Chapter 3

The liquor at the bar was cheap, harsh stuff. It was hard to get down, and it was extremely strong.

I had barely gotten through part of the bottle when my forehead broke out in a cold sweat and my face slowly drained of color.

The stabbing pain in my stomach made me dry heave again and again.

Seeing this, the rich kids didn't dare push any further. After all, my status was no lower than theirs.

Their ringleader quickly waved his hand. "That's enough, man. You're a real one. Stop drinking."

Helen shot him a glare and pouted. "How boring."

With that, she stood up. "That's it for tonight. I'm heading out. Brett, we'll pick up the partnership talk tomorrow."

Tyler was still holding her hand, looking so wronged he might burst into tears at any second.

Fighting back the nausea, I walked over, pulled Helen out of his grip, and strode out of the bar with her.

But the moment we got home, Helen yanked her hand free and shoved me hard.

My head was already spinning. Caught off guard, I landed flat on the floor.

I couldn't hold back the churning in my stomach any longer and threw up all over the floor.

The disgust in Helen's eyes deepened. "Jordan, you're so pathetic. You actually came all the way out to find me. Have you no shame?"

As if that weren't enough to vent her anger, she grabbed the vase off the table and smashed it right against my forehead.

Blood ran down from my forehead into the corner of my eye.

I looked up, and in a daze, I thought I saw the Helen from all those years ago.

By now, my stomach had started to burn as well.

Even so, Helen just stood in front of me, watching coldly.

In the end, she simply turned and went back to the bedroom.

I barely managed to get up. I called a car to take me to the hospital and had the cut on my forehead bandaged. I didn't even go home. I fell into a deep sleep on the hospital bed.

In my dream, I saw our past again.

When we'd first gotten together, Helen loved watching those over-the-top romance dramas, the kind full of mistresses and amnesia plots.

She always insisted on dragging me into watching them with her.

And every time we finished one, she would look at me worriedly and ask, "What if one day you lose your memory too and forget me?"

I smiled and stroked her hair, "Don't worry. Even if I forget everyone else, I'll never forget you."

Helen happily burrowed her head into my arms. "Me too."

But a dream is only a dream.

And every dream ends.

The next day, Tyler cornered me outside my office building.

His eyes were full of jealousy. "You're so shameless!"

"You knew she was married and still agreed to be with her. So who's the shameless one here?" I threw the mockery right back at him.

Tyler didn't respond. The resentment and venom in his eyes were almost tangible.

Then he scoffed. "Jordan, I know the Randolph family's business is going downhill. That's why you keep clinging to Helen. You just want to chain the Watkins family to your family's sinking ship.

"But too bad. The one she loves now is me. In love, the one who isn't loved is the real other man, got it?!"

I raised an eyebrow at him. "So you came here to rub it in my face?"

Last night, I'd taken Helen away from him and ruined his fun, so today he'd come to ruin mine.

I couldn't be bothered with his nonsense and turned to leave.

Suddenly, he rushed up and grabbed my arm.

I lifted my arm, and he went straight down onto the ground.

I frowned. Was he really that much of a wimp?

Before I could say anything, he suddenly looked wronged, without a trace of his earlier aggression. "Jordan, I know you hate me, but did you really have to call me out here just to humiliate me?"

He clutched his wrist and gritted his teeth, his face stubborn.

"I don't care what you do to me. But I'm begging you, please stop making things hard for Helen. She's free. She shouldn't be sacrificed for your families' business marriage!"

He stood up and sighed, smiling bitterly as though giving in. "If it bothers you that much, I can leave your world and never show up again..."

The quick click of high heels sounded behind me.

I didn't need to turn around to know it was Helen.

No wonder Tyler had suddenly put on this act.

Those words weren't meant for me at all. They were meant for Helen.

Helen hurried up to him. Tyler acted as if he had only just noticed her. He froze for a moment, then lowered his head, his voice trembling.

"I'm sorry, Helen. I didn't mean to... I just wanted to apologize to Jordan. I didn't think he would..."

Helen said a few comforting words to him, then glared at me viciously.

"Jordan, you make me sick. Are you really that desperate to go after him?! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have money!"

She didn't give me the slightest chance to explain. She just unloaded all her anger on me.

All of a sudden, I felt a deep exhaustion.

Were all our years together really worth less than a boy she'd known for under a month?

The more Helen said, the more worked up she got. She came at me, tugging at my clothes, insisting that I apologize to Tyler.