chapter 3

Disbelief flooded Steve's piercing blue eyes.

For the past four years, I had never once raised my voice to him.

I had no family and no friends; I was a loner by nature. Steve was the first person who had ever genuinely shown me kindness.

When he told me he loved me and wanted to be with me, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

When he said he wanted me to meet his mother, I was overjoyed but also terrified.

I was sure she would look down on me for being an orphan.

To my astonishment, when I finally met her, she took my hands in hers, her eyes full of compassion.

"Beverly," she said, "It's alright. From now on, we're your family."

Those words were like a beam of light, piercing the darkness of my life.

For the first time, I had a 'family.'

Just when I thought my happy life was beginning, Steve came back to our apartment one day, looking utterly broken.

After I pressed him, tears streamed down his face as he told me, "My mom… she's really sick. She needs surgery, and it costs $190,000. What am I going to do, Beverly?"

To the wealthy, such an amount was only a pocket change.

But for two broke kids like us? It was an impossible fortune.

When I moved to hug him, to comfort him, he pushed me away.

"Beverly, we should break up. I can't drag you down with me."

That was the first time I learned that when you truly love someone, their pain could hurt you even more than it could hurt them.

It felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, making it hard to breathe.

I held onto him tightly, refusing to let go no matter how hard he tried to push me away.

"I promise you, we'll figure out the money together," I said fiercely. "Don't you ever mention breaking up again!"

After that, Steve took on every side job he could find.

He did any dirty, exhausting work available and came home every night looking completely drained.

It broke my heart to see my boyfriend working himself to the bone.

I also started juggling multiple tutoring jobs, waitressing shifts, and housekeeping gigs.

But $190,000 was just too much.

I was constantly wracked with guilt, feeling like I wasn't doing enough. I was also terrified that his mother wouldn't survive long enough for us to gather the funds.

Sometimes, Steve would bury his head in my lap and talk to me with a tender voice, as if I were his whole world.

"Beverly, just having you by my side is enough for me. If Mom… If she doesn't make it, then it was her fate. I guess fate would have me be an orphan, too."

My time with Steve's mother, though brief, had given me my first real taste of the warmth of a family. I felt like I had finally found my purpose.

So, I couldn't let her die. I couldn't let Steve become an orphan like me.

After crying all night, I made a decision.

I gave up my spot at a prestigious university and cashed out all my scholarship money.

I maxed out my credit cards and found shady ways to get cash advances. I even took out every high-interest loan I could find. Still, I was $40,000 short.

With only one week left, I gritted my teeth and accepted an offer from a bar owner.

He said I was pretty and had a nice figure, perfect for being a hostess.

I knew what that kind of work implied. But my dignity, my innocence… none of it mattered compared to Steve's happiness.

That week, I worked relentlessly.

With the hope of earning bigger tips, I smiled at sleazy, middle-aged men, letting their hands wander all over me.

Then, when I finally handed Steve the full and neatly stacked $190,000, I collapsed from exhaustion.

When I opened my eyes again, he was back with devastating news.

"Beverly... The surgery… It failed. She's gone." He looked utterly shattered.

"And... and they found something else," he continued brokenly. "I have cancer. You should leave. I won't blame you if you do."

The searing pain of that moment, feeling like my heart was being ripped in two, was still vivid.

My body was already pushed to its limit, and I had no tears left to cry.

Sometime after that, I happened to learn about the Eva Academy of Art.

I threw myself into earning money for his treatment, disregarding my own health and well-being.

And now… the so-called "Mrs. Jekyll" was standing there, wearing a housekeeper's uniform.

Shifting guiltily at the foot of the spiral staircase.

It was all a lie. The love I thought I'd found… was all a sham.

Suddenly, a memory clicked into place.

A chilling realization washed over me, leaving me cold and trembling.

"The Eva Academy of Art flyer… I found it outside my door. A private club like that… why would there be a flyer…?"

The shock and anger on Steve's face melted into guilt and avoidance. His striking blue eyes darted away, unable to meet my gaze.

Abby let out a scornful laugh.

"That was part of the test, too. We never thought you'd actually go through with it, willing to become some pervert's plaything!" She sneered.

"I guess it just comes naturally to a slut like you. Ha!"

The world swam before my eyes. All the love I had felt had burned away, leaving only cold ashes.

"Steve," I said, my voice tight, "We're through. A piece of trash like you doesn't deserve me."

My harsh words clearly stung, but he tried to cling to his facade as the esteemed young Mr. Jekyll, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Beverly, I told you, you passed the test! You get to be my official girlfriend! Do you have any idea how many girls would kill for that position? Isn't that enough for you?"

From beginning to end, the only real things were my sincerity, my pain, and my suffering.

I had lost my education, my body, my soul, and all my hope for the future.

And in return, I was supposed to be grateful for the opportunity to be near the great 'Mr. Jekyll'?

A cold laugh escaped my lips. I threw the wine bottle to the floor.

"I don't want it. You disgust me."

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I bent down and picked up the bank card from the floor.

It was all I had left in the world now.

I had to take it.

Abby watched my action with utter contempt. "So pathetic," she muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

"All that grand talk, but she still scrambles for her 'earnings.' What a joke."

I didn't look back. I ignored Steve's furious shouts.

Striding out, I left that opulent, gilded, fake world behind me for good.