Chapter 4I Refuse To Be Your Distraction

Our ugly breakup became the talk of our social circles.

A few days later, my hospital colleagues invited me out for a karaoke night to cheer me up.

As I walked past a VIP lounge down the hall, I heard my name.

"Who does Miranda think she is, slapping Hudson like that?"

"Hudson's a billionaire heir. He was just playing around with some middle-class doctor, and she actually thought she was special."

"Well, she got nothing out of it. Not a single cent of a parting gift."

I ignored them and walked into the restroom.

But as soon as I turned on the faucet, the lights suddenly went out. Everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the couch in the very lounge I had just passed.

My body was completely heavy, and I couldn't even summon the strength to make a sound.

The men standing over me were Hudson's friends.

One of them leaned over, studying my face, a sleazy grin spreading across his lips.

"Are we sure about what Lexi said? This doctor is hot as hell, but if Hudson actually cares, he'll destroy us."

Another guy snorted. "Lexi said she's just trash Hudson threw away. Don't believe me? Watch."

He pulled out his phone, dialed Hudson's number, and put it on speaker.

Hudson's impatient voice came through the line. "What?"

The background on his end was loud, filled with music and laughter. He was at a club.

"Hey, man, we're over at the Blue Night Lounge tonight. Guess who we ran into?"

"Your ex, Miranda!"

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Hudson's cold, detached voice responded. "So? What's that got to do with me?"

The guys exchanged thrilled glances.

"Well, she insisted on coming into our room to have a few drinks with us. We couldn't even stop her."

"Just wanted to check in with you first. We wouldn't dare touch your ex without your green light."

I fought with everything I had to scream, but my lips were entirely numb. My throat felt closed shut; not a single gasp of air could escape.

Then, Hudson's sneering, indifferent voice echoed through the speaker.

"Do whatever you want. What she does is none of my business."

"I've already moved on."

The line went dead.

The guy holding the phone smirked. "See? Hudson's got a new girl. She's nothing to him now."

He grabbed my hair, forcing my head back onto the leather cushions.

A cold shiver ran down my spine, and hot tears spilled over my temples.

One of the other guys hesitated. "Hey, maybe we shouldn't actually do anything. We all know Hudson's temper. He almost proposed to her. Let's not cross the line."

In the end, they didn't touch me sexually. Instead, they brutally tore open my shirt, exposing my shoulders.

One of them slapped my face hard to force me to look at the lens, while the other snapped photos and videos.

I heard the shutter clicks.

I heard the blood rushing in my ears, a roaring, desperate sound of pure helplessness and fury.

They dumped me out of a car onto the empty street in the dead of night. It was past 3:00 AM.

My coworkers probably assumed I had left early because I wasn't feeling well.

My phone was full of missed calls.

I sat on the cold curb.

Suddenly, brilliant fireworks erupted in the night sky over the city harbor.

In the midst of the glittering light, I buried my face in my hands and sobbed uncontrollably.

Glowing text began to drift across my vision again.

[That absolute trash of a male lead is literally putting on a massive firework display for Lexi right now to announce they're together. I'm sick to my stomach!]

[Lexi is already planning her next 'prank' video. She's going to use a fake number to pretend to be Hudson, begging Miranda to get back together, just to publicly humiliate her when she agrees.]

[If Miranda actually takes him back after this, she deserves what she gets.]

I stared blankly at the comments floating in the dark.

The fog in my mind cleared, replaced by a cold, sharp resolve.

You love pranks, Lexi?

Fine. Let's play.