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Chapter 5

Emily's POV

We should live in this world with optimism. That's what I thought before, but my mind had changed since Hellen got sick.

I would rather I never existed in this world than have Hellen spend her life in pain and sickness because of Toby and me.

At the point, I was on my way to Dylan's house.

I really didn't want to go back to this place if I could, it had all the sweet memories I had with Dylan, and also the most painful and angry scenes for me.

But I couldn't think of anyone else I could turn to, I had to come to him, hoping that Dylan would help me out, on account of the fact that I had been his girlfriend for two years.

I took the car and went back to Dylan's apartment again. The keys to the apartment had been left inside when I ran out. I resisted the urge to run away and raised my hand to ring the doorbell.

Dylan was a beauty-conscious man, and he would not think twice about throwing me out if I went to him with such an embarrassing look after being swept out by Bella. But if I could keep my beauty in front of him, he might be tempted to help me because of his love of beauty.

I'd been dating him for two years and I knew him too well. Even when he saw beautiful girls on a date with me, he would unconsciously stare at them.

In retrospect, I could tell from many signs that Dylan didn't like me that much. He just liked new and beautiful things, and I fit right in with his quest for beauty. It's just that at the time, I was so immersed in the beautiful world Dylan had woven for me that I couldn't recognize his hypocrisy.

I made excuses over and over for his indecision, and finally now Dylan himself had shattered this illusion that I had worked so hard to maintain.

Dylan didn't expect me to come back, and he was surprised. But what was even more embarrassing to me was that Emma was still here and hadn't left.

Under their puzzled and mocking stares, I gritted my teeth and opened my mouth, looking at my former boyfriend Dylan with tears in my eyes.

"Dylan, could you help me? For the sake of the two years we used to date, could you lend me some money so I can get medical treatment for my mother?"

My eyes were already red and puffy from crying. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't hold back my tears just thinking about Hellen lying in a coma in her bed.

I could see the hesitation in Dylan's eyes, he still had feelings for me. But just as he was about to say yes and get his bank card, Emma, who was standing by, stopped him.

"Stop acting pathetic, Emily! Where's that condescending posture you had just now?"

Emma's words forced me to remember everything that had just happened in this house.

She was really so similar to Bella, not only in looks but also in that mean tongue. Looking at her, she reminded me of Dylan's betrayal, and of the way her mother had cursed my Hellen to death.

I said to her in an icy voice, "This is between me and Dylan. It has nothing to do with you."

Emma looked at me angrily, then she sneered, "You need money now? Well, I can give you money if you get down on your knees for me."

I looked at Emma incredulously as she looked down at me with her head tilted so high I could clearly see the contempt in her eyes.

She was just as annoying as her powerful mother, even after all these years!

"I won't kneel for you, because you don't deserve it!"

She didn't get angry at my words, but smiled at me and said, "If you're going to keep your stubborn ideas, your mother will just have to die."

Emma was right, I couldn't have saved Hellen without the money, but I knew Emma, she just wanted to humiliate me, she hated my mother more than Bella did, so she wouldn't have given me the money at all!

I couldn't help but look at Dylan again, hoping he could help me. I hoped he was different from Emma.

But Dylan didn't choose to help me. He didn't say anything. Instead, he just stood by like a stranger and watched me being humiliated by Emma.

I was so disappointed that I couldn't control my anger anymore and cursed at them, "You're the most hateful bastard in the world! You make me sick!"

I ran out of the house again and crouched helplessly in the street. The makeup I had re-drawn on my face was once again washed away by the rain, my clothes were wet, and my whole heart was filled with despair and helplessness.

Who else could I turn to for help?

In the heavy rain, all the pedestrians on the road were walking hurriedly with umbrellas in their hands, as if everyone had somewhere to go, and I was the only one who didn't know where I belonged.

I felt a million grievances in my heart that I wanted to vent, and I covered my face with my hands and broke down and cried. If Hellen wasn't still lying in the hospital, I would have wanted to run onto the road and end my ridiculous life.

Suddenly, I remembered the card I had thrown in the dressing room.

Andre Vincent, yes, and Andre Vincent, for whom I would do anything if he would help me.

