Chapter 3

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Jeremy’s sleeping face. There was stubble on his chin.

He was always giving me hope while hurting me over Bailey.

I was hanging on by a thread, but I kept holding onto it.

An unknown number called me. I answered the call. After a short silence, I heard a gentle male voice.

“Hello, is this Ms. Anderson? I’m calling from Cloud Rehabilitation Center, and we’ve received your inquiry. When will you be checking in?”

His familiar tone reminded me of an ex that I had dumped.

While I was deep in thought, Jeremy woke up. He looked at me with teary eyes.

“You’re finally awake! You’ve been unconscious for the past two days.

“Don’t you know if something happens to you… I’ll join you in the afterlife?”

Anyone would be touched by those words.

In the past, I would have been touched as well. Instead, I only found it ironic.

He carefully put a band-aid on the back of my hand where the IV needle was. He was extremely gentle, just like he was in the past.

His secretary came into the ward and whispered a few sentences in his ear. Jeremy’s expression instantly changed.

“Bailey ran into some issues. I have to help her. Take care of yourself. I’ll pick you up in a few days.”

He left hurriedly. He did not notice that something had fallen out of his pocket.

It was the red ruby that his mother left him. He had been planning to give it to his future wife.

There was an unfinished name engraved on it. It was Bailey’s name.

When I was discharged, Jeremy did not show up. He did not even call me.

I went back to the mansion. I planned to pack my stuff and move out.

I heard voices from the master bedroom.

Through the ajar door, I started to shudder when I saw the scene inside the bedroom.

Jeremy was unclothed, and Bailey was crying beneath him.

They heard me.

Jeremy put on his bathrobe and leaned against the doorframe casually. There were hickies on his neck.

“You’re back. Great, I don’t have to go out of my way to teach you a lesson.”

“What?”

I was confused. Jeremy impatiently said, “I have no time to deal with your act. You’re the one who sent someone to find Bailey at her university, right?

“You’re bullying her because of what I did to you at the bar last time.

“Charlotte, when have you turned into such a terrible person?

“She’s on a lot of medication in order to donate her kidney to you. I really didn’t expect you to pull such a disgusting act.”

I immediately denied it. However, he threw a hard disk at me.

“The evidence is concrete, why are you still denying it? Look at it yourself.”

I plugged the hard disk in and saw that it was surveillance footage.

A few men were circling Bailey and harassing her.

One of them was pushing her as he claimed that I was the one who paid them to do that and take revenge on Bailey.

“I was unconscious the whole time after the bar incident. I only woke up on the day of Bailey’s harassment.

“You were by my side all along, and you only left on that day itself. How could I have possibly had the time to make such an arrangement?”

It was such a glaring loophole. Someone as smart as Jeremy would be able to see through that.

I did not look guilty at all, so Jeremy began to waver.

“Even though I’m poor, I still have my pride. I won’t let anyone humiliate me like this.

“Jeremy, only you’ll be able to help me.”

Bailey sobbed pitifully, and it was easy to sympathize with her.

Jeremy immediately walked toward her. He hugged her and patted her back in comfort.

Then, he turned around to scold me.

“No matter what the truth is, I don’t intend to see a repeat of this.

“Bailey’s in shock. I have to take care of her. You don’t have to come back here for a while. She’ll be triggered when she sees you.”

He did not trust me after seven years together.

The clock on the wall struck three. It was the last day of my bet with Bailey.

It was also the date that Jeremy had planned to propose to me.