Chapter 3

The next day, I took my suitcase and checked into a nearby hotel.

In the hotel room, I cast the surveillance footage onto the TV.

I lay on the sofa, reflecting on our past.

My marriage to Ave was purely accidental.

At the time, I had just started my business.

To be closer to the studio, I rented a place in an old community for convenience.

Then the unexpected pandemic trapped me at home.

I signed up to be a volunteer.

Ave was one of them.

We were assigned to the same group to distribute supplies.

Ave was kind-hearted and gentle.

For three months, we stayed together.

As time passed, we grew closer and eventually became a couple.

She worked as an employee at a small company.

Despite her tough work schedule, she always made meals for me when I came home.

Her meager salary was mostly sent back home to her family.

Even so, her mother, Sarah was never satisfied.

She forced Ave to send all the money to buy a house for her brother.

I felt heartbroken for Ave, seeing how hard her life had been.

I wanted to pull her out of that abyss.

So, when we got married, I gave her family two million dollars as a wedding gift.

The condition was that they would no longer interfere in Ave's life.

After marriage, I gave her fifty thousand dollars every month for living expenses, so she wouldn't have to suffer the hardships she'd endured as a child.

Her life did improve.

She often went shopping or out to parties with friends.

She even went to music festivals and concerts by herself.

I thought that with enough love and money, I could erase the shadow of her family's past.

But I never imagined that the money would make her more beautiful and sophisticated, and also lead her down a path of decadence.

At that moment, Ave appeared on the monitor.

She picked up the phone and called me.

"Daniel, where are you?"

"I took an early flight today, and I'm already at the workplace."

"Take care of yourself. I won't bother you."

She hurriedly hung up the phone and immediately called someone else.

"Hurry up, he's gone."

She really couldn't wait.

A few moments later, a person, fully covered up, entered the house.

My mind buzzed when he removed his hat and mask.

I recognized him immediately. He was James Hawke, a rapper from one of the shows my company created.

He was someone Ave had recommended to me.

Ave told me he was a rising rap star, who had performed at bars and attended many music festivals.

He had a large following on social media.

She suggested having him on the show, claiming it would boost the ratings.

At the time, I joked with her, asking if she was only pushing him because she liked him.

I never expected that one casual joke would inadvertently reveal the truth.

I turned down the volume.

Then I called my assistant, asking her to send me James' profile.