Chapter 3

Although I had long suspected that Carter would spend his wedding night with Serenity, when that thought was confirmed, my heart still ached in waves, and my throat felt so tight I couldn't speak.

After hanging up the phone, I stared blankly at the beautifully decorated room.

Carter and I had known each other since college.

At a school concert, he had his roommate find out my contact information and clumsily pursued me for four years.

Later, I happened to become famous, turning into a singer with millions of fans, while he secured a spot at a research institute with his top grades in the entire school.

Then, a whirlwind of a girl named Serenity arrived at the research institute.

Carter, who had always been steady and dependable, suddenly became obsessed with extreme sports and high-risk activities like wilderness trekking.

I worried about him having an accident every day, until that one cave exploration when they encountered unknown toxic fumes in an undeveloped area.

The fumes were poisonous, and they didn't have enough oxygen masks for everyone. When Carter mentioned that one of the girls in the team wasn't wearing clothes, I didn't think much of it. I assumed that in a life-or-death situation, the girl had taken off her clothes to use as a mask, which seemed understandable given the circumstances.

No matter how I called the police or sought help from the fire department, their response was always the same: there was no emergency. They even threatened to arrest me if I kept making false reports.

Desperate, I abandoned my half-finished concert and drove off alone, my only thought to rescue Carter as quickly as possible.

That risky rescue attempt cost me my singing career. It left me with horrific burn scars on my face and multiple injuries that damaged my body's functions.

The phone rang again. It wasn't Carter.

"Miss Winters, I've got the information you asked me to look into. The police and fire department responded multiple times that day, but found no emergency. Instead, they saw... they saw Carter and Serenity having sex in a cave. Carter warned the cops to mind their own business... Here are the border crossing records and photos from that time."

Though the photos were censored, I'd recognize Carter's silhouette even if he were turned to ash.

The voice on the phone continued, "Moreover, the toxic gas samples the police collected were analyzed by the research institute, and Carter himself signed the report. Give us a few more days to investigate. We currently suspect that Carter and Serenity deliberately released the gas, and the research institute is intentionally covering it up."

Heart sinking deeper and deeper, my face was a mixture of smiles and tears.

Indeed, that cave was a popular spot for hikers. How could it be that there was poison gas only when they went? How could they enter easily but not exit?

How did I end up with such severe burns while they escaped unscathed?

All evidence pointed to one conclusion: Carter had planted the poison himself.

It was just because he never intended to come back for my birthday celebration that day, and made up a clumsy excuse about being trapped.

He simply underestimated my love for him, never expecting I'd rush in to save him, disregarding the danger.

Memories overlapped with reality as Carter's concerned face appeared before me.

He held me gently, softly patting my back.

"Melody, why are you crying like this? Did you have a nightmare?"

He was always so confident, thinking his every flimsy excuse would make me believe him without question, assuming I'd trust whatever he said.