That night, Edward came home reeking of alcohol.

I went straight to him and demanded an explanation.

Edward glanced at me. "You're really going to make a scene over something this small?"

My hands trembled uncontrollably beneath my sleeves. For the first time in seven years, I finally lost it and shouted, "Edward! If you still can't let Madison go, then just get together with her openly!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Edward let out a cold chuckle. "Madison and I have always been open. You're the one who's always scheming and playing dirty."

"Ed—"

Edward stiffened suddenly.

That had been Younger Me speaking. I pressed on as if I'd lost all strength, saying, "I don't want to stay trapped in the past anymore. I don't want to stay trapped here."

I didn't want to keep waking up every night from nightmares filled with a baby's cries. I definitely didn't want to keep living like some kind of criminal, prone to the curses and humiliation of anyone.

I had been telling the truth when I said I really had gone back to my own room. But why had no one believed me?

But instead, Edward's face darkened. "Claire, why is a cheap slut who could crawl into a man's bed back then putting on an innocent act now?"

He grabbed my wrist so hard it hurt, shoving me down onto the bed. I struggled to get him to stop, but his movements only grew rougher.

It wasn't until my lips bled from Edward's bites and pain tore through my lower body that everything ended.

Having drunk fairly much, he was quick to succumb to sleep.

I forced myself upright and let out a bitter laugh. "You lost, Claire."

There was a long silence on the other end. After a while, Younger Me softly replied, "Alright. I'll keep my end of the bet."

…

It was Mother's Day the next day. I went to Mom's workplace, planning to pick her up after her shift so we could spend the day together.

I wasn't expecting three thugs to burst in and knock her to the ground.

Panicked, I rushed forward and threw myself over Mom to shield her.

The leader of the thugs shouted, "You old hag! You raised a homewrecking bitch who slept her way into a man's bed. I'll beat you to death!"

The bystanders who had been about to step in suddenly paused, looking at me and Mom with strange, judgmental eyes.

The other two thugs yanked me away and pinned me to the floor. I could only watch as the third man continued to punch her.

"Just come after me for everything! Leave Mom alone!" I watched as Mom got beaten up until she was covered in blood. She went from begging for mercy to eventually losing her voice.

Terrified, I cried and screamed for help, begging everyone to help us. But no one moved, not until security finally rushed in and drove them off.

With trembling hands, I called 911.

At the hospital, a nurse told me they were short-staffed. All the attending surgeons were already in surgery.

Recalling that the Herrings knew several doctors, I hastily ran to find them. But they were all gathered in one place.

There had been an accident at the theater earlier. Madison had cut her hand and was badly shaken.

Worried for her, Edward called every available doctor over to examine her.

Outside the room, I saw Madison trembling in his arms while he softly comforted her, his face full of concern.

I rushed into the hospital ward, my voice raw. "My mom's dying, Edward. Please send just one doctor to her."

Madison immediately teared up, clutching Edward's sleeve. "My chest hurts so much."

The look he gave me was sharp. "Claire, must you throw a jealous fit now when Maddie's already like this? You're even using your mom as an excuse now?"

I dropped to my knees, grabbing at his sleeves as I pleaded. "It's true. I'm not lying. My mom's in a critical condition."

Irritated, Edward snapped, "Just be patient."

I was gripped with anxiety as time dragged on. Madison didn't have a single visible injury, yet she kept insisting she felt unwell.

At long last, a doctor was finally available.

Just then, an alarm went off in the emergency room. I ran over without hesitation.

But when I got there, the heart monitor was already flatlining. As the doctors and nurses apologized to me, I collapsed to the floor, staring at Mom's motionless body in a pool of blood.

I was supposed to take her out for Mother's Day today.

Edward showed up shortly after. He was stunned when he saw the scene, finally realizing I hadn't been lying. He came to apologize to me, but I couldn't hear anything he said.

Just then, I got a call from the police, telling me that they've found the three thugs who attacked Mom.

I wiped off my tears and hurried over. I wasn't going to let them get away with this. Edward even said he would help me make them pay.

But Madison was also there when we arrived.

The moment she saw me, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees. She cried and said one of the men was her brother, that he'd only wanted to stand up for her, and had been egged on by others.

