Chapter 3

He choked me, and my face flushed crimson.

Intense suffocation washed over me, but I didn't resist. Instead, I closed my eyes, waiting for my fate to be sealed.

Seeing me like this, Liam violently shoved me onto the table.

Gasping for air, I leaned against the table, coughing.

Then, Liam opened the three bottles of champagne and set them before me. "Drink."

Just as I picked up a bottle, preparing to chug it, a dull ache in my abdomen made my hand freeze in mid-air.

The smell of alcohol brought a fine sweat to my forehead.

In my current condition, I couldn't drink alcohol at all.

"Anya, what are you playing at? Drink it, now!"

Chloe Hayes also got up, wrapping her arms around Liam's waist, constantly whining. "Liam, darling, don't get angry over someone not worth it."

She rubbed her soft chest against Liam, then stood on tiptoes and kissed him passionately in front of me.

After a long moment, Liam held Chloe Hayes and tossed his car keys to me. "Forget it, don't drink. Drive us home."

I could only obey.

In the car, they made no effort to be discreet.

Even with the partition raised, I could still clearly hear the sounds from the back.

"Baby, you're so beautiful tonight."

"I love you so much."

"Will you marry me?"

I felt a little distant. Liam used to whisper those exact same sweet nothings to me.

When I was nineteen, Liam and I took our first taste of forbidden fruit.

He promised me then that he would marry me, love me forever.

Now, Liam repeated those words to countless pure, lovely women.

He wouldn't even let me keep those once-beautiful memories.

In the rearview mirror, their entangled bodies reflected back.

"I forgot to grab the condoms earlier. Go find a drugstore and buy me some morning-after pills."

Hearing this, Chloe Hayes pouted, "Liam, darling, don't you want to have a baby with me?"

"Baby, I want to take things step-by-step with you – dating, engagement, marriage, then kids."

As he spoke, Liam tried to catch my expression in the rearview mirror, but I had already opened the car door and was heading towards the drugstore.

Inside the drugstore, my body trembled, and I frantically searched for painkillers.

Everything in front of me blurred, large beads of sweat formed on my forehead, and the excruciating abdominal pain made me collapse to the floor.

The pharmacist, seeing my distress, quickly came over to help me up.

"Pain… painkillers, fast-acting, anything…"

The pharmacist quickly found some fast-acting painkillers. I snatched them, swallowed them dry, and gasped for breath.

A few minutes later, I, clutching the morning-after pills, paid and thanked the pharmacist, then hurried back.

My steps halted as I reached the car.

The car was rocking. Clearly, the two inside were at it again, seemingly tireless.

When I had gotten out earlier, I'd heard their words clearly.

Every single word was like a sharp knife, piercing my chest, slicing through my heart, an icy, bone-chilling pain spreading through my entire body.

Even the abdominal pain felt insignificant now.

In the past, he'd found women, but he'd never offered a marriage promise.

Now, he did. And it was to my own sister.

The evening breeze was cool. I stood outside the car, not getting in until the rocking stopped. Only then did I open the door and hand the pills to Liam.

As I got out, I accidentally dropped the painkillers I'd just bought. I quickly picked them up, clutching them tightly, terrified Liam would notice.

"What medicine are you taking?"

Liam noticed the bottle was completely different from the morning-after pills and frowned, asking.

"Cold medicine."

I tucked the bottle into my pocket.

Liam's gaze lingered on my pocket.

Just then, Chloe Hayes let out an ill-timed sneeze, drawing Liam's attention. "Right, bad weeds never die. What kind of illness could *you* possibly have…"

Outside the mansion, Liam took off his jacket, draped it over Chloe Hayes, and said softly, "Be careful, don't catch a cold."

Chloe Hayes linked her arm through Liam's, her voice sweet and soft. "Let's go inside, quickly."

Liam turned to me. "Remember, you still owe me. It's not over yet."