Chapter 2

The sound lingered on, but he was like a walking dead, unaware even as tears streamed down his face. It wasn't until dawn that Aaliyah opened the door and coldly looked at him. “Clean up the room.” He looked at the “battlefield” littered with condoms on the floor, his heart trembling violently, but he said nothing, only nodding silently. Jason emerged from the bathroom with scratches all over his back, paused at the sight, then took her hand and pleaded, “Aaliyah, it’s all over now. Just let go of Lawrence.” Aaliyah curled her lips into a smile, but her eyes remained cold. “He wanted money, so I gave him money to do my bidding. It’s a fair deal—what is ‘let go’ means?” After speaking, she wrapped her arms around him and softened her tone. “Rest assured, before the wedding, I'll make sure he disappears completely.” In the days that followed, wherever Aaliyah and Jason went, she brought Lawrence along. When someone offered a toast, she had him take the drink, until he was so drunk he stumbled to the restroom, vomiting repeatedly yet she never said stop. During meals, she made him serve Jason like a servant, peeling shrimp shells, removing fish bones, wiping his hands, and even accompanying him to the restroom. Meanwhile, she pampered Jason excessively in front of everyone. After each social gathering, she would take a stack of cash from the car with a blank expression and throw it forcefully onto him. “Today's payment.” In the face of her humiliation, he never reacted, only silently bent down to pick up the soiled bills and carefully put them away in his bag. Yes, he needed the money. Once he had enough, he could disappear from her world completely. Sky burial—not even a bone or a piece of flesh would remain. In this world, it would be as though Lawrence had never existed. On Jason’s birthday, Aaliyah threw him a grand birthday banquet. Her devotion to Jason was evident to everyone. The banquet was decorated entirely according to Jason’s preferences. It was said that the venue alone used a full million roses. The clothes Jason wore that day were still designed by Aaliyah's mother herself for her future son-in-law. The two walked hand in hand onto the stage, immediately becoming the center of everyone's attention. Aaliyah was as stunningly beautiful and graceful as ever, but the man standing beside her was no longer Lawrence. Unconsciously, he recalled the scene of their engagement. At that time, it was equally grand and magnificent, with their family and friends witnessing her deep affection for him, as they walked hand in hand toward the door of happiness. She took out the family heirloom ring and placed it on his finger, saying that once he wore her ring, he would be hers forever, and they would never part. The whispers around him interrupted his memories. “What was Lawrence thinking? He and Aaliyah were childhood sweethearts. Aaliyah practically spoiled him rotten, treating him like a precious treasure. Yet he went and killed her mother.” “Exactly. Everyone in the city knew how much Aaliyah loved him. I can't understand why he's so stubborn.” “If it weren't for that incident, they'd probably have a child in elementary school by now.” “Don't even think about it. How could you possibly understand the mind of such a heartless man? He deserves to end up like this.” “Exactly. A man like him deserves to die!” Lawrence listened to the curses around him, his face expressionless. As they wished, he would soon be dead. The banquet ended, and Aaliyah was still bidding farewell to the guests. Lawrence and Jason waited by the lake at the entrance for her to come out. This was their first time alone together since he was released from prison. Jason remained silent for a long time before speaking. “Lawrence, do you know? I've always deeply loved Aaliyah. I fell for her before you were with her.” “Back then, the two of you were in love, and I had already given up on her, ready to bless your relationship. But why did you betray Aaliyah?” "Do you know how much pain Aaliyah has endured over the years? I finally managed to comfort her, so why did you have to show up now and disrupt her emotions?” Lawrence looked at the man before him, never having imagined that his best friend, who had been by his side all these years, had secretly loved his beloved all along. But now that he had reappeared, he had never intended to disrupt their lives. A man who had “killed” her mother, a man on the brink of death—there was nothing he could do to compete. “Jason, I’ll be leaving soon.” Jason stared at him coldly, his eyes flickering with disbelief. Suddenly, he ripped the ring off his finger and threw it into the lake with force. “Lawrence, you threw my ring into the water. You should help me retrieve it, right?”