Chapter 2
My face suddenly felt wet. I slowly opened my eyes. The white furball in front of me was licking my cheek. Seeing me awake, Buddy snuggled into my arms. I reached out and stroked his head, then staggered to the bathroom, turning on the shower to wash away the blood. The person who drove Valerie home that night was quickly identified—Brandon, Valerie’s secretary. He was young, a prestigious university graduate, and strikingly handsome. I wasn’t surprised that someone like him could attract Valerie. Valerie didn’t come home for several nights. I waited in the villa, calm as if insane. Late at night, my stomach pain grew severe. I tremblingly took out my painkillers, poured out a few pills, and dry-swallowed them. In the darkness, I curled up, letting the cold sweat soak the sheets. Just as the pain began to subside, the sound of the door lock clicked. Someone walked into the room, then quietly lay down beside me. She reached out and hugged me from behind, not saying a word. The smell of alcohol drifted into my nostrils, pungent and stinging. I pulled away from her, turning on the bedside lamp. “Have you been drinking?” Valerie’s eyes were red, but she didn’t answer. After a long moment, she finally cried, “Alex, you can’t leave me.” “You’re all I have. If even you leave me, what will I do?” I looked at her, smiling faintly, and gently wiped her tears with my fingertips. A sudden, intense bitterness welled up inside me. “Valerie, it’s not me leaving you…” I trembled as I closed my eyes. “It’s you leaving me.” Valerie gripped my hand, apologizing over and over. “I was wrong. Please forgive me.” “You know I can’t live without you.” Her tears dripped onto the back of my hand, and all my defenses crumbled instantly. “Valerie, tell me, between him and me… who do you choose?” She wrapped her arms around my neck, tilted her head back, and kissed my lips, her voice choked with tears, speaking the most devastating love words. “I choose you, Alex. Only you.” Valerie kissed my Adam’s apple, her passion evident. I cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. My body gradually grew hot. The moment I took off Valerie’s shirt, I suddenly saw the dense scars on her arm. The string in my mind suddenly snapped. That’s right, how could Valerie possibly leave me? Everyone only saw Valerie’s dazzling success, but no one knew that she had once suffered from severe depression. The first time I found her, the bathtub water was already stained crimson. She lay there, unconscious, her fate uncertain. But even after being rescued, Valerie didn’t give up on suicide. When I broke into the locked room, her left arm was covered in countless cuts. Valerie sat on the floor, her face blank. I skillfully took out gauze to bandage her. Valerie didn’t pull away, she just looked at me and smiled. “Alex, please don’t save me.” She expressed her pain so calmly. I looked at her vacant stare and remained silent for a long time. “Does it hurt?” Valerie’s right hand still gripped a fruit knife. I took her hand, used its force, and slashed deeply across my own arm. It took her a few seconds to react. Then she screamed and threw the knife away. “Alex! Alex…” Valerie finally burst into tears. She frantically tried to cover my wound, but the blood soaked her palm, seeping through her fingers. “Valerie, it hurts so much.” I pulled her into my embrace, begging her over and over. “Please, don’t die.” “Valerie, let me be your medicine.”