Chapter 5

"Sis, are you... oh my god—" The second Sabrina Johnson stepped into the room, a full bucket of icy water slammed down on her, drenching her from head to toe, and the bucket itself even knocked her on the head. Amelia Johnson rushed over, her face full of worry. "Sabrina! Are you okay?" Clutching her head, Sabrina winced in pain. It was pounding. "You... what the heck, Amelia?" Amelia quickly shut the door and grabbed her sister’s hand, looking sheepish. "I panicked. I was scared someone might break in, so I rigged that booby trap at the door... I didn’t mean to hit you. I'm really sorry." Sabrina was fuming inside but kept her cool. With a forced smile, she asked, "Why would someone break in? Who'd even show up here like that?" "At the hotel earlier…" Amelia looked away, clearly dodging something. Sabrina narrowed her eyes, pushing, "What happened at the hotel?" Amelia hesitated, clearly fighting herself. "I... I really don’t wanna talk about it." "C’mon, we’re sisters. You can tell me anything," Sabrina said, trying a little too hard to look concerned. The way Amelia looked... it had to be something big. Judging by her face, probably lost her virginity, huh? Amelia tugged on her pajamas, revealing bruises and red marks all over her shoulders and collarbone. "Wait, what happened to you? Who did this to you?" Sabrina gasped, staring with fake worry while her heart was practically doing cartwheels. That confirmed it—the two guys totally went through with it. Amelia pulled her pajama top back on, her face pale. "Sabrina, please stop asking. I don’t wanna relive it. I just wanna be alone right now." "But I can help you if you tell me. We’re sisters. We always got each other’s backs, okay?" Sabrina’s lips curled into a brief, subtle smirk. The more unwilling Amelia was to talk, the more obvious it became. "This whole thing... ugh," Amelia shook her head, looking totally defeated. "Seeing you like this really worries me. Please, just tell me what happened," Sabrina practically begged, dying to hear Amelia admit it outright. Looking at Sabrina, still dripping wet like a soaked cat, Amelia bit back a laugh and stayed in character. "Sabrina, I know you mean well, but really... I can’t. If you keep pushing, I’ll probably break down." "Fine... I won’t ask anymore. You rest, okay?" Sabrina turned to leave, but the glint in her eyes revealed her real thoughts: if not now, she’d get the truth out of Amelia sooner or later. Amelia nodded slightly. "Thanks. Go shower before you catch a cold." As soon as Sabrina left, Amelia walked to her vanity, grabbed some makeup remover, and started wiping off the heavy lipstick and eyeshadow. Most of her makeup? Gifts from Sabrina. All ridiculously bright reds and purples—flashy and loud. She opened her closet. Again, all from Sabrina. The clothes inside looked like a color explosion. Way too much. Sabrina once told her it was Ethan Collins' type. So every time they met, Amelia dressed like some overdone showgirl just to please him. The result? She’d always end up looking kinda tacky. Her phone buzzed. A text from Emily Carter: Happy Birthday. That girl was her bestie. Amelia smiled and called her back. "You almost made me think you forgot about me." Emily chuckled. "Never! I was just waiting for the last minute to make my birthday wish stand out.” Amelia laughed, “I’m seeing you tomorrow.” Emily lit up on the other end, "No way! You're serious? Didn’t you say last week you were gonna be a housewife for your fiancé?" "Pfft—that was just talk. You really think I’d drop my career for a guy? What do I look like—someone who's lost her mind?" Ending the call, Amelia saw a new friend request on WhatsApp. Request message: I’m Damien Taylor.