Fake Love

1

Scarlett White came back home, just on the day when Henry and I registered for marriage.

What a coincidence, right?

It was at the moment when we had just signed the documents and handed over the marriage application to the staff.

Henry's phone rang.

He, who was always reserved and steady, showed rare signs of confusion, his hand holding the pen trembling uncontrollably.

After answering the call, his tone was excited yet gentle.

In my daze, I felt as if I had seen the young him.

"Don't cry, I can make it in time...

"Just wait at the airport. I'll pick you up."

After hanging up, he immediately reached out to the staff, "Please give me the documents. We're not getting married right now."

He didn't even spare me a glance from start to finish.

Amid the meaningful expressions of others, I grabbed his hand. "Henry, let’s get the certificate first, alright?"

It seemed like he just noticed my presence, and his back instantly stiffened.

Perhaps my pleading eyes were too obvious, as he hesitated for a long time without saying a word.

I put on a smile and prepared to ask the staff to continue.

But he suddenly stood up, left without looking back with the documents in hand.

There was a commotion on the spot. Impulsively, I stopped him who was about to get in the car.

"She's back."

The questioning that was about to come out was stuck in my throat.

He said those words lightly, while I felt like I was on the edge of an abyss.

"Scarlett White?"

He remained silent, his lowered eyes showing obvious gentleness.

I smiled bitterly, "Are you prepared to abandon me for a woman who abandoned you?

"Since you haven't let go of her, why did you propose to me?

"Do you know how long I've waited for you? Five years! Even a cold heart would have melted by now!"

As I became more hysterical, he showed only undisguised impatience.

The flowing love in my chest cooled little by little.

But I was still reluctant to accept the result.

I said softly with my head down, "If you go to see her, then we're done."

Henry, on the other hand, became calm, bending down to lift my chin.

The smile on his lips couldn't hide the fierceness in his eyes. Then he forcefully shook off my hand gripping the car door.

"We’re done? Who do you think you are? How dare you say that to me?

"Avery, I've never admitted that you're my girlfriend. You're the one who's been clinging to me!"

The exhaust from the Bentley lifted the hem of my red dress. Only when I could no longer see his figure did I come to my senses.

I forgot that threats only work on those who cared about you.

As for Henry, he never cared about me.

Looking up at the scorching sun, I felt tears streaming down my face.

I wondered why this midsummer sunshine felt so cold.

2

The loving interaction of this morning was still vivid in my mind.

As soon as I woke up, he had prepared breakfast and even made my favorite sunny-side-up egg.

While I was putting on makeup, he clung to me like a golden retriever, saying, "You’re finally going to marry me..."

Even when it came to the documents, he carefully put them in his pocket after checking them three times.

That was why it was so hard for me to accept being abandoned at the city hall.

I had to believe that love could be faked.

In the five years by Henry's side, I behaved against my loving family and friends, forgot my own hobbies and accepted both his good and bad temper...

He was still as spirited as before, but I was left battered.

Suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion, I knew we were nearing the end.

I sat outside for a long time before slowly walking back home.

As soon as I entered, Kitty kept rubbing against me and meowing incessantly.

Unable to hold back my tears, I choked up and said, "Kitty, you're the only one who hasn't changed."

I squatted down and held it in my arms. It instinctively nudged me a few times.

The gloom dissipated a little as I kept stroking its soft fur for warmth.

Shortly after, the door creaked open, and the footsteps stopped at it.

Henry didn't immediately turn on the light.

"Nonsense! I won’t let a girl stay in a hotel alone so late at night!"

I stopped rubbing Kitty's head and looked towards the blurry figure.

Henry's tone softened a bit, with a soothing undertone, "This’s a house I fully paid for. I can decide who can stay here.

"Alright, she's not that petty. She'll agree."

Saying that, he turned on the light. The next second, his indulgent smile froze on his face as our eyes met.

It was glaring.

"Am I disturbing your private time?"

He hung up the phone and hastily walked a few steps toward me, ready to explain something.

Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing still.

"Didn't you say we were done? Yet you can't leave me at all."

Bitterness spread through my body, and my numb heart started to ache faintly.

I couldn't utter a word, and tears kept flowing uncontrollably.

Seeing that, Henry quickly walked to my side and awkwardly embraced me to console me, "Don't be angry. How about I buy you a car?

"I'll have Scarlett stay here. After all, it's not safe for a girl to be out alone at night.

"Oh, and put Kitty outside the house. She's allergic to animal fur."

...

Every sentence he said revolved around Scarlett!

He even wanted to throw my cat out for her sake.

Furious, I pushed him away, "Kitty is timid. It just recovered from a stomach illness. How can you bear to do this!"

He staggered from my push, incredulous yet also filled with anger, "Will it freeze to death on such a hot day? This is the house I bought. If you don't like it, then leave!"

The modest and polite young man from my memory vanished in that moment.

Without looking at him again, I picked up the cage and put Kitty inside before walking out.

Henry thought I would continue to endure as before and kept speaking well of Scarlett.

"This should be your first time meeting her. Scarlett is gentle and considerate. You should be able to get along well with her."

The resentment pressing on my chest choked me up. I turned around with an expressionless face, "I have no interest in being part of a household drama with a mistress. "

Before I could take another step, Henry firmly grasped my hand he had injured earlier in the afternoon.

I winced in pain but couldn't break free, while Kitty anxiously whimpered in the cage.

His brows furrowed, his eyes cold and unfeeling as he spoke with sharp sarcasm, "Don't think of Scarlett so contemptible. She's not as scheming as you! If you have the guts, then don't rush to please me. It’s very annoying."

