Inescapable Torturous Love

"Mabel."

It wasn't Denton's voice on the phone.

I looked at the number again and cautiously asked, "Who is this?"

"5 million dollars in exchange for the photo, and I will guarantee your privacy."

The person said concisely.

It seemed I didn't have a chance to negotiate.

Perhaps it was Denton's agent.

Perhaps they thought I was a paparazzo and wanted to get rid of me with money.

"You can have the photo, but I want a ten percent deposit. Also, we'll trade ... face-to-face."

I didn't know if I was afraid of being tricked or if I wanted to ask Denton why when I saw him for the last time.

The person agreed and then hung up the phone.

Soon, I received a text message saying that 500,000 dollars had been transferred to my bank account.

Another message came from the same unknown number.

[Twenty minutes later, meet me at the Modern Bar.]

Modern Bar was the most luxurious bar in New York.

When I arrived by taxi, the receptionist told me that Modern Bar didn't serve ordinary people.

The worst thing was that I ran into Denton at this time.

Even worse, he was right behind me.

"Hi, Mr. Eland."

The receptionist greeted Denton.

He passed by me and then nodded and smiled at the receptionist. He didn't even glance at me as if we were complete strangers.

Denton wanted to meet me here.

Was he trying to humiliate me?

"Can 200,000 dollars buy me in?"

I took out the card from my bag and handed it over.

Denton paused for a moment and turned to look at me.

In his eyes, there was scrutiny.

And it was mixed with a bit ... pity.

The salesperson next to me heard my words and immediately rushed over.

He swiped my card, and the payment was made in the blink of an eye.

But after I entered, Denton was already nowhere to be seen.

It was so noisy in here.

So, I walked towards the corridor to the restroom.

I took out my phone and was about to call Denton.

A familiar voice nearby suddenly rang out.

"Why bother?"

Denton showed up out of the blue.

"Isn't this my line?"

I looked at him, everything that just happened was vivid in my mind.

"200,000 dollars is all you have, right?"

There was no emotion in his tone.

I had no time to dwell on his words.

Because I didn't want to be photographed by paparazzi and become the victim of cyber violence.

I was about to ask him where should I find the person I was about to trade with.

He suddenly said, "Do you have any money left?

"By the way, I have paid the rent for that apartment for ten years. I will transfer the 200,000 dollars to you later today.

"Mabel, it's over between us. But I hate to see you give up on yourself. You will meet someone better than me."

I was a little confused.

"It wasn't you?"

The person who sent me the messages wasn't him.

He murmured, "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, my phone buzzed non-stop.

Denton seemed to think of something. He frowned and said, sounding displeased, "Who let you come here?"

As he said that, he was about to take my phone.

I leaned to the side to dodge.

"No one."

I pushed him away in a panic and ran out, clutching my phone.

"Mabel!"

Denton chased after me from behind, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the partition of the bathroom.

"Who? Tell me!"

He stubbornly asked me.

"Mabel, do you want to ruin me?

"You want to tell everyone that I abandoned you. Right?"

Denton's eyes turned red, and his voice trembled slightly. Though the environment was noisy, I actually heard a hint of affection in his tone.

I dare not look at him. I just closed my eyes and shook my head hard.

"Please leave here, Mabel, OK? Forgive me.

"I will come back to you.

"Forgive me...

"Please."

He lowered his head.

The messy strands of hair on his forehead covered his eyes.

My phone buzzed repeatedly.

My mind was in turmoil.

I patted his shoulder, and we exchanged a glance.

"I'm sorry."

His voice was hoarse.

It was the understanding we had always had.

I turned around and pushed open the door of the bathroom.

I stumbled towards the exit of the bar.

My phone kept buzzing, so I simply rejected the call.

Suddenly, a push notification about a trending topic popped up on the screen.

For some reason, I clicked on it.