Chapter 6
After the auction started, Clay almost bought everything I had my eye on, throwing money around like it was nothing, no hesitation at all.
Riley sat nearby, her gaze dark and brooding, staring us down.
When I went to the restroom, Riley followed. She locked the door, a sneer on her face.
“Maya, feeling pretty smug, huh?”
“Do I need to remind you that Clay only feels guilty about you, not in love,”
“You don’t know, do you? When you were three months pregnant, I cried and begged him that I couldn’t stand seeing another woman carrying his child, so he didn’t hesitate to give you an abortion pill. And not long ago, I had leukemia, and he didn’t think twice–he donated his bone
marrow to me.”
“And on that bridge? He pretended to hate me, but in reality, he was pushing you toward the kidnapper to save me.”
“Anytime I need him, he’ll satisfy all my needs,” Riley leaned in, her voice sugary sweet.“Maya, you’ve lost completely!”
Riley thought that after saying all this, she’d see me break down, hysterical, maybe even collapse. That would probably make her feel pretty damn good.
But I stayed calm, expression unchanged. I turned off the tap, looked up at her, and asked, “Are you done?”
Riley was stunned.
I dried my hands, my tone calm.“I don’t care.”
Anyway, I was about to leave.
Riley stared, incredulous.“How can you not care? Maya, you…”
Before she could finish her accusation, her face suddenly changed, and she slapped herself hard!
“Slap!”
The crisp sound of the slap echoed through the bathroom.
I was still stunned when, in the next second, Clay rushed over, forcefully pushed me
aside, “Maya! What did you do?!”
I stumbled backward, my lower back hitting a sharp corner of the vanity.
A searing pain shot through me, making me dizzy and unsteady.
But Clay didn’t even look at me; he just held Riley in his arms, his voice icy:“Didn’t I compensate you? Why are you bullying Riley?”
< Chapter 6
Riley covered her face, tears streaming down her cheeks:“Clay, don’t blame Maya, it’s my fault…”
Clay’s face darkened. He scooped Riley into his arms and left.
Riley, nestled in his embrace, gave me a triumphant smile over her shoulder.
I was left alone, leaning against the bathroom wall, laughing until tears streamed down my face.
Maya.
Look what you’ve gotten.
This is your ten years.
That night, Clay didn’t come home. And I didn’t call him.
My heart was dead, no longer aching, no longer worrying about him, no longer caring where he was or what he was doing.
Everything about him was now irrelevant to me.
As I was about to leave, I gathered a group of close friends and threw myself a farewell party at the most luxurious hotel in the city center.
They drank too much, their eyes red as they cursed Clay for being a bastard.
“You gave him everything, how can he treat you like this?!”
“Ethan liked you in college. You’d be a million times better off with him than Clay!”
Their words were like needles piercing my heart, yet strangely painless.
I just smiled, drinking one glass after another.
After the party, I settled the bill and stood alone in the hallway, sobering up.
The numbness from the alcohol gradually faded. Just as I was about to leave, I heard Clay and Zane arguing at the end of the hallway.
“You’re getting more and more absurd for Riley!”
“Because of her words, you aborted Maya’s baby.”
“To save her, you even took Maya’s marrow.”
“Now, because Riley wants a child, you’re going to have one with her?!”
Clay’s voice was chillingly calm.“If I don’t, she’ll find someone else. I can’t stand that.”
vou have any conscience?!”
“What about Maya?!” Zane practically roared.“Do you
Clay was silent for a moment, then said flatly, “Haven’t I already planned to marry her? Isn’t that enough?”
I stood there, my nails digging into my palms.
25.04
<Chapter 6
The argument was winding down; Zane couldn’t persuade him and stormed off in anger.
Clay also turned to leave.
On a whim, I followed him, watching him enter a suite.
Menu
The door wasn’t fully closed. Through the crack, I saw Clay pinning Riley to the bed, unbuckling his belt, and kissing her.
His voice hoarse, filled with undeniable desire: “Riley, let’s have a baby.”
Riley giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.“What about Maya?”
Clay paused, then said casually, “She’ll never find out.”
I stood outside, watching the entire scene silently, then raised my phone and recorded everything.
This time, I didn’t even shed a tear.
Because when the heart was dead, the pain was gone.
