Chapter 4
Exhausted from everything, I fell asleep
quickly.
I dreamt of David and me as teenagers.
He was just starting to get stubble on his
chin, but already fiercely protective of me.
Classmates teased him, saying he was only
interested in my family’s money and status, a
worthless tagalong.
I defended him, saying his grandpa saved my
grandpa’s life, that he was my best friend, not
a tagalong.
David hung his head, his lip bleeding from
biting it.
I gently wiped the blood away, and he
suddenly kissed me.
Our first kiss was awkward and tinged with
the metallic taste of blood.
He confessed he’d liked me since we were
kids, that no matter what anyone said, he’d
always be there for me.
Time flew by, and we became a couple.
Grandpa was thrilled, saying seeing us
together gave him peace of mind, knowing he
could face his war buddies when his time
came.
“David Sr., my granddaughter has repaid your
debt.”
く
debt.”
“But let me be clear, if your boy ever
mistreats my girl, I’ll haunt you from the
grave.”
The plane hit turbulence, jolting me awake.
Tears had stained my shirt.
Looking out the window at the vast Nevada
desert below, I realized I’d been the one
holding myself back.
The plane landed smoothly.
Standing on the dry Nevada soil, I felt a sense
of peace I’d never known.
From now on, I, Linda, would live for myself.
<
I checked into my hotel and turned on my
phone, instantly bombarded with messages.
All from David.
[Linda, how dare you leak those photos!
Aren’t you afraid I’ll leave you?!】
【Damn it, you even turned off your phone!
You’re unbelievable.]
【I’m home. Where are you? Retract the
story! Say you made it all up, that you
photoshopped the pictures to frame Amelia!
Do you know how upset she is?!]
【You have no sense of loyalty! We had a
deal!]
<
Before, seeing these threatening messages
would have sent me scrambling to delete the
post and apologize, claiming it was all a
jealous fabrication.
But David, you don’t know. Grandpa’s gone.
I don’t have to pretend anymore.
I don’t need you.
David called. I hesitated, then answered. His
accusations poured through the speaker.
“So you finally answer your phone?”
“Where the hell are you? You’ve ruined
Amelia’s reputation, are you happy now?”
“If you want your grandpa to live a little
longer, get back here and make a live
statement retracting everything. Amelia wrote
a script for you, just read it.”
I felt nothing, just a flicker of amusement.
“How thoughtful of Amelia.”
David coughed, clearly embarrassed.
He knew Amelia wrote the script to prevent
me from revealing the truth and destroying
her career. But he made it sound like she was
doing me a favor.
Before, I wouldn’t have cared. Now, I not only
cared, but I found it amusing.
Sensing my defiance David softened his tone.
L
Sensing my defiance, David softened his tone.
“Look, I know you’re upset about the divorce.
I’ll make it up to you.”
“Tell you what, after you clear this up
tomorrow, I’ll come to your family’s house for
dinner. I’ll bring a nice bottle of wine, and
we’ll smooth things over with your grandpa.”
Silence hung heavy between us.
He waited for me to cave, as if his offer was
some grand gesture.
“David, Grandpa is gone.”
