Chapter 3

Not far away, Ethan Drake rushed over, holding two bunny-shaped ice creams.

He always said Jenna Cole reminded him of a small, shy rabbit.

Jenna looked up at him in surprise, then quickly turned her head, covering her face.

“E-Ethan… you need to see Senior Lily. She fell!”

Ethan didn’t even glance at me. He gently pulled Jenna’s hand away, his face hardening the moment he saw the bright red handprint on her cheek.

“Lily Harper, this is too much! You’ve been bullying Jenna all this time, and she’s never once retaliated! And now you’re even trying to make her look guilty?!”

He took Jenna’s hand firmly, staring coldly at me.

“If you had even half of Jenna’s kindness and generosity, people wouldn’t despise you so much.”

“Really?” I tightened my fists, the pain in my palms sharp and blinding. For a moment, the fog in my mind cleared. “Look at her neck. Am I the one at fault here?”

Ethan’s eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, but then he hardened even further.

“Your heart… everything you see is dirty.”

With that, he led Jenna away, leaving me frozen in place.

Even a small movement sent stabbing pain up my ankle, and my lower abdomen throbbed faintly.

I limped to the hospital and there, my world collapsed. I was pregnant.

Shock struck me like lightning. I pounded my own stomach, screaming in desperation.

No. No! This child, it can’t exist. This is my shame!

The cold, hard hospital bed pressed against my trembling body. I felt like a slab of meat, helpless as the medical staff removed the tiny, malformed life from me.

When I regained consciousness, I caught a glimpse of the tiny, underdeveloped embryo, blood still fresh around it.

Then, my phone buzzed with a video from Jenna.

She and Ethan were wrapped in each other’s arms, kissing, with Ethan whispering in her ear.

“Jenna, you’re so much better. You have no idea… every time I see Lily Harper, I think of her under someone else. She’s disgusting. I almost vomit!”

I gagged, retching. My child gone. The explicit video. Ethan’s disdain… everything pressed down on me like a crushing weight. Tears and bile ran together as my body shook.

I had to escape! I had to get away! My chest burned with panic. If I didn’t find a way out, Ethan and Jenna would keep tormenting me forever.

I had fought so hard to get into Crestwood University, spending endless days and nights in the lab—not to be abused and humiliated by Ethan Drake.

Desperate, I thought of my former mentor, studying abroad, and couldn’t stop myself from asking for help.

“Professor… you mentioned before about inviting me to your research project overseas. I want to join… is it still possible?”