Chapter 3

Seeing Rain's eyes turn red with distress, Declan was predictably heartbroken.

"It's okay, Rain. It's just a small accident. With me here, no one will blame you."

He helped Rain up, then looked at me with a warning in his eyes.

"You just got scalded a little. You're strong - you won't make a big deal out of this, right?"

My leg was red and still hurting. I struggled to stand up.

Rain looked at me pitifully.

"Faye, I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going. I'll punish myself to apologize."

She was about to scratch her arm with her nails.

Declan quickly grabbed her hand and looked at me with displeasure.

"Faye, Rain didn't do it on purpose. Can you stop using your status to bully people?"

Words from Mother appeared:

"Idiot! My child hasn't said a single word, and that bad girl is putting on a show herself. Why is he saying my child is bullying her? So infuriating! Baby, stand up straight! Teach him a lesson!"

At those words, I simply and decisively raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Then I looked at Declan.

"See that? That's what bullying looks like."

Rain froze.

Declan also froze, his eyes turning cold.

"Faye, you've gone too far..."

I raised my hand and slapped him hard too.

"That's what going too far looks like."

All these years, I'd devoted myself to following him and never confronted him directly.

My action shocked him completely.

Declan stared at me in disbelief, his teeth clenched.

"Fine. Very good. But you dared to hit me, so don't regret it."

"Rain, let me take you to see a doctor."

Words from Mother appeared:

"He won't check on his future wife's injury but feels sorry for another woman. Marrying someone like this is what you'd regret! My poor child, that must have hurt."

I looked down at my still-painful wound. The sourness and grievance in my heart could no longer be suppressed.

In the past, whenever I got hurt and showed even a bit of pain, Declan would be frantic with worry.

Maybe that concern was fake, but at least the company was real.

Now he turned a blind eye to my injury and even blamed me, afraid I'd make things difficult for his precious one.

What Mother said was becoming more and more real.

Even if I married him, it would just be repeating the same mistakes and suffering the same consequences.

I went to find a doctor to treat the scrapes on my hand.

Many people around me were looking in a certain direction. I looked too.

On the patio beyond a wall, I saw Rain and Declan nestled together intimately.

I heard her say softly,

"Declan, if Faye found out you're only pretending to have amnesia so we can be together openly, she'd go crazy."

Declan stroked her hair.

"So what if she knows? Everyone knows Faye's heart beats only for me. Even with my 'amnesia,' she'll still beg to marry me so I can get all the Giovani family's power."

Words from Mother appeared:

"In his dreams! My child didn't choose you this time and won't marry you. Hmph, wait until the engagement banquet when it's announced publicly. Let's see how smug you are then!"

I laughed too, though my pale face held no trace of amusement. Not wanting to hear more, I held my treated hand and prepared to leave.

Just then, terrified screams and gunshots came from outside:

"Someone's broken in! They have guns! Everyone run!"

The shouts hit the crowd like a bomb.

I instinctively ran with the panicked crowd, but an intruder grabbed me and raised a club, swinging it at me!