Even with Harry’s money, they weren’t ready
to let me go.
く
Mom invited me to their motel room.
When I arrived, they’d all conveniently left.
Moments later, a group of men barged in,
threatening to strip me and take explicit
photos.
I pulled out the fruit knife I’d brought.
“Oh, you wanna fight us? Come on, let’s
teach you a lesson! Ah, what are you doing?”
I couldn’t possibly fight them all.
I stabbed my own hand.
Blood dripped down the table.
The loan sharks were stunned
The loan sharks were stunned.
“If you touch me, I’ll die here! Are you willing
to take a life for a hundred thousand dollars?”
Online payday loans were unregulated, and
the police were useless. But a death,
especially of a promising college student,
would generate enough public outrage to
bring down the full force of the law upon
them.
They knew this better than I did.
Seeing their hesitation, I continued, “Asking
me for money is pointless! Even if you take my life, you won’t get a hundred thousand!
But I have a way to help you get your money
back…”
The thugs who barged in aggressively slunk
away.
I collapsed on the floor, drenched in sweat.
Soon, Mom returned.
She saw the blood and turned pale.
“The third time…” I said coldly.
Perhaps the sight of my bloodied hand was
too much. Her legs went weak, and she had
to grip the doorframe to steady herself.
I took time off to recover.
The next day, Mom knelt outside my dorm
building.
Everyone was watching.
I went about my business as usual.
Harry came to visit with gifts, and it started
to rain again.
Seeing Mom kneeling, he tried to help her up.
Mom was good at playing the victim.
“If Jenny doesn’t forgive me, I won’t get up!”
With her graying hair, she looked stubborn
and pitiful.
People started calling me ungrateful.
Harry, unable to stand it, ignored dorm rules
and stormed upstairs, using his student
<
council authority.
“Jenny, don’t you see your mom kneeling
downstairs?”
“It’s been so long, why are you still holding
onto this? What do you want from them?”
“Come downstairs and apologize to your
mom!”
He tried to drag me down.
His iron grip tightened around my injured
hand.
Blood spurted out.
“What are you doing?” My roommates rushed
- in.
<
Seeing the blood, Harry panicked. “Jenny,
you’re hurt?”
My roommates tried to explain, but I stopped
them.
“Let me be clear, I will never forgive them!”
Harry was furious.
“Now I understand why even your own
parents despise you, hate you, and
abandoned you!”
“Jenny, you deserve it!”
Harry stormed out, pulling Mom up forcefully.
“Let’s go, Ma’am! Don’t waste your time with
an ungrateful brat!”
I watched silently from the window as they
walked away, a smile slowly spreading across
my face.
Soon, news spread about Harry and Ronnie
being caught in a hotel room by loan sharks,
who’d taken pictures.
Harry had to pay $200,000 in hush money.
I heard about this just as I was leaving
Universe Corp. headquarters.
As luck would have it, Harry arrived too.
He walked ahead, Ronnie trailing behind.
“Harry, I know I was wrong. I won’t chase
celebrities anymore. I didn’t know they would
barge in and threaten you…..
<
Oh, you didn’t know?
Wasn’t this your plan all along?
One, get Harry to pay off your debts. Two,
force a relationship with him and marry into
his wealthy family.
Harry shook off Ronnie’s hand in disgust,
looked up and saw me, then rushed over and
grabbed my hand.
“Jenny, I’m so sorry. They were trying to
make you pay off Ronnie’s debts! Was it
those loan sharks who hurt your hand? |
actually sided with them, I’m such an idiot.
Can you forgive me?”
I silently pulled my hand away.
“I heard about what happened.”
Harry’s face twisted.
“Jenny, I’m the victim here! I was fooled by
Ronnie’s innocent act, by your parents‘ pitiful
charade!”
Harry went on, his words becoming
increasingly unpleasant.
Ronnie stood behind him, tears streaming
down her face.
Finally, she said, “Harry, I’m so sorry. It’s all
my fault!”
She then ran out into the street, followed by
the screech of tires and people screaming.
L
“Someone’s been hit!”
Harry spun around. “Ronnie!”
He shot out like an arrow, scooping Ronnie
into his arms.
Ronnie leaned weakly against him, sobbing.
“Harry, I’m so sorry, I just love you, I didn’t
know things would turn out like this… I’m so
sorry…
“Ronnie, don’t talk, I’ll take you to the
hospital! Taxi!”
Harry was frantic.
I returned to my dorm, carefully putting away
the documents I’d brought from Universe.
I’d seen Harry this panicked before, in my
past life.
When I was hit by the car, there was a lot of
blood.
Harry slapped Ronnie, then picked me up and
rushed me to the hospital.
But what good did it do?
My parents said I was jealous of Ronnie
marrying into a rich family and deliberately
jumped in front of her car.
The Harrison family paid to cover everything
up, destroying all the evidence.
Then, Harry stood at my grave and said, “I’m
sorry, Jenny. I can’t send Ronnie to jail…”
“Heard Harry is officially dating Ronnie?”
“So fast?”
“They’ve only known each other for a few
days, and it’s already this serious?”
“Guess that’s the difference between love
and not love.”
In the lab, everyone was talking about Harry
and Ronnie.
I continued my work.
They’d been jealous of me for a long time
and wouldn’t miss a chance to gloat.
“Jenny, I heard you were the top science
<
student, but you turned down Harvard and
Yale for a guy, to come to this school.”
“Was that guy Harry?”
“I knew it! You had ulterior motives for joining
the lab!”
Someone rolled up a piece of paper and held
it like a microphone.
“Miss Johnson, how does it feel to have your
own sister steal your boyfriend?”
They mocked me, the lab rat who was a
failure in love.
“What’s all the commotion?”
Harry suddenly appeared.
Naturally, Ronnie trailed timidly behind him.
He sent everyone out.
“Jenny, I’m so sorry. I betrayed your feelings.
Harry’s face was full of guilt.
“They’re all here for easy credits. I know
you’re the only one who’s serious about this
project.”
“I know you truly love me, so can you help me
one more time…”
“Help me finish this experiment. Ronnie…
she… she got disciplinary action and needs a
successful project to avoid expulsion.”
I stared at Harry, wondering how he could say
this to me with a straight face.
“Okay.”
