Cherry shook her head fiercely, gasping for breath. She crawled toward Andrew, not bothering to retain
her dignity.
"Andrew, it's not true. Don't believe Alan's words. He is lying!"
Cherry cried. She wanted to explain herself, but the words refused to come out of her mouth.
Andrew looked down at Cherry.
The frown on his face deepened. He didn't know what to do.
Alan's anger reached its pinnacle. He squatted beside Cherry, grabbed her hair, and yanked her head
backward.
He had forgotten everything that happened in the past, except for the pain caused by Cherry. She had
been using him all this while; the cruel woman had killed his sister. Kevin had sent him abroad, and he
lived a miserable life there.
Cherry was the reason for all his problems.
People always paid the price for their wrongdoings. However, Cherry got only the best in the world. She
lived the life that people always dreamed of.
She enjoyed the attention and love of her fans when Alan couldn't get his freedom. Why did Cherry get
the best things in life when he had to suffer endless pain? Why did she enjoy the fame and money
when he lived with sorrow and misery?
If Alan deserved punishment, then Cherry had to suffer along with him. He didn't have to endure
everything alone.
Cherry yelped in pain as Alan pulled her hair with full force.
He dragged her on the ground, paying no attention to her pleas.
"Cherry, did you think that I'd forgive you? I hate you! I will make sure you suffer as long as I am alive.
You don't deserve any mercy," Alan spat venomously.
"No! Please, don't do this!" Cherry cried, shaking her head.
"I can forgive you for all that you have done to me. But you shouldn't have killed my sister! You
shouldn't have!" Alan took a chair and threw it at her.
Cherry let out a piercing scream.
Andrew shuddered. He couldn't witness the violence.
Bile rose in his throat. He clenched his palms as his nails sank into his skin.
Being a righteous man, he couldn't watch another man abuse a woman right in front of his eyes.
"No, please!" Cherry looked at Andrew for help. "Andrew, help me. Please. I will do whatever you want
me to do. I will give you anything you ask me. I will introduce you to Kevin and request him to help you
with your career. Please save me from this man!"
The chair collided with Cherry's body. Pain exploded through her bones; she felt as if she were dead
already.
Andrew glared at Alan. The man lifted the chair to strike her again.
"No, please! Stop!" Cherry begged for mercy.
However, Alan had turned into a beast. His anger intensified; he was determined to kill her.
Cherry squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the chair to hit her again. However, she heard something
fall and shatter.
She didn't feel the pain that she had expected to break her apart.
Cherry slowly opened her eyes and saw Alan staring at Andrew with a menacing look on his face.
"Andrew, do you want to get involved in this?" he growled.
Strong arms grabbed Cherry's waist. She craned her neck and saw Andrew helping her up.
"Alan, that's enough. You can't beat a woman like this!" Andrew hissed through his teeth. "I don't care
what she has done. You can't abuse a woman. I can't silently watch everything as if it doesn't concern
me."
He felt that it was his responsibility to save a woman in trouble.
Alan pulled himself to his feet and wiped the blood off his lips.
"You're courting death, Andrew. I have never seen anyone risk their life for a stupid bitch. If you go on
like this, I won't be easy on you." He sneered and kicked Andrew.
The man gritted his teeth and pushed Cherry to the sofa. He took the kick and fell to the ground.
Alan lifted the chair and continued to hit him. Andrew screamed in pain; he didn't have the strength to
fight back.
"Stop it, please." Ignoring the pain, Cherry dragged herself toward Alan, trying to stop him.
Andrew was a movie star and had a lot of followers. If the man suffered any serious injury, then Alan
would go to jail. Cherry couldn't imagine what might happen to her if he told the truth about her to the
police.
"Stop it! Please!" Cherry implored.
But Alan was seething with rage. Her words didn't reach his ears.
He continued to assault Andrew, smashing the chair on his body over and over again. The man, who
struggled initially, stopped fighting back.
Andrew's body had turned limp. Blood gushed out of his raw, swollen head.
His clear eyes turned hazy.
"What the hell are you doing?" Cherry's eyes widened as she saw Andrew pass out. A pool of blood
formed under his head.
She squealed in shock.
Alan had broken Andrew's head. Blood flowed out as Alan continued to strike him like a maniac. "Stop!
Stop it! He will die!" Cherry grabbed Alan's arm.
"Don't! You are killing him!" The word snapped Alan back to his senses.
He stopped and stared at Cherry with wide eyes. Rage had clouded his mind. He didn't realize what he
had been doing.
"Blood! Oh, God! There is so much blood." Cherry knelt beside Andrew to check his injuries. Panic
wracked her nerves as she felt his faint pulse throbbing under her fingers. "Ambulance! Call an
ambulance!"
