Chapter 3

While packing my luggage, my gaze fell upon the photo of my mother and me on the bedside table.

In the photo, my mother smiled gently and kindly, while the dark green emerald pendant was around her neck. The gentle luster highlighted her smile.

Tears were uncontrollable in front of loved ones.

'Mom...' I pondered as I collapsed onto the bed, burying my face deep in the musty blanket, and my long-suppressed sobs could no longer be held back.

I thought, 'Mom, I'm sorry. I failed as a son.'

Before she passed away, my mother trembled as she placed the emerald pendant around my neck. "Micah, your grandmother left this. It will bring you good luck. You must keep it safe..."

That emerald pendant was the token of all the warm memories I had of my mother. Three years ago, because of Christine's forged medical bill for 200,000 dollars and her saying she would die if she could not raise the money, I cried as I took it off and pawned it hesitantly.

Back then, I naively thought that once she recovered, we would work together to earn money and redeem the emerald pendant.

The token my mother had protected with her life was utterly insignificant to her.

Tears soaked my pillow.

I fiercely wiped away my tears, repeatedly telling myself, "Micah, be a man. Move on."

On my last day before leaving, I contacted the agency to cancel my lease.

As I dragged my weary body to the corner of the office building corridor, a familiar figure unexpectedly caught my eye — it was Christine.

She was arm-in-arm with a frivolously dressed, muscular man. The two of them behaved intimately, chatting and laughing as they walked out of an office with an investment company sign.

Christine's hand even restlessly brushed against the man's muscular arm, making him chuckle softly.

I recognized him as Christine's male best friend, a frequent attendee at their various gatherings. Judging by how comfortable they were with each other, I had probably been cheated on for a long time.

Just beyond the corner, their conversation reached my ears.

"Christine, if that jerk Micah still won't admit his mistake this time, do you want me to give you another idea to teach him a lesson? After all, it was my idea to make him wait for you in that godforsaken place all night. Getting soaked to the core in the heavy rain must have been unpleasant."

My mind went blank as if countless steel needles were piercing my heart simultaneously. The pain was so intense I could not breathe.

It was him.

Three months ago, I took a designated driver order. The customer specified a remote suburban villa, so remote that even the GPS could not find it. Upon arrival, he said something urgent had come up and told me to wait in the car. Then, I left my phone in his car, and my electric scooter refused to start.

I was stuck in that godforsaken place, completely helpless.

It even started pouring rain that day. Soaked, cold, and hungry, I groped my way home in the dark, walking for seven or eight hours. The next day, I developed a high fever and nearly died in that cold, rented apartment.

Christine had held me then, scolding me with concern for being so foolish and working so hard to make money. She said she would be heartbroken.

Now I learned that it was all part of their carefully planned scheme. They treated me like a toy, laughing at my misfortune!

All of my pain and humiliation was nothing more than a casual joke for their amusement.

Immense resentment and anger surged in my chest; I could no longer control myself as I rushed to the deserted stairwell. I trembled so much I could barely stand.

...

Christine probably only started to feel a genuine sense of unease the day after I completely disappeared. She was out partying with her friends at bars as usual. When someone mentioned me, she would casually wave her hand, her tone carrying her usual arrogance and disdain. "The simp is just throwing a tantrum. Give him a few days and he'll come back obediently. He can't escape my grasp, can he?"

She was always so confident that I could not live without her and that I would return to her no matter what she did, like countless times before. However, her feigned composure must have completely crumbled the moment she received the call from the real estate agent.

"Ms. White, your boyfriend, Mr. Jenning, came over yesterday to check out of the lease and has moved out. Do you want to renew the lease?"

"What did you say? Moved out? Where could he go?"

"His family seemed to have made arrangements; he's going home to get married."

Christine jumped up from the couch, her voice trembling with shock. "What? Get married? To whom? How dare he?"