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After Hurting Me to the Point of Being Battered, He Was Heartbroken
NovelShort
已完結
Five years since the breakup. I'd imagined countless ways I might run into Matthew Graham again—or maybe never see him again at all. But never like this. He was sitting just a few feet away, his arm...
章節（9）
第1章
Five years since the breakup.
I'd imagined countless ways I might run into Matthew Graham again—or maybe never see him again at all.
But never like this.
He was sitting just a few feet away, his arm around Georgia Mitchell, his eyes mocking as they lock on me.
"If you need money, Miss Scott, it's no problem. A drink for five million. Go ahead, drink."
——
His gaze hit me like a punch to the chest.
The man who once held me at the center of his world now hated me down to his bones.
I pressed my lips together, staring at the row of whiskey glasses in front of me. Slowly, I raised one.
"Five million for a drink, right?" I say.
Georgia covered her mouth, her eyes wide with feigned shock. "Amelie, you're really gonna do it?
"I mean, I remember back then, you wouldn't even blink at spending a couple million on a bracelet."
She turned to Matthew. "Right, Matthew? I'm not wrong, am I?"
Matthew patted her head and nodded lightly. "That's right. Miss Scott used to think I was too poor for her, and she said I couldn't keep up with her lifestyle."
His voice was cold, and the cigarette between his fingers flickered in the dim light.
Georgia chuckled softly. "Amelie, looks like you've finally fallen off your pedestal, huh?"
Matthew's eyes cut back to me, his tone flat. "Well, well. How things change. Who would've thought that Miss Scott would one day be bowing for a few bucks?"
Georgia's face lit up with smug satisfaction. "Five million for a drink, Miss Scott. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me." She crossed her arms. "Go on, Amelie. I'll count for you."
Without hesitating, I tilted my head back and downed the whiskey in one go. The burn of the alcohol made my eyes sting.
第2章
After finishing the drink, I held out my hand. "The check."
Georgia gave me a mocking look. "Worried Matthew won't follow through on his word?"
Matthew raised his hand, and his assistant immediately placed a check in front of me.
"Still as short-sighted as ever, I see, Miss Scott."
I lowered my gaze, slipped the check into my pocket, and then reached for another glass.
Ignoring the way Matthew and Georgia looked at each other, I downed one drink after another.
The pile of checks in my hand grew thicker with each shot.
Finally… I had the money.
Everything around me started to blur, but it didn't matter.
As long as Matthew would leave my family alone, I didn't care what I had to do.
I reached for another glass, but a strong hand suddenly grabbed mine. "That's enough!"
Matthew's face swam in front of me, his expression dark and stormy.
I shook my head. "No… it's not enough. Nowhere near enough…"
Not enough to fix the Scott Group's crisis.
The disgust in Matthew's eyes was impossible to miss.
Looking at him made my stomach twist.
I covered my mouth and bolted for the bathroom.
Leaning over the toilet, I threw up until there was nothing left inside me. I wished I could just empty everything out.
Matthew stood in the doorway, watching me. "Amelie, are you throwing up from the booze or because I make you sick?"
The words I'd thrown at him all those years ago, trying to push him away, flashed in my mind. My grip on the toilet tightened, my knuckles turning white.
"Does it even matter?"
He scoffed. "Amelie, you've really outdone yourself."
第3章
I stumbled out of the club.
It was early November, and Chicago's night wind was freezing.
It whipped around me, making my head spin even more.
I was walking down the street when someone ran up to me.
"Hey, do you need help?"
There was something strange in his eyes, something I couldn't figure out.
And then, in a flash, his unfamiliar face morphed into Matthew's.
"Matthew!"
I threw myself at him, sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Tears spilled down my face as I kept apologizing over and over.
"Matthew" wrapped his arms around me, his hand rubbing soothingly across my back.
"Amelie, I've missed you so much."
His touch was gentle, his voice soft.
