Chapter 5

I realized what Adam and Lindsey were planning when a huge cake suddenly appeared in front of me. The next second, I was thrown right into it. The sweet cream was smeared all over me, leaving my entire body feeling sticky.

The top of the cake crashed down, trapping me under it. The heavy cake covered the bottom half of my face, making me feel as if I was being suffocated again. The air in my lungs slowly ran out.

I closed my eyes, accepting my fate. A wave of regret washed over me when I thought about how I shouldn't have stubbornly opposed my family and moved to Gramino alone to make a name for myself.

Yet the thing I regretted the most was meeting Adam and falling madly in love with him.

Perhaps I hadn't made the wrong decision—perhaps the problem was Adam himself. Maybe he'd been a demon from the very beginning, but I had foolishly tried to turn him into an angel.

Scenes from my life rapidly flashed through my mind. I was surprised to realize that the memory I wanted to hold on to the most was when Mom and I went to have fun at the beach.

The overwhelming regret threatened to drown me. I had once fantasized about holding Adam's hand and taking him to meet Mom one day. I would then proudly tell her that he was the man I loved. I never would have imagined that my life would come to an end at the hands of my own lover one day.

No. I couldn't die yet. I still had to make Adam and Lindsey face the consequences of their actions!

I was suddenly lucid again. I slowly moved my left hand and wiped the cream off my face. Fresh air rushed into my lungs, clearing my mind in an instant.

The sounds of jeers and insults flooded back into my ears. The sky was gradually darkening. It wouldn't be long now. I just had to hold on a little longer, and I'd win. I had already lost once. I refused to lose again.

"Robin should have taken a look at herself in the mirror. Did she really think that she had an actual chance with Adam? He's way out of her league."

"Never mind the fact that she's a convict now—even three years ago, a bitch like her who's got nothing going for her but her pretty face didn't deserve to be with the great Mr. Herring."

"Adam and Lindsey are a match made in heaven. He was just fooling around with Robin for a few years, but she actually believed that he was serious."

How absurd. I couldn't believe that I had been left in the dark for so many years. It turned out that Adam and Lindsey had gotten involved with each other years ago, but I was too blind to notice what was going on.

Lindsey grabbed my collar when she noticed me poking my head out from under the cake. She looked like she was going to throw me into the cake again.

I grabbed her hand and said in a warning tone, "Don't you dare. We live in a society that's governed by the law. If I die, your life will come to an end too."

"Is that so?" Lindsey asked, looking at Adam.

Adam shrugged his shoulders with a smile. "Ms. Smith coincidentally found out about her ex's wedding right after being released from prison. Unable to handle the heartbreak, she took her own life. In that case, what does that have to do with us?"

He then asked the crowd, "Did anyone see Robin today?"

Everyone smiled and denied it.

"Huh? Did anyone see her?"

"No. In fact, we partied in Mr. Herring's house until the crack of dawn after the wedding ceremony was over. We didn't see any Robin Smith or Robin Smithsons, for that matter."

Adam snickered. "See? I was able to destroy the parking garage's surveillance footage three years ago. Now, three years later, I can still destroy the villa's surveillance footage. No one will care if a convict like you dies."

Maniacal laughter echoed all around me.

Just then, a horn blared loudly, followed by the sounds of people getting out of cars in an orderly manner.

"Stop what you're doing right now!"