Chapter 2

It was true that I was hopelessly in love with Tyler. He was charming, handsome, and always carried an air of gentle grace. What girl wouldn't fall for him?

But a crush was just a crush. Being able to watch him quietly from afar was enough for me.

Him asking me out? I wouldn't dare dream of it in a million years.

The next day went on like normal. I breathed a sigh of relief, mocking myself inside for taking a scammer's nonsense to heart.

Yet deep down, a tiny part of me felt secretly disappointed.

Until my walk home.

Tyler was standing right at the corner of the alleyway leading to my apartment. He held a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, smiling at me under the golden afternoon light. He looked breathtaking.

My heart leapt straight into my throat. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

It was real. Tyler was confessing his feelings to me. He said he had liked me for a long time, and only now found the courage to open up to me.

I stood frozen on the spot, unable to process what was happening.

My cheeks burned hot. The whole scene felt like a surreal dream.

Just as I reached out to take the flowers, the strange woman's voice echoed sharply in my mind: Whatever you do, do not say yes to Tyler!

My hand froze in midair.

Slowly, reluctantly, I pulled my hand back.

Tyler looked at me, a heartbroken expression washing over his face that made my chest ache.

I looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.

A cold sneer suddenly broke across Tyler's face. Without a second thought, he hurled the bouquet into a nearby trash can, turned on his heel, and walked away without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, panic hit me like a slap to the face.

Did I seriously just reject my dream guy over the rambling words of a stranger? I was going to regret this for the rest of my life!

I tossed and turned all night, completely unable to sleep.

The next day, I gathered every ounce of courage I had. I bought a massive bouquet of flowers, determined to apologize to Tyler and confess my own feelings.

I imagined a sweet, romantic scene where we finally met halfway.

Instead, as I rounded the corner near the rehearsal halls, I heard his voice discussing me.

"Damn it, that bitch Natalie. She drools all over me every single day, and now she wants to play hard to get? Who the hell does she think she is?"

"If she wasn't the Campbell family's only daughter with a trust fund and a family company, I wouldn't even look twice at that plain, boring face of hers."

"I'm only putting on this nice-guy act so I don't have to work twenty years to get rich. You think I actually want to sleep with her?"

"And she had the nerve to reject me. Ungrateful piece of trash."

Tyler's venomous voice drifted through the air. The cruel, biting words struck me like a physical blow. The flowers in my arms nearly slipped from my trembling fingers.

"Don't sweat it, man," one of his buddies chuckled. "Who cares about Natalie? Touching her would just dirty your hands!"

"Exactly. She just has a rich dad. You dating her would be charity. She really doesn't know what's good for her."

Tyler scoffed, his tone chillingly calculated.

"Give her a few days. Let her crawl back and throw herself at me. Once I get her in bed and seal the deal, I'll teach her a lesson."

"As soon as I lock her down, her family's fortune belongs to me. Then I'm taking the boys out to party every single night."

Laughter erupted from the group.

I hid behind the wall, clamping my hand over my mouth as hot tears streamed down my face. My chest tightened until it felt like my heart was being torn apart.

I couldn't breathe. My mind went blank.

Tyler. The guy I had secretly loved for three whole years was nothing more than a monster in human skin.

I threw the bouquet into the trash can. Along with the flowers went the fragile pride I had carried for so long.

My legs felt completely hollow. Like a living corpse, I stumbled forward one step at a time.

I didn't even notice the car speeding toward the pedestrian crossing behind me.

Suddenly, someone shoved me hard from behind.

Tires screeched violently against the asphalt.

Jolted back to reality, I spun around—only to see that same strange woman lying on the pavement, groaning in agony...