Chapter 2

Shawn and I met in college. At the time, my parents had suddenly passed away after an accident, and I'd fainted by the track. He was the one who'd carried me for half an hour under the scorching sun to get to the infirmary.

I'd lost my family and didn't have many friends, so I followed him around like a lost puppy for three years. Everyone knew I liked him, including himself. He'd never responded to my feelings, though.

But on the day of our graduation, he'd suddenly come to me and pinned me to the wall. His voice was seductive as he said, "I agree to be your boyfriend, Lulu."

I'd thrown my arms around him without hesitation. As he kissed me, he said, "Let's get married tomorrow. I'll be your family from now on. I'll care for you on your parents' behalf."

…

I'd naively fallen for his promise. It had trapped me for two years. Despite him giving me the cold shoulder and having multiple affairs during that period, I would forgive him as long as he coaxed me a little.

I would numbly defend my family and my shaky marriage. But everything changed when I coincidentally heard him bragging to his friends about me.

"The woman my Uncle Cameron desperately longs for is licking my boots. I want to laugh whenever I see her try so hard to win me over. I would never have gotten together with someone as poor and plain as her, if not for the fact that I know Uncle Cameron likes her," he said.

His friends had laughed and jeered. "Man, you've got to seriously hate your uncle to do something like this. You're getting on his nerves at the cost of your own sanity!"

Shawn had looked at them and sneered. "I'm taking away everything he wants. I would rather destroy the things he covets than let him have them."

I no longer remembered the details of that day. All I knew was that I didn't cry. My heart had already been stabbed countless times over the past two years, and the remnants of my love for him had seeped out of the wounds, leaving me empty.

I was pulled out of my reverie when Cameron gave me a video call. He was only four years older than Shawn; he leaned against the door leading to his lounge.

From this angle, I could see a bra sticking out from underneath his pillow. It was pink, which looked particularly amorous against his black sheets.

It was the color Shawn hated most, yet I'd worn it when getting into Cameron's bed. I asked, "Why is my underwear in your lounge?"

Cameron's hair was slicked back with gel, and his broad shoulders held up his suit nicely. A few strands of his fringe fell into his eyes, and his voice was sexy as hell as he said, "I've had it with me this whole time. I've been using it to satisfy my desires during my business trip."

His words were blunt and explicit. Despite this fling having gone on for six months, I still couldn't help blushing.

He was known as an ice god at Alden College; all the female students there considered him the manliest of men. At the time, Shawn was all I could see, so I'd been disdainful of their outrageous praise of Cameron.

It was only after I'd ended up in bed with him that I realized he wasn't icy at all. He was most definitely manly, though.

"I want to kiss you. I want to see you right now," he said.

He was five years older than me and had been doing his master's when I was a freshman.

"You were interested in my shirt stays, right? I have it on now. You're the only one who can see what it's like."

His words made my throat itch. He could easily turn me on and seduce me.

…

I went to Cameron's company, which produced films. He had made a name for himself in the entertainment industry.

I didn't hide my presence from anyone as I headed straight to his office. There was a faint smell of gardenias in the air—I'd casually mentioned that I liked the smell the last time I saw him. I didn't expect him to take it to heart.

As I pondered this, a fiery body plastered itself to me from behind. Cameron buried his face against my neck and sniffed me.

"You wouldn't have come to me if I hadn't texted you, would you?" he asked, his chest vibrating as he spoke.