Chapter 4

Through the half-open door, Michelle saw Sigmund holding Emily in a passionate kiss.

After hearing his words, she froze on the spot.

So, Emily hadn’t lied.

She really was nothing more than Sigmund’s passing amusement. And all this time, she’d foolishly believed she was his benefactor.

But the truth no longer mattered. She would be leaving him soon anyway.

Michelle let out a silent, bitter smile and was about to turn away when thick smoke suddenly drifted down the hallway.

“Fire! There’s a fire!”

The alarm blared, and the entire club erupted into chaos.

People surged from every direction, shoving and stumbling. Michelle was knocked to the floor, struggling to get up before someone’s foot came down on her again.

When she looked up, she saw Sigmund rushing toward safety with Emily in his arms.

Instinctively, Michelle tried to crawl toward him, screaming his name for help with all the strength she had left.

Sigmund seemed to hear her. He turned and caught sight of her on the floor, bloodied and trampled.

His expression froze.

For a brief second, he looked as though he wanted to go back for her.

But then he noticed Emily faltering in his arms.

After a moment’s hesitation, he turned away and kept running.

Michelle was stunned. The man who once swore to protect her and never let her be hurt again had abandoned her at the most desperate moment.

Drawing a shaky breath, she forced herself to crawl toward the wall and pulled herself upright, stumbling along with the crowd until she finally made it outside.

Once she reached safety, her knees buckled, and she collapsed straight to the ground.

That was close. She had almost lost her life.

After steadying her breath, she lifted her head and her gaze met Sigmund’s from across the crowd.

There were urgency and regret in his eyes, emotions she couldn’t read.

But he stayed by Emily’s side, not taking a single step toward her.

Was he afraid Emily would misunderstand?

Michelle gave a faint, broken smile, pushing herself off the ground as her eyes reddened.

He used to panic over the smallest scrape on her hand, insisting on taking her to the hospital right away.

But now, Sigmund’s eyes could only see Emily.

Michelle returned home alone, cleaned and dressed her wounds with trembling hands, and eventually drifted to sleep on the couch.

When she woke, it was already past midnight. As expected, Sigmund hadn’t come back.

She didn’t bother asking where he’d been. At dawn, as she was about to leave, she ran into him coming through the door.

He pulled her into his arms immediately, scanning her injuries with concern. “Did you go to the hospital? Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Michelle just stared at him. Did he really not realize how meaningless this performance was now?

“I’m sorry, Michelle. The woman last night was my sister. She’s been afraid of fire since she was a kid. I couldn’t leave her behind.”

Sister…

He had actually made the effort to invent that lie for Emily.

“It doesn’t matter whether she’s your sister or not,” Michelle said calmly.

“Sigmund, I can’t afford to support you anymore. From now on, you’re free.”

Sigmund’s face darkened, and he yanked her into his arms.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re done with me, so you’re just throwing me away?

“Michelle, I won’t accept this. You said you’d take responsibility for me.”

Michelle shook her head with a weary smile and gently pushed him off.

“Sigmund, it was just fun. Don’t tell me you can’t handle that? I treated you well these three years. Now that I’m broke, are you trying to squeeze more out of me?”

Sigmund yanked her into his arms with force, his teeth grazing her ear in frustration.

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”