Chapter 4

The scandal was far from over.

The next morning, a group of people had gathered outside my door.

When I left my house, a bald middle-aged man went up to me and smiled at me lewdly. He asked, "How much for a night, love? We're neighbors. I'm supporting your business. Can you give me a discount?"

I held back my tears, yelling at them, "If you're not going to leave, I'm going to call the police!"

My threats did nothing to them. They would not leave. They merely looked at me with mockery in their gazes.

A middle-aged woman walked past them. I looked to her for help, yet she gave me a glare of disdain, saying with a scoff, "Tsk, how shameless!"

My heart clenched. I balled my fists and forced my way out of the crowd.

Arriving at the office, before I could sit down at my desk, HR called me to their office. "Christine, the company can't keep employees who damage its public image."

They fired me without even letting me explain. I was escorted out of the company.

Walking on the streets dejectedly, the clouds suddenly turned dark, and it started to rain.

Completely drenched, my heart was completely crushed.

My phone kept ringing. I received many lewd messages.

[You want to have fun? You look quite nice.]

[How much for one night? How about one month?]

[You're just a whore selling your body. Reply to messages! Don't think you're all that!]

…

I knew it. My personal information had been dug up online. They must have thought that I was someone who sold my body for a living.

My phone kept receiving messages from strangers, getting ruder by the moment.

I finally could not take it anymore. I called Jason and begged him, sobbing and saying, "Jason, can you explain online? Tell them I'm not that type of woman. Please. I'm begging you."

There was only silence from the other end of the line.

As the rain grew heavier, I heard my voice getting softer. "What do you want me to do for you to forgive my brother and let me go?"

Jason finally replied to me. Every word of his felt icy to the bone.

"Christine, why don't you just die? Once you die, I'll forgive you!"

After hanging up, I wandered around the streets in a daze. The noise all around me seemed to have vanished.

All I could hear was Jason's voice saying, "Why don't you just die?" over and over again in my head.

I quickened my footsteps. After walking for a long time in the rain, I finally arrived at a bridge.

Jason and I had once been on this bridge watching the sunset. Back then, even if we did not say anything, everything felt great because we were together.

Since it was raining, the current under the bridge was violent.

I sat by the side of the bridge, covering my face, remembering the past few years. All the beautiful memories that I had with Jason were gone just like the current.

I called Jason once more.

He picked up and barked, saying, "Christine, enough! Stop harassing me. I don't want to hear your voice anymore!"

He was just about to hang up when I called out to him, "Jason…"

My tone was as gentle as when we were still in love.

He was stunned.

I wanted to smile at him, but then I remembered that he could not see me. I chuckled self-deprecatingly at myself and said, "Jason, I'm going now. I won't bother you anymore. Please let my brother go. Let me go. Let yourself go, too."

After a few moments of silence, Jason asked frantically, "Where are you?"

Smiling, I said, "Do you still remember the bridge that we often go to? You're right. The water can wipe everything away, even our pain and suffering."

I added, saying, "Jason, please let go of the hatred inside you."

Perhaps he had not had enough of torturing me. When he heard that I was by the bridge, he suddenly got nervous. He yelled, "Christine, you stay right there! Don't you dare jump without my permission!"