But when I tried to pull away, he just held me tighter.
Then, in the next moment, his voice turned cold, dripping with disgust.
"Look at you, Amelie. Don't you think you're pathetic? Is money all you care about now?"
I shook my head, frantic. "No, no, it's not like that…
"Matthew, look—this is our ring."
I shoved him back, yanking the necklace from around my neck and showing him the ring hanging from it.
"Are you crazy?!"
I hit the ground hard, scraping my arm on a jagged branch. Blood started to drip down.
The illusion in front of me vanished, and the man I had mistaken for Matthew stepped back, looking at me like I was contagious.
Suddenly, I heard the screeching of tires.
The next second, a familiar pair of arms pulled me into an embrace.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Before I could even answer, the world spun, and the alcohol dragged me under.
第4章
When I woke up, I was in a strange room.
"You're awake?"
Matthew stood in the doorway, a document in hand.
He walked to the side of the bed, his eyes briefly lingering on my face, his expression unreadable.
Without a word, he tossed the document onto the bed.
"Take a look. If everything's fine, sign it."
I reached out, noticing the bandage wrapped around my arm.
Memories from last night rushed back, and I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
It was a contract for keeping me as his mistress.
He'd pay me, and I'd sell my body.
"Ten million dollars a month. I'm sure you'll be more than happy with that, Amelie. You need the money, don't you?"
Matthew pulled out the chair beside the bed and sat down, looking at me with cold indifference.
"With Scott Group in the state it's in, there's no way you'll get a loan now."
My hand trembled as I held the contract, his voice icy in my ears.
"If you don't sign this, you'll regret it."
He paused before adding, "Oh, by the way, Scott Group's stock just crashed today."
It was like lightning had struck. I turned my head sharply to stare at him.
And then, my phone rang.
It was Tom, my father's secretary.
"Miss, you need to get to First Hospital right away. Your father had a heart attack. They're trying to save him."
第5章
By the time I stumbled into the hospital, my father had already been moved to the ICU.
Through the window, I could see him lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to countless tubes, looking older than his years.
Tom handed me a tablet, his voice filled with pity.
"Miss…"
[Scott Group's stock plummets. Sources suggest MG Group may be planning a takeover.]
Not far away, Matthew stood holding the contract, waving it at me with a smirk.
I shoved the tablet back into Tom's hands and marched over to Matthew.
"You did this, didn't you?"
My eyes burned with unshed tears, and my heart was heavy, but I couldn't cry.
Matthew slapped the contract against my chest.
"Sign it!"
I stared at him, my hand flying up as I slapped him hard across the face.
"Matthew Graham, what do you want from me?!
"What will it take for you to finally leave me alone?"
The salty taste on my lips reminded me that my tears had already started falling.
Matthew lifted his hand, gripping my chin tightly.
"Be a good girl, do what I say, and maybe I'll consider letting you go..."
"Matthew Graham!"
"Yes, I'm listening."
He smiled softly, the way he used to when we were still in love.
In the end, I signed the contract, selling myself to him.
And I let myself sink into a hope that I knew I shouldn't have.
第6章
The next morning, Matthew and I were sitting at the table, having breakfast.
Georgia burst into the room, fuming.
She grabbed the hot milk from the table and threw it at me.
"Amelie Scott, have you no shame?!"
The scorching milk soaked through my clothes, and I flinched as the heat hit my skin.
But Matthew, sitting across from me, barely lifted an eyelid.
"Georgia, come here."
She shot me a hateful look and then walked over to Matthew.
"Matthew, did you forget how she treated you before?"
Matthew took a napkin and gently wiped the milk off her hand.
"Did you burn yourself?"
Georgia's expression didn't soften.
"What's she doing living here? Did she seduce you or something?"
Matthew chuckled, tightening his grip on her hand.
"I'm keeping her around because she's useful."
Then he glanced at me, his eyes cold.
