Chapter 3

The indifference in Samantha's eyes cut deeper than any blade.

Maybe because I stayed silent, Luther became even more enraged. He grabbed me by the collar aggressively.

"Didn't you hear what I asked you?! Samantha's family is struggling so badly that her mom hasn't eaten in three days!

"If you care that much about the money, I'll pay you back myself! We're classmates! Why are you being so heartless? Samantha only took a little food because she had no other choice!

"But you just had to leave her with a criminal record. Are you even human?"

Luther's eyes were bloodshot with fury. And his words immediately stirred whispers throughout the room.

"I heard Samantha's father ran away, and her mother's bedridden. So that's what happened…"

"Still, stealing is stealing."

"But if your mom was starving to death and you had no way to earn money, what else could you do?"

…

Listening to their voices, all I felt was coldness.

None of these people would ever understand.

In my previous life, I pitied Samantha, which was why my family supported her financially for years.

Only when the flames consumed me did I finally realize—not everyone is worth saving.

Ignoring the murmurs around me, I spoke calmly.

"Fine then. Pay me back."

The moment the words left my mouth, the private room fell silent.

Luther was instantly speechless.

Meanwhile, Samantha's expression changed dramatically. She hurried to her feet and stepped between us, pulling Luther away from me.

"Blake, I'm sorry about what happened before. Please stop bringing it up. We won't be seeing each other again anyway."

I glanced at Samantha indifferently and said nothing.

The fact that she deliberately emphasized that we would never meet again only confirmed my suspicion. She had been reborn too.

Good.

Twenty years of emotional coldness had already taught me enough. Some hearts can never be warmed. Not only was her heart cold, but she could freeze the hearts of everyone around her too.

In my previous life, the daughter I had treasured so much, afraid even to let her suffer the slightest hardship—with just a few words from Samantha, she came to despise me completely.

Meanwhile, Luther won her over effortlessly with nothing more than a simple cake.

Even though my daughter wasn't supposed to eat too much cream, neither of them cared. All they cared about was that I had separated them.

Since that was the case, I would never interfere in their love again.

"Samantha, you don't need to be afraid of him," Luther said loudly. "A heartless bastard like him deserves to have everyone see his true face.

"A person who won't even help when a classmate's mother is starving to death? I wouldn't dare associate with someone like that. Who knows when he'll turn around and stab the rest of us in the back?"

As he spoke, Luther slowly swept his gaze across the room. The way our classmates looked at me immediately changed. Even Samantha stared at me with undisguised contempt and hatred.

"Samantha's so pitiful… and so strong. We all knew her family had it rough, but she never talked about it."

"Samantha, you should've told us earlier. We're classmates—we would've helped you."

"Don't worry, Samantha. You're amazing. Things will definitely get better."

"You don't have to be afraid of someone this cold and inhuman. We're all here for you. Nobody's going to misunderstand you."

By this point, the entire room had become filled with righteous indignation.