Faded Love

He didn't say a word and closed the door, locking me inside. I couldn’t get out because there was a password.

He then went to take a shower.

He must have felt uncomfortable after seeing those creatures.

I sat obediently in the living room.

About an hour later, James came downstairs.

He was in his pajamas, his hair still damp.

I knew to avoid looking at him.

"You can move into that house after it's cleaned up. You can stay here for tonight," explained James.

I thought for a moment and nodded, thanking him.

That house was large, and I would probably still be cleaning it well into the night.

He walked over, and I stood up, feeling like a servant standing to the side.

James pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.

"Have you quit?" A hint of curiosity appeared on his face.

Without hesitation, I nodded. Any hesitation would be a disrespect to my three years in rehab.

That night, I had a nightmare.

There were countless pairs of eyes.

Hatred, disgust, revulsion, disdain...

All coming from one person and that was James...

4

The next day, when James went to work, I asked him to drop me off in the city center.

As long as I didn't bother him, everything was negotiable.

I looked at the hiring notice outside the flower shop, wondering if the owner would accept someone like me without a degree.

I had been sent to rehab halfway through university.

"Are you here to apply for a job?" the owner, noticing me staring at the notice but not going in, couldn't help but ask.

I nodded.

The owner looked to be just over 25.

He seemed easy to get along with.

The salary was 600 dollars per month, and no degree was required. I just needed to show up on time to help.

I asked the owner for an advance of 200 dollars. Without money, I couldn't do anything.

I was officially starting tomorrow, and the owner didn't seem worried I would run off with the money.

I went to a used car shop and bought a secondhand electric scooter.

I spent 80 dollars for that.

In the past, I wouldn't have thought twice about 80 dollars, but now, I had to haggle for it.

It was not like I didn't have parents. Three years ago, my family abandoned me to protect the company's reputation.

And my only loving grandfather had long since passed away.

If my grandfather were still here, would I have been in this mess?

I shook my head, trying to dispel those useless thoughts.

I rode the electric scooter back to the old house my grandfather left behind.

The weeds outside had already been cleared away by James's men.

Inside, there was dust everywhere and spider webs.

It took me four hours to clean the house, but many things inside were already unusable.

I planned to throw away the useless items, but in my carelessness, I stumbled and dropped things everywhere and I ended up in a mess.

Not only did I scrape my knees, but I was also covered in dirt and dust.

A pair of leather shoes appeared before me; I didn't need to look up to know who they belonged to.

I slowly stood up, feeling a bit of pain in my knees.

"Mr. Gates, is there something you need?" I switched from calling him Jamesy to James, and then to Mr. Gates.

It was better to keep some distance. I didn't want to go back to that place again.

"Grandma asked me to come check on you," said James, frowning.

"Tell Grandma I'm fine. She doesn't need to worry about me." With that, I squatted down and continued to tidy up the mess.