Chapter 3

The agent rushed out after me, handed me a bottle of water, and patted my back.

"If you can't handle it, you can wait for Scarlett in the lounge. I'll refund the money to her card."

I clutched my chest, taking a massive gulp of water to wash down the lingering disgust.

Just then, Scarlett walked out of her room.

She looked even more radiant than before she went in. Her skin was translucent, glowing with a rosy flush. I was completely mesmerized.

As Scarlett walked out, she whispered with the agent for a while.

He was probably telling her about my pathetic reaction.

I braced myself for Scarlett to scold me for wasting her money and dragging her here.

But she didn't say a word on the way back. After dropping me off at my dorm, she simply gave me a cold warning: "Don't you dare tell anyone about the animals you saw today."

"I... I know."

I got out of the car and practically ran toward my dorm.

My heart was still racing.

But as I rounded the corner of the hallway, I froze. There, in the shadows, were my best friend, Chloe, and my crush, Julian. They were locked in a passionate, breathless kiss.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't even notice me standing right behind them.

Chloe had told me a thousand times that she had no interest in Julian. I was the one who introduced them. I shared all his likes and dislikes with her.

I shared everything with her.

And this was how she repaid me!

Rage flared up inside me. I stormed forward and shoved them apart. They stumbled and fell to the floor. When Chloe looked up and saw me, panic flashed across her face.

"Hazel? Why are you back so early?"

"Let me explain..."

"Explain what? I saw the whole thing!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "Chloe, I treated you like my sister! What did you treat me as? A joke?"

Seeing that the cat was out of the bag, Chloe stopped pretending. She got up, brushed off her clothes, and slapped me right across the face.

"Fine! Since you saw it, I won't bother hiding it anymore."

"Julian and I are together!"

"So what? He was never your boyfriend anyway. He's free to be with whoever he wants. Besides, look at your dry skin. You're not half as pretty as me. Any man with eyes knows who to choose!"

I wasn't angry just because they were together.

I was angry because I had given her my pure, honest friendship, and she had played me like a fool.

If she had just told me she liked him from the start, I would have stepped back!

"Is that really how you see me?"

"Obviously. A loser trying to outclass herself. You should look in the mirror before you try to match him."

Her words cut me to the bone. Tears blurred my vision.

My best friend had not only betrayed me, but she also looked down on me with utter contempt.

It felt like my whole world was crashing down.

I blocked Chloe on everything.

That night, I tossed and turned in bed, Chloe's harsh words echoing in my head.

I made a vow. I would become more beautiful than her. I would make Julian regret his choice.

And then, I thought of Scarlett.

The next morning, I took a cab home and begged Scarlett to take me back to the sanctuary.

She immediately refused, telling me not to force myself.

I broke down and told her everything that had happened at school. "Scarlett, I promise you, I won't run away this time!"

Unable to withstand my tears, Scarlett finally agreed to take me back a week later.

The moment we walked in, the agent recognized me.

"Well, if it isn't the girl who threw up last time. Just accompanying your sister today?"

I shook my head, my voice firm. "No. I'm going in."

The agent smirked. "Sweetheart, don't force yourself."

I looked at my reflection in the glass door. My skin was dull and lifeless, lacking the vibrant glow a twenty-something girl should have.

Thinking of Chloe's mocking face, I clenched my fists. "I won't run away this time."

I had to see what kind of wild beast could make a woman so irresistible and desperate for more.

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