Chapter 6

Alyssa felt like the blood in her veins had frozen over. She couldn't believe what was happening. She wanted to reject Sebastian and retaliate, but nothing worked. He only seemed to calm down the moment they finished. Outside, the sky was gradually turning bright. Sebastian looked at Alyssa, who was skin and bones. Then, his gaze landed on the spot of crimson on the sheets. He didn't know how to feel about that. Alyssa slapped him hard. It was like a signal that her previous fantasies of love had been destroyed. Her ears were ringing, so she couldn't hear what Sebastian said. She screamed, "Fuck off!" Sebastian didn't know how he had made it out of there. The memories of last night kept replaying in his mind. After getting into his car, he called Malcolm and said, "I want you to find out which other men Alyssa knows." Malcolm was baffled. Alyssa's life had revolved around Sebastian since marrying him. How could she possibly know any other men? … Alyssa washed herself repeatedly after Sebastian left the motel. It was ridiculous and tragic that they'd only slept together this close to their divorce being finalized. Cameron arrived at 9:00 am with breakfast. He didn't notice anything amiss with her. "I forgot to tell you last night that I happen to have an empty apartment. You can move in there. It's too dangerous for you to stay alone at a motel." Alyssa shook her head. Favors owed were the hardest things to repay. She didn't want to owe anyone. Cameron had expected her to reject him. "It's going to remain empty even if you don't move in there. Besides, it's not like I won't charge you rent." "But I'll only stay there for a month at most," Alyssa said. "A month it is, then. It's better than leaving it empty." Cameron didn't know why she said she would only be there for a month. He figured they still had a long way ahead of them. He drove Alyssa over there. She only had a simple suitcase and nothing else. In the car, they chatted about their childhood. Then, Cameron told her what he'd done over the years. He'd left the country after graduating from high school and had worked part-time jobs while studying at university. At 20, he'd established his company and was now considered an affluent entrepreneur. Alyssa listened to his impressive experiences and thought about herself. After graduation, she'd married Sebastian and became a housewife. She looked at Cameron with admiration. "You're amazing." "You can do it, too. After you left the countryside, I followed whatever news I could find about you. I saw that you were on TV and even won that youth piano competition. You sang, too, right? You were my idol back then…" Cameron didn't tell her that life had been tough for him when he'd first gone abroad to study. He'd picked up several bad habits and had basically given up on himself. Later, he'd seen Alyssa making the news. Those articles were like a light in the darkness of his life, supporting him as he slowly got to his feet. Alyssa had almost forgotten about her past achievements. Cameron's words had reminded her. When he dropped her off at his place, she smiled and said, "Thanks. I'd almost forgotten what I used to be like." … After moving into Cameron's apartment, Alyssa counted down the days. There were only just over ten days to May 15th, when her and Sebastian's divorce would be finalized. One morning, she thought about what she'd promised Heather and went out to buy an urn. Then, she went to a photo studio and took a black and white photo as the staff watched her oddly. After doing all that, she took a cab home, staring out the window listlessly. Just then, someone called her. It was Mindy. "Who told you to leave all that money for me, Liss? I didn't touch any of it; I'm keeping it for you. If you need money to start a business in the future…" Alyssa had secretly given her money over the years. She lived in the countryside and didn't spend much, so she'd saved everything up. Alyssa didn't even notice the tears streaming down her face as she listened to Mindy's concerned nagging. "Can you take me home like you did when I was a child, Mindy?" Mindy didn't understand that. Alyssa added, "I want you to take me back to our home on May 15th." Mindy didn't know why it had to wait until then, but she said, "Alright, the 15th it is. I'll come and take you home." … Lately, Alyssa kept receiving messages from the hospital urging her to return for a follow-up check. She'd politely turned them down each time. She'd already decided to leave and didn't want to waste the money on treatments. Alyssa checked her bank account. She had over 100 thousand dollars left. Once she was gone, the money could go to funding Mindy's retirement. The rain in Tillstone hadn't shown any signs of letting up over the past few days. Cameron often came to see Alyssa and would find her sitting on the balcony, staring dazedly into the distance. He'd noticed that her hearing impairment was getting worse. Most of the time, she wouldn't hear him when he knocked on the door. … Meanwhile, Sebastian was at Gray Group. He habitually checked his phone; his gaze darkened when he didn't see any messages from Alyssa. Just