Madison cried, "I'll compensate you, Claire. Please, just let my brother go. Please don't ruin his future."

I shook her off, feeling nothing but disbelief.

When Madison saw she couldn't move me, she turned to Edward, and he agreed. "Just let it go, Claire."

I lost it and screamed, "How dare you tell me to let it go? I will never forgive them!"

Edward snapped, "Claire! Your mom wouldn't have been beaten up if you hadn't caused all that trouble back then!"

My mind went blank. For the last time, I explained weakly, "How many times do I have to tell you? I went back to my own room that night."

In the end, Edward forced me to sign a settlement agreement, telling me to pretend none of it had ever happened from now on.

What did I ever do to deserve this? Why did I have to pay for it with the lives of my mother and my child?

As I walked down the street alone, I recounted everything that just happened to Younger Me.

This time, she didn't say anything.

If Younger Me had still been reluctant when she first agreed to the bet, now the only thing left in her was the same hollow feeling I felt.

After I ended the call, I realized I had wandered to the riverbank.

In the water, a drowning child was crying out for help. I jumped in without hesitation and pulled him out.

But by the time I made it back to shore, my strength gave out, and I blacked out.

…

I stayed unconscious for six days.

When I finally came by, I noticed Edward sitting by my bed, his face drawn with exhaustion. "I told you that we're putting the past behind us, Claire. From now on, I'll take good care of you for your mom."

I froze for a moment before it hit me.

Edward thought I had committed suicide on purpose just to threaten him. But I never wanted his care, nor had I ever agreed to just put the past behind us.

He waved a hand, calling in his and Madison's group of friends. They came in, warmly chatting with me and even wishing me happiness.

But the moment they stepped out into the hallway, they surrounded Madison and comforted her. "Don't let that scheming bitch get to you, Maddie."

"That's right. I can't believe she actually faked a suicide attempt just for attention. That's disgusting."

"After everything she's done, we'll never forgive her."

I scoffed, finding it ridiculous. Who needed their forgiveness?

Using Madison's revenge as an excuse, they mocked me, insulted me, and reported me until I lost my scholarship and graduate school admission offer. They even got the entire campus to boycott me.

After I started working, no matter where I went, they would show up at my workplace and cause a scene.

For five years, I couldn't get promoted. I could only stay at the very bottom, no matter how hard I tried.

The moment I pushed back even a little, they would run straight to Edward, playing victim and calling me manipulative. But in truth, they were the most hypocritical and disgusting group of people out there.

Thankfully, I was about to be free of all of them.

I checked the date, noting that everything would finally be over by tomorrow.

I was discharged on the same day after making sure I was completely fine.

Once I returned to the Herring residence, the household staff were noticeably more respectful toward me. Even Mrs. Herring made a reluctant effort to speak to me.

Edward probably thought this was the happy ending he'd given me—his and Madison's forgiveness, and the acceptance of everyone around us.

But to me, this was only the beginning.

At night, once Edward fell asleep, I made a call.

The voice on the other end sounded lighter than I'd ever heard it. "Madison kept inviting me to that gathering today, but I turned her down every time. Don't worry. I'll stay away from Edward and all of them."

Younger Me let out a long breath before saying, "It's time to move forward, Claire."

Mom named me Claire, hoping my future would be bright. I was never meant to be chained to this place.

That night, I stood on the balcony, watching as the first light of dawn slowly broke across the sky. At the final moment, I turned back to look at Edward's sleeping figure on the bed.

Calmly, I said, "Goodbye, Edward. May we never see each other again."

…

The next day, Edward woke up and frowned at the empty space beside him. He'd had a nightmare the night before.

In it, I was disappearing. And no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach me.

Edward hurried out of bed and looked around the room, an uneasy feeling settling in.

He headed downstairs and saw Mrs. Herring sitting at the dining table, elegantly eating breakfast. He asked, "Mom, where's Claire?"

She looked at Edward, puzzled. "Who's Claire?"

He looked up at Mrs. Herring, a flicker of unease in his voice. "Claire Rover is my fiancee, Mom. We've been together for seven years. You really don't remember her at all?"

She frowned and walked over, reaching out to touch Edward's forehead. "Do you have a fever, Edward? What fiancee are you talking about?"