Chapter 3

Victor let go of me and hurried after Emma. He unabashedly wiped the water droplets from her face with his hand right in front of me.

His friends saw me still standing there with an ugly expression on my face and began whispering disapprovingly among themselves. Every word was a criticism of me, accusing me of bullying her. Emma also looked at me timidly.

At that moment, I truly felt like I was the one who should leave. I barely touched my food that evening before claiming I felt unwell and leaving early.

I thought Victor would stay behind to take care of the fragile Emma, but instead he rushed into the rain and grabbed me.

He took me to the nearest coffee shop, ordered a hot drink and placed it in my hands, then rushed back into the rain to buy a towel to wrap around me.

"Claire, don't be angry with me. Emma comes from a very strict family. If I really let her go home and tell her father about breaking off the engagement, she'd face severe punishment.

"I only think of her as a sister, and that's why I look out for her a little more. Don't overthink it. You're the only one I have eyes for, the only one in my heart."

Seeing me shivering, he sat closer and held me tightly, constantly rubbing my hands to warm them up. Although I struggled internally, I decided to let go of my concerns given his attentive care and how much I trusted him.

However, he ultimately betrayed my trust.

After that day, Emma openly clung to Victor's side. They discussed company development and jewelry exhibitions, looking so perfectly matched that they seemed like a golden couple.

It wasn't just the other students anymore—even I thought they were dating.

Emma even approached me with the attitude of someone who'd won, saying arrogantly, "Claire, if Victor can treat me like a sister now, he can treat me like a lover later. We'll see."

I couldn't find the words to refute her and watched as she left with a victor's smile.

That day was a weekend. Victor had told me he was going to play basketball with some friends to relax. I called him at the last minute, asking him to come see me instead.

He was extremely annoyed by that. "Didn't we agree I could go play basketball? How am I supposed to face my friends after standing them up like this?"

I was also angry and told him everything Emma had said in an unfriendly tone. His attitude became even worse after hearing me out.

"You made me come over just because of this trivial matter? How many times do I need to promise you that Emma and I are just friends?

"Claire, do you know how exhausting it is to date you when you're like this? Maybe I should report my every breath to you from now on. Would that satisfy you?"

His words deeply hurt me. I looked at him with tears in my eyes and pressed my lips together as I asked, "So you don't believe me?"

Victor stared back at me, then sighed after a long moment. "Fine, I understand that insecurity is a common problem among you ladies. Since you don't like Emma, I'll find an opportunity to make things clear with her.

"But Claire, I'm begging you, please stop tormenting me over these little things, okay? I'm already overwhelmed by the pressure my dad's putting on me. When I finally get some time to relax, can't you just give me a break?"

We were approaching graduation then, and his father, Peter Whitmore, was forcing him to give up his beloved law studies to take over the family jewelry business. The father and son were locked in a cold war because of this.

Peter already disliked me, so I couldn't really advise Victor about anything. I could only give him space to relax.

"I've been very busy with graduation season lately, so let's not contact each other for now."

He simply turned and left after saying that. A chill ran through me as I watched his retreating figure. For the first time, I wondered if he was worth it.

For a long time after that, he didn't contact me again. But I kept seeing him and Emma going to the library for late-night study sessions. Even when he finally gave up law and chose to go abroad to study jewelry design, I had to hear the news from Sam.

When Ethereal Jewelry noticed the design I made for my graduation project and wanted to sign a contract for mass production, a group of reporters suddenly surrounded me. They shoved cameras in my face.

"Claire, we received a tip that you plagiarized Emma Palmer's work for your graduation project. Is this true?"

I was stunned and stepped back, protesting, "I didn't. You're slandering me!"