Chapter 2

That night, Zoran gently caressed the ugly scar on my chest, his eyes filled with tenderness and sorrow.

"Aria, there's a secret I want to tell you in ten days," he said softly.

Had he grown tired of his game? Was he finally ready to come clean? Or perhaps he was preparing to deliver the final, fatal blow?

"Alright," I replied nonchalantly.

It didn't matter anyway. In ten days, I'd be long gone.

The next day, Zoran asked me to accompany him to a party.

I didn't want to go. My face was still covered in red spots from an allergic reaction that hadn't fully subsided.

But Zoran insisted, saying that all the attendees were his friends and they wouldn't mind.

Feigning ignorance, I asked, "Didn't you say you had no family or friends in Chicago?"

A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes before he quickly explained.

"I left home when I got sick. I didn't want to burden my family and friends..."

"You saved me, so of course I want to introduce you to them."

What a pathetic lie.

Thinking back, it all made sense. He had claimed to be alone and helpless, barely scraping by with odd jobs at construction sites.

Yet every day he came home, his clothes were immaculate. Even in the sweltering summer heat, he never had a hint of sweat on him, always maintaining a fresh and clean appearance.

The signs had been there all along. I had just been too blinded by love to see them.

Despite my reluctance, Zoran dragged me into a private room at the hotel.A room full of men and women, all strangers except for Haven.

Seeing Haven, Zoran was somewhat surprised, almost instinctively letting go of my hand.

Haven walked towards me with a smile, "Aria, long time no see."

Noticing my pale complexion and allergic skin, a hint of sly amusement flashed in her eyes.

"Seeing you so weak, I'm afraid you won't be able to participate in next week's design competition."

I replied truthfully, "I've already registered."

Haven's expression changed, her eyes turning red with jealousy and hatred.

Haven and I were once close friends who grew up together in the orphanage.

When she was ten, she was adopted by a wealthy family.

Two years ago, the director of the orphanage fell seriously ill and urgently needed surgery.

With no other choice, I sought out Haven, begging her to lend me money for the sake of the director who had raised her.

By then, Haven had long been the adopted daughter of a prominent Chicago family, and the cost of the surgery was merely a day's pocket money for her.

But not only did she refuse me, she also threw me out.

With nowhere else to turn, I signed up for that year's design competition.

Later, I beat Haven and won first place, using the prize money to pay for the director's surgery.However, I didn't expect Haven to harbor such resentment towards me because of this incident.

Haven stormed off in anger, and Zoran naturally abandoned me to chase after her.

The people present, seeing that Zoran had left, all cast contemptuous glances at me.

"That thing on her face isn't contagious, is it?"

"Is it syphilis? How disgusting!"

"Seeing her is going to give me nightmares tonight!"

The malicious mockery was endless.

Perhaps this was also an elaborate scheme designed by Zoran.

All to utterly humiliate me.

But I, now heartless, could no longer feel pain.

I went to the restroom, planning to go home alone.

But I was stopped by Haven, who had returned.

"Haven, yesterday you put seafood in my soup, what do you want today?"

Haven was stunned, "You already knew? My brother thought he had you completely fooled."

She smiled smugly, "But I haven't gone by White for a long time now, my last name is Lane."

Actually, when I found out Zoran was the son of Chicago's wealthiest family, I had guessed their relationship.

Ivy was indeed the adopted daughter of the Carlisle family, and Zoran was her brother.

But I still couldn't understand why she hated me so much.

"Ivy, weren't we once best friends?""Ivy!" I spat, glaring at her with contempt in my eyes. "Who do you think you are? You're not worthy of being my friend!"

With a wave of her hand, two men entered the bathroom, sporting malicious grins.

The moment I recognized them, my artificial heart trembled with fear.

Why them?

They were the thugs who had cornered me in the alley years ago.

"Aria, I won't let you participate in this design competition," Ivy said as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

The two men leered at me, their eyes roving up and down my body.

"Her figure's even better than two years ago."

"Zoran said to have our way with her, just don't kill her."

At that moment, everything became clear.

Even our initial meeting and his heroic rescue had been part of Zoran's elaborate trap.

Still weak from my condition, I was no match for these two men.

They pinned me against the sink, tearing at my clothes.