It was the first year of Gabriel Anderson and Serena Lynch's "business marriage." Gabriel had jumped from a third-story balcony, breaking his leg just to prove a point. Clutching his parents' hands, he'd hissed through the pain, "I will only ever love Chloe Shaw. No one else." Meanwhile, Serena, my supposed best friend, spent the entire night crying with me. "Don't worry, Chloe," she whispered, never leaving my side. "Once we take control of our family companies, I'll give him back to you. I'll keep an eye on him for you—I won't let him hurt you." Everyone said I was the luckiest girl alive. I had a boyfriend who would die for me and a best friend who treated me like a sister. But that was five years ago. Now, in the fifth year of their engagement, I stood in our living room and handed Gabriel Serena's positive pregnancy test. "We're done," I said. Gabriel didn't flinch. He let out a dry, mocking laugh. "Serena is my fiancée, Chloe. Isn't it normal for her to be pregnant?" Before I could react, he grabbed my hand and snapped my ring finger. I gasped in agony as he ripped the engagement ring off and tossed it into the trash. "Stop using these pathetic 'breakup' stunts to get my attention," he sneered. "It's getting old." I looked down at my hand, trembling as I pulled it away from his grip. The pain was blinding, but I didn't scream. For five years, I had screamed. I had cried until my throat was raw. Yet all my pain did was fuel the fire between him and Serena. Every tear I shed only drew them closer together. I looked up, my voice steadier than I expected. "Gabriel, you told me to wait. I waited five years for... this." "I'm done wasting my life on you. It's over." He didn't even look at me. He walked casually into the living room and saw my packed suitcases. Leaning back against the sofa, he gave me a look of pure derision. "Quite the performance. But let's be real—everything in those bags was bought with my money. It's a bit tacky to take them, don't you think?" He tilted his head, his eyes cold. "Be honest, Chloe. Can you even survive a day without me?" He was certain I'd stay. He was used to me folding, used to me accepting his excuses. He always claimed he "owed" Serena. He acted as if keeping her in our lives was some great sacrifice on her part. And so, time after time, he lowered his bottom line for her. "Serena is only doing this 'fake' engagement so we can be together," he used to say. "She's giving up her best years for us. We can't be cruel to her." But that "kindness" turned into passionate hugs, then gentle kisses, and eventually, her in his bed. Whenever I found the photos—the ones that felt like a serrated knife to my chest—he would come crawling back. Once, he even knelt at my feet, pressing a blade to his own stomach until he bled. "I just wanted to show her what it felt like to be loved, Chloe. I was just compensating her. I swear, it's the last time. Please, don't think I'm dirty." I believed him. I let his blood stain my dress and I forgave him. But then came the videos. Each one worse than the last. I had reached my limit. I had fought him, hit him, and even sent him to the hospital once in a fit of rage. I had said "it's over" a thousand times. And over those five years, his reaction had shifted from desperate terror to cold indifference. I walked to the suitcase, opened it, and pulled out only my passport and legal documents. "Your things? You can keep them. I don't want a single reminder of you." I looked him dead in the eye. "And Gabriel? There isn't a person on this earth I can't live without. Especially not you."
Gabriel's smug grin vanished instantly. Just then, the front door swung open. Gabriel's cold expression shifted in a heartbeat as he deliberately shoved past me, his shoulder slamming into mine. He rushed to the door to catch Serena Lynch. "Serena? What are you doing here?" His voice was thick with worry. "This place is a mess—be careful, you might get hurt." Serena reached out, looking like she wanted to help me, but she stumbled. Gabriel caught her hand immediately. They stood there, fingers interlaced right in front of me, their matching engagement rings on full display. When Serena noticed me staring, she pulled her hand away with a practiced look of panic. "Today was my prenatal checkup... I'm so sorry, Chloe. Did I interrupt? I'll tell Gabe to come see you after we're finished today." Gabriel grabbed her hand back and kissed her knuckles. "Why are you even explaining yourself to her? She's like a rabid dog lately, biting anyone who gets close. I don't even want to see her face. Let her rot here." His gaze flicked to me out of the corner of his eye. Seeing no reaction from me, he slammed the door and walked away. My broken finger was still throbbing with a dull, rhythmic ache. I grabbed my documents and headed to the hospital. As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I saw them again. Gabriel—a man so obsessed with cleanliness he used to avoid public benches—was kneeling on the floor, gently massaging Serena's calves. He looked like he was handling a priceless artifact. I had no desire to watch. I turned toward the orthopedic wing, but Serena was waiting for me in the hallway. When she saw me, a flicker of hesitation crossed her face, quickly replaced by a look of firm resolve. "Chloe," she started, blocking my path. "I think it's best if you don't see Gabe while I'm pregnant. The baby needs his father's full attention. You love Gabe so much. I'm sure you wouldn't want anything to happen to his child, right?" Then, she pulled out a thick stack of cash. In front of the crowded hallway, she shoved the money into my arms. "Take this. Consider it... compensation." She didn't lower her voice. I felt the weight of a dozen judgmental stares. I even heard someone whisper "mistress" under their breath. Serena flinched at the murmurs, lowering her voice to a theatrical whisper. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for them to hear." She grabbed my hand, just like she used to in college when she wanted a favor. "Please... just stay away from Gabe for a while. The baby needs a father." In the middle of the crowd's insults, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face. "Serena, aren't you tired of playing the victim? You stole him. Just enjoy the prize and shut up." Heavy footsteps thundered behind me. Serena collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down her face instantly. "Chloe, I'm sorry! I said the wrong thing!" Gabriel rushed over, hauling her up. When he looked at me, his eyes were filled with pure loathing. "Chloe Shaw, are you a literal animal? Putting your hands on a pregnant woman? Get on your knees and apologize to Serena right now. Or I promise you—this time, I won't let you off easy."
