“The video initially only circulated within The Lynch Group’s internal network,” Holly said, “but later it leaked outside, so…”
“It’s okay,” I said softly. “Actually, you and Patrick know what kind of person I used to be. You both just wanted to be good to me, and you’ve idealized me in your minds… But in the end, I’m just a shameless and despicable person.”
“Laura!”
“I don’t want to defend myself. I should have broken up with Patrick a long time ago!” I buried my face in my hands. “But I couldn’t accept it. I thought I could fight against fate, but my actions ended up hurting others and myself.”
After confirming multiple times that I was mentally stable enough to stay alone at home, Holly sighed and left. She had too many things to deal with. Besides the magazine, she also had to continue intercepting that video for me.
That video could ruin my reputation.
After she left, I fell into a deeper chaos. My world had never been so dark before. I stood dazed in the room, closed my eyes, and suddenly a voice popped into my head, “Kill him!”
I was startled.
Kill who? Cameron?
I involuntarily walked into the kitchen, grabbed a fruit knife, its blade gleaming with cold light. But in that moment, I caught sight of the crabs still in the trash can, waiting to be disposed of.
The knife fell to the ground with a clang, as if cutting a gash in my heart.
I squatted down, holding my head, crying uncontrollably.
At that moment, I lost all sense of time. I lay on the bed like a dying person, until Patrick came knocking on the door, bringing me back to reality.
He looked worn-out outside the door, but I could no longer find the warmth in his eyes.
“Why are you avoiding me?” he asked coldly. “What have you been doing these past few days?”
I remained silent.
He grabbed my shoulders. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”
I had never seen Patrick like this before, his eyes bloodshot, yelling at me.
“Laura… what did I do wrong?”
“No, Patrick…” My heart was torn apart. “It’s me who betrayed you… I shouldn’t have dragged you into this.”
He took out the passport and threw it on the ground, laughing bitterly. “Just a few days ago, I thought I was the happiest man in the world. I thought I was about to spend the rest of my life with the woman I loved, but I never imagined…”
“Laura, I know about you and Cameron. I’ve told you from the beginning of our relationship that I don’t care about your past… But why did you do this to me?”
I was stunned. “Patrick, what do you mean?”
“What I’m saying isn’t clear enough?” Disappointment was written all over his face.
He showed me the video, and to my surprise, the date on it was two weeks ago!
“You tell me, what is this date? Laura, what I care about is not that you slept with Cameron once upon a time, but that you actually slept with him while we were dating!”
“What do you take me for? And what do you take yourself for?” he exclaimed, unable to contain his anger.
I felt shocked, overwhelmed, and shouted, “It’s not like that! Patrick, listen to me… The date on this video is wrong! I hadn’t started dating you yet… That day was my first day at The Lynch Group, just after returning to the country…”
“First day at work?” He looked at me, incredulous. “You couldn’t wait to be with Cameron even on your first day?”
“No…”
I couldn’t argue.
I knew this would only make things worse.
The date might have been altered, but that wasn’t important. What mattered was that the video existed.
My affair with Cameron was laid bare in front of him, regardless of whether I was his girlfriend at the time. Any normal man would probably find it unacceptable.
I pushed him away with a bitter smile.
“Patrick, let’s break up.” Tears dripped from my eyes onto my lips, tasting salty. “I don’t deserve you.”…
The next day, I dragged two large suitcases out of the rental house. It was the house Patrick had found for me, but now that we were done, it should go back to its rightful owner.
While moving out, I also threw away all the garbage, including many uneaten crabs.
Reflecting on the time I spent with Patrick, I felt I had gone too far. I had even eaten crabs in the house he rented for me… So, ending up like this today was entirely my own fault.
I temporarily moved to Holly’s house. It seems that my depression has relapsed, and I need medication to control it. Without medication, I feel dizzy and weak, with cold sweats all over my body.
I rested for a few days, not going out to look for work because I couldn’t work in my current state. But staying at home all day wasn’t a solution either.
I took antidepressants one after another. While others could sleep a whole day with just one sleeping pill, I took ten and slept for less than three hours, always waking up from nightmares. There was always a face haunting me in my dreams. Past memories, good or bad, turned into a wall in my dreams, encircling me, suffocating me.
I woke up screaming, only to realize that I was calling Cameron’s name.
After another morning waking up in a cold sweat, I decided to kill him. I couldn’t let him continue to control my life, to continue hurting me.
I packed a fruit knife into my bag and went to The Lynch Group building. I told the receptionist that I wanted to see Cameron.
Many people at The Lynch Group knew me, and there were whispers in the lobby. “So she really had an affair with Mr. Lynch!”
“I didn’t realize she was so flirtatious when we worked together…”
“I heard she even served the elder son of The Lynch Family.”
“Tsk tsk…”
I kept my head down, pretending not to hear their gossip.
Cameron came down, looking exceptionally stylish in a light gray suit. He glanced at me, his thin lips moved slightly, and he said expressionlessly, “What’s the matter?”
“Can we talk upstairs?” I looked up at him.
“I want to find a quiet place to talk to you alone.”
I probably looked pitiful. Before coming, I had dressed carefully, wearing a white long dress with a light gray cardigan. Cameron had said before that he liked me dressed like this the most.
I caught a fleeting trace of pity in his eyes.
He looked at me for a long time and said softly, “Follow me upstairs.”
We went to his office. It was set up much the same as before, except there was a wedding photo of him and Queenie in the bookcase behind his desk.
I felt a sudden stab of pain in my heart.
“What’s the matter, then?” He poured me a glass of water and sat cross-legged on the sofa. “I have a meeting soon. You only have fifteen minutes.”
“Okay, that’s enough.”
Fifteen minutes is enough, and stabbing him only takes fifteen seconds.
“What do you want to say?”
I smiled and sat down slowly next to him. “I’m just here to congratulate you. Whoever you’re trying to push around, that person is definitely not going to live …”
He smirked. “I knew you came for that. Do you think I leaked the video?”
“It doesn’t matter who leaked it,” I said. “What matters is that you achieved your goal. You’ve let the whole world know that I’m your plaything. If I dare to resist, you’ll ruin me.”
“Laura…”
“The first matter is settled,” I reached into my bag.
My gaze locked onto him. “Now for the second matter… If you don’t give me a way out, I’ll drag you down with me!”
I pulled out the knife suddenly and lunged at him with all my strength.
Cameron was only a dozen centimeters away from me, and he couldn’t react in time. The tip of the knife plunged into his body, staining his light gray suit with blood.
I didn’t know how much force I used.
I probably vented all the hatred in my heart.
I could even hear the sound of his bones breaking.
Tears streamed down my face. I screamed, and plunged the knife in and out… At that moment, I felt like a demon, my hands completely out of control. All I could hear was the terrifying voice echoing in my ears: Kill him, kill him…
“I’ll kill you!” I roared.
Those few stabs were quick and precise, not even lasting fifteen seconds.
Cameron fell into a pool of blood.
His face was pale, blood gushing from the wound. He became a bloody figure, his eyes filled with horror, staring at me.