On our wedding anniversary, I ran into my husband, Adam Walker, at a lingerie store. He was helping Laura Timber, who was already someone else's wife, pick out lingerie.

I tried to make a quick exit, but Laura grabbed my arm and waved a pair of couple’s underwear in front of me. "Hey, Jennifer Anderson, perfect timing. I used to buy Adam's underwear. He's bulked up quite a bit. Think this size will still fit him?"

I forced a gracious smile, picked up a skimpy piece of black lace, and tossed it at her face. "He likes this kind better."

Laura was stunned. Her pale face turned beet red, and she threw herself into Adam's arms, tears streaming down her face.

What an actress.

Shoppers around us stopped to watch. Adam frowned at me. I shrugged, acting innocent. "What? Don’t you like my pick? Why don’t you take my husband’s pants off and measure?"

I made sure to emphasize "my husband," raising my voice a bit. The onlookers’ stares shifted from curiosity to shock.

Laura pointed at me, sputtering, "You...you!" but couldn't get a sentence out. Adam shielded her, and I knew he’d always side with his precious Laura.

Before Adam could speak, I grabbed his arm and looked up at him pitifully. "Honey, play around all you want, but be safe. Who knows what diseases this woman has? Remember, your wife and kid are waiting at home. I made your favorite creamy oyster stew for tonight. Don’t forget to come home."

I pretended to wipe away tears and made a quick escape.

Late that night, I was curled up on the sofa eating chips when Adam, looking exhausted, sat down next to me and stared at me. I glanced at him. "What? Soothed your dear Laura? You look drained. She must’ve bled you dry, physically and financially. I can't do anything about your body, but our money is shared property. Don’t test me, or I’ll take it all..."

"Where’s the creamy oyster stew?" Adam interrupted, tugging at his tie.

"What?"

"You said you made creamy oyster stew for me tonight, darling?"

I shivered at the way he said "darling," looking at him like he was crazy.

Adam's eyes gleamed with meaning, his smile teasing as he leaned closer, hands braced on the sofa. "You're my wife, so let's do what married couples do."

I froze, unable to move.

Adam chuckled, straightened up, and sat back, his tone mocking. "You’re not falling for me again, are you?"

I did fall for him once.

On New Year’s Eve, transfer student Adam showed up in a white shirt, strumming a guitar and singing “Baby.” He stole my heart on the spot. From then on, everyone knew that the rich girl who used to skip classes and hang out with troublemakers had turned into a fangirl for Adam, the academic star from a humble background.

I threatened every girl who confessed to him or sent him love letters. Eventually, I was the only girl around Adam.

Adam always responded to my advances and possessiveness with a gentle smile, keeping a polite yet close distance. I figured he didn’t want to mess up his studies, so I never outright confessed my feelings, even though everyone knew how I felt about him.

To go to the same university as him, I gave up my family’s plan for me to study abroad. With love and money driving me, my grades soared, and it was no surprise that Adam and I ended up in the same class again.

On registration day, I walked out of my dorm with a homemade cake, excited to finally tell Adam how I felt. As soon as I got downstairs, I saw Adam lovingly brush Laura’s bangs aside, then cup her face and kiss her gently.

Laura was beautiful, with fair skin and long legs—a perfect match for the tall and handsome Adam. Watching them kiss felt like a thousand needles stabbing my heart.

The cake fell from my hands, shattering along with my feelings for Adam.

Laura smiled and extended her hand to me. “You must be Jennifer. Adam has mentioned you. I’m Laura, Adam’s girlfriend.”

When I didn’t respond, Laura hugged me and whispered in my ear, “Thanks for helping me deal with the other girls around Adam. But Adam will only ever love me. You have no chance.”

A year ago, any girl who talked to me like that would’ve ended up with her hair pulled. But today, my mind went blank, and I ran.

Back in my dorm, tears streamed down my face. Damn it, I wasn’t crying; it was that woman’s overpowering perfume.

In high school, I was a firecracker, but today, I was just a dud. How embarrassing.

Later, whenever I saw Adam and Laura at school, I’d dodge as far away as possible and run like my life depended on it.

Until one day, when Adam showed up at our dinner table.

“Jenny, since Adam’s in your class, I’ll skip the formal introductions. He’s going to be living with us from now on. You two should get along like siblings,” Mom introduced Adam to me.

I was shocked. What was going on?

Mom pulled me aside under the pretense of getting more food. “He had a tough break. Abandoned by his parents at three, he’s been living with his grandfather. Recently, one of your dad’s employees hit his grandfather with a car. After three days of trying to save him, his grandfather passed away. Your dad heard about Adam’s grades and decided to sponsor him for college. Adam’s a solid guy—mature, smart, and reliable. He’ll be living here from now on, so you’d better drop the princess act and treat him nicely.”

After dinner, Dad asked Adam to help bring up a box of wine from the garage. Mom, worried he might get lost, asked me to go with him.

In the dead of winter, I walked beside the skinny Adam, wrapped in my thick down coat. Our shadows under the streetlights looked like a stick carrying a thermos. Adam was the stick, and I was the thermos.

I couldn’t help but think Laura would be a better match for him.

