When my family’s company went bankrupt, I agreed to my ex-boyfriend’s terms. I performed for him, mimicking the girls in the kinds of videos men watch when they're alone, all to please him. Shame warred with a desperate sense of relief. Tomorrow, the investment would come through, and my father wouldn't have to go to prison. After the third time, applause echoed from the other side of the bedroom mirror. “Did you hear those noises Eliza just made? I could feel it through the glass.” The hair on my arms stood on end. Behind me, Hugh Vance let out a low groan as he finished. “When you get nervous, you clench up,” he murmured against my ear. “I have to admit, it’s a nice bonus.” The humiliation was a physical weight, crushing me. He spoke again, his voice casual and indifferent. “The funds will be transferred to your father’s company in a month.” I whipped my head around in panic. “A month? You promised it would be a week!” A month would be too late. The company would be liquidated by then. Hugh pulled on his pants, completely unconcerned. “I used the liquid capital to buy Isabelle a little something. A national-treasure-grade sapphire. A girl needs a proper welcome-home gift, after all.” He expected me to get jealous, to scream, to make a scene. But this time, I was just tired. … “You’re going out like that?” Hugh raised an eyebrow at my naked body, then glanced pointedly at the one-way mirror. I knew what he meant. He was reminding me that his friends were still out there. But they had already watched a far more intimate performance. What was there left for me to hide? I started walking numbly toward the door. Hugh grabbed my arm. “Have you no shame?” I turned and looked at him, my voice flat. “Have you ever given me any?” He was speechless. We both knew the truth, didn't we? We met when I was seventeen. A car crash had left him with a slight limp in his right leg, twisting his personality into something dark and volatile. He craved chaos, creating scandals just to feel like he was loved. I found him after he’d run away from home yet again. He was a cornered animal, lashing out at anyone who got too close. But I’ve always been a little slow on the uptake. I saw his face and just wanted to be near him. I became the one person in his life he couldn’t scare away. He’d whisper about wanting a simple life, and I, who’d never done a chore in my life, learned to cook and clean, desperate to build that fantasy for him. But in the five years we were together, he broke up with me nineteen times. Every single time, it was because Isabelle was coming back to town. Even now, knowing that my family faced prison if we didn't get an immediate cash infusion, he didn't care. A bitter sting filled my eyes. “How much was the sapphire?” I asked. He thought for a moment. “Thirty million.” Thirty million. My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise, the pain so sharp it was hard to breathe. Thirty million was the exact amount that could save my family. Five years with him, and I was worth less than a welcome-home gift for Isabelle. Hugh was a man of his word. If he said one month, not even my death would change his mind. I didn't argue anymore. I walked straight to the door and opened it. I came face-to-face with the men who had been watching us. They looked at me, their expressions a mixture of awkwardness and amusement. One of them finally spoke. “All done in there, Eliza?” The group erupted in laughter. Hugh threw a vase from inside the suite. It shattered against the doorframe, silencing them. Shards of porcelain flew through the air. I didn't flinch, and a piece sliced open my leg. Blood trickled down my skin, but I felt nothing. Hugh’s eyes locked onto the wound on my leg, then drifted down to his own uneven feet. After a long pause, he stepped out and began dressing me in front of everyone. “I said a month, not never. Who are you putting on this little show for, hmm?” He fastened the last button on my shirt and patted my chest, satisfied. I took a long, hard look at the man I had loved so obsessively for five years. I always thought that if I was just a little more obedient, a little sweeter, Hugh would see my worth. They say the highest form of love is to feel another’s pain. But all I ever saw in his eyes was a naked desire to drag me down into hell with him. The moment I stepped out of that room, all the strength drained from my body. My legs trembled uncontrollably. As tears began to fall, I heard their cheerful banter start up again inside. Someone asked Hugh, “The Sterling family’s collapse was definitely a setup. They’ll be completely liquidated in a month. Hugh, are you really not going to step in?” Hugh’s voice was cool and distant. “Of course, I set the whole thing up. Isabelle cried when she found out I’d been sleeping with Eliza for years. She felt wronged. This was just to… make her feel better.” “Aren’t you afraid she’ll actually leave you for good this time?” At that, Hugh laughed out loud. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve known her for eight years, dated her for five. When have I ever called her that she hasn’t come running?” “Honestly, if she could actually manage to fall for someone else, I’d almost be impressed.” I leaned against the door, biting down hard on the back of my hand to stifle the sound trying to escape my throat. My family’s bankruptcy, the impending liquidation… Hugh did it. All because Isabelle cried and he wanted to make her happy. The fresh cut on my leg scabbed over, sticking to my clothes, only to be torn open again with every step. I thought of my mother’s tear-swollen eyes, my father’s hair that had turned white overnight. I slapped myself, hard, again and again. “You’re a curse,” I whispered. “You fell in love with him and you ruined them.” I had never imagined that my own love could cost my family everything. But the Vances practically owned this city. A single word from Hugh could decide the fate of a dozen companies. If he wanted to appease Isabelle, no one in the entire city would dare to help us. I stood on the edge of the river, staring down at the dark, churning water, the thought of throwing myself in a terrifying comfort. But I couldn’t. If I died, what would happen to my parents? “Wait. Isabelle.” Her name hit me like a jolt. I had known her even before Hugh did. At a charity auction years ago, she was working as a waitress. I saw some fifty-year-old sleaze with yellow teeth corner her, trying to kiss her. I stepped in and got him to back off. At the time, I was in a fight with Hugh, jealous over something trivial. He didn't comfort me. Instead, he’d smirked, as if to spite me. “Look at Miss Sterling, playing the hero. You, the waitress,” he’d called out. “From now on, I’ll pay for your tuition.” I never thought that moment would be the beginning of this twisted triangle. I don’t know when Hugh fell for her. He paid for her education, hired expensive tutors, and sent her to the most prestigious art school abroad. To ensure she wouldn't be looked down on by the other students, he bought out an entire season of a luxury brand and had it shipped to her. Whenever Isabelle was coming home for the holidays, I always knew in advance. Because Hugh would break up with me first. “Isabelle is innocent,” he once told me. “She would never be the other woman.” She couldn’t be the other woman. So, while she was here, he had to get rid of me. I rushed to the club where they were holding Isabelle’s welcome-home party. Security blocked my way. “I’m sorry, Miss Sterling. Mr. Vance has given strict orders that Miss Isabelle is not to be disturbed.” This was a place we used to come to all the time, surrounded by people from our circle. But now that my family was ruined, no one would do me any favors. The cold wind cut through my thin clothes. The cut on my leg throbbed, and my lips trembled from the pain. “Let her in.” I looked up. Hugh was standing at the entrance, looking down at me. A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face before it hardened again. “Who are you trying to look pathetic for? Don’t you know how weak your body is?” He was right. I’ve had a poor immune system since I was a child. A cold wind like this would give me a high fever for days. During the best times of our relationship, he would hold me tight, terrified of me getting even slightly sick. I lowered my head. “I want to talk to Isabelle.” Hugh’s brow furrowed, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “You never change, do you, Eliza?” He was afraid I would cause a scene with Isabelle. I had a history, after all. When I first found out she was calling Hugh in the middle of the night, claiming to be scared of thunderstorms, I went to her university with a megaphone. I stood under her dorm window and broadcasted a recording of her breathless, whimpering voice. As the entire dorm buzzed with rumors of Isabelle being a homewrecker, Hugh’s limousine pulled up. His bodyguards pushed through the crowd of students. I went to take his arm, to stake my claim. “You’re my boyfriend,” I said, “not some stray she can lure away.” Hugh gave me an icy glare and, in front of everyone, lifted a weeping Isabelle into his arms and carried her to the car. “Look at yourself,” he snarled. “You’re acting like a common shrew from the streets.” He left me there to be laughed at by everyone. After that, Isabelle moved into the Vance mansion. And he locked me in a small room in that same house to “reflect” on my actions. For every day Isabelle refused to leave her room, I was kept locked up. He brought her meals. I got nothing. Not a sip of water, not a grain of rice. He spent a week comforting her before she finally agreed to go outside. Then, worried she would hear more gossip, he made a multi-million-dollar donation to a foreign university to get her accepted immediately. I shook my head, forcing a smile that was uglier than a grimace. “I just want to explain to her that we’ve already broken up.” The disbelief on his face was still a bitter pill to swallow. I admit, I still loved him. I knew how deeply insecure he was about his leg, and I had never, ever made him feel small because of it. I was always so careful, terrified that a single word or expression would hurt him. But I never imagined he could be this merciless. To set up my family’s ruin just to appease Isabelle. It wasn't that I didn't love him anymore. I was just too afraid to. Once the floodgates of my grief opened, I couldn't stop them. Tears streamed down my face. Hugh’s fingers twitched. “If you want to talk, then talk. Why are you crying…” He was about to reach out and wipe my tears away when a figure emerged from the club. I hadn't seen Isabelle since she'd left the country. Now, she stood there in a couture gown, her face perfectly made up, adorned with exclusive jewelry. She radiated an aura of wealth and privilege. She looked less like the timid waitress I’d saved and more like the kind of pampered heiress I used to be. “Why did you come out?” Hugh took off his suit jacket and draped it gently over her bare shoulders, his voice soft. She looked up at him, the corners of her eyes turning red. Hugh immediately bent down, his voice a panicked, soothing murmur. “What is it? Who upset my Isabelle?” Isabelle finally broke into a tearful smile, playfully punching his chest. “I heard Eliza was here, so I came out to see.” “Now you’ve seen her. Are you satisfied?” He was asking Isabelle, but his eyes were on me. I guessed she was satisfied. The girl who had once saved her at a charity