Chapter 4

I left with my suitcase, checked into a hotel, and started applying for jobs.

Unlike Rowena and the rest of her wealthy friends, I needed a paycheck to support myself.

A week later, Rowena was discharged from the hospital. I blocked her number and decided that whatever I had once owed her, I'd repaid it.

Then, late one night, I came across an article trending online.

Someone had left poisoned bait near an office building, killing several cats. One of the photos showed an orange cat being placed inside a black plastic bag.

I hadn't even finished reading the article when someone started pounding on my hotel room door.

When I opened it, Rowena was standing in the hallway, her eyes bloodshot with rage. She shoved her phone in front of my face. The same article was on the screen.

"You did this, didn't you?"

I instinctively defended myself. "No, I didn't."

Then, her gaze dropped to the phone in my hand.

I still had the article open, and I'd accidentally enlarged the photo of the dead cat.

Rowena completely lost it.

"And you're still denying it? Were you sitting here admiring what you did? When did you become this cruel? I was wondering why you wouldn't come home. Now, I get it.

"You did something horrible and came here to hide because you knew you were guilty! You want to explain yourself? Fine. Come with me. You're going to apologize to Lucas."

Rowena grabbed me and dragged me all the way down to the underground parking lot.

One of my shoes came off along the way, leaving one foot bare. Every step across the rough concrete sent pain shooting through the sole of my foot.

By the time we reached Lucas, the skin had been scraped raw, with blood and grime ground into it.

Lucas looked up when he saw me. His face was pale, and his lips trembled.

"I know you hate me, but Rowena and I rescued that cat together. You knew how much it meant to us… Did you think that if it was gone, Rowena would come back to you?"

I didn't even get a chance to explain before Amelia and Rowena's friends started laying into me.

They all insisted Rowena needed to teach me a lesson. If she let me get away with something like this, there was no telling who I might hurt next.

Rowena's expression hardened. She opened the door to a storage room at the end of the hall and shoved me inside. My knees slammed against the marble floor, sending a sharp burst of pain through them.

"Come out when you're ready to admit what you did."

Lucas' voice came through the door. "Rowena, don't be mad. He just made a mistake…"

"Rowena, listen to me. Just let it go," Elena said with a sigh.

Amelia laughed. "Don't give him anything to eat, Rowena. Maybe that'll finally teach him a lesson."

Anthony spoke next, sounding completely unconcerned. "Lucas is way too nice. He's still defending Hansel after everything he did. If it were me, I'd have called the cops already."

One of Rowena's friends immediately agreed. "Rowena, forget about him. A man that cruel isn't worth everything you've done for him."

Then, Rowena's icy voice came from the other side of the door. "Don't worry. I'm not letting him out until the wedding."

I curled up in the corner, listening as they took turns accusing me.

Around midnight, the hospital called.

"Mr. Bowen, your mother's condition has taken a turn for the worse. Please come as soon as possible."

My mind went completely blank. When I finally snapped back to my senses, I threw myself against the door.

"Rowena! My mom's dying! Open the door!"

Her tone immediately hardened. "You're certainly getting better at putting on an act. You'd even lie about your own mother dying just to get out. She called me last week. She said she was getting discharged and wanted to come to the wedding."

I froze.

It was true that Mom called Rowena last week.

"No, that's not it! The hospital just told me she's—"

Lucas interrupted, his tone laced with sympathy. "Rowena, maybe you should let him out. If he's desperate enough to make up something like this, I almost feel sorry for him."

Rowena scoffed. "After the wedding tomorrow, I'll go with him to the hospital myself to pay her a visit."

I kept pounding on the door, desperate for someone to listen, but their footsteps faded farther into the distance.

Then, my phone rang once more.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Bowen."

The grief hit so hard that my mind simply shut down.

Through the haze, I could almost see Mom standing by the window, waving at me. She was wearing the new outfit she'd had specially made for the wedding, with her favorite rose pinned to her chest.

She'd said she wanted to see me get married with her own eyes. She'd told me Rowena was poised, gracious, and kind.

A woman like her was hard to find, and Mom had been certain that if I married her, I'd have a happy marriage for the rest of my life.

I couldn't hold back my tears anymore.

"Mom, I'm coming."

…

Early the next morning, Rowena opened the door with my wedding suit in her arms.

"Hansel, stop sleeping. It's time to get married."

I didn't answer.

She frowned and unlocked the door. In the next second, however, she dropped the suit and rushed to the window.