Chapter 8

Oliver changed into his boxing gear and stepped into the ring.

Sabrina had already changed back into her clothes and was standing ringside with Mason. Mason watched Oliver, his expression giving nothing away.

The fight started soon after.

Oliver hadn't agreed to fight out of sheer bravado. He actually had some boxing experience.

After his mother remarried, he'd secretly used the money she'd given him for extracurricular activities to pay for boxing lessons. He'd wanted to learn how to protect her.

But even with that training, he was no match for a professional boxer.

His opponent quickly knocked him to the mat. Oliver did his best to protect his head and other vulnerable areas, just as his old coach had taught him.

But the punches kept raining down, and every blow hurt worse than the last.

As the beating continued, memories of his childhood came flooding back. When his mother had first married his stepfather, the man would come home drunk every day and beat them both.

His mother would wrap her arms around Oliver, desperately trying to shield him. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never protect him from every blow.

Blood began dripping onto the mat, staining it red.

"Enough!" Sabrina finally couldn't take it anymore.

She jumped to her feet and shouted, "Stop the fight!"

No one listened.

Furious, Sabrina pulled out her bank card and slammed it down on the counter in front of her. "I'm Sabrina Collins! My family owns Collins Group! If you don't stop this right now, I'll have my mom shut this whole place down!"

…

Oliver was rushed to the hospital soon afterward. His injuries were bad enough that he should have stayed in the hospital.

But he had a visa appointment that afternoon, so he arranged to be discharged temporarily and headed to the embassy.

Everything went smoothly. But just as he walked out of the embassy, a familiar Bentley pulled up beside him.

The window rolled down, revealing Sabrina's beautiful, unsmiling face. "Oliver! What are you doing here?"

Oliver's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly composed himself. "My family's planning a trip abroad after the exams. I came to apply for a visa."

Sabrina didn't seem suspicious.

"Couldn't you have waited a few days?" she snapped. "You're hurt pretty badly. Can't you just stay home and rest?"

Oliver blinked in surprise. For a moment, he wondered if Sabrina was actually worried about him. But he quickly dismissed the thought.

"I'm fine," he said calmly. "What about you? You weren't too shaken up by what happened yesterday, were you? It won't affect your exams, right?"

Sabrina frowned. "Why do you care so much about my exams? Look, even if I do well, we're not going to end up at the same college. We might not even be in the same city."

Oliver nodded. "I know. That's fine. As long as you get into a good college, I don't care where it is."

Sabrina frowned even harder. Something about his answer bothered her.

She'd always assumed Oliver was pushing her to study because he wanted to go to college with her or at least stay close to her.

But he didn't seem to care where she ended up. It didn't make sense.

Before she could think too much about it, her eyes fell on the bruises covering Oliver's face. Her chest tightened.

"Don't worry," she said stiffly, looking away. "I made you a promise, and I'll keep it. I'll do my best on the exams."

…

At last, it was the night before the SATs.

Before bed, Oliver double-checked that he had his exam admission ticket. His bags were packed, too.

If everything went according to plan, he'd be on a flight to Amiton the day after tomorrow. He would finally be able to leave this nightmare behind for good.

But just as he was about to get into bed, his phone started buzzing nonstop. The class group chat was blowing up.

"Holy shit, did you guys hear? Mason's threatening to jump off a building!"

"What? Seriously?"

"It's real! He's up on the roof of the school's science building! People are posting pictures!"

"Wait, isn't that Sabrina in the pictures? The girl with the long hair? Is she there too?"

Oliver's face went pale.