Chapter 3

Joseph hurried over, his eyes filled with concern as he gently cupped Yarra's injured hand.

"Joseph, don't be mad," Yarra said softly, her eyes brimming with tears. "Anna didn't mean to. She just can't stand how well you treat me. She's jealous."

Once, Joseph had gone out of his way to make me jealous, but now that I was truly angry, he didn't care.

"Annabelle, what are you doing? Take your anger out on me, not Yarra. She's nothing like you. She's not malicious."

I suddenly found it a bit funny.

"Are you telling me not to touch her? Fine, give me 500 thousand dollars, and I won't cause any more trouble for her."

Yarra's eyes filled with tears as she cried. "I just want to be with Joseph. What's wrong with that? You're the one who hurt him. Let me love him. Annabelle, does his love mean so little to you? I'll give you a million dollars. Please, just never hurt him again."

Youth was a wonderful thing. Yarra could express her love openly. Even when her words sounded naive, no one would mock her.

Joseph's expression softened as he gently wiped away her tears.

If none of this had happened, would we have been like this, too?

"You haven't changed at all. You still love money more than anything," he said coldly. "Tell me, Annabelle. In your entire life, have you ever truly loved anyone?"

My heart tightened at the question. I used to love him more than anyone, but the one who knew the truth is long gone.

I avoided his gaze, answering casually, "Don't change the subject. Just tell me, are you going to give me the money?"

Joseph sneered coldly. "You want money from me? After you upset my precious Yarra, you expect me to help you?"

Joseph used to be poor, but he would spend everything on me, even when he barely had enough for himself.

I looked at his face, struggling to hold back the tears in my eyes and the pain in my chest. "What do you want from me?"

"Don't you think you owe someone an apology? Is this how your mother raised you?"

I clenched my teeth, forcing myself to keep my emotions in check. "Sorry. Is that enough for you?"

"What kind of attitude is that?"

Yarra gently pulled on Joseph's arm and whispered, "It's okay, Joseph. She didn't mean it. Besides, maybe her mother never taught her how to apologize."

Joseph stroked her head and affectionately said, "No, today she has to apologize to you. As long as I'm here, no one will bully you."

Then, he tossed a card in front of me. "Kneel and apologize. When my darling is satisfied, you can take the card and leave."

Yarra nestled into his arms, looking at me smugly.

I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palm, and warm blood began trickling down my fingers.

I didn't need the money anymore.

If death was the only way out, then so be it.

The pain in my heart and body blended, and I said nothing more as I turned and left.

Behind me, I heard Yarra's sultry voice. She claimed Joseph truly loved her, and she would never treat him the way I had.

The sound of clothes tearing echoed again, and their heavy breathing seemed to press against my ear.

I stood at the door for what felt like forever until the sounds stopped, and my heart sank into a suffocating silence.

During our years apart, I had hand-made a gift for him every year on his birthday.

However, looking at those things now, I suddenly felt disgusted.

I searched through the room, trying to find everything that once belonged to me, only to realize how little there really was.

Back when we first started dating, I jokingly asked Joseph to buy me a huge mansion with a hot spring. Yet, he built exactly that for Yarra and named it Springville Manor.

He once looked at me with eyes full of passion, telling me he would give me the most beautiful jewelry in the world. Later, he bought Yarra countless pieces instead.

Half of the villa belonged to her, filled with the gifts Joseph had given her. Every dream we once had had become reality, only with a different person.

The heart-wrenching pain spread through my limbs, as though every blood vessel in my body was being gnawed at by ants. I curled up on the floor, and my mind slowly drifted back to the past.

There was a day when I was incredibly unlucky. I was scolded by my boss at work, and it started to pour heavily on my way home. By the time I finally made it back, I was drenched, and that's when I realized my period had started.

I cursed my boss while continuing to work overtime. Eventually, I began to lose consciousness.

When I woke up, I saw Joseph sitting in front of me, holding a bowl of oatmeal.

He said he had sent me a message, but I hadn't responded. Worried that something might have happened to me, he rushed over.

We were so poor back then, and it was hard to find a cab. He ran in the rain for hours to get to me.

I stared at that bowl of oatmeal, crying uncontrollably.

He ended up with a fever for three days after that.

I asked him why he was so foolish, and he looked at me seriously and said, "Anna, you are my reason for living. As long as you're okay, I can keep going."

That was just an ordinary bowl of oatmeal, but I've never eaten anything as delicious since.

"Joseph, it hurts so much. Can you make me some oatmeal?"

The scene in front of me grew increasingly blurry, and a sharp pain surged through my body. It felt as though my muscles were being twisted into a knot. Soon, I broke into a cold sweat and couldn't help but cry out in agony.

Before my consciousness faded completely, I faintly heard Joseph's voice beside me.

I thought I must have caught a fever from the rain and was just having a nightmare.

Joseph loved me so much, and I kept telling myself he could never be with someone else.

When I woke up, everything would be fine again.