Chapter 3The Cold Companion

His pupils contracted, a flash of regret in his eyes. Just as he reached out to touch the red mark on my cheek, Nina's grandmother stormed into the room.

She swung her cane, striking my hand with a crack that felt like bone breaking.

"You're the homewrecker! You're the one who came between my granddaughter and her man! How dare you bully them! Get out! Get out of my house!"

Griffin quickly pulled the old woman away. "Grandma, you've misunderstood. She's… she's the new maid I hired for you. To take care of you."

He coaxed and lied until he managed to get her out of the room. Then he came back and helped me gather the photo scraps.

"Willow, I know this is unfair to you. But they're family to me. If I let people walk all over them, how can I expect anyone else to respect them? Please, try to understand."

I said nothing, just continued collecting the pieces. "I'll be moved out by tomorrow. I won't get in the way of your happy reunion anymore."

He frowned, wanting to explain, but Nina called for him. In the end, he said nothing at all.

That evening, I was jolted awake by a rustling sound from the living room. My eyes blinked open to see two familiar silhouettes. It was the two stalker fans who had been the most aggressive. I don't know how, but they had figured out the code to my door and gotten inside.

They were walking straight towards the balcony where I was sleeping.

A jolt of pure terror shot through me. I grabbed a flowerpot and the stand it was on, hurling them at the intruders, and scrambled towards the spare bedroom. They were right behind me.

My hands trembled as I pounded on Griffin's bedroom door. "Griffin! Someone broke in! It's them! Open the door!"

I heard movement inside, the sound of someone getting out of bed. He was coming to open the door.

But then, I heard Nina's voice, laced with fear. "Griffin, I'm scared. What if they hurt us?"

Griffin's footsteps stopped.

I didn't have time to question why they were in the same room. Tears streamed down my face as I pushed desperately against the door.

Two blades flashed into my vision before the men themselves. In that instant, my legs went weak, and I nearly collapsed. My voice was a choked sob.

"They have knives! They have knives, Griffin, please, open the door! Please!"

Footsteps approached the door again. I thought I was safe.

But the next sound I heard was the click of the lock engaging.

I froze.

Griffin's heavy voice came from the other side. "Willow, they like you. They won't actually hurt you. But I can't take both of them on by myself. I can't risk Nina's safety. Just stall them for a bit. I'm calling the police right now. Don't be scared!"

I stared at the door in utter disbelief.

"You bastard! Griffin!"

Before I could say more, they grabbed me, yanking me forward. A cold blade pressed against my throat. The metallic tang of blood filled the air. One of them grabbed my hand, sniffing it, his hot, damp breath on my ear.

"Got you."

A wave of revulsion washed over me. I don't know where the strength came from, but I slammed my head back, ignoring the searing pain as the knife sliced my neck, and ran like a madwoman back to the balcony.

They closed in on me, step by step.

My heart pounding, I made a split-second decision and leaped from the two-meter-high balcony.

Dragging my bleeding leg, I scrambled away until the police found me and I finally collapsed.

The next time I woke up, I was in a hospital room.

Griffin was by my side, his eyes red, clutching the hand with the IV drip. "You scared me to death! How could you just jump like that?"

Before, seeing him so emotional, so worried about me, would have made me ecstatic. But now I knew. It was only because his true cure had returned that he felt generous enough to sprinkle a little bit of that concern on me.

The cut on my neck throbbed. The memory of him abandoning me was seared into my brain. I pulled my hand away, my face a mask of indifference.

"You must be disappointed I wasn't taken, aren't you?"

He flinched. Before he could speak, Nina burst into the room, covered in the stench of rotten eggs and vegetable scraps, her face bruised with handprints.

"Willow! I only took your spot because you were injured! Why would you tell your fans I hired those stalkers to hurt you? I swear I didn't!"