I knew exactly what it meant to go to Andre for help, but it was all I could do, I needed someone to save Hellen!

I anxiously took a taxi to the hotel and rushed to the dressing room after paying for it. I didn't even say hello to the manager.

But there was nothing in the dressing room, and apparently Andre's business card had been taken away by the cleaning lady in charge of cleaning. I searched the dressing room many times, leaving every corner untouched, but still found nothing.

At that moment, I felt my whole being plunged into darkness again.

Was I really not able to save Hellen?

I trembled and squatted on the ground not knowing what to do next. I wanted to break down and cry, but I had cried enough and my tears had dried up.

No one would help me, and now I had lost the phone number of Andre, the only person who could possibly help me!

For the first time, I understood the feelings of those people I had seen in the hospital who had lost their loved ones because they didn't have the money to go to the surgery. Desperation and pain filled my heart and mind as if someone was cutting my heart with a knife!

I took out my cell phone and tried to call Susan. I wanted to ask her what jobs paid better, and I wanted to find a few more part-time jobs. Although I knew I might not earn that much money even if I worked myself to death, I still wanted to give it a try, I didn't want to just give up.

I just opened my phone and saw a message on a job site: a bar was looking for dancers!

I'd never had a job like this before, and I'd never even been to a bar a few times, but they were paying me too much.

In the end, I chose to go to the bar for Hellen's surgery. During the interview, the interviewer's eyes lingered on me for a long time.

"Your name is Emily? My goodness, my sweet, you are simply wonderful!" He looked very happy and kept staring at me, "Don't worry. With your face and body, I swear you will definitely become the most popular dancer in this bar!"

He immediately decided to hire me as a dancer and announced that I could work right away tonight and be paid daily.

I had been running non-stop all day, and my whole body had indescribable exhaustion, and I could fall down and never get up again at any time, but I had to keep working, and only then could I save my Hellen.

He took me backstage and gave me a pair of overalls.

The clothes were too revealing!

I looked at the overalls in my hands, which barely covered my private parts, and frowned. Another dancer, who also started working today, put on the overalls without a moment's hesitation, and I had to hurry to change and follow her on stage.

I was really nervous, although I had a foundation in dance, I had never danced like this, I could only learn the movements of other dancers wriggling stiff waist.

The dim lighting of the bar prevented me from seeing the people on stage, but I felt a myriad of eyes gathering on me.

Stunning, erotic and obscene...all kinds.

The lights on the stage were blinding like the sun in the daytime, but it was dark offstage. I couldn't see the audience's expressions, but I knew they were looking at me with dirty and offensive eyes. The entire bar smelled of nicotine from burning cigarettes. My head started to get confused and I had no idea what I was doing, just moving my body on instinct.

The dynamic music began to draw to a close, and the dance show finally ended.

I scrambled off the stage to change out of my clothes, but was pulled into the arms of a rough-looking man by the arm. The others found this situation but did not help me, but chose to leave quietly.

He seemed to be very powerful, and as he stood over me, the men who wanted to come forward stopped in their tracks and chose to take the other dancers with them.

I began to realize there was something wrong with this bar. Was this job really as simple as just dancing as the bar owner said?

I was surrounded by people, and every man who passed by me had a burning desire in their eyes. I began to regret my decision, perhaps I should not have impulsively agreed to their demands without examination.

Suddenly a middle-aged man forcefully dragged my hand and led me to his seat despite my resistance.

"Beauty, drink this glass of wine with me and follow me to the private room upstairs, I will give you a large sum of money." I suddenly understood the way those dancers looked at me before they left, pity, gloating and jealous.

What were they jealous of? Jealous that I was about to be taken away by such an ugly man to satisfy his physical needs?

I looked at the glass that was pushed in front of me, filled with a scarlet liquid that I thought might have been drugged with something that could control my mind.

The middle-aged man's mouth smelled bad, mixing with smoke and wine, and I resisted the physical reaction of vomiting and quietly moved my feet back to get away from him.

I didn't want to say yes to him, I didn't want to have anything to do with such a man at all, but I really needed the money too much.

I clenched my fists helplessly.

What should I do? Who could save me?

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