"What are you standing there for? Go change. We have someone to meet."
When Matthew squeezed Georgia's hand, it felt like an invisible fist had wrapped around my heart, squeezing the air out of my lungs.
I turned and walked toward the dressing room like a puppet on strings.
第7章
A few minutes later, Georgia followed me into the dressing room.
She looked me up and down, her eyes full of mockery and disdain.
"Matthew asked me to help you pick out something to wear. We don't want you embarrassing him later."
She glanced at the corner of the closet, then pulled out a red dress and tossed it to me.
"Put this on."
The dress was ankle-length but incredibly revealing. The top was held up by two thin straps, with only a small patch of fabric covering my chest.
My entire arm and back were exposed, and through the open-back dress, you could even make out the curve of my hips.
I didn't move, but Georgia's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Amelie, do you really think after all your scheming, Matthew's going to fall for you like before?" she sneered.
"Don't forget, you stood in front of the whole class and said he didn't have a penny to his name!"
She shoved the dress into my hands and whispered coldly in my ear,
"And now? You're just his little toy, something he's about to hand off."
Her words sent a chill down my spine. I froze.
"Oh, you didn't know?" she said softly, her voice dripping with malice. "Matthew's taking you to meet Caleb Lowe from Prostar Tech. Heard of him? That old perv? You should know what's coming.
"If I were you, I wouldn't bother humiliating myself."
At that moment, it felt like I was sinking deep into the ocean. So, this is what Matthew planned—to give me away?
第8章
The lavish, gold-trimmed club was overwhelming.
Matthew sat to one side, cigarette in hand, while I was seated next to Caleb Lowe, wrapped up in that dress Georgia had chosen. I'd stubbornly thrown a jacket over it, trying to hold on to the last shred of dignity.
The table was covered in contracts and glasses of alcohol.
"Mr. Graham, you really do know me well," Caleb said, his piggish hand resting on my shoulder, his rough fingers sliding over my jacket as if testing his next prize. "No wonder you've done so well since coming back."
I felt nauseous, but I didn't dare move, not with Matthew watching.
"You're willing to part with such a pretty little thing?" Caleb snickered, leering at me.
Matthew took a slow drag from his cigarette. "As long as you sign the contract, everything's on the table."
"Of course, I'll sign!" Caleb's beady eyes gleamed as they traveled over me.
"But before I do, how about we get a little show? I'd love to see this beauty dance."
He reached out to tug off my jacket.
"Why all the layers, sweetheart?" His hand brushed my skin, and it was like a switch flipped inside me.
I bolted up. "Mr. Lowe, please show some respect!"
Caleb chuckled, looking back at Matthew.
"Mr. Graham, what's this all about?"
第9章
Matthew crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and waved me over. I hesitated but went to him.
The second I got close, he shoved me down onto the couch. Pinning both of my hands above my head with one hand, he gripped my jaw with the other, forcing me to meet his eyes.
"Amelie, if you want to save your father and Scott Group, you'd better learn to behave."
When did the pain really hit me? Was it when he forced me to drink until I threw up just because I needed the money?
Was it when Caleb had been groping me without a care, or was it now when Matthew threatened to use my most precious things against me?
Neither. It was when I looked into his eyes and found only boundless hatred swirling within.
"Yes."
I heard my own voice, low and shaky.
He gently patted my cheek. "That's more like it. Now, take off the jacket."
I stood up, leaving the jacket on the couch. A large expanse of skin was exposed, and I instinctively shrank back. Caleb's gaze was now more predatory…
After the music ended, Caleb pinned me beneath him. I turned my head to glance at Matthew, who sat less than two meters away, coldly watching everything unfold.
Suddenly, the scene shifted in my mind. In an instant, I was back at that class party, surrounded by people in the karaoke room, all eyes on us. Matthew, with bloodshot eyes, pressed me against the wall and said, "Amelie, don't you dare regret this!"