Chapter 3No Regrets, Only Love

I forced my eyes open, catching only the descending numbers on the elevator. Finally, it stopped at the ground floor, remaining still. The young girl, halfway through her gossip, rushed over and helped me up. Seeing the pooling blood beneath me, her face was filled with indignation.

“What happened? Did your boyfriend just leave you like that?”

I offered a bitter smile. “You’re mistaken. He’s not my boyfriend.”

She, however, automatically interpreted it as us having a fight and breaking up. Leaning on her, I tried to make my way back to my suite, but after only two steps, I completely blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was stark white. The familiar scent of antiseptic told me I was in a hospital.

“You’re awake?”

The nurse, after confirming I was alright, began to chatter. “What’s with your emergency contact? I called him several times, and he just kept hanging up.”

“It was the young girl who brought you in who paid for your medical fees.”

I pulled out my phone and checked the call history. I understood then; Eason was truly furious. But I no longer had the heart to explain or reconcile. I was even more relieved he hadn’t answered, or my abortion would have been impossible to hide.

After a few days of quiet recovery at the hospital, I returned to the hotel to retrieve my luggage. But I was informed that Eason had already checked me out. The attendant apologetically handed me my bags, though her eyes held a hint of amusement.

As I left, the hushed whispers behind me reached my ears, word for word.

“She’s lost her favor, hasn’t she?”

“Lord Eason is already engaged. There’s no place for his… sister-in-law anymore.”

“I thought after all these years by Lord Eason’s side, she’d finally gain his affection. Who knew she’d still lose to his one true love!”

In the hotel lobby, a preview of Eason and Vivian’s engagement ceremony for tomorrow was playing. I hailed a cab as if deaf to it all, heading for the airport. The scenery outside the window blurred as the car sped away, and I leaned back, closing my eyes to rest.

The car drove for a long time, and still we hadn’t reached. I opened my eyes, sensing something was wrong. Panic rising, I glanced at the rearview mirror. The masked driver’s casual glance in my direction felt like the cold stare of a viper. Forcing myself to remain calm, I fumbled for my phone to call for help.

The masked man noticed my intention. He let out a cold laugh and slammed on the brakes. “Too late to notice now.”

He got out of the car, pressed a damp cloth over my mouth and nose, and my consciousness immediately began to fade. He snatched my phone, a mocking smile on his face. “Trying to call for help?”

“How about we make a bet? If he answers your call, I’ll let you go. If he doesn’t… hehe…”

The man used my fingerprint to unlock my phone and dialed the top contact. Sure enough, Eason didn’t answer. Then he directly hung up. On the last call, he finally picked up. I tried to scream for help, but the sound was barely a whisper.

From the other end, his voice was filled with furious rage. “Cathy! Get your identity straight! My brother is dead! To me, you are, at best, a stranger! Stop trying to cling to me!”

His roaring, deafening voice, mingled with the masked man’s mockery, pierced my eardrums and my heart.

We arrived at an abandoned factory. The masked man dragged me from the car and threw me onto the ground. A pair of high heels entered my blurry vision. Before I could even make out the woman’s face, she kicked me twice, viciously. Weakened, I saw stars.

“Cathy, you shameless hussy!”

“Eason treated you like his own sister, but you’re so vile as to try and tarnish his name!”

The familiar voice made me realize who was kicking me. That day, when I walked in on Vivian and Eason’s passionate embrace, her eyes had filled with hostility the moment she saw me. Seeing my silence, Vivian pulled out her phone and accused me.

“Did you get someone to release this photo?”

“If Eason hadn’t handled it quickly after I discovered it, you would have succeeded!”

I looked at the photo, finally understanding why Eason had said those words.