Thad no recollection of how James took me away. Even when i was seated on the plane heading back home, my body still trembled uncontrollably,
People around us were staring.
Their expressions varied.
After all, in the pristine luxury of the first–class cabin, my tattered, beggar–like clothing was a Jarring sight. Even the blanket draped over my shoulders looked far more valuable than I did.
Even the flight attendant, as she approached with a tray, couldn’t hide the trace of pity in her
eyes.
“Miss, would you like a cup of hot coffee?”
The rich aroma stirred my senses. I lifted my head, my gaze landing on her warm, friendly smile. Almost instinctively, I reached out, only to have my hands fully exposed to the light. Red, swollen, covered in frostbite,
Gone was the delicato, smooth skin from three years ago. My fingers were rough and cracked, my hands withored like aged bark. The flight attendant gasped in shock.
I flinched instinctively, quickly pulling my hands back and curling into my seat, shaking my head frantically. “No… I don’t want it. I don’t want it…”
The air around us grow heavier.
In the end, the flight attendant still placed the coffee on the tray in front of me. Before leaving,
You she shot James a conflicted glance and muttered under her breath, “Looks decent
enough, but it turns out he’s just a heartless sc*mbag.”
Jam
I
paid
was speechless.
no attention to her words. My focus remained solely on the steaming cup of coffee, my throat constricting as I swallowed hard.
In the past three years, even a single cup of water had been a luxury. Countless times, I had been forced to chew on cold, rock–hard bread, swallowing it dry with nothing but my own saliva.
“If
you want to drink it, just drink it. It’s instant coffee, not some rare delicacy.”
James’s voice was laced with disdain. His sharp gaze studied me, his features as refined and composed as ever, but his words cut straight to the bone.
“Chloe, it’s only been three years. How did you turn into such a pathetic mess?”
“Pathetic? Could dignity fill an empty stomach?” I thought.
I wanted to say something, but my throat was too tight.
The man sitting beside me was the very reason I had ended up like this, yet I didn’t dare utter
a single word of blame.
Not because I still loved him. But because I was utterly terrified.
Three years ago, he abandoned me on the streets of a foreign country. No passport. No
money. That very night, I was almost trafficked to a red–light district.
I barely escaped. With no identity, I had crawled through the cracks of society like a rat
hiding in the sewers.
11:35 Tue, 18 Mar
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I had worked as a garbage collector. I also scrubbed sewage tanks and cleaned glass on high–rise buildings. At my hungriest, I had even barked like a dog on the streets just to amuse passersby in exchange for a few coins.
During that time, my only dream was to go home. I swore to myself, if I ever got back, I would
never love James again.
So now, of course, I wouldn’t dare to offend him.
I never wanted to return to that dark place again. The mere thought of it made me tremble
all over.
“Yes. I’m pathetic,” I whispered in agreement.
Even as I stared at the coffee, all I could do was lick my dry, cracked lips. I didn’t dare to take
it, cowering like a well–trained dog.
But James didn’t look pleased with my obedience. His expression darkened even further. In his eyes, there was something unfamiliar, an emotion I couldn’t decipher.
I didn’t understand. And even if I did, I wouldn’t dare to acknowledge it.
