Chapter 2

That night, I stood on the Brooklyn Bridge and called him, pretending to sob uncontrollably.

"Oh, uncle, I am heartbroken."

Hearing the wind howling through the phone, he asked anxiously.

"Ava. Where are you?"

"My heart is broken, I am going to end it all. I am going to jump."

"Slow down, be a good girl, Ava. Tell me where you are, and I will be there right away. We will talk this through, okay. If anyone dared to bully you, I would not let them get away with it."

"I am at the Brooklyn Bridge. Please come get me, it is so cold."

He was terrified. He insisted that I stay on the line and not hang up. Only fifteen minutes later, he arrived to pick me up, bringing a coat to keep me warm. I smiled secretly to myself.

Perfect. The plan was going exactly as expected. Now for the final step that would decide everything.

"I want a beer. I am so sad, Uncle. There is no way to sew this painful heart back together."

His brows furrowed, and his face looked at me with such sorrow. I felt a little guilty, but it did not matter.

"Ava, you are not old enough to drink."

Hearing that, I immediately started throwing a tantrum.

"No, I want to drink. If you won't let me, I will just call my friends and go with them." As I spoke, I pretended to take out my phone.

He immediately took the phone from my hand and lowered his voice.

"Alright, alright. I will take you to get a drink. But your parents won't like this." He hesitated as he spoke.

I knew it. He could never refuse my requests. It had always been that way.

"Then let's go to your place. I will only have one bottle, and then you can take me home. Just fruit beer, uncle, it is very light."

He finally gave in to my wish.

"Fine, let's go."

---

He bought me exactly one bottle of fruit beer and would not let me have more. I forced him to drink with me, so I bought a few more bottles. After arriving at his house, I waited for him to go to the bathroom and then sprinkled a white powder into his glass.

The corners of my mouth curled into a wicked smirk. You must be mine.

My plan went off without a hitch. He toasted with me, and after drinking for half an hour, just as he was about to take me home, he slumped over the table and fell fast asleep.

Haha. I dragged him onto the bed, cut my finger, and let a few drops of bright red blood fall onto the crisp white bedsheet.

Done. You officially belong to me.

---

The next morning.

As soon as I saw his eyes fluttering open, I began to wail loudly.

"I'm holding you responsible. You took my first time."

I pretended to be terrified, adding a few tears to complete my perfect performance.

Despite the fake crying, I kept my eyes slightly open to observe his reaction. I saw him sit up, clutching his head with his brows knitted in pain. I started thrashing around again.

"Oh no. It's September now, and my birthday isn't until November. That means I won't be eighteen for another two months. Does that mean you have to go to jail?"

Hearing this, he jerked his head toward me. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if he could not trust what he was seeing. He looked panicked. It was a pity, but I did not care.

"I'm holding you responsible. You have to take responsibility."

His eyes scanned me and then looked down at the bedsheet, where he saw a dark red stain. He jumped in fright and stammered.

"Ava. What is the meaning of this?"

Seeing his panicked expression made me very happy, but I had to keep up the act.

"What else could it be. Are you planning to run away from your responsibility? Yesterday, you suddenly grabbed me, kissed me, and then. You even said you loved me."

I saw him freeze up. He looked so pathetic. I truly felt sorry for him.

I continued to throw my tantrum, ignoring him.

He remained dazed for about five minutes before turning to stare at me. I kept up my loud sobbing and shouting.

Ignoring my noise, he suddenly stood up, walked over to the table, and picked up his glass to examine it.

"Where are you going. I can't believe you are that kind of person. I am going to tell my father."

After looking at the glass, he turned to me and asked.

"Ava, did you give me a sleeping pill?"

It felt as though he had pierced right through my secret. I flinched and swallowed hard, nervously trying to cover my tracks.

"What are you talking about. It was clear that yesterday you held me."

He looked at my panicked state and shook his head with a laugh.

"Ava, I have been by your side since you were a little girl. Do you really think I wouldn't recognize who you are?"

I clutched the blanket tightly, my face turning pale. I unconsciously bit my lip.

"Ava, this joke isn't funny at all. You are still wearing your clothes. The bedsheets are still smooth. And besides, don't you know. If a man takes sleeping pills, he can't exactly perform."

Feeling completely exposed, I was mortified. My mind went blank. I wanted to say something to cover it up, but I couldn't think of anything. The smile on his face grew wider, and I suddenly felt incredibly angry.

"Fine. I set the whole thing up. But my love for you is real. I love you so much. So, so much. Don't you know that?"

I screamed out unconsciously, and before I knew it, hot tears were streaming down my face. I buried my face in the blanket and cried. These were the honest words from the depths of my heart.

Seeing me like that, he stopped laughing and hurried to my side to wipe away my tears.

"I only did it because I love you. I truly, truly do."

"Ava." He suddenly raised his voice.

I looked up at him and saw his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with a deep sadness.

"You are still young. You don't understand what love is yet."

"Shut up," I shouted angrily, cutting him off.

It was always the same. He always acted like the adult who knew everything. I was not a child anymore. I was fully aware that my feelings for him were real. Why did he keep treating it like a joke?

"My love for you is real. It is not a joke."

Crash.

The door was suddenly thrown open with great force. I jerked my head toward the entrance.

It was my father.

Haha, he underestimated this child. Of course, I had a backup plan. Last night, I took a photo of us and then used his phone to send it to his mother and his fiancée. That way, he would never be able to marry anyone else.

To make sure, I had messaged my father early this morning. Even though I knew this was extreme, once this was over, he would definitely be mine.

Uncle. I am sorry, I had to do it. Because I love you so much.

After witnessing the scene in the room, my father was furious. I had never seen him so angry.

"Wait, it's not what you think."

Of course, my father did not care for his explanation. He immediately stepped forward and landed a powerful punch on his face.

"What have you done to my daughter?"

Seeing him get hit until one side of his face was swollen, I was terrified. I immediately ran to stop my father.

"Dad, don't hit him. Just make him take responsibility for me."

"Ava Martin." He suddenly screamed, making me jump in shock.