Chapter 3
I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up to leave.
A voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Is that Lucy?”
Mia’s surprised tone drew everyone’s attention.
My pride was trampled under her feet.
She continued speaking:
“Oh my god, you’ve gotten so thin! You need to eat more, or you’ll look even more pathetic and poor!”
She shoved a plate of food in front of me.
Jack’s smile faded as he finally broke his silence, his voice cold:
“That’s enough, Mia. Let’s go.”
Mia glared at Jack, her face darkening.
But in the blink of an eye, she put on an innocent expression again.
“Oh, okay!”
Then she tilted the hot plate of food towards me, spilling it all over me.
I couldn’t dodge in time and fell backwards onto the floor.
Mia gasped dramatically, crouching down to help clean the food off me.
Her sharp nails left bloody scratches all over my skin.
I cried out in pain, trying to stop her:
“Stop! Stop! It hurts! It really hurts!”
The scratches from her nails were unlike normal cuts.
They kept oozing blood in tiny beads.
Jack rushed over, yanking Mia away.
He frowned as he examined my wounds, his voice shaking:
“How did this happen? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
I pulled my wrist from his grasp, but before I could answer,
Mia’s shrill voice cut in:
“Jack! If you can’t keep your promise, don’t blame me for changing my mind!”
Jack’s face darkened ominously. He seemed to be holding back his anger, on the verge of exploding.
Their friends looked at my face and joked:
“Hey Jack, she looks familiar. But lately I’ve seen her getting into some rich guy’s Porsche a lot.”
At those words, Jack’s eyes flashed dangerously. He snapped his head up, fury and jealousy in his voice:
“Whose car?”
“Are you that desperate?”
“Or do you only go for rich guys? How many backups do you have besides me?!”
His accusations made me angry and hurt.
He was the one who chose someone else,
Yet I became the target of everyone’s criticism.
But any explanation would be useless now.
I struggled to stay calm, just looking at him steadily.
I forced a smile and said:
“So what if I did?”
He violently flung my arm away. I stumbled backwards.
Emma had just gotten her food when she saw this scene.
She rushed over and shoved Jack hard.
“Jack, what the hell is wrong with you!”
When she picked me up, I had already passed out.
A streak of red trickled from my nose.
Jack was frozen in shock at the blood on my face.
“How… how did this happen…”
“It’s too early… no… this isn’t right…”
He moved to carry me to the hospital.
Mia dramatically collapsed to the ground, her voice urgent:
“Jack! Think carefully!”
Jack’s feet seemed rooted to the spot.
Emma clutched me tightly, glaring viciously at the two of them.
In the silence, Emma grit her teeth and used all her strength,
Somehow managing to carry me on her back and push through the crowd to the hospital.