Chapter 5

Natalie was genuinely terrified this time.

Austin had no qualms about forcing a kiss on her in the bustling restaurant of a luxury hotel the last time. It was now past 2:30 am, and the corridor of the apartment building was silent and empty. She had no idea what else he might do to her.

"I… I didn't know you'd come here, too." Her voice trembled as she pressed tightly against the door, looking ready to knock and scream for help at any moment. "I didn't mean to appear in front of you."

Austin's expression darkened. He walked over to the trash bin in the corner, stamping out his cigarette before tossing it. Then, he pressed the elevator button. When the doors opened, he looked back at her.

"Not leaving?" His tone was flat.

Natalie took a deep breath. With a nervous heart, she slowly walked over. Was he really not going to have a fit of some kind again? Had he been waiting for her?

Once she was inside the elevator, she pressed herself against the wall in the farthest corner, still unable to relax as she watched him from behind.

He was tall, his neatly trimmed hair framing his well-shaped head. With his broad shoulders and narrow waist, he had a lean yet muscular build. His stoic demeanor added to his imposing air. All in all, he looked like a man who could be counted on to keep one out of harm's way.

Natalie used to like hugging him from behind while he cooked, pressing her face against his warm, solid back. It made her feel safe and comforted.

He would remark with a laugh, "How am I supposed to cook if you're hugging me?"

"It's not like I'm restricting your arms. You can still cook while I hug you," she would retort coyly.

"You really underestimate what it's like to feel your body pressed against mine. You're making it hard for me to focus. I don't feel like eating anymore. I want you instead," he declared.

"You're such a perv! Why are you joking around when you're supposed to be cooking?"

Austin would proceed to prove that he wasn't just joking around. He'd set down the utensils, lifted her onto the kitchen counter, and "teach her a lesson" on the spot. Once he was satisfied, he'd carry the worn-out Natalie back to bed so that she could get some rest before heading back to the kitchen to continue making her some food.

The memories had been sweet in the making, but recalling them now left her bitter. She lowered her head, not wanting to stare at his figure any longer.

When the elevator doors opened, neither of them spoke as they walked out one after the other.

Austin had parked his car outside the apartment building. As Natalie moved past it, he called out from behind, "Get in."

Pausing, she turned around and looked at him.

He was already standing by the open door to the driver's seat, poised to slide in. His indifferent expression and cold gaze matched his frosty tone.

"No, thank you. I can take a cab." Natalie was afraid of him.

"I said, get in," he repeated, his voice a little harsher this time.

"It's fine, really. I—"

"Don't make me repeat myself a third time."

Natalie froze, staring at Austin in confusion. What was he up to this time? Was he offering to give her a ride home?

Without speaking again, he got into the car, closed the door, and fastened his seatbelt. But he didn't start the engine, choosing to wait quietly instead.

Only then did it hit Natalie that no matter how much Austin hated her, it didn't change the fact that he was, at his core, a gentleman. His character and upbringing wouldn't allow him to let a young woman hail a cab by herself in the middle of the night.

Thus, she stopped hesitating and moved to open the door to the backseat.

It didn't budge.

She tried again, and it remained locked.

Suddenly, Austin leaned over from the driver's seat, stretched his arm out, and opened the door to the front passenger seat from the inside. Then he straightened back up in one swift motion, looking as composed as ever.

Seeing the open door, Natalie hesitated for a few seconds before getting in and buckling her seatbelt. The two of them were alone in the narrow car, and a faint lavender scent filled the air. It was her favorite and his as well.

Natalie felt stiff and awkward. Austin's presence seemed to envelope her. Flustered, she was even having a harder time breathing.

Once the engine started, the light in the car went out, and Austin drove out of the apartment compound. He turned on the GPS and said, "Put in your address."

"Oh."

Natalie reached forward and typed it in. After glancing at the location, Austin frowned.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the drive. Time seemed to crawl by unbearably slowly. Every minute felt like torture for her.

Too scared to look at him, she kept her head turned to the side to stare at the night scenery beyond the window. Her body remained tense, her heart tightly wound. Even the air seemed to grow thinner with each breath.

It'd been five years since she last sat in the front passenger seat next to him. Who would've thought she'd feel this awkward and uncomfortable now in this once-familiar setup?