I forcefully pulled my hand away and spoke softly but firmly, "I won’t. Henry. This’s where we part ways."

Ignoring the loud sound of shattered glass behind me, I left with determination.

3

Tonight, the night was exceptionally beautiful, with the dim lights casting an eerie glow on the folds of my red dress.

As I left the villa area, I entered a desolate area where some houses had been demolished in the past few months.

While waiting for the ride-hailing driver, I walked along the route, taking the opportunity to calm my mind.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated, and I saw a notification from the surveillance app installed for Kitty.

It alerted me to an intrusion.

Two figures abruptly appeared in my sight. Before I could react, I heard a woman's crisp cry through my earphones, "Is this the decoration done by Avery? I really like this style!"

The woman with long hair and a pale yellow dress naturally linked arms with the person beside her. Her words quickly turned from excitement to unease and guilt.

"Henry, I know I ruined your day to get the marriage certificate. But the moment I saw the message you sent me, I was really afraid that you didn't want me anymore!"

Damn!

The surrounding sounds disappeared instantly as I stood frozen in place, unable to move an inch.

So that was how it was. That was how it was!

Why did Scarlett happen to return on this day?

Why did Henry delay his departure until the afternoon?

What was I then? The whetstone of their love?

In the video, Henry gently comforted the weeping woman in his arms, with tenderness and deep affection.

"It's not your fault. I didn't want to get married. She and I are not the same kind of people."

I had self-respect, and I wasn’t a masochist.

He was the one who approached me first, saying I was like the sun.

He was the one who begged me not to leave when I gave up.

He was the one who said that our relationship always had marriage as its goal!

Years of my dedication had become Henry's comforting words to his lover.

It sent chills down my spine.

I didn't realize the surroundings were amiss until Kitty, who was always timid and gentle, gave an anxious warning.

It wasn't until then that I became aware of a shadow slowly following me.

Looking at the dim, deserted street, I couldn't help but feel panicked.

Subconsciously, I sent a distress message to Henry.

Avery: [Help, I'm in the demolition area. A man is stalking me!]

My palms were sweating, and my legs trembled involuntarily as I quickened my pace.

Just as I was about to call the driver, my hair was forcefully pulled back.

"Help!" I decisively pressed the call button,not knowing who I was calling.

I begged for someone, anyone, to please answer the phone!

"You bi*ch!"

Before I could react, a strong smell of alcohol and sweat enveloped me as a body lunged at me.

In a split second, I instinctively protected my head and was then heavily thrown to the ground, the cage slipping out of my hand not far away.

‘Henry, why didn’t you answer my call?’

Did that call go through to Henry?

In fear, I constantly reassured myself to stay alert and buy time for his arrival.

After all, he was closest to me, less than a five-minute drive away.

As I struggled to sit up in a daze, I saw that it was a tall and greasy middle-aged drunkard.

A strong will to survive instinctively made me plead, "Please, I can give you money. I'll give you all my money. Please spare me."

The man in front of me menacingly approached, his mouth reeking of a mix of alcohol and food as he sneered at me maliciously.

He grabbed my hair again and forcefully slammed my head against the steps beneath me.

"You think you're something just because you have money? I'll make you regret looking down on me!"

It felt like he had broken my hand. Amidst the immense pain, I could no longer control my body.

"How dare you run away with another man and abandon me? Give me all the money you took!"

I couldn't make a sound. Warm, sticky liquid flowed down as my consciousness gradually faded.

Suddenly, the heavy pressure on me disappeared. I struggled to see what was ahead.

‘Is it Henry? Did he come to save me?’

"Where did this damn cat come from? How dare it bite me!"

With all the strength I could muster, when I saw the scene before me, I suddenly felt deflated.

"No!"

The man lifted Kitty high and viciously smashed it against the cracked brick wall.

My Kitty emitted a piercing and unheard-of cry of anguish.

In the blurry redness, I saw Kitty curled up in the pile of garbage, motionless.

The earphones lying beside me transmitted a familiar voice with a cold and cruel tone.

"She? She's probably regretting it now. She must have come up with an excuse."

"Don't worry, she'll come running over soon."

Tears silently streamed down my face as I fell into utter despair.

4

The intense impact on my head blurred my vision. I collapsed on the cold ground, unable to move.

"Now the damn cat is dead. It's your turn next."

The man bent over, whispering with a wicked and mocking smile in my ear, like a countdown to my life.

My mind was blank as I subconsciously begged him to let me go.

Suddenly, I was jolted awake as the dampness lingered on my exposed skin, followed by a struggle and a few slaps.

I managed to feel around and finally touched a cool, smooth object - a bottle.

Without hesitation, I used all my strength to swing it at the figure above me.

"Ah!"

The bottle shattered, its glass shards scattering onto my face.

At the same time, I pressed the remaining shards against his neck and made a swift cut. Unfortunately, it missed.

The man pressed down on me again, his hands tightly gripping my throat as he angrily cursed,

"You bi*ch, I'll kill you!"

In the dim light, I saw his bloodied half-face and his bloodthirsty, glaring eyes.

As the intense suffocation overwhelmed me and my consciousness faded, a glaring light pierced through.

With the disappearance of the pressure on my neck, I gasped for fresh air but my mind remained blank.

Time seemed to stretch out as I couldn't hear any sounds around me, nor could I feel the pain in my body.

As I fell into unfamiliar arms, I faintly sensed the rapid rise and fall of the person's chest.

I grabbed his sleeve and pointed with trembling fingers to the cat in the corner.

"I know. I'll take you both to the hospital right away."

Then, I passed out.