All Chapters of Love Was a Passerby: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

As usual, I tugged the brim of my cap down low and set a dozen beers on the table.The next second, Felix Skye's ice-cold hand closed around my wrist. "Avery? Avery Schotz?"The private room fell dead silent. Every pair of eyes locked onto me.I ducked my head even lower, but a moment later, someone yanked my cap right off.My face was laid bare."It really is you? Avery, why are you working in a casino?"His stare burned into me.In my memory, his face was frozen three years in the past, thrashing in the river. By the time I'd broken free of the debt collectors and jumped in after him, he'd already stopped breathing.I'd believed he was dead. Every month, I'd set aside thirty dollars to visit his grave at the cemetery.Now here he was, alive and well right in front of me, and my heart didn't so much as flutter.I poured the drinks in silence. Then my mother, Ivy Schotz, grabbed me and yanked me toward her. "You haven't come home in all these years, and this is where you've

Felix yelled, "What did I ever do to deserve this kind of torment from you? Until Riley's back to normal, don't even think about earning a single cent!"I meant to explain that I hadn't been targeting Riley.But before I could, a black van pulled up in front of me. The thugs from the underground casino climbed out and closed in on me, clubs in hand."Can't earn money, and all you do is cause trouble? All I had you do was sell drinks, and you still managed to get yourself thrown out! What, you want to go back to taking punches and sleeping with clients?"You owe the casino thirty thousand in breach-of-contract fees. Pay up now!"The color drained from my face. "I really don't have any money..."What I got in return was a storm of punches and kicks.I knew all too well how a club felt landing on my body. So why did it hurt so much more this time?When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the home I'd longed for day and night, as luxurious and cozy as ever.Suddenly, my mother's

[So Avery Schotz really is the homewrecker? She played the victim so convincingly. She totally took advantage of everyone's kindness!][And her sister was even sticking up for her. A woman with no morals like that is disgusting!]The computer screen was filled with nothing but negative comments about Avery.Felix couldn't stand to read any more. He shut the laptop and pinched the bridge of his nose.Beside him, Ivy sighed. "It's strange. She always used to be so headstrong. Why did she agree so easily to call herself the homewrecker this time?"And all for just over thirty thousand? In the past, she wouldn't have given that kind of money a second glance."Felix couldn't help wondering the same thing. But he shook his head, trying to shake off his unease. "Mom, maybe she's really learned her lesson and is willing to accept what Riley and I have."He stared blankly at the flames in the fireplace, his thoughts drifting back to three years ago.One night, while drunk, he'd mistak

The moment I knocked on Frances's door, I'd already prepared myself for the worst.All I was doing was trading my body for some money so I could give myself the most dignified ending possible.It wasn't as if it were the first time.Out of habit, I took off my coat, unbuttoned my shirt, and sat down on the luxurious bed.Frances watched from nearby with his arms crossed, clearly amused. "You sure about this?"I closed my eyes for a moment and nodded.The next second, he caught my hand and buttoned my shirt back up for me, one button at a time. "If you need money, just tell me. Don't do this again."For a moment, I was dazed. Tears suddenly spilled from my eyes. "Why are you helping me?"Frances sat down lazily beside me and chuckled. "You have a pretty bad memory, huh?"I froze, as if I'd been carried back two years.When I'd had nowhere else to turn, I walked into the underground casino alone, looking for a job to earn money.Back then, Frances had been surrounded by beauti