Chapter 5
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I was taken back to Marcus’s place outside of school.
I gave him a birthday gift.
A cross–stitched piece I made.
One side had a tiny scorpion for his zodiac sign.
The other had his initials, “MP.”
I’d planned to stitch his full name too on the scorpion side, but it was way too much work.
So I gave up.
A guy’s most vulnerable moment might be right after sex.
He loved that cheap, sloppy gift and kept turning it in his hands, looking at it.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
Was this some aristocratic quirk?
Like, they were all sentimental about handmade stuff, thinking anything you made yourself must mean something.
Meanwhile, the expensive gifts were totally ignored.
After staring at it for a while, Marcus finally said, “Emma, do you really like me?”
I almost burst out laughing.
What was this?
He thought sleeping with me meant he had my heart, too?
Or… was this just one last confirmation before he completed the “mission“?
I made my voice all soft and sweet, dripping with fake emotion. “Of course, Daddy.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “No matter what happens, you must always love me.
“Got it?”
Ever since we had sex, Marcus had become addicted to it.
He asked me to move in, and I said yes, because I remembered his private chemistry lab in his house.
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Yep, Marcus literally had a chemistry lab at home. Crazy, right?
No wonder his grades were so much better than everyone else’s.
With that kind of support, how could he not excel at his studies?
I took full advantage of Marcus’s resources, eagerly improving myself.
His tutor came four times a week, and I joined all the lessons.
We did all his exclusive practice books together.
And when I was burned out, I could even fool around with him to de–stress.
Everything was going perfectly.
I broke into the top five on the first mock exam.
By the third one, I even ranked second, just ten points behind Marcus.
I was over the moon.
With scores like that, every top university in the pack was now within reach–I could have my pick.
But as the SAT neared, Marcus got clingier.
He kept wanting me, and more fiercely every time.
Every time, he’d hold me tight, mark me, and ask again and again, “Will you always love me?”
And I’d always say yes.
Then came the day before the SAT.
The small classroom was packed–every Alpha who’d ever hit on me was there.
So was Sophia, smirking coldly as she stared at me–her eyes full of hatred, but even more smug pride.
Marcus was surrounded by them, while I stood at the opposite end of the room.
He stared at me for a long time, then looked away slightly, avoiding my eyes.
“Emma, let’s break up.”
The stone I’d been holding in my chest finally dropped. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He finally said it.
I was starting to think he’d gotten too hooked to walk away.
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But now that we’d reached the end of the line, I just needed to nail this last performance to avoid any trouble.
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Chapter 5
My eyes filled with tears in an instant, and I put on my best devastated look.
“No, I don’t want to break up.”
Everyone around us burst out laughing.
“You don’t want to? Like you get a say?”
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“You really think Marcus loves you? Come on, smell the poverty on yourself. You think that matches our Marcus?”
“He fooled around with you for a few days, and now you think you’re Cinderella?”
Sophia’s voice cut through the noise, full of spite. “Emma, you’re nothing but a stray dog digging through trash.
“Stop dreaming about someone who is never meant to be yours.
“Marcus was just fooling around with you because he was bored.”
I widened my eyes, tears spilling nonstop, crying like I couldn’t hold it back.
I sobbed, pleading. “That’s not true.
“Marcus, say something. Please, tell me it’s not true.”
Everyone turned to look at him. And under all that attention, he finally said, “It’s true.
“I don’t want you anymore.”
His voice came out strained with a slight tremble at the end.
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But no one else seemed to catch it. They were too focused on mocking me, like they were trying to push me hard enough to throw myself out the window.
Too bad for them, I was all talk.
But I was not the type to actually do anything reckless.
I figured I’d go all in with the heartbroken act.
“You can’t do this to me.
“I can’t go on like this. I feel like dying right now.”
Personally, I thought it was a bit over the top.
But the crowd loved it; their laughter got even louder.
“If you really died for Marcus, maybe he’d actually remember you.”
“Yeah, why not give it a try?”
As if. Like I’d actually die. I still had the SAT to take.
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Chapter 5
My tears were almost dry; I couldn’t cry even if I wanted to.
I staggered away.
But then, feeling the moment called for it, I turned back and said one last thing, “Marcus, I hate you!”
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