Chapter 5

After hearing every word Sylvie said, Hayden froze.

It turned out she had always loathed him, but it no longer mattered. Her suffering was coming to an end.

Hayden smiled silently, turned around, and left.

The lavish lounge was buzzing with activity. After having a few more drinks, his vision began to blur and double.

While he was in his daze, a woman came over with a glass and started a conversation.

Perhaps he was really drunk. Seeing her eyes, so much like Amelia's, Hayden took the glass.

As she held out the glass, his pent-up rebellious streak finally surfaced. He took the initiative to hold her hand. "I'll drink a toast with you. Could you tell me your name?"

"Drinking is fine, but let's leave our names out of it. Shall we, sir?

Lost in those eyes, Hayden muttered drunkenly, "Y-you’re just refusing to tell me that you're Amelia, aren’t you?"

He blinked hard a few times, trying to see her face clearly.

Opening his eyes again, he saw Sylvie charging over like a madwoman, grabbing a bottle and smashing it against the woman's head.

The two women grappled with each other, smashing bottles and glasses across the floor. During the fight, Hayden's hand was cut.

The sharp sting gave him a fleeting moment of clarity.

He stumbled forward and grabbed Sylvie to stop her. "It was me! I was the one who approached her. Why are you hitting her?"

The blood boiling through Sylvie's veins seemed to freeze. Her gaze turned razor-sharp as she looked at him.

For some reason, Hayden suddenly felt uneasy under that piercing stare. He shook his head, trying to fish a few reasonable excuses out of his muddled brain.

"Don't you think her eyes look a lot like yours? Besides, you don't even like me. How about you stop coming around, and I'll find someone else?"

With every word he uttered, Sylvie's expression grew increasingly grim. Unable to hold back any longer, she seized him and dragged him out of the bar. "So you're bored of me and plan to cast me aside after using me? Hayden, let me tell you this: I won't allow that to happen!"

Hayden waved a hand, his usual carefree tone returning.

"Aren't we just getting what we each wanted? How could you possibly call this 'casting you aside after using you'? I can keep you as a lover. Why can't I keep someone else?"

That single sentence ignited Sylvie's rage. She glared at him, gritted her teeth, and demanded, "Go ahead! I dare you!"

Hayden frowned, his eyes flashing with irritation. "Why wouldn't I dare? After all, you were originally Amelia's—"

"Sylvie, I only left for the restroom. Why are you out here?" Joshua's sudden appearance snapped Hayden out of his thoughts.

It also helped Sylvie gradually regain her composure.

Suppressing the turbulent emotions surging within her, she helped Hayden to his feet, her tone returning to calm. "He's drunk, so I'm taking him home. Since you're out, you might as well get in the car."

With that, she tossed the keys to him and helped Hayden into the backseat.

As Joshua drove, his gaze kept drifting toward the two people in the back. "How did he end up at the bar?"

"I don't know."

Hearing her icy tone, Joshua's eyes darted about, and he intentionally remarked, "I heard he had plenty of girlfriends before he met you. He was a regular at bars too.

“Sylvie, it's a good thing you aren't marrying a guy like that. Otherwise, he might just revert to his true self after the wedding."

Sylvie had just calmed down, but now she was getting worked up again. "Joshua, focus on driving!"

Stung by her stern tone, Joshua turned his head, looking aggrieved. "Sylvie, you yelled at me..."

As he spoke, he turned the steering wheel, failing to notice the sharp bend in the road ahead.

The next second, the car slammed straight into the mountainside!