Chapter 3

Larry pulled me upstairs, and I noticed a new mattress and sheets already laid out on the bed. He hugged me with a joyful smile, like we were a real couple.

His mood was infectious, and I found myself smiling too, though the slight tremor in my body brought me back to reality.

He looked at me, gently stroking my hair with affection in his eyes.

"This looks good too."

I was curious. How could everyone say this bad boy, who supposedly had no interest in women, be so easily won over by me?

I gazed into his clear, bright eyes, feeling the urge to escape.

In the bathroom, there were sheets he had half-washed. With a cigarette in his mouth, he told me to sit on the bed and wait for him.

I leaned against the wall, watching his sun-kissed skin submerged in water, and he let me look at him as much as I wanted.

The quaint bathroom, in this moment, felt inexplicably cozy.

"Larry, we only slept together once, and you fell in love with me?" I tried to shake off the warm atmosphere, my tone laced with sarcasm.

He just chuckled and said, "If love needed a reason, there'd be far fewer couples in the world."

He carefully placed his wallet into his pocket.

His words amused me, and I suddenly wanted a cigarette but resisted, changing the subject instead.

"I didn't expect you to be so fond of money."

He looked at me and laughed along.

"Indeed, I love money, and I love my wallet even more."

We teased each other like a real couple.

After he finished washing, he placed his still-cool hands on my waist, making me shiver and snuggle into his arms. Larry looked at me seriously.

"I'll be there for you."

"Okay."

I buried my head in his chest, avoiding his gaze, my face expressionless.

His palm brushed my cheek, neck, and finally pulled down the shoulder strap of my bra, lifting me onto the freshly made bed and turning off the light.

Tenderly and awkwardly, we explored each other.

The old window occasionally creaked in the wind, accompanied by my soft hums.

Exhausted, Larry fell into a deep sleep, but my craving for a cigarette kicked in.

I picked up the lighter he had just put down, lit a cigarette, and watched him sleep, unsure of what I felt inside.

Danny's text pulled me back to reality.

It was two photos. One showed a middle-aged woman peacefully asleep in a hospital bed.

The other was taken when I was with Danny, showing me kneeling in front of a mirror, hair disheveled and sticking to my face, naked and looking so pathetic it made me sick.

I laughed as I looked at them, coughing from the smoke, a faint taste of blood in my mouth.

"Cindy, between us, you have no room to refuse. This is who you really are."

It was almost funny. Playing the innocent girl for two days, I almost believed it myself. I felt a bit of mockery.

The cigarette in my hand went out, and I looked around the shabby room and Larry's sleeping face, feeling like none of this was real.

I went downstairs to buy medicine and saw an elderly woman in tattered clothes rummaging through a trash can. I handed her my empty bottle.

She took it with a smile and said, "Such a pretty young lady and so kind-hearted."

I smiled without saying a word, but she held onto me.

"This apple was given to me by my grandson. You seem to be from a well-off family. Don't be squeamish."

"Far from being squeamish, I'm all envy instead."

"Envious of me? What's there to envy about an old woman like me? I envy you, with your youth and endless possibilities."

I shook my head. I truly envied her, having someone to care for, a clean job, even if it didn't pay much.

As for me, the clothes I wore were casually given by Danny, and I clutched the medicine tightly. My youth had died in the year when I was sixteen and was left in a bar.

Just as I was about to leave, the old lady called out to me.

"You're young and beautiful. Things will get better for you."

"Trust me, dear, I have a knack for reading people."

I was momentarily stunned, holding the apple she gave me, my mouth dry and unable to speak.

"Thank you." I said.

A message appeared on my phone from my attending doctor, Jimmy Thompson.

"If you come for surgery now, you might extend your life by a few years."

I paused my typing.

"Forget it, I still want to live beautifully."

"Delaying treatment could be dangerous. What about your mother?"

I thought of the photos Danny sent me. Back then, my adoptive mother, Lisa Russell, took me in, and my adoptive father, Anthony Russell, with his unpredictable temper, would beat or scold me. If it weren't for my adoptive mother's protection, I might not have survived.

That day, when Lisa wasn't home, Anthony dragged me to a bar, and in a hotel room, several men...I cried and screamed, but it was useless, only making them more excited.

Later, Lisa found me, crying and holding me tightly. I felt soulless, trapped in a deep abyss, unable to wash away the guilt.

When Anthony had a heart attack, I watched him struggle without helping, only calling for an ambulance when it was too late.

Larry took me to meet his friends, a group of young guys in their twenties, looking a bit uneasy.

"Hey, I knew from the start our boss liked innocent-looking girls like you." One of them boldly approached me.

The smell of smoke and alcohol mixed around us, and my craving for a cigarette was triggered, but I smiled and said, "Really? Your boss likes girls like me?"

After saying that, Larry handed me a cigarette.

It was just a street-side stall, and my appearance seemed out of place here.

"Go ahead and smoke. There's no need to hold back."

I hesitated, then took it and skillfully placed it between my fingers, taking a drag.

The guy who spoke earlier was momentarily speechless, then quickly said, "Damn, you should have said so earlier. I was afraid you couldn't handle it, so I didn't smoke."

I smiled, meeting Larry's deep gaze. He seemed to know something, and for a moment, I felt a pang of fear.

"That night, I smelled the smoke on you."

"In front of me, you can be yourself."

I looked at him and asked, "Do you know what the real me is like?"

"I do."