I Traded My Body for His Remedy

Jewell’s voice was shaky like she was about to cry when she shouted at Clay.

She shoved him hard and then pulled me into a tight hug.

Meanwhile, Melissa crossed her arms, her voice hinting with sarcasm. “Jewell, so it is you! What, did you lose your mind? She’s here to steal my groom, and you’re helping her? You two must be in on this together. A pair of lowlifes, both of you!”

Jewell was so angry that her face turned pale, and she shot back, “Steal your groom? Bullshit! You two—a cheater and a homewrecker—have no right to talk! Lorraine is getting married today, and she’s the real bride!”

She helped me to my feet and started steering me toward the elevator.

“Ugh, I’m so stupid! I can’t believe I got lost and made you go through this,” she said with guilt. “Your face is so swollen. I don’t even know if makeup will cover it. We can’t miss the ceremony—we’ve gotta hurry!”

But before we could take another step, Clay blocked our way. His voice was cold, cutting. “You think you can just leave when you can’t keep the act going? This isn’t some place you can walk in and out of as you please. You ruined my bride's mood! You’re not going anywhere until you apologize!”

By now, the guests had started gathering around us. Most of them didn’t have a clue what was going on, but plenty recognized me—they were Clay’s friends.

Whispers were already spreading through the crowd, and a few people were starting to question if Melissa was his other woman.

After all, no one had heard a word about me and Clay breaking up. Then, out of nowhere, they get a wedding invitation? Of course, people got suspicious.

But Clay was willing to drag me through the mud again just to save Melissa’s face.

“Lorraine,” he sneered, “if you hadn’t been screwing around with other men, we’d still be together. I was trying to make this breakup clean and civil, but you shamelessly showed up here!”

He looked me up and down, adding, “A slut like you wearing a wedding gown? That’s a disgrace to the gown itself—you don’t deserve it!”

Then, before I could react, he yanked the veil right off my head. Next, his hand shot down to grab at my dress.

Jewell snapped; she kicked him hard in the knee, stepping between us to shield me.

“How many times do I have to say it before it gets through your thick skull?! She isn’t here to ruin anything! Her wedding is today too—just on another floor!”

But the crowd started murmuring, their whispers turning into sharp, pointed stares. Even his friends seemed to believe him; they looked at me like I was trash.

Clay let out a sarcastic laugh like the idea of me getting married was some kind of joke. “Her? Someone’s marrying a slut like her? Come on, who are you trying to fool?”

He kept saying that I was a slut, completely ignoring how desperate I was at the moment.

This was the same man whose attending physician I’d once handed the experimental life-saving drug. Back then, he’d thanked me, saying I was his savior and that he’d love me forever.

But not even half a month later, he’d become a completely different person.

I’d barely managed to convince myself to let him go, but now he was here, trampling all over my dignity again!

Taking advantage of Jewell’s hesitation, Clay grabbed at my gown again. This time, he tore off a piece of the fabric.

A chill ran down my back and arm, and I felt the strap slip off my shoulder.

Jewell snapped out of it and quickly pulled off her coat, wrapping it around me.

Clay sneered. “What’s with the innocent act? A desperate woman like you, throwing yourself at anyone—shouldn’t you love all these eyes on you?”

Melissa, clinging to his arm, scoffed. “With all the men here for the wedding, you probably already have a target, don’t you? Let me make one thing clear—we still have our reputations. Don’t you dare drag us down with your filth!”

Jewell’s anger boiled over. She grabbed her bag and hurled it at them.

“You disgusting pair of shits—shut the hell up!”

Someone from the crowd snickered. “Oh, look at her—looks like we struck a nerve.”

More people chimed in. The things they were saying were disgusting and unbearable.

We were completely surrounded, and not a single person listened to our side. We wanted to escape but couldn't find a way out.