Chapter 3
The moment Sasha said that, Fabian appeared before them.
He grabbed Valerie’s wrist. His eyes were burning with fury.
“Valerie Hartman, do you ever stop? That was Sasha’s ring! What does it have to do with you? Why the hell did you throw it away?”
Valerie met his gaze. Beneath the anger in his eyes, there was something almost like anticipation.
Was he hoping she had thrown the ring away out of jealousy?
A bitter feeling crept into her chest, but she forced a smile.
“Why would I care about some meaningless ring? Compared to that, the stacks of cash you throw at me are worth far more.”
Fabian’s eyes turned cold at once. Without a word, he shoved Valerie into the lake. With a loud splash, her startled cry echoed, but he had already turned away.
“I don’t care how you do it. Just get that ring back.”
With that, he took Sasha’s hand and walked away without hesitation.
It was the dead of winter. The air was sharp with the bite of fresh snowfall.
Ice floated in patches across the water. Just looking at it was enough to send a chill down the spine.
Submerged in the freezing lake, Valerie’s body was numb to the point of paralysis. The lakebed was thick with mud. It hid jagged debris that tore into her feet. Blood seeped out with every movement.
She bit her lip, diving down into the water again and again, only to resurface each time.
For the entire night, she mechanically searched the lake, until her blood stained the water red. Finally, she found the ring at the lakebed.
When Valerie finally stood before Fabian, drenched and battered, he frowned before pulling a wad of cash from his pocket and tossing it at her feet.
Like always, she silently picked up the money and walked away.
For the next few days, Fabian stopped tormenting her. That was quite unusual.
Then, one day, when Valerie returned home and got out of the car, she saw the entire Porter residence engulfed in thick, billowing smoke.
A chilling sense of dread gripped her chest. Fabian was in trouble!
The thought struck like lightning, and before she knew it, she was running straight into the fire.
Fabian had always preferred peace and quiet, so the household staff only came to clean when he was away.
He had stayed at home these past few days, so the entire Porter residence was empty, with the exception of him.
Valerie knew the house like the back of her hand. It didn’t take long to find Fabian in the bedroom. He was unconscious.
The fire spread rapidly. He must have taken sleeping pills and fallen asleep, which was why he had been trapped in the flames. He was likely unconscious from smoke inhalation.
Valerie dragged him onto her back and slowly made her way toward the door.
The fire had already cut off most of the way out.
In the midst of her thoughts, a burning beam suddenly collapsed. She didn’t have time to think and instinctively shielded Fabian with her own body.
The scorching wood struck her back. The pain was so intense that she nearly lost consciousness.
But as Valerie looked at Fabian, with his brow furrowed and his unconscious form resting against her shoulder, a fierce determination surged within her.
She had to get him out, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.
With a resolve to die and a reckless determination, Valerie somehow managed to carry the six-foot man out of the flames.
When they finally collapsed onto the lawn, she gasped for fresh air. Her body was nothing but raw, searing agony.
When she saw Sasha rushing toward them, she summoned the last of her strength and pushed Fabian into her arms.
“If he wakes up, tell him it was you who saved him.”
Sasha stared at her. She was confused about what she was trying to do. She called out as Valerie started to leave and asked once again, “Tell me the truth. Did you intentionally kill Mrs. Porter?”
Valerie staggered to her feet. At the sound of the question, her body stiffened. After a long pause, she finally replied, “Yes.”
With that, she turned and walked away without looking back.
…
In the days that followed, Sasha tended to Fabian with unwavering devotion.
When he learned Sasha had risked her life to save him, he cherished her more than ever. He granted her every wish and request without hesitation.
Their intimate moments became more frequent. Valerie, who always stood outside the room, could hear their passionate exchanges, along with the sweet nothings he whispered to her.
She thought that maybe he really did love Sasha now.
Maybe it was for the best. He deserved happiness, after all.
And Valerie was nothing but a rat scurrying through the gutters, watching someone else bask in the light.
The wound on her back still throbbed with pain. She could only apply the medicine secretly when no one was around.
…
That day, just like any other, she hid in her small room. She took off her coat and was about to apply the medicine when the door suddenly opened.
To her surprise, it was Fabian.
His gaze fell on the gruesome burns marking her back. His eyes turned red-rimmed at once.
Step by step, he approached her and asked in a trembling voice, “Where did those burns come from? Was it you who saved me that day?”
