The woman puffed up with pride. "My daughter's an accountant at a big firm."
Adam turned to her. "And what about you, ma'am?"
The woman stammered, unable to answer. Another woman answered for her. "Her? She cooks meals at a construction site."
Adam smiled. "See? Your daughter turned out nothing like you."
After that, fewer and fewer of them came looking for trouble.
My life slowly found its footing again. And then Adam began pursuing me in earnest.
He held an umbrella over me in the rain. He shielded me from the sun when it was bright.
Every night after study hall, he walked me back to my dorm without being asked.
In the cafeteria, whenever he caught classmates dumping leftover soup and scraps onto my seat out of spite,
he'd step in. "Which one of you got to choose your parents before you were born?"
The class fell silent.
Adam continued, "Then let me ask you this. Can any of you guarantee that every single one of your parents and ancestors was a saint?"
One by one, they lowered their heads in shame. I was won over too, by that razor-sharp sense of justice and the silver tongue that delivered it.
I said yes when he asked me to be his girlfriend.
Honestly, before I met him, dating had never crossed my mind. My mother's scandal had left deep scars, and I carried that darkness everywhere I went.
He was the light that found me there, warming every shadow until it was gone.
And now here I stood, drenched in a downpour, unable to make sense of any of it.
How could someone that good become the man standing in front of me now?
My vision went black. I hit the ground.
When I woke, it was already night. I was lying in a hospital bed with an IV needle taped to the back of my hand, fluid dripping steadily into my veins.
The doctor said, "You've been under too much emotional stress. You need to stay calm and rest."
I said, "Okay."
The word barely left my mouth before my phone rang.
It was Adam. I hesitated, then hesitated again, and still picked up.
"Valerie's gown got dirty. Go get that Starlit Night dress I ordered for you and bring it over. She needs a change."
So her name is Valerie. I repeated it silently to myself.
Starlit Night. Adam had commissioned a designer to tailor that gown to my exact measurements. It was meant for the party on our wedding night.
He used to refuse to let anyone so much as touch it. He said even a fingerprint would taint what it stood for.