Chapter 4

I woke up the next morning in another hotel room.

My phone was flooded with missed calls and unread messages—from Ryan, from his parents.

And from some gossip-hungry relatives.

I didn't reply to a single one, blocking all of Ryan's contacts directly.

Then, I called my lawyer friend.

"Hey, Jessica, can you draft a divorce agreement for me?"

Jessica was silent for a few seconds, then erupted with incredible energy:

"Holy crap! Chloe, you finally came to your senses? Is that dog Ryan messing around with his 'best friend' again? I knew there was something fishy between them! Hang on, I'll send you the most badass divorce agreement ever, I promise he'll walk away with absolutely nothing!"

After hanging up, I felt a huge weight lift from my chest.

Divorce was the only way out.

I didn't want any more entanglement with those two.

In the afternoon, I went back to "our" bridal suite to collect my belongings.

The apartment was empty.

But by the entryway, Blair’s black leather gloves were still lying there, as if staking her claim.

I put on disposable gloves, picked up the gloves with distaste, and tossed them straight into the trash.

While packing my personal items, I discovered a locked drawer in Ryan’s study.

I’d never paid attention to it before, but now, the locked drawer seemed exceptionally suspicious.

I found tools and, without a moment’s hesitation, pried the lock open.

Inside, there were no love letters or ambiguous gifts as I might have imagined.

Only an old USB drive and a small velvet box.

I opened the box. Inside was a unique men's earring, set with a black diamond.

It looked familiar.

I suddenly remembered that Blair had an identical piercing in her right earlobe, though she rarely wore earrings.

A bad feeling crept into my heart.

I plugged the USB drive into my laptop.

There was only one video file on it, the filename a string of dates.

I clicked play.

The footage was a bit shaky, like it was secretly recorded.

The background seemed to be a university art studio. Ryan and Blair were both in it, looking much younger than they did now.

In the video, Blair held a utility knife, pressing it against her wrist, her eyes wild and obsessive.

"Ryan, you promised me! You'd always listen to me! Are you going back on your word for Chloe now?"

Ryan was on his knees, sobbing and begging her:

"Blair, don't do this, I'm scared… I truly like Chloe, can't we just be normal friends?"

"Normal friends?"

Blair sneered.

"I’ve done so much for you, and now you call us normal friends? Have you forgotten who helped you fake depression to stay when your parents wanted to send you abroad? Have you forgotten who knelt before the dean when you were disciplined by the school? Ryan, you are my dog! If I tell you to go east, do you dare to go west?"

She lightly grazed her wrist with the knife tip, creating a shallow cut that bled faintly.

Ryan completely broke down. He was begging profusely, head almost hitting the floor.

"I wouldn’t dare! Blair, I’ll never dare again! I'll do anything you want, just put the knife down!"

Blair looked at him, a satisfied, even cruel smile spreading across her face.

She tossed the knife aside, cupped Ryan’s face, and commanded him like a queen:

"Remember, your body, your mind, everything about you is mine. Without my permission, you cannot touch any woman. Your body will become dependent on me, like a drug. Without me, you're just useless."

She finished, then took out the black diamond earring from her pocket and personally put it in Ryan’s left ear.

"This is your brand, your 'lock.' From now on, only I can 'unlock' you."

The video ended there, abruptly.

I sat on the chair, completely chilled to the bone.

So, this was the truth.

This wasn't simple infidelity, nor some trashy love triangle drama.

This was a years-long, twisted, horrifying case of psychological control and mental abuse.

Ryan didn't love Blair; he feared her. He had been completely molded into a puppet with no will of his own.

And I? I was nothing more than an innocent casualty in their sick game.

A tool used to test Ryan's loyalty.

I suddenly felt nauseous.

I closed the laptop, put the USB drive and the earring away.

These would be the most powerful pieces of evidence I could present in court.

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