Chapter 2

I fidgeted with my fingers nervously, trying to explain my purpose. I felt ashamed. Zane's gaze suddenly darkened, and he asked with a smile, "Why do you think I should help you?" Realizing that asking him for help might be futile, I laughed awkwardly and said, "Just forget I came here." After all, given how poorly we had treated him, it was a miracle he hadn't sought revenge. There was no way he'd help us now. What right did I have to ask him for anything now? My face grew hot with embarrassment. I wanted to leave, but he called me back. "Tell me. What do you have to offer in exchange for my help? If I find it worthwhile, I might consider it." I was taken aback. I couldn't think of anything I could offer. My body? If he had desired me, he had countless opportunities over the past three years, yet he had never even touched me. I lowered my head, feeling deeply ashamed. "Just pretend I never came." Suddenly, Zane approached me. He was tall, towering over me by a head. He leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear as he whispered, "You're already dressed like this. Why pretend to be reserved?" My blood ran cold, and I felt overwhelmed with shame. I wished I could escape immediately. He then wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled meaningfully. "Three years of marriage, and I've slept on the floor for all of them. It's been a long time since I've touched you. How about... you offer yourself?" I stared at him in shock. I thought I had heard him wrong. "W-What did you just say?" His gaze was deep and intense, like a vast ocean, making my heart race. Instead of answering, he lowered his eyes and casually pulled at the strap of my dress. My face turned bright red as I pushed him away with a swift motion. Angrily, I said, "If you're not going to help, then just don't. I never really expected you to. There's no need to humiliate me." Zane looked at me. His expression carried a mix of emotions I couldn't decipher. He looked like he was angry, but he was smiling. "You think I'm humiliating you?" "Isn't that what you're doing?" He clearly had feelings for someone else. What he was doing to me was nothing short of humiliation. Zane suddenly sat back in his office chair. When he raised his head to look at me, his gaze was cold. Smiling, he said, "You've dressed with such sincerity, but your attitude says otherwise. Since that's the case, you should leave." I had already anticipated that he wouldn't help us, so I said nothing more and turned to leave. As soon as I exited the building, Dad and Mom rushed over. Dad anxiously asked, "How did it go? Did he agree to help us?" I shook my head. Furious, Dad cursed, "That ungrateful bastard! Now that he's successful, he turns his back on us. If I had known he was this kind of person, I wouldn't have let you marry him. Damn it!" Mom also said angrily, "I know, right? He seemed so mild and accommodating, but now it turns out he's just an ungrateful dickhead!" I sighed helplessly. "Don't criticize him anymore. He didn't use our connections or money, so how is he ungrateful? "Honestly, it makes sense that he's not helping us. After all, we treated him so poorly before." Dad and Mom fell silent, their faces filled with worry. Seeing their distress only made my head ache more. That night, Sam went through his phone and called all his so-called "good friends" one by one, hoping they might lend a hand. Back when he used to call them out for drinks, they would show up in no time. But now, not a single one dared to answer his calls. Sam was furious. He smashed his phone and cursed those people for being so unreliable. Curling up under the blanket, I tried to comfort him. "Forget it, Sam. Human connections are very fragile in today's world." Mom was crying nearby. Given our current situation, a comeback seemed impossible, with the pressing issue being our debts. We were constantly harassed by debt collectors. Their constant pressure made it impossible for us to live normally. Dad urged me, "Why don't you try asking Zane again, Ari? He's rich now. Maybe borrowing some won't be a problem." Mom added, "Your dad's right. Even if you divorce him, you should be entitled to some of his assets." I curled up in bed, not daring to tell them that Zane had left me with nothing. They would undoubtedly curse him if they knew. Sam said angrily, "Stop pushing Ari to beg him. We treated him so poorly before. Asking her to plead with him now is just asking her to be humiliated." Mom seemed to have realized and asked urgently, "Did Zane humiliate you earlier?" I shook my head quickly. "No, he didn't." Mom then muttered to herself, "That makes sense. Zane has always been obedient and respectful toward you. Even if we're down now, he must still like you and admire you. How could he humiliate you?" I managed a bitter smile, remaining silent. Dad sighed. Looking at the open balcony, he again expressed his despair. Every time he said he wanted to end it all, Mom would start crying. Seeing them like this was giving me a headache. The main issue now was raising money to pay off some debts. A few days later, as soon as I was feeling better, I started looking for work. Regular jobs had low pay and slow returns, but I knew that high-end clubs had well-paid positions for beverage salespeople. Back then, when I went to clubs with friends and had a good time, I'd often leave quite a generous tip for the beverage salespeople. I went to the club I used to frequent. The manager at the club knew me. He quickly hired me and assigned me to handle the private rooms for VIPs. Serving drinks to important guests usually meant good tips. However, I was stunned to find Zane in one of those VIP rooms. He had never frequented such places before, at least not during our three years of marriage. He even used to be very opposed to me going to places like this. Whenever I went with friends, he would always try to stop me, insisting that such places were not decent. Of course, I would always end up humiliating him and sending him away. Thinking back, he really did seem like a model of a virtuous, good man. Now, he sat in the center position with his long legs crossed, a cigarette between his fingers. His lips were curved into a faint smile, giving him a wicked and alluring look. It seemed his previous meek demeanor was all an act. Zane watched me quietly. His high and mighty posture made me feel extremely uncomfortable. If I had known he was here, I wouldn't have come. Just as I was awkwardly wishing for a hole to hide in, a few playful whistles rang out from the room. I instinctively looked over and realized that all the people around Zane were from the same circle that used to hang out with Sam and me. Well, well, now they were all eager to curry favor with Zane. They knew how badly I had treated him before, and now they were sure to seize the opportunity to humiliate me to flatter Zane. At this point, leaving seemed like the best option. As I was trying to discreetly maneuver the drink cart out of the room, a man spoke up.