Chapter 29

I leaned back in my chair and took a deep breath. Samuel's call, combined with my roommates' chatter about Leonardo, had dragged me back to the nightmares of my past life. The memories clung to me like a leech, sending a shiver down my spine. I could still hear the whispers—those cruel, cutting remarks. "Nude photos? Are they real?" "How does she even have the nerve to show her face here?" "What a pitiful woman." "If I donate money, will it even get to her?" "I heard her parents are dead, and her family went bankrupt." "Her figure's great, though. She has curves in all the right places." Each word suffocated me, cutting into my soul like a blade. In my past life, I had gone out of my way to please Samuel. Not just him but his friends too. I obeyed everything they said, thinking it would make Samuel happy. And in a way, it did. Toying with me, humiliating me, crushing me—it gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction. For Samuel, it was all a game, a way to flaunt his superiority