Back then, whenever Austin picked her up after class, he would bring some snacks or drinks for her to have during the ride. He was a bit of a clean freak, but he never minded if she made a mess in his car.

While eating, she would feed him as well. It didn't matter whether he liked the food or not. As long as she brought it to his mouth, he would eat it, even if it turned out to be poison.

40 minutes later, the car turned into a remote suburb of Sandbury and stopped in front of an old, dilapidated three-story building.

The streetlights were dim, and the alley was long, the inner part pitch black.

"Here's fine. Thank you." Natalie unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.

Expression foul, Austin disembarked as well. He walked around the car and came up to Natalie before staring at the old building.

"You live here?"

Natalie stiffened. Instead of answering, she eyed him uneasily. Under the dim yellow streetlight, his sharp features looked even colder, with a hint of suppressed anger in his eyes.

He let out a slow breath, as if there were something stuck in his chest. In an icy voice, he questioned, "Is this the blissful life you left in pursuit of, Natalie?"

Her heart ached sharply. Having deduced what he was about to say, she quickly started heading toward the old building. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to be upset by it.

But Austin caught up in just a few strides. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Before he even said anything, however, her eyes were already red. Her heart ached with bitterness. She felt as if she'd been tossed into a deep ocean, desperate to find even the flimsiest piece of driftwood to save herself.

"Don't you think you're pathetic, Natalie?" Austin snarled, his voice rough and furious. "What happened to the man you betrayed me for? The one you insisted on leaving with no matter what? Where's he now? Did he dump you after having his fun with you?"

"Let go." Natalie's voice was almost pleading, trembling as she choked on the words.

Her life had indeed taken a pathetic turn.

She'd been a finance graduate from a top university in the country—one who already landed herself a well-paying job in Janshire and had an incredible boyfriend to boot. But now, she was working as an ordinary public interest lawyer, earning a basic salary while saddled with a huge debt to pay.

A run-down house in the suburbs was where she called home now. Life was a chore that left her drained each day.

The excuse she'd used to break up with Austin was now being thrown back at her—the words used as a whip to lash at her.

But she deserved it. She had no right to cry about it.

Yet, her heart still felt like it'd been ripped apart and turned into a bloody mess. The pain made her quiver. "Please, just let me go."

Austin's voice turned mocking. "Wasn't he a wealthy scion? You didn't get a single thing from him?"

Natalie tried to wrestle her wrist out of his grip, but she couldn't get away. Her wrist started to hurt, but her heart was aching even more.

She closed her eyes, and the tears rolled down her ashen cheeks. Under the streetlight, she looked fragile enough to break.

But Austin wasn't going to let her off just like that. He grabbed her by the jaw and forcefully raised her head up.

"It's been five years," he said, his voice clear and harsh. "With your pretty face and attractive body, you could've easily found yourself another rich man. You wouldn't have to end up in this state."

Natalie looked at him with her teary eyes, her voice so weak that it sounded broken as she asked, "Does humiliating me make you feel better, Austin?"

He responded with an icy sneer, the light illuminating his cold expression. However, his hair cast a shadow that hid the reddened corners of his eyes.

Grabbing her by the collar, he snapped out in a voice tinged with fury and hatred, "Sleep with me then. I'll give you money, a house, and a car."

He was so enraged that he nearly lost control of himself. He yanked hard on her collar, and one of the buttons of her white blouse snapped off. The fabric was pulled aside, revealing her alabaster shoulder. The edge of her bra and the rounded mounds of her chest were just barely visible as well.

Austin's gaze stiffened a little, his eyes darkening. His hand froze as he swallowed hard.

Natalie didn't have the strength to fight back anymore. Her face was now covered in tears. Looking like her soul had been sucked out of her, she stared at him with a hollow expression and said, "I don't need any of that."

He released her and took a step back, muttering self-deprecatingly, "How pathetic."

Austin was talking about himself, but the words stung Natalie's ears.

With his expression as dark as night, he marched back to his car, slamming the door shut after him before speeding off into the distance.

The empty alley returned to silence.

Natalie swayed on her feet, watching the taillights disappear as she slowly pulled her blouse back into place.

She felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart with a knife. The pain was about to suffocate her.

Ever since running into Austin again, she found that she had no idea how much more of this she could take. She didn't know where else she could run to, either.