gala was now standing before her, clothes stained with blood, hair matted to her face. I was a complete and utter wreck. How could she not be satisfied? I wanted to scream at them, but I didn't dare. If I angered Isabelle, my family wouldn't even have a week before they were wiped off the map. I forced a placating smile. “Isabelle. It’s been a long time.” She was much more composed than I was. “Eliza. You didn’t have to come all this way. I’ve already forgiven you.” I looked up at her. Forgiven me? For broadcasting her manipulative whispers for all to hear? Or for being with Hugh in the first place? I couldn’t tell. I just stared at her, stunned. Suddenly, Hugh’s voice turned sharp. “Isabelle has forgiven you. Shouldn’t you apologize?” The pain was like a knife to the heart. I fought to keep the tears from falling. The words "I'm sorry" felt like poison on my tongue. I bit down so hard I tasted blood before I could finally force them out. “I… I’m sorry…” Hugh’s gaze shifted from me. He took out a black credit card and placed it in Isabelle’s hand. “There’s thirty million on this. It’s your decision whether she gets it or not.” My eyes lit up. If I got that money, the company would be saved. My family would be saved. I looked at Isabelle with pleading eyes, but I saw her fingers slowly close around the card. She pouted prettily. “Eliza made me move to another country, and I had to be away from you for three whole years, Hugh. I don’t want to just give it to her like this.” Hugh chuckled and gently tapped her nose with his finger. “Whatever you want.” Panic seized me. My family was desperate for this money. We had already sold the house, the cars. We were living in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, constantly harassed by debt collectors. My mother’s weak heart was failing under the stress. She was wasting away, a shadow of her former self. My father had called in every favor he had, but because of the Vances’ influence, no one dared to lend us a penny. This was my last hope. I begged her. “Isabelle, I was wrong. Punish me however you want. Just please, help me.” Isabelle tapped her chin thoughtfully, then her expression turned playful. “Alright. If you kneel and say you’re sorry, I’ll give you the card. How about that?” Her sweet, singsong voice carried a weight that threatened to shatter me. “Three words for thirty million. It’s a good deal.” Hugh remained silent, standing beside her like a silent guardian, endorsing her every action. “You don’t want to…?” she said with a disappointed sigh, making a show of putting the card in her purse. I panicked. A raw, primal fear I had never felt before. “I’ll do it!” Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. Her eyes curved into crescents as she tilted her chin up slightly, waiting. I glanced at the impassive Hugh, and then my knees slowly began to bend. It was just kneeling, but it felt like I was being executed a thousand times over. Thud. My knees hit the cold, hard pavement. I knelt there, drained of all strength, my fingernails digging so deep into my palms that my hands trembled. “I’m sorry…” Isabelle beamed, then stamped her foot playfully. “Oh, Eliza! I was just kidding! You actually knelt.” I didn’t move. I just stayed there, kneeling before them. “Well…” Isabelle sighed dramatically and tossed the card on the ground in front of me. I reached for it, and tears fell, one by one, onto the gleaming black plastic. My family was saved. Hugh Vance, I will never love you again. I got to my feet and whispered, “Thank you.” Hugh’s face darkened. He pulled his arm from Isabelle’s grasp and went back inside. “Hugh…” she called after him, but he didn’t turn around. Frustrated, she shot me a glare. “Are you still here?” I turned and left. Behind me, Isabelle stewed for a moment before one of her friends from her study abroad program came out. “Isabelle, so it’s true! You really are Hugh Vance’s girlfriend! His family is incredibly powerful in this city.” Isabelle’s foul mood vanished instantly. She lifted her chin proudly. “I told you, didn’t I?” The friend was excited, but then a thought occurred to her. “But that girl just now… she seemed to have a history with him. You just gave her thirty million? Isn’t that letting her off too easy?” Isabelle’s eyes darkened, but a cruel smile played on her lips. “Who said I gave it to her for free? I’ve already had someone send her father a little video from today.” “What video?” Isabelle just smiled. “Oh, nothing. Just a little clip of Eliza… performing… at Hugh’s place earlier.” I left the club and rushed home. With the crisis averted, I wanted to tell my father the good news as soon as possible. He wouldn’t have to worry anymore. Once the debts were paid, I would move to a new city with my parents and start over. As for Hugh Vance, we were finished. The apartment complex we were renting in was old and run-down. There were no streetlights. The dark staircase was normally terrifying. But tonight, for the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of peace. Dad, Mom, I’m about to pay for my sins. A dim yellow light was on in a seventh-floor apartment. I saw a silhouette moving and recognized my father. I waved my arms frantically. “Dad! I got the money! I’m back!” I shouted, wanting him to share my relief. But my father didn't respond. He just stood on the balcony, looking down at me. I was confused. I pulled out the black card and waved it joyfully. “Dad, look! The money!” He moved. He climbed over the railing and jumped. A strangled scream tore from my throat. The seventh floor! It was the seventh floor! “DAD!” A falling body looks like a leaf, floating gently down. But it hits the ground with the force of a thunderclap.
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