Chapter 3

By the time I ran out, Chloe was just getting into Sebastian's car.

I quickly opened the back door and slid into the backseat.

Seeing me, a smug smile appeared on Chloe’s face.

"Ha! Look who crawled back and decided to compromise!"

I didn't want to argue, so I chose silence.

Sebastian’s face stiffened when he saw me in the rearview mirror, but he quickly masked it with a fake smile.

The entire drive to Woodstock, Chloe and Sebastian talked and laughed in the front seat.

They chatted so naturally, completely ignoring my existence in the back.

I couldn’t get a word in, so I closed my eyes and tuned them out.

By the time we arrived at the rustic cabin in Woodstock, it was pitch black.

We had a quick dinner and went to our respective rooms.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to use the restroom. But when I reached out, the space beside me on the bed was cold.

Chloe wasn't there.

I opened the bedroom door and walked into the living room. My heart stopped.

Chloe was lying completely naked on the sofa.

Sebastian was sitting right next to her, casually sketching her body on his pad.

In the next second, Sebastian reached out, adjusting her naked limbs into a more suggestive pose!

Blood rushed to my head.

I lunged forward, grabbed a throw blanket from the armchair, and flung it over Chloe’s body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Interrupted, Chloe didn't show a single hint of guilt. Instead, her face filled with sheer annoyance.

"What is your problem now?! We're just sketching! This is art! Do you have any idea how much your sudden intrusion ruins Sebastian’s inspiration?!"

I was so tired of this excuse.

Not only did she feel no remorse, but she also blamed everything on me.

"Does sketching require you to strip completely naked?!"

Chloe rolled her eyes, looking at me as if I were a piece of garbage.

"Why are you so thick-headed?! I am sacrificing myself for art!"

"Honestly, an uncultured layman like you will never understand the nobility of art. You’re just a basic, ignorant philistine!"

Her insults pushed me over the edge. My face turned incredibly dark.

"Enough, Chloe! Do you honestly think hiding behind the word 'art' makes your trashy behavior noble?!"

Faced with my retort, Chloe was about to yell back, but when she saw the raw, dangerous anger in my eyes, she flinched. She swallowed her words and scoffed.

"Ugh, I'm not wasting my breath on someone like you."

She stood up from the sofa, wrapping the blanket around herself, and turned to Sebastian.

"Sebastian, there's a clueless outsider here ruining our vibe. Let’s finish the sketch in your bedroom."

With that, she grabbed Sebastian's arm, pulling him toward his room.

I stepped forward to block her, but she shoved me aside with brute force.

I stumbled backward, barely keeping my balance.

"Get out of the way. If you know you're just a basic pleb, keep your distance!"

They walked straight into Sebastian’s room.

Right before the door slammed shut, Sebastian turned around, met my eyes, and mouthed two words:

"Loser."

The door slammed shut in my face.

And in that moment, my heart went completely numb.