3AM Betrayal With The Neighbor Novel – Chapter 5
Six Months Ago
David was shopping with Maya and me.
He left midway to buy drinks.
Then we heard shouting up ahead.
A crowd surrounded a girl. Several angry women had knocked her to the ground.
They screamed curses, beating her with their purses.
The girl trembled, her voice hoarse with fear:
“Please-you’ve got the wrong person! It’s not me!”
One woman grabbed her hair, yanking her up from the ground.
“He spent all his money on you, you think I’m stupid?”
“Slut! If you don’t pay back what you owe, I’ll strip you naked right here and show
everyone how you seduce men!”
She slapped the girl hard.
The girl stumbled, trying to escape-and ran straight into me.
I cried out, losing my balance.
Just before I fell, a strong arm caught me.
David-returning with our drinks.
He steadied me, pulling me aside.
Security rushed in, dragging the angry women away.
The girl limped over to us, crying.
“Please … they’ll be waiting for me outside.”
“Can I ride with you?”
She pulled out her student ID.
“I swear I’m not a mistress. My name is Lena, I’m a sophomore majoring in ballet.”
“Please-I don’t know why this happened.”
Her voice shook as she begged.
Her dress was torn and muddy.
I felt sorry for her … and nodded.
In the car, she showed interest in our careers.
When she heard David was a lawyer, her eyes lit up:
“Can I have your business card? In case they bother me again … “
I just smiled, not thinking much of it.
David wasn’t the kind of small-time lawyer who handled petty disputes or street fights.
But three days later, I found an unfamiliar campus card on David.
David explained it was left by a client. At the time, I believed him.
3:00 AM – Outside the Bar
A familiar car was parked outside.
David leaned against the door smoking, the cigarette tip glowing in the darkness.
I didn’t even know when he’d started smoking.
Seeing me, he hastily stubbed out the cigarette and walked over:
“I knocked on Maya’s door-no answer.”
“I was worried something happened to you, so I had a friend check the traffic cameras-“
I cut him off: “I’m fine. Go home.”
“Divorce papers will be delivered in two days. Remember to sign them.”
His expression froze:
“Claire, stop joking.”
“We’ve been together all these years, and you want to leave just like that?”
“I told you I’d handle the Lena situation. Just come home with me first!”
He grabbed my arm, trying to pull me toward the car.
Maya raised her purse and slammed it into his arm:
“Scumbag, don’t touch Claire!”
She was carrying a heavy Dior tote today.
David didn’t dodge, gritting his teeth as she hit him repeatedly.
The passenger door suddenly opened. Lena’s figure rushed over.
She stepped in front of David without hesitation, chin raised as she confronted Maya:
“What gives you the right to hit him!”
Seeing her, Maya nearly laughed with rage, pointing at David:
“Asshole, you come to apologize to Claire and bring your mistress?”
“Oh hell no! I’m gonna teach you and that homewrecking bitch a lesson you won’t forget!”
She swung her bag at Lena’s face.
Afraid Maya would get in trouble, I rushed forward to stop her.
The next second, my body was shoved hard aside. I crashed to the ground.
Pain flooded through me like a tidal wave.
In that critical moment, David had pushed me away to shield Lena.Everyone froze.
Including him.
He looked at me, panic filling his eyes.
I wasn’t angry or surprised. I just smiled at him.
Just as he started toward me, Lena in his arms held him tight:
“David, I think I twisted my ankle … “
Maya rolled her eyes and slapped David across the face:
“Get lost, you scumbag!”
“Take your little mistress and get the hell away!”
Lena bit her lip, glaring defiantly at Maya.
Maya sneered back:
“Who the hell are you glaring at? You sleep with a married man and expect to be called a
lady?”
Back at Maya’s
I lay on the soft bed, all my thoughts tangled and surging through my mind.
Like venomous snakes biting at my heart, the pain made it hard to breathe.
He loved her.
Subconscious protective instincts don’t lie.
My phone screen lit up on the pillow.
David’s messages came one after another:
[Does it still hurt? Did your leg injury flare up?]
[I didn’t realize it was you in that moment, it’s my fault.][We’ve never had a cold war this long. When you calm down, can we talk?]
[Stop crying, I don’t want you to suffer.]
I gripped my phone, sharp pain surging through my chest.
From discovering his affair until now, I hadn’t shed a single tear.
Now suddenly, tears poured down like rain.
My calm shell cracked, revealing a mangled heart.
I pulled the blanket over my face, crying silently.
He knew how long it took me to emerge from the shadows my parents cast. So why
would he do this?
Every time I cried in nightmares, unable to wake up, David gently called me back from
them.
He used to be a deep sleeper. After being with me, even his sleep became light.
The moment my breathing became rapid, he could sense it.
He said he didn’t want me trapped in nightmares for even one second.
But now, he’d personally created an inescapable nightmare for me.
Three Days Later
I walked into David’s law firm.
The receptionist saw me and said:
“Claire, Lawyer David is in a case analysis meeting. He’ll be out soon.”
I paused, then said:
“I have an appointment with Lawyer Richard.”