3AM Betrayal With The Neighbor Novel – Chapter 10
When I woke up again, I found myself bound at the wrists and ankles, lying on an
unfamiliar bed.
Faint light filtered through the curtain gaps-I couldn’t tell if it was dawn or dusk outside.
The door opened with a “click,” and a harsh beam of light flooded in. Only then did I see
clearly-there was a recording camera set up at the foot of the bed.
My entire body went rigid, my heart clenching with terror.
David walked in with another man I didn’t recognize.
He stood by the window, speaking to me softly:
“I didn’t want it to come to this … but I truly can’t bear to lose you again.”
He bent down to caress my face tenderly:
“I’m sorry, but I want you to stay by my side forever.”
I struggled furiously, screaming, calling him insane, telling him he wasn’t human-David
showed no reaction.
He stood silently backlit against the window. I couldn’t make out his expression.
I only heard him say flatly to the other man:
“Don’t hurt her.”
The man approached me, his gaze filled with contempt.
He began unbuckling his belt.
Tears streamed down my temples into my hair. Watching him unbuckle and pull the belt
from his waist, I knew escape was hopeless. I called David’s name one last time, then
stopped resisting.
But just as the man was about to touch me, David suddenly rushed over and shoved him
away from me.
Almost simultaneously, someone kicked the door open violently.
Richard burst in.
Seeing the chaotic scene in the room, he threw an enraged punch at David.
“Richard … ” I called his name with a trembling voice.
Richard immediately turned back. He took off his suit jacket to cover me, then untied the
ropes binding me.
David lay on the floor, his voice shaking:
“I’m sorry … I still couldn’t go through with it … “
The other man scrambled up from the floor awkwardly, pointing at David and cursing:
“Are you kidding me?”
“You paid me to ‘shoot some footage’ of your wife. Now I’m halfway done and you’re
canceling?”
David closed his eyes:
“I’ll still pay you. Now get out.”
Richard stared at him with deadly intensity, as if he might tear him apart at any moment.
The man’s eyes darted around nervously. Muttering “psycho bastard,” he fled.
After he left, Richard picked me up to leave.
As we passed David, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.
But he grabbed my hand, saying: “Do it again. Hit me harder.”
I pulled free and said, “Richard, take me away.”
“David, you disgust me. Goodbye forever!”
He didn’t try to stop us. He collapsed where he sat, his voice hoarse and broken as he
sobbed, repeating over and over:
“I’m sorry … “
I called the police immediately.
That camera, which should have been a tool of humiliation, became evidence to convict
David.
A few days later, Lena came to my door, slamming a prenatal checkup report in front of
me, arrogantly demanding I drop the charges.
I laughed coldly, reminding her:
“This is now a criminal case. Even if I wanted to abandon it, I legally cannot.”
“David’s reputation is completely destroyed. He can never give you the life you had
before. The smartest thing you could do is terminate this pregnancy and go back to
college.”
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t listen at all.
She scoffed at my words:
“Don’t try to drive a wedge between David and me-do you think I’m stupid?”
“You’re just jealous because he chose me over you! The only reason he’s in trouble is
because you made up stories to frame him. If he really did something wrong, why would
he stop that guy?”
Maya and Richard threw her out for me.
In the end, David confessed to all charges under police investigation: unlawful
imprisonment, attempted assault, conspiracy to commit sexual crimes, plus criminal use
of recording equipment.
The day the verdict came down, I was vacationing in Miami.
“Claire, I heard you accepted the company’s overseas assignment.”
“Yes, I think it’s a good opportunity for me.”
The sunset slowly sank into Florida Bay from the horizon, the sky glowing golden-red.
Before my travel plans began, David had his lawyer request to see me one last time.
I refused before the call was even finished.
Happy divorce, David.
I watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon.
Messages from Maya kept coming, along with several videos.
Lena had been expelled from school.
“Someone uploaded surveillance footage of Lena and David having sex in the school
dance studio to TikTok.”
After sending this message, Maya added a mocking emoji.
Then more messages followed in quick succession.
“Claire, guess what happened to Lena in the end.”
“After David was imprisoned, she was surrounded by reporters. In the chaos, she fell
down the stairs and hemorrhaged badly. She lost the baby, and doctors had to perform
an emergency hysterectomy to save her life.”
“She got what she deserved!”
The sun had completely disappeared below the horizon.
Maya’s final message read: “Claire, have a wonderful trip!”
I was leaning against the pier railing when someone embraced me from behind.
Richard gently wiped away the tears at the corners of my eyes.
I smiled, turning to embrace him back.
My sun was just beginning to rise.