Maskfall

Someone seemed to recognize Donald and whispered under their breath, "Doesn't the guy in that video look a lot like the Brooks family's heir?"

I waved it off with a small smile. "What are you talking about? That's my boyfriend, Josh. He's just a poor guy who works three jobs a day for me. You've got the wrong person."

When a jacket was draped over my shoulders, Josh's expression had already turned ugly. "Isn't this embarrassing enough? Come with me."

I grabbed his arm, my face lighting up, and called out, "Honey."

His expression twisted. He loosened his tie, clearly irritated. "Who told you to call me that?"

I acted like I did not hear the annoyance in his voice, smiling sweetly. "You did."

So many nights, Donald had coaxed me into calling him that. If I accidentally called him Josh, that night would come with a much harsher 'punishment'.

Josh must have thought of that video too, because his expression darkened even more. He shook off my hand and told me I was only allowed to call him by his name from now on. When he saw the disappointment in my eyes, he opened his mouth like he wanted to say something.

However, in the end, he said nothing.

The moment we sat down, the '100,000-Dollar Couple' trended again. This time, it was not praise. It was exposure, a complete reversal.

[Shocking twist! It was all staged for attention. There was never any poor blind girl suffering for love.]

[So it was fake? I actually believed in love again because of them. Turns out she's just a gold digger. Gross.]

[Seriously, anyone can fake being 'crazy in love' these days. Clout chasers, get lost.]

I heard the soft murmurs from others and tightened my grip on my phone, biting my lip. "Josh, you have to believe me. I didn't…"

Whitney smiled gently and handed me a glass of water. "Yvette, don't listen to what people are saying. Josh knows what's true."

Before I could even touch the glass, the hot water splashed straight onto me.

Whitney rushed to help, fumbling as she tried to clean me up. In the struggle, my clothes slipped down to my shoulders. She covered her mouth and gasped. "Oh my God, Yvette… Did you really go find other men for money?"

From my collarbone down to my chest, there were dense marks, red and purple, impossible to ignore. I tried to pull my clothes back up, but Josh grabbed my wrist. His face was icy, his voice slow and sharp. "You actually sold your body for money?"

At that moment, I understood. From the beginning, he had never once suspected that Donald would touch me. However, he fully believed I would follow my mother's dying wish and cling to wealth no matter what.

Before, he only called me a gold digger. Then, he had decided I was something worse.

I let out a quiet, bitter laugh. Whatever hope I had left for him disappeared completely.

Whitney quickly stepped in, playing peacemaker. "Yvette may have bad eyesight, but she's still a top student at Kingswell University. If she went down the wrong path, it must've been a mistake."

Then, she took my hand and spoke softly, like she was giving advice. "You grew up in the Stewart family. Even if they've gone bankrupt, there's still some dignity to uphold. You can't treat every man like he's Josh just because you want money."

I grabbed Josh's hand in a panic, trying to explain, "Josh, this was clearly you…"

His body stiffened, like he was struggling with something.

Whitney shot me a sideways glance full of contempt. "Yvette, everyone knows Josh has never touched you. Who do you think you're fooling with a lie like that?"

Josh, beside me, stared at the marks on my skin, his eyes dark and his brows furrowed.

When I slapped Whitney across the face, everyone froze. "How could I possibly mistake Josh for someone else?"

Not far away, Donald stood there, pain filling his eyes.

Whitney covered her face and collapsed into Josh's arms, crying. "Josh, it hurts…"

Back at the Stewart house, whenever I cried, Josh would get annoyed. So later, even when I was hurt, I never dared to show it in front of him. Only Donald would gently wipe my tears, like they mattered.

Then, Whitney's tears soaked into Josh's expensive custom shirt.

He panicked, trying to comfort her. He said soft words and gave her tender attention. Then, he turned and kicked me to the ground.

"Yvette, I really thought you meant it when you said you'd live through hard times with me. Turns out you never change."

Live through hard times with him? When we got engaged, I truly wanted to walk that path with him. I believed, just a little, that he cared about me too.

Hence, for an entire year, I waited for him to end the game and tell me the truth. However, he never once stepped into that rented basement. He let Donald take his place and lie to me however he wanted.

Now, he stood there, acting like a husband who caught his wife cheating. His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Let's see if you can really recognize me."

He dragged me up to the top floor. Inside the room stood all kinds of men. Their leering gazes locked onto me, like they wanted to tear me apart.

"Didn't you say you'd never mistake me? Find me, and we'll get married. However, if you get it wrong, apologize to Whitney and get out of the Stewart family."

He turned away, leaving me to be swallowed by the crowd. Hands brushed over me. Hot breath grazed my ears. It was enough to make me sick.

Whitney watched with a satisfied smile. "You seemed so confident earlier. Picking him out should be easy, right?"

Josh sat down beside her, looking down at everything like it was just a show—like I did not matter at all. Just as I was struggling desperately, a pair of familiar hands grabbed mine.

My pale face slowly broke into a smile.

"Got you, Josh."