Chapter 2

After straightening my clothes, I returned the jacket to the park employee.

The moment I walked out of the park gates, a hand reached out and grabbed mine. Still shaken from what had happened, I panicked and yanked my hand away.

When I turned around, I saw Suzanna. A flash of annoyance crossed her face.

"What is wrong with you now?

"Why can't you be more like Elliot? He's doing everything he can to make money for his mom's treatment. Even when he's hurting, he still smiles for the camera.

"Unlike you. You've been walking around all day with that look on your face. Who are you trying to make feel bad?"

I sniffed and swallowed hard, trying to push down the lump in my throat.

"Suzanna, I was just…"

Someone had harassed me...

However, before I could finish, Elliot stepped between us, holding up his phone.

"Suzanna, our video went viral again!

"A brand wants us to do an ad and a couples' photoshoot. They're offering us two thousand dollars!"

As he spoke, he gave me an uneasy glance.

"Shane, if you're uncomfortable with it, we don't have to do it. I mean, two thousand dollars could buy my mom the best medication available, but…"

Before he could finish, Suzanna answered without hesitation.

"I'll do it with you."

Elliot looked up at her, his eyes lighting up. They smiled at each other. Then, Suzanna suddenly remembered I was there and turned toward me.

"Shane, stop getting jealous over nothing.

"Elliot is your best friend. Can't you understand that he's desperate to make money for his mom's treatment?

"Quit acting like a spoiled kid."

I had not even said a word. My eyes burned as I lowered my head, completely defeated.

I thought about what Suzanna had promised me.

She had said, "Shane, haven't you always wanted us to make it official? When the time comes, we'll get our pictures taken together.

"Then everyone can see how handsome my boyfriend is. They'll be so jealous!"

I had looked forward to it for so long. I had even spent hours online picking out several matching outfits for us.

However, then she started complaining that I stuttered, and our announcement kept getting postponed.

Now, even the couples' photoshoot she had promised me was going to be with another man.

Bitterness rose in my throat. I was so choked up that I did not even have the strength to explain myself.

"I'm going back to the hotel to rest."

I left them with those words and took a cab back to the hotel by myself.

When I opened the door to my room, I found everything from my suitcase scattered across the floor. It looked like someone had rummaged through my luggage and simply tossed everything aside.

I rushed over to pick things up, but my foot landed on a broken perfume bottle. The shards pierced straight through my thin disposable slippers and sliced into the sole of my foot. Blood immediately spilled across the floor.

My vision went black around the edges, and I collapsed onto the floor.

I pulled out my phone to call for help, only to see a message from Elliot apologizing.

[Shane, I forgot to tell you. I was in such a rush to get out this morning that I knocked over your suitcase.]

[I'm really sorry. I'll clean everything up as soon as I get back.]

I had a bleeding disorder.

Losing so much blood so quickly made my head spin. My hands trembling, I called Elliot.

When he answered the video call, I saw an intimate scene on the screen.

Suzanna's hair was tangled around one of the buttons on Elliot's shirt, and their bodies were pressed tightly together.

"Whoa, Shane! Don't get the wrong idea. Suzanna was helping me zip up my clothes, and her hair got caught by accident."

The fitting room was tiny, and both of them had flushed faces from the heat.

"Don't move. Let me do it."

Suzanna grabbed his wandering hand and spoke breathlessly.

At some point, a faint reddish mark had appeared on her neck, looking suspiciously like a love bite.

I froze.

Before I could say anything, the video call ended.

I called again, but no one answered.

With no other choice, I dug my fingers into the floor and slowly dragged myself out of the room. I finally managed to reach a passing hotel staff member and ask for help.

By the time I left the hospital after getting my wound bandaged, it was already dark.

I limped back to the hotel.

However, just outside the entrance, I ran into Suzanna carefully helping Elliot out of a car.

The moment she saw me, she froze.

"Where have you been?"