Chapter 4

On the picnic blanket by the river, Charlotte smiled sweetly as she enjoyed the shrimp that Darius had peeled for her. His long, slender fingers deftly peeled the shrimp shells, placing the tender shrimp meat into Charlotte's plate. He then picked up a napkin and gently wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth. Even the cap of the mineral water bottle was unscrewed before he handed it to her. Iris sat quietly nearby, her plate filled with exquisite food, but every item was something she was allergic to. “Iris, why aren’t you eating?” Charlotte blinked her innocent big eyes, her lips curving into a faint smile. “Doesn’t it suit your taste?” Iris shook her head. “I’m not hungry.” Darius glanced at her with a complex expression but said nothing, continuing to pour juice for Charlotte. A cold breeze blew past, and Charlotte exaggeratedly shivered. Darius immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around her, but in the next moment, he noticed Iris, who had been shivering from the cold all along. A flash of apology crossed his eyes: “Sorry, Iris, I only brought one coat…” “It’s okay.” Iris’s voice was calm, without a hint of emotion. “She’s your girlfriend now; you should take care of her.” Darius opened his mouth to explain, but upon seeing Charlotte’s delighted expression, he swallowed his words. She knew what he was thinking. Anyway, there was only a month left; she could endure it. But she couldn’t wait another month. After the picnic, it suddenly started raining heavily, and the car struggled to drive on the muddy road. In the end, they decided to stay at a nearby hotel for the night. “I'm sorry, but there are only two rooms left,” the front desk said awkwardly. Darius paused for a moment: “Charlotte and I will share a room, and Iris can have her own room.” He glanced at Iris after speaking, as if he was prepared to comfort her. But she simply took the room key calmly and walked toward the elevator without looking back. In the room, Iris curled up on the bed after taking a shower, the pain surging like a tidal wave. She had taken double the dose of painkillers, but the pain still kept her awake. Tears silently soaked the pillow, and she bit her lips tightly to stop herself from crying out. Just then, the door suddenly opened with a “beep.” A drunken man stumbled in: “Honey… I’m back…” Iris recoiled in horror: “You’ve got the wrong person! Get out!” The man lunged at her, his breath reeking of alcohol as he tried to kiss her face. She struggled to push him away, but her frail body couldn’t even push back a cat. “Let go of me! Help—!” In her panic, she reached for the phone on the bedside table and instinctively dialed Darius's number. Once, twice, three times... the phone remained unanswered. Just as she was about to give up hope, the phone suddenly connected. But what she heard on the other end was Charlotte's breathy moans and Darius's low groans. “Hmm… Darius… Iris called so many times, is something wrong? Are you really not going to answer?” “Do you still have the heart to think about that?” Darius’s voice was hoarse and sensual, “Am I not pushing harder enough?” Iris was struck like lightning, her blood seemed to freeze. She was being violated here, while he was making love with Charlotte in the next room?!