Chapter 1

"Evan, what's with selling her nudes for just $6.99 a pop? That's dirt cheap, man! I dropped a hundred bucks and got your whole damn collection without breaking a sweat," Blake snorted. "Hell, even those wilted roses from the sketchy street vendor cost $9.99!"

Evan Keith curled his lip in contempt.

"I wanted everyone to know that Thalia isn't worth even a cheap street rose. She loves embarrassing Ravena? Well,I'll humiliate her even more!"

He seemed to remember something and unlocked his phone.

A moment later, broken, fragmented sounds played from his device.

"I've got videos and audio recordings too. How about $7.99 per clip? Anyone interested?"

I knew exactly when those broken sounds were recorded.

The guys kept whooping and hollering louder by the second. Their disgusting laughter made me sick to my stomach.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, trying to regain some composure.

Evan had taken me so long to win over. Everyone saw him as the perfect boyfriend, always putting me first.

Throughout our four years together, Evan was always insatiable in bed—constantly demanding sex.

Not only that, but he loved buying me various roleplaying outfits for our intimate moments, which he was particularly obsessed with this.

I always thought those costumes simply enhanced his desire. I never imagined the real reason was to make recording easier...

As the laughter in the room grew more piercing, a chill ran down my spine.

Recently, I caught a cold due to the sudden drop in temperature.

After taking medicine for several days without improvement.But Evan, seemingly concerned, drove me to the hospital where his stepsister worked.

Before meeting her, I'd only heard about Ravena from Evan and his friends.

"Ravena? Man, she's Evan's precious angel!"—he absolutely adores her!"

And indeed, although Ravena was the same age as me,she spoke as if she were younger girl, naturally making people want to protect her.

But despite this being our first meeting, she seemed to dislike me intensely.

When she gave me my injection, I could clearly feel her deliberately missing the vein. Each misplaced needle caused obvious pain.

After just a few attempts, my hand was mostly purple with bruises.Though she looked somewhat sorry, she never once apologized.

Finally, Ravena’s behavior immediately trigger an incident report, prompting intervention from the clinical supervisor.She smoothly took over, sliding the IV in perfectly.

Despite this, I felt uncomfortable, which is why I asked for her apology.

Ravena refused, but under Evan's pressure, she reluctantly said "I'm sorry."

Then she ran away with tears in her eyes.

Evan didn't chase after his stepsister. Instead, he stood there smiling, reassuring me softly.

Yet right away, he plastered my intimate photos all over the internet just to just to help Ravena get revenge.

Chapter 2

Just days before, he said to me, "Once you’ve met Ravena, we’ll get our families together to talk about the wedding.'"

If he truly wanted to marry me, why would he do this to me?

So, was it all just talk?

Did all those "I love you" he whispered countless times over our four years together mean absolutely nothing?

I suddenly remembered something one of Evan's friends had blurted out drunk at a party"If Evan wasn't hung up on those step-sibling technicalities with Ravena, you wouldn't be with him at all"

My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand. I could barely breathe.

I don't remember how I left the hotel. Only felt that the moment I stepped into public view, everyone's eyes were on me—scrutinizing, Keithing.

Overwhelming shame and fear wrapped around me. With trembling hands, I called my parents, who were abroad working on a research.

Because of their specialized work, my parents spent three years at a International research institutions overseas, completely unreachable during those periods.

Today happened to be the day their project ended.

When the call connected, my parents' concerned voices broke the dam I'd been desperately holding back.

After crying my heart out, I wiped away my tears.

"Mom, Dad, I've decided to join your research program. I want to do something meaningful with my life."

I’d already given up on joining my parents’ work because Evan didn’t want me going too far from him. Back then, I figured if things between us were solid enough, maybe staying and building a life with him wouldn’t be the worst thing.

But I was wrong. He didn't love me. Someone who actually gives a damn about you wouldn’t ruin your name and turn you into a walking scandal！

I was such a fool. Lucky for me, I still had a way out.

