Chapter 4

Pearle's POV

When I woke again, my entire body felt weak, and an inexplicable heat was spreading through me.

I struggled to stand, only to collapse back onto the floor. I tried to call for help, but my voice was painfully hoarse.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. I looked up hopefully.

When I saw Zachary Shaw, I frowned.

“What… are you going to do?”

The heat inside me was growing more intense. By then, I understood that I had been drugged.

Zachary Shaw stopped in front of me and looked down at me, barely containing his anger. His voice was ice-cold.

“Why did you drug Vivian? Do you hate her so much that you won’t be happy until you’ve ruined her?”

Only then did I realize he had the wrong idea. I reached out and clutched the hem of his shirt.

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t do it. I…”

“Vivian said you did it, and you’re still trying to deny it!”

I froze for several seconds. The light slowly faded from my eyes, and it took a long time before I could force out a broken whisper.

“You trust her that much?”

After a moment of silence, Zachary Shaw said in a low voice, “Vivian wouldn’t lie.”

I let go of his shirt and closed my eyes.

“Then there’s nothing left for me to say.”

Silence fell again. Then I heard his footsteps retreating.

“You can stay here tonight and wait for the drug to wear off. Whatever you did to Vivian, I’ll do to you.”

As the door closed, my eyes flew open, and I began panting uncontrollably.

My body felt worse by the second, but now I couldn’t risk going outside.

If I did, whatever happened next would be beyond my control.

Clinging to the last of my willpower, I found a fruit knife in the room.

I thought that if it became unbearable, I could stab myself.

But just then, I heard the door open, and an obese man walked in.

His leering gaze roamed over my body as he drew closer.

“I can’t believe Mr. Shaw arranged such a beauty for me tonight!”

For an instant, I felt as though I’d been struck by lightning. My ears rang.

I had never imagined that Zachary Shaw would send someone to violate me just to punish me on Vivian Sullivan’s behalf.

A clammy, revolting touch landed on my arm, and his fleshy face loomed into view.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up.

I swung my arm, slashing the knife across his hand.

The man fell to the floor in agony, clutching his hand.

As I stared at the severed finger on the floor and listened to his screams, my thoughts slowly began to clear.

Bracing myself against a nearby table, I struggled to my feet. My eyes began to redden.

I had accepted that Zachary Shaw no longer loved me. I had even accepted the way he protected Vivian Sullivan.

But I had never imagined he could be this cruel to me.

After we got together, he would get angry if another man so much as gave me a second glance.

I still remembered the last gala hosted by his company, when a man who didn’t know who I was had harassed me.

That very night, Zachary Shaw had sent people to beat him up.

But now, Zachary Shaw was the one who had drugged me. He was also the one who had sent a man to violate me.

The memories were like poisoned needles, piercing my already frozen heart one by one.

I raised the knife and drove it hard into my thigh.

Blood spattered across my cheeks and neck.

But it wasn’t enough. I plunged the knife into my other thigh.

The searing pain cleared my head.

I didn’t dare stay in that room any longer.

What if Zachary Shaw had sent more than one man…? I couldn’t bear to think about it.

Dragging my bleeding legs, I left the room.

When I reached the hotel lobby, everyone around me recoiled in shock.

Zachary Shaw turned around in confusion, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Looking at me collapsed on the floor, he sounded frantic.

“What happened? You…”

As though something had dawned on him, his face went deathly pale.

“You stabbed yourself to fight the drug? Why would you do that? I wasn’t going to…”

“Let go of me! I don’t want you! Get away!”

I desperately crawled toward a bystander.

I forced myself to stay conscious until I was lifted into the ambulance. Only then did I pass out.