Chapter 1 A Really Bad Day

• Zayne woke up to a hard slap on his cheek.
• “Damn it! Get up and serve the customers, or I’ll dock your pay this month! Damn it!”
• Zayne apologized several times to the old man who owned the convenience store where he worked, then went to serve the customers with a thin smile.
• The 17-year-old boy quickly went to the cash register, where he worked.
• It was a small minimarket with only one employee. Zayne worked there after school, until almost midnight.
• There was no such thing as tiredness for someone as poor as him; he had to do whatever it took for money. Even if it meant being insulted and looked down upon.
• “Your total is $65,” Zayne said after calculating the young woman’s purchases, who was his last customer of the night.
• It was already 11 PM; he had to go home soon.
• “Here’s your change, thank you—oh, are you okay? Go home and rest soon.”
• Zayne smiled wider and thanked her.
• His memory returned to the health check-up at school. The doctor at the school clinic was very concerned about Zayne, who looked pale, had very low blood pressure, and was very thin for his height of 185 cm.
• The doctor had given him iron supplements and asked Zayne to rest immediately after school.
• But here he was, working late into the night, scolded by his boss for dozing off briefly.
• When Zayne arrived home, he still couldn’t sleep soundly.
• “Quickly cook something! I’m starving! Then wash all the clothes so you can hang them out to dry tomorrow morning,” said the man who was supposed to be his foster father.
• Zayne simply obeyed the man’s every word. He immediately went to the kitchen to cook for him.
• With trembling hands from not having eaten since noon, he accidentally spilled the chicken he was about to cook onto the floor.
• A woman who was his foster mother came in and hit Zayne with a cane.
• “You good-for-nothing brat! Do you think all that’s free? It was bought with my money! Forget about cooking, now go outside and sleep there with the neighbor’s dog!”
• Zayne, with no strength left, was pushed out of the house.
• His foster parents continued to curse him with harsh words, showing no mercy for the boy. Even though Zayne had fainted from the cold weather and working too hard on an empty stomach.
• Zayne was sure that tomorrow, they would still scold him for not being able to finish all the household chores. Even if Zayne were dying, they wouldn’t care.
• To them, taking in a child was the same as taking in a free servant. That’s what Zayne had been doing since he was taken in as their child.
• Of course, he dared not report it, as he was always threatened by them.
• “Ugh…”
• The boy awoke in the middle of the cold night.
• Indeed, his adoptive parents would show no mercy at all.
• Starving, freezing, and dizzy.
• Zayne reached into his pocket to find his old and broken smartphone.
• He's glad it's was still working.
• He huddled his body to raise his body temperature slightly. He was lucky not to have hypothermia.
• Being treated like that was something he had grown accustomed to since he was adopted into the Creze family.
• At school, he was bullied for being poor; at home, he wasn’t treated well either.
• He thought that after being adopted into a family, he would live happily.
• But he was wrong.
• At least he had a very kind, beautiful, and adorable girlfriend.
• Nita Logan.
• She was the only good thing he had right now. The kind girl who always encouraged him whenever he was in trouble.
• Staring at his cracked phone screen, he read the messages.
• (You were kicked out AGAIN? - Nita)
• (Yes.. I am freezing outside but it's ok. - Zayne)
• (Why don't you come to my new apartment? I have a surprise for you! - Nita)
• (Thanks sweetie, I'm coming. - Zayne)
• Beaming from ear to ear, Zayne excitedly went to his girlfriend's new apartment.
• Nita always called him "my cute bread" because, according to her, Zayne was cute and soft like her favorite bread.
• As if his energy was fully charged, Zayne went to his girlfriend's new apartment.
• It was a pretty nice apartment, Nita said, she bought the new apartment because she was about to graduate from high school and go to the best university.
• Zayne was happy for her because she deserved it all.
• With the remaining money he had that day, Zayne bought some hot food from a street vendor before arriving at the apartment.
• He planned to eat it with Nita.
• Upon arriving at the apartment, as usual, Zayne immediately opened the door. He already knew the password, so he just walked in.
• However, as soon as he entered the apartment, he heard strange sounds coming from Nita’s room.
• Was Nita watching a movie in there?
• But the sound wasn’t like another woman’s voice—it was Nita’s own moans.
• Zayne’s legs went weak as terrible thoughts immediately flooded his mind.
• His hands trembled as those thoughts caused his heart to ache.
• The warm meal he was supposed to eat with Nita fell to the floor.
• Zayne was too weak to pick it up.
• He walked toward the still-closed door.
• Nita’s moans and strange sounds continued, but Zayne kept trying to think positively.
• Maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought, right?
• Slowly, he turned the doorknob to Nita's room, but his hand stopped when he heard a very familiar voice.
• It was Alvin, his good friend who had always helped him when he was bullied.
• In fact, it was Alvin who had introduced Nita to Zayne.
• Nita and Alvin were close friends because they took math lessons at the same place.
• Meanwhile, Zayne had been friends with Alvin since childhood.
• Even though Alvin was the son of a wealthy family, he was still willing to be friends with Zayne.
• "Harder baby, you are still the best!"
• Through the crack in the doorway, Zayne saw Alvin and Nita with their bodies wrapped around each other.
• The scene shattered his heart.
• "Oh, look who it is," Alvin sneered, noticing Zayne from the corner of his eyes.
• "What is happening?!" Zayne yelled as he mustered the strength to push open the bedroom door.
• "Nita?!" Zayne exclaimed in disbelief as he watched Alvin and Nita continue to wrap their bodies around each other.
• Neither of them felt the need to hide what they were doing.
• "Surprise! Would you like to see what a true man can do?" Nita remarked condescendingly as she smirked.
• The painful conversation shattered all of Zayne’s positive thoughts.
• The two people he trusted had been stabbing him in the back all along and had the nerve to betray him.
• With the strength he had left, Zayne quickly pushed open the bedroom door.
• How heartbreaking it was to see the girlfriend he had loved with all his heart, making love with his best friend.
• Or his ex-lover and ex-best friend? The two people who had been so cruel in toying with his heart all this time.
• “Nita?” Zayne murmured with a trembling voice.
• Instead of feeling ashamed, the girl who was supposed to be his girlfriend smirked and hugged Alvin tightly.
• Neither of them felt the need to cover their naked bodies.