then, Malcolm knocked on the door and entered. "I found out who the man is, Mr. Gray. His name is Cameron Hart, and he seems to be Ms. York's childhood friend." As far as Sebastian knew and as previous articles had reported, Sebastian was Alyssa's childhood friend. Malcolm told him Cameron was a friend Alyssa had made while living in the countryside. This meant that Alyssa had known Cameron longer than she'd known him. He thought about Cameron and furrowed his brows. Malcolm said, "Mr. Stone is waiting for you outside, sir." Sebastian said, "Tell him I have something else to do today." Malcolm was surprised by this. Sebastian had gone out with Timothy and the rest of their buddies every night of late. Why had he changed his mind that night? Sebastian took the CEO's private elevator to the basement parking lot. Then, he drove to Alyssa's motel. However, when he arrived, he discovered Alyssa had already moved out several days ago. He suddenly felt annoyed. He pulled out his phone and scrolled to her number, hesitating countless times before finally deciding to call her. Then, Daisy called him. "What's up?" he asked. "I heard from Heather that Alyssa's going to get married soon," Daisy said. Sebastian's pupils constricted. Daisy had sought Heather out after an interview one day. Only then did she learn the latter and Terence were going to marry Alyssa off to an old man in exchange for 30 million dollars. When Sebastian didn't respond, Daisy lied, "Heather also told me that Alyssa demanded a wedding gift of 30 million dollars. I didn't expect her to be like that… She even said the cooling-off period for your divorce wasn't over yet, so she can't register the marriage. She asked to have the wedding first." … Alyssa had no idea Heather and Terence were still preparing for her wedding. She didn't know they hadn't taken her words to heart until one day when Heather texted her. "Mr. Cane has already picked the date for the wedding. It's the 15th of this month. "There are four days to go, so you'd better get ready for it. Remember to win his heart and hold on to it this time, okay?" Alyssa didn't know how to feel when she read the message. May 15th seemed like a good day—it was the day she and Sebastian would officially be divorced. It was also the day she'd be forced to marry someone. Lastly, it was the day she'd picked for her departure… She was afraid she would forget all of this, so she wrote them in her notebook. After that, she started writing her suicide letter. She picked up her pen but didn't know what to write. Ultimately, she added a passage for Cameron beneath everything she wanted to tell Mindy. When she was done, she put the letter under her pillow. … Three days later, it was May 14th. The rain was extra heavy that day. Alyssa had her phone on the coffee table. It wouldn't stop ringing. The calls were all from Heather. She asked where Alyssa was and told her to head home since the wedding was the next day. She wanted Alyssa to get ready to marry Lincoln. Alyssa didn't respond. She wore a light pink dress today and had a full face of makeup. She was pretty, to begin with. She was just too skinny and pale. Alyssa looked at herself in the mirror. She looked radiant and pretty—it was as if she'd gone back to looking like the woman she'd been before marrying Sebastian. After that, she hailed a cab to the cemetery. She got out of the car with an umbrella over her head and slowly proceeded to her father, David Somner's grave. She placed a bouquet of white daisies before it and said, "Hi, Dad." The cold wind billowed. Alyssa could only hear the sound of the raindrops landing on her umbrella. She continued, "I'm sorry about this. I didn't want to come here but had nowhere else to go. I have to admit that I've always been a coward. "I'm afraid of leaving this world alone, so I came here instead. Go ahead if you want to berate me." She sat beside the gravestone and wrapped her arms around herself. Then, she pulled out her phone and read Heather's nasty messages. "Do you think you can hide from this, Alyssa? "Terence has already accepted the money, and Mr. Cane is powerful beyond your imagination. Think about whether he'll let you off the hook! "Think this through and obediently marry Mr. Cane tomorrow. It's better than us getting people to bind you and force you to the wedding! If you know what's good for you…" Alyssa replied, "I don't want to go back. I'll be waiting for you guys before Dad's gravestone, so come and pick me up in the west suburbs tomorrow." Heather didn't think much of Alyssa's reply. She thought the latter had finally given up, so she stopped bombarding the latter with calls and texts. Alyssa enjoyed a moment of peace. She sat by David's grave for a whole day. As the night descended, she pulled out a wooden doll David had carved for her when she was young. She cradled it in her arms, using her body to shield it from the night and the heavy rain. The seconds ticked. She soon heard a clock chiming 12 in the distance. It was May 15th. Alyssa looked up at the boundless night sky, her mouth bitter. At 3:00 am, she reached for her bag, her hands trembling as she pulled out a bottle of pills…