I returned to our apartment in a daze. The place was cold and empty—Evan clearly hadn't been home.

The smart home system detected the strong light from outside and automatically drew the curtains.

The room dimmed, and I collapsed onto the carpet, exhausted.

I wanted to cry but couldn't squeeze out a single tear.A sharp ringtone broke the silence. It was Evan.

"Where are you?"

I opened my mouth, my throat painfully dry.

"Home."

"Ravena's throwing a party and insists I bring you. Can you come now? Get ready, I'll pick you up later."

Before I could refuse, he hung up.

He arrived quickly, and even seeing that I hadn't changed clothes, he only sighed lightly.

"I saw the photos online. Don't overthink it. I believe in you, okay?"

He pulled out a curve-hugging dress from the closet.

“Come on, throw this on. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

As he took off my coat, I suddenly grabbed his hand.

"What exactly do you believe about me?"

I remembered their conversation at the hotel.

"Evan, how do you plan to play this game with Thalia?"

Evan remained silent, but his phone suddenly played Ravena's voice"Obviously, we'll make everyone—including her—question whether she's self-respect. As for my brother.. he'll be the one she clings to when she’s at her lowest.This way, their relationship stays intact, and I can get my revenge. What do you think, brother?"

Chapter 3

After a long pause, Evan lovingly agreed to his stepsister's plan.

"Alright."

Soon after, my intimate photos were labeled with terms like "slut" all over the internet.

I laughed bitterly.

"What exactly do you believe?" I asked again.

I tossed the dress aside, completely drained.

"I don't want to go to the party. Go have fun without me."

Evan's eyebrows furrowed—his classic sign of displeasure.

Of course.

"Thalia! Cut the attitude！"

"Ravena found out about what's happening online. She organized this party specifically to help you relax and wants to properly apologize to you."

His fingers traced over the bruises on my hand.

"She's trying to be nice. Don't be ungrateful!"I was forcibly dragged out the door by Evan.

Before getting out of the car, I pulled a face mask from my pocket, but Evan stopped me.

He looked at me with gentle determination, as if he would truly help me.

"You don't need that. You have nothing to hide. I believe in you—you should believe in yourself too, okay?"

He tossed my mask out the window and practically yanked me out of the car.

The moment we entered the noisy bar, all eyes turned to me.Malicious stares, people looking me up and down, leering glances.

I could hear the cruel comments from the corner, not even trying to be discreet.

"Look, that's her! Seems all quiet and classy, but turns out she's actually such a slut!"

"That's definitely her! I'll never forget that face from the photos. Damn, she totally looks like a whore! And that body—she's the queen of all bitches!"

"Hahahahaha..."

With my back rigid, fighting back nausea, Evan led me to a private room.

The moment we entered, Evan let go of my hand.

I kept my head down, staring at the shoes before me, trying to find some sense of familiarity.

But there was none. The stares in this room were even more invasive, more naked, more disgusting than outside!

"I don't feel well. I need to leave."

I turned to leave but was grabbed by the wrist. Rough thumbs circled my skin.

The man holding me was one of Evan's friends Marcus—the one who had made the loudest, crudest comments at the hotel.

He looked at me, his eyes undressing me.

"Why are you suddenly leaving, baby?It’s so good we finally got together,right?You can't go without having some fun with us first."

His words were loaded with innuendo, making me sick to my stomach.

Ravena peered out from behind him, her smile pure and innocent.

"Hey, what are you guys doing? You're scaring her!"

She forcibly pulled me to the center of the room. The spotlight from above left me with nowhere to hide.

I looked at Evan.

He sat in the corner of the room, casually swirling his wine, watching everything unfold with detached interest, making no move to intervene.

Our eyes met briefly. He smiled at me, gentle as always.This was the man who had reduced me to nothing more than street vermin.

A drink was thrust in front of me, blocking my view of Evan.