Chapter 6

As soon as I stepped off the elevator, my father's angry voice hit me.

"Get out! We don't welcome you here!"

I rushed over to the door, only to find Chris standing there holding a gift, shouting, "Maggie, I know I messed up. I'm here to apologize. Please, give me another chance. I promise, Sharon and I have no contact anymore, and from now on, "

I cut him off. "Chris, leave. There's no future between us. And even if there were, it'd be with someone else."

Seeing me, Chris dropped the gift and rushed toward me. "Maggie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were in danger that day. If I had, "

I sidestepped, watching him fall forward, empty-handed.

"If you'd known, you'd have still taken Sharon to the hospital first, wouldn't you? After all, she's the one you've been carefully protecting, right?"

Chris started crying, shaking his head. "No, Maggie…"

I was starting to lose patience. "Why are you here today? Did you fight with Sharon? Or are you giving me a wedding invitation? Whatever it is, your problems have nothing to do with me. Go back, and don't come near me again."

He shook his head. "No, Sharon and I broke up. I ended it."

I almost laughed. "Seems like men's words aren't worth much. Your 'forever' only lasted two months? Wait, wasn't Sharon your unrequited love? Now that you've got her, why aren't you holding on to her?"

Chris clenched his fists. "Maggie, you can yell at me as much as you want, but I'm telling you this: I've missed you every day for the past two months. No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about you. Maggie, I think I've fallen for you. Will you give me another chance? I promise I'll put you first from now on and take care of you, completely!"

I sneered. "But I've already fallen for someone else. Chris, I've told you before, I've let you go."

"I don't believe it!" he shouted. "How could you fall in love with someone else? We didn't break up. You're just doing this to get back at me, right? We're even now, let's just move on and live a good life together, okay?"

"You don't need to agree," I said, turning to face him. "And what you said is disgusting. Do you really think you're worth me getting revenge on? You don't even deserve that."

I ignored him and tried to walk around him. But Chris, who'd once been so proud and never tried to win me over, now seemed like a completely different person.

"Maggie, I really know I was wrong. I'll stay away from Sharon for good. Just promise me you'll give me another chance, and I'll block her on everything."

I turned back, my voice icy. "Sorry, I don't collect garbage."

After that, Chris didn't follow me. But two days later, Sharon was waiting for me outside my office building.

"Maggie, you and Chris broke up, so why can't you stay away from him? Are you really that desperate for a man? No wonder the driver hurt you instead of someone else. Maybe you seduced him and just didn't want to admit it."

Sharon's venom was now clear, and she came straight for me. Her shrill voice drew a crowd of bystanders, and I wasn't in the mood to deal with her barking. But something she said made me stop.

"What do you mean, the driver didn't hurt anyone else but me? The case is closed, and now you're questioning me? Or are you blaming the victim here? Do you really think I could have seduced someone in winter, dressed in layers? With bright colors?"

A few people around us laughed.

"Sharon, you must be really stupid if you can't think of anything besides seducing men. You're not even smart enough for that. I'm starting to wonder if I've got an IQ problem for ever considering you a friend."

She was fuming now. "You, !"

I turned to Chris. "Where's your courage now, huh? Can't even stand up for your girlfriend?"

Chris frowned, clearly irritated. "Maggie's right. It's your fault. Apologize to her and stop making a scene."

That sent Sharon into a rage. She stomped her feet, pointing at me, cursing me out. "Maggie, you're so shameless. You and Chris broke up two months ago, and you still have the nerve to chase him. I really underestimated you."

"And Chris," she continued, "don't forget how sweet you were to me when you were with Maggie. You're pathetic. You only want what you can't have. You were like that before, and you're still like that."

The crowd around us gasped. "So, this guy cheated on his ex-girlfriend, then hooked up with the mistress, and now he's trying to get back with his ex? Wow!"

"You're wild, man," someone said, laughing.

Chris' face turned beet red. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped Sharon hard. "No wonder your ex dumped you for a 'green tea.' You're constantly unfaithful and cheating on your boyfriends. Who could deal with you? If it wasn't for you, Maggie and I would have been married by now! This is all your fault, you bitch!"

The two of them started fighting in the street. Some people tried to intervene, but others warned them to stay back.

"You don't want to get involved. These two will blackmail you."

In the end, security came to break it up and called the police. I wasn't bothered by what would happen to them. I just wanted to get to the restaurant where William and I were supposed to meet, so I quickly hopped into a taxi.