This was the thousandth time. The thousandth time Gabriel Anderson blindly took Serena's side without a second thought. If this had been a year ago, I would have fought tooth and nail, arguing until I proved my innocence. But now? I just felt an all-consuming exhaustion. Serena knew me well. Before I could even speak, she reached out and timidly tugged on Gabriel's sleeve. "Don't talk to Chloe like that, Gabe. It was my fault... I just tripped." Predictably, her "defense" only made Gabriel's eyes turn colder. "You don't need to cover for her, Serena. We both know exactly what kind of person she is." He looked at me, his voice dropping to a threat. "Chloe, if you want to walk out of this hospital in one piece, you'd better apologize to Serena right now." I was done with the drama. I pointed to the security camera on the wall. "The truth is right there. Watch the footage yourself." I tried to step past him, but a hand suddenly clamped onto the back of my head. Gabriel yanked my hair back with such force that I was forced to look him in the eyes. "You think you can just hurt Serena and walk away?" he hissed. Serena's tears started flowing instantly. "Gabe, stop! What are you doing? I told you, I fell! Let her go!" My scalp felt like it was being torn open. I winced, but Gabriel—the same man who used to panic if I so much as got a paper cut—looked at me with nothing but disgust. "Stop acting," he mocked. "You aren't a pampered princess like Serena. You expect me to believe this actually hurts?" I struggled to break his grip, but he moved faster, slamming his foot into the back of my knee. I hit the floor hard. "Apologize." Looking up at his face, I felt a strange sense of vertigo. I remembered him at eighteen—wild, reckless, and in trouble. I had taken a literal knife for him back then. He had held me, his eyes bloodshot and his voice breaking, promising that he would never let anyone hurt me again. And now, every bit of pain I felt came directly from him. I closed my eyes and took a jagged breath. "I will not apologize for something I didn't do." "Gabe, please, just let it go..." Serena sobbed, trying to help me up, but Gabriel pulled her back behind him. Then came the slap. He didn't hold back. The force of it sent my head snapping to the side. The hallway went silent. Serena stopped crying, her eyes wide with shock as she lunged forward to shield me. "Gabe! Stop it!" Gabriel ignored her struggle and pulled her into a protective embrace. He glanced at the red, swelling mark on my face without a shred of remorse. "I'm warning you for the last time," he said. "We owe Serena for the mess this relationship has caused her. If you're angry, take it out on me. But if you touch her again, I will make you pay for it a thousand times over." I forced myself up from the floor, my legs shaking. Then, I hauled off and slapped him back—hard. "You already gave her your body and your soul as payment, Gabriel," I spat. "What exactly do I still owe her?" He stumbled back, stunned. "Chloe Shaw!" I didn't stay for the rest of his roar. I turned and walked away. That night, I checked into a hotel, staring at the ceiling until dawn. My phone buzzed in the dark. A message from Serena: "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I had no idea Gabe would get that worked up. I scolded him for it, so please don't be mad, okay?" I didn't reply. I just turned the phone off. The next morning, I took a taxi straight to the airport. I called a senior from my university days. "Evan Carlson, I've arrived at the airport. I'll be back in Rivercliff soon." After years of being Gabriel's shadow, I was finally going back to the research project I had abandoned for him. I used to be the top of my class, a girl with a brilliant future—a future I had set on fire to keep Gabriel warm. But as I approached the boarding gate, three men in black suits blocked my path. They didn't ask questions; they forced me into a car and drove me straight to the Anderson estate. Gabriel's mother sat in the drawing room, looking down at me with practiced elegance. "Miss Shaw, I used to think you were a sensible girl," she said coldly. "But I never imagined you'd have the audacity to lay a hand on Serena. When you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences."
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