At the garage door, Adam suddenly stopped and looked down. “Sorry, and thank you.”

I licked my dry lips and replied absentmindedly, “You mean for dealing with your admirers? No biggie. I’ve always had a bit of a bossy streak. Annoying a few more girls is nothing. Just think of it as doing a good deed.”

Maybe it was my frustration, the dry weather, or just talking too much, but I tasted blood in my mouth. Like a tragic heroine from an old drama, a streak of blood appeared on my lip.

Adam walked over and gently wiped the blood away. It was the first time I’d been so close to him. His fingers were soft and warm, and my face flushed.

Back in my room, I lay on my bed, rubbing my temples. “No, no, he’s got a girlfriend. I can’t like him.”

One day during senior year, I got a call from Mom. “Jenny, get to the hospital right away. Your dad… your dad’s had an accident!”

At the ICU door, Adam was covered in blood, holding my sobbing mom, looking dazed. I ran up to him, grabbed his collar, and shouted like a madwoman.

“Aren’t you Dad’s personal secretary? How could this happen? Tell me!” I shouted.

Mom, still crying, hugged me. “Jenny, it’s not Adam’s fault. Your dad lost control of the car on the highway and crashed into a truck. Adam risked everything to pull him out. If it weren’t for Adam… your dad would have…”

Lost control? Dad’s car is a top-of-the-line import, always inspected. How could it have lost control?

My mind felt like a tangled mess, completely scrambled.

At that moment, the ICU doors swung open.

The doctor came out and said, “Family of Mr. Robert Anderson, I’m sorry. We did everything we could. Please come in and say your final goodbyes.”

Lying on the bed was my father—once so lively with his curly hair, now wrapped in bandages and hooked up to tubes everywhere. He weakly reached out, asking Adam to take off his oxygen mask so he could hold Adam’s hand.

“Adam, don’t tell Jenny about the business issues. I’ve set up the will—you're to take over as chairman. The only condition is that you marry Jenny and give her a stable life. Promise me, okay?”

Adam’s eyes were red, his teeth clenched, but he stayed silent.

“Adam! Promise me! Please!”

My father’s voice was strained as if he was using his last bit of strength. Then his hand fell limply, and the room was filled with the flat line of the heart monitor.

Even with everything at stake, even with my father’s desperate plea, Adam wouldn’t agree to marry me.

Adam took care of my father’s funeral, and it was a grand affair. But because he didn’t meet the conditions in the will to inherit the company, everything fell apart. The vice president, whom my father trusted the most, ran off with a huge sum of money and disappeared abroad.

To keep the company afloat, I sold the villa and the cars. In one night, I went from being wealthy to drowning in debt.

With no money, my mom and I had to rent a place on the outskirts of town. Even though I worked during the day, took a part-time job at a coffee shop at night, and busted my butt, I still couldn’t pay off the huge debts.

Desperate, I took a job in the nightlife industry, serving drinks and putting up with sleazy men just for tips. Even after getting sick from drinking too much and throwing up the night before, I’d take some pills and drag myself back to work the next day.

Adam never showed up again.

One early morning, after I’d washed off my heavy makeup and was waiting for a cab, I saw someone I hadn’t seen in ages. Laura, dressed provocatively, was all cozy with a bald old man who was a head shorter than her. His fat hand was sliding uncomfortably around Laura’s waist. They went into a fancy hotel next door.

And Adam? Where is he?

When I got home, the door to our rental was smeared with red paint. “Pay Your Debts” was scrawled in big, dripping letters, making the place look like a scene from a horror movie.

Inside, I saw my mother tied to a chair with a rag stuffed in her mouth. She was shaking her head frantically and trying to cry through the gag. I knew she was trying to tell me to run, but it was too late.

A man with a scar on his face and a thick gold chain around his neck was brandishing a knife, grinning like a snake. His two henchmen moved in to grab me, but I shoved them away.

I grabbed a plastic stool and plopped down in front of the man, propping my feet up on the table. I lit up one of the cigarettes he’d left behind, taking a long drag to calm my nerves and look tough.

“Hey, big guy, it’s just debt collection. No need to act like we’re in some mob movie.”

The man looked at me with a creepy interest, his eyes scanning me like he was sizing me up. “Debts are debts. It’s only fair to pay them. But if you don’t have the cash, there are other ways to settle up.”

He sat down next to me, flashing a toothy grin. I slapped him hard across the face, feeling a sting in my hand. “Get your dirty hands off me! This isn’t how you do things! Picking on women—what kind of man are you?”

The man suddenly slammed me onto the table, pinning me down with one hand while unfastening his belt with the other. “So, you think you’re tough? Let’s see if your slap is stronger than my fists!”

His goons locked the door and exchanged smug looks as they rolled up their sleeves, moving toward me with intent. I fought with everything I had, but my arms and legs were pinned down. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free. My clothes were ripped to shreds in the chaos.

“Get off me! Please, get off!” I screamed, but my voice was lost in the noise. I was thrown to the floor, blood trickling down my forehead as the metallic smell of blood filled the air. My mother’s whimpers grew fainter until she passed out.

Pinned on the table, I watched in horror as blood surged in my throat. Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, the rental door was kicked open with a loud crash.