Before I could answer, my phone buzzed with a notification. My flight had been delayed due to weather, and it was rescheduled three days later.
“What are you looking at so intently?” she asked.
“Nothing important,” I flatly answered.
She snatched the phone from my hand, trying to unlock it.
After several failed attempts, I casually reminded her, “The password is my birthday.”
Her expression faltered. She tried a few more times, only to be met with an error message each time.
Even in the cold weather, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Finally, she gave up, tossing the phone back to me.
“Whatever, I don’t care.”
My birthday had passed just a few days ago. Her indifference was nothing new.
At that moment, Ayden spoke up with feigned curiosity.
“Hey, Minton, what’s with the suitcase? Are you going somewhere?”
Valerie’s eyes widened in realization, and she stared at me.
“Are you planning to run away?”
Before I could reply, she lunged for the bag slung over my shoulder.
“No, I’m not,” I said flatly. Leaving wasn’t an option until three days later.
Despite my denial, she clung to the bag as if her life depended on it, trying to stop me.
During the scuffle, the bag slipped from my grasp, spilling its contents onto the floor.
Among the scattered items was the transfer document.
Valerie froze, her movements halted as she bent down to pick it up.
She scanned the document, her expression morphing into one of disbelief, and her wide eyes locked onto mine.
"I'm pregnant, Minton. Are you still leaving?" Valerie asked, incredulous.