Alan knitted his brows in confusion. Understanding crossed his face when he saw the pool of blood on
the floor that grew wider with every passing minute. He finally realized the magnitude of the problem
and immediately dialed the emergency number.
Cherry had been the most popular female star in the entertainment industry. Many people stayed
outside her house every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of her and click pictures of their favorite star.
The entry of the ambulance naturally caught people's attention.
Everyone found that Andrew was admitted to the hospital. The police arrived that night and dragged
Alan to jail.
However, the man remained unconcerned. His cold eyes revealed undisguised hatred for Cherry. The
intensity of his gaze frightened Cherry. She closed her eyes, for she couldn't watch her life fall apart.
Cherry sensed that Alan wanted her to pay the price for her mistakes and suffer until her last breath.
His downfall meant her ruination. If Alan wanted to punish her, he wouldn't hesitate to disclose the truth
to the police.
Cherry's life had turned into chaos while Anne was happy with her husband.
The next morning, Anne woke up after a good night's sleep. She received a call from Emily before she
got up from her bed.
"Anne, did you read the news about Cherry? Something has happened. Check it online right away."
Emily sounded both helpless and excited.
Anne hung up the call right away and checked the latest news.
Her eyes widened in shock. 'The famous star, Andrew, was beaten to death at his fellow actor Cherry's
place and admitted to the hospital. He is in a critical condition: no one has heard any information as to
whether he is dead or alive.
The assaulter is a young man called Alan. He is under police custody as they continue to investigate
the incident.'
Anne massaged her temples and sighed. She had anticipated that something would go wrong when
Alan moved to Cherry's house. However, she didn't think that innocent people would be involved in the
problem.
Cherry was a selfish woman who only cared about herself.
Anne wondered if Cherry would save Alan. After all, he knew everything about her.
Alan had the power to destroy her life. Although Cherry was a famous star, she wasn't powerful enough
to kill him in jail.
She had a lot of problems to handle now.
However, Anne was happy to find that Alan was in jail. She was safe, for the man wouldn't come to
trouble her anymore.
Cherry had solved Anne's problem.
The news about Andrew's injury had sparked up anger and confusion among his fans.
They had doted on their idol for many years, but an unknown man had beaten him to death. Andrew's
health was in a critical condition now. They didn't know whether he would survive.
Some of Andrew's ardent fans barged into the police station and demanded to shoot Alan dead.
The police couldn't control the public.
Alan was a criminal who had assaulted Andrew. However, they couldn't break the law only because
Andrew was a superstar with an incredible fanbase following.
Cherry waited outside the operation room; her eyes were raw after all the crying.
Alan had repeatedly hit Andrew on his head, which might have broken his skull.
Many hours had passed, but Andrew was still in the operation theater. Cherry couldn't imagine what
might happen to her if he died.
She slumped to the ground, regretting her decision. Things wouldn't have gotten worse if she listened
to Alan's words and asked Andrew to leave.
But she couldn't change the past.
Cherry sniffled loudly. Wondering what to do next, she took out her phone and dialed Kevin's number.
She didn't know what else to do other than calling Kevin. Alan and Kevin had been good friends. Now
that Alan was in trouble, would Kevin ignore him?
Kevin was on a business trip. The unexpected call from Cherry irked him -- he wanted to hang up. But
he remembered that Alan was in A City. Kevin took a deep breath and finally answered the call.
"Kevin, something happened," Cherry croaked, trying to control herself.
A frown lined Kevin's forehead as he listened to her patiently. He didn't expect that Alan would still be
so hot-tempered after all these years.
The man wouldn't be able to escape the legal punishment this time.
If Alan hadn't provoked him or Anne, Kevin would have tried helping him. However, the crazy man
chose to take his revenge on Cherry by creating a huge mess.
Kevin couldn't help but wonder if Alan would take his revenge on Anne if he saved him.
He didn't know what to do.
"Kevin, didn't you say that the past is past?" I am not Cherry anymore. I am Kristine now. Haven't you
and Anne forgiven me? Did I not keep up my promise? I didn't get involved in your life after you asked
me not to. Moreover, I have helped Anne regain her lost reputation.
Kevin, please help me for the last time. If I don't save Alan now, he will tell the police everything. I won't
be able to escape, Kevin. Please, help me!" Cherry begged.
"You deserve it." Kevin sneered.
"This is your problem, not mine. It has nothing to do with me." Kevin had always been a ruthless man.
He didn't care about anything else in the world except Anne. Cherry's problem meant nothing to him, so
he hung up the call.
Cherry's heart sank. She hugged her legs, burying her face between her knees.
Kevin didn't care about her -- he had refused to help her. Her last spark of hope had died after the
phone call.
Cherry felt helpless. She didn't know what to do now.
Tears streamed down her face as fear consumed her. However, Kevin was right: she deserved it.
Perhaps the time to pay the price for all her sins has just arrived.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda