Chapter 2 Betrayal

Not far away, she saw the woman's black lace underwear intertwined suggestively with a pair of bright red boxers.

She wouldn't be naïve enough to think this was some kind of strip show between a man and a woman.

The clothes were strewn about so chaotically and intimately that just looking at them made her blush, further fueling her imagination of the intense passion that had erupted here.

The sounds coming from inside the room were clear, as if to confirm her worst fears. Each moan, louder than the last, made it impossible for her to pretend she didn't understand.

"Amos, Amos... ah..." The woman's voice, laced with desire, called out sweetly.

The response was a series of deep, heavy breaths.

Chloe's face turned deathly pale. She bit her lip hard, her vision blurring as her trembling hands gripped the phone tightly.

How absurd. She had been waiting for him since 5 PM, anxious and restless, not even drinking a sip of tea just to be ready for him.

She struggled to move her feet forward, refusing to believe that the man would treat her this way.

Grabbing onto her sleeve, no matter how humiliated she felt, Chloe was not one to retreat. Carefully stepping over the scattered clothes on the floor, each step felt like a dagger to her heart, as if she wasn't treading on the floor but on her own soul.

The sounds in the room grew more intense, and she could clearly smell the suffocating stench of lust in the air, making her want to vomit.

She forced herself to hold back, slowly raising her head. In the center of the room, on a large double bed, a man and woman were entangled.

The man's broad, strong back was facing her, obscuring his face, while the woman's flushed face and vivid red lips moved sensuously. Bold and seductive, she arched a brow and met Chloe's gaze.

The woman wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she raised her voice, a smug smile playing on her lips, her eyes filled with mockery.

The man finally collapsed like a deflated balloon.

In that instant, Chloe felt dizzy, her mind going blank as if she were about to suffocate and die.

That face—she knew it all too well. She had seen it since she was born, for over twenty years. She would recognize it even if it turned to ashes.

Flora Miler! Her younger sister!

It's really her! She didn't mishear! Chloe fought back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Her tall frame trembled uncontrollably. She used all her strength to grip the phone, as if it was the only thing keeping her upright, her back straight.

But the phone slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a soft "thud."

Amos noticed something and slightly lifted himself, turning his face to the side.

Chloe realized Amos was about to turn around, and suddenly, she panicked. She wanted to run! She didn't want to see that face, didn't want to believe that the man with her sister was him...

But it was too late... Before she could take a single step, that familiar face appeared before her eyes.

That face was just as stunningly handsome as the first time she had seen it.

But now, that face filled her with dread.

His sweat-soaked bangs clung to his forehead, his eyes still hazy with the remnants of passion.

When his eyes met Chloe's, his brows furrowed slightly as if in pain. He rubbed his forehead, looking at the woman beneath him with confusion in his eyes.

Chloe couldn't stay a moment longer. The strength that had been drained from her body suddenly returned.

She forgot to pick up the phone from the floor and turned to flee as if escaping a monstrous beast.

***

The bustling night scene of the city and the intoxicating music seemed to fade away into nothingness. Chloe's world had turned completely blank.

All she could think about was running away, desperately trying to escape... escape...

Beep beep—

Honk honk—

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Get the fuck outta here!"

Cars screeched to a halt as Chloe recklessly dashed across the street, causing a chorus of angry shouts and the sound of tires skidding.

But she couldn't hear the outside world at all, and all she could think about was her deceased father's wishes before he died.

"Chloe, a man doesn't have to be wealthy; as long as he has a sincere heart, that's enough. You must always beware of those men who are beasts in human clothing. Don't be fooled by their sweet words and handsome appearances..."

After her father's death, she had treated his advice as his last will.

Three years! Amos had pursued her relentlessly for three years. No matter how cold or even cruel she was to him, he seemed unaffected, always meeting her icy demeanor with a warm smile.

For three years, she had guarded her heart, never wavering.

The man believed in the adage that sincerity could move even the hardest of hearts, convinced that even if Chloe was as cold as stone, she would eventually warm up to him.

And so, it wasn't until she graduated from university that his sincerity moved her, and she cautiously handed over her heart.

For someone like her, who was so careful and unwilling to take a leap easily, once she committed, she did so with all her heart and soul.

That's why, when she saw her closest sister and the man who had sworn to love her for a lifetime tangled together, her fragile heart shattered instantly.

He had said, "Chloe, you are my moon, and I am the stars that twinkle around you. Each one represents my true heart."

But just three months after she had finally offered him her warm heart, he had trampled on it, leaving it bloodied and broken.

"Liar... liar..." She covered her face, tears seeping through her pale fingers.

"This is your first heartfelt gift to me. I'll treasure it and keep it close always."

"Haha..." Chloe laughed and cried like a madwoman.

—It was all bullshit lies!

"Chloe, tomorrow, I'll give you a Valentine's Day you'll never forget. Trust me!"

Indeed, of all the countless things he had said, perhaps only that one sentence was true.

It was definitely a different Valentine's Day, one she would likely never forget, one that would be etched into her bones and soul.

"Dad..." She collapsed by the fountain, calling out desperately, "I was wrong, so wrong... It hurts so much... so much..."

It was because she hadn't heeded her father's teachings that she was now experiencing this gut-wrenching, soul-crushing pain once again.

The last time she had felt such heartache was when her father had died because of her.

But this time, the pain seemed even more unbearable, leaving her gasping for breath, on the verge of suffocating...