.  "Yes, of course! I seldom have the chance to go out and have fun. C'mon, go with me, please! I know you don't like it much, but come with us, just for tonight! Please, please, please!" Hilda knew Michelle didn't like boisterous events, so she begged and pleaded relentlessly.

  "C'mon Michelle, Join us! Give it a chance. Maybe you'll like it this time," Bradley also tried to persuade her. A ray of hope glinted in his eyes, and everyone could see how much he was looking forward to hanging out with Michelle.

  "Michelle, go with us, please!" Hilda kept begging, gently shaking her cuffs and pulling on her sleeves.

  "Okay, okay, I'll go with you, just to keep you company." Michelle finally compromised. She couldn't bear Hilda's pitiful eyes. Deep down, she was really softhearted. She could bicker with Erin and fight off Bradley all day, but she would easily yield when people like Hilda looked at her expectantly with big puppy eyes.

  There were not many people in her class, so a big private room could accommodate them. Michelle sat and leaned back in one of the sofas lazily, regretting why she agreed to come. She wondered why Hilda insisted her going with her. There was nothing fun nor interesting here. She could only sit and watch others get drunk and scream into the microphone with horrible voices and make fun of themselves. She just didn't fit in. For all she knew, they all came so that they could say they hung out with Bradley.

  "Michelle, let's sing a song together!" Bradley asked loudly into her ears. It was too noisy around.

  "Sorry! I can't sing." Michelle moved her face away from him and didn't even blink her eyes when she told the lie. In fact, s

  lassmates, but why hadn't she come back yet?" She hadn't even given him a call yet or a simple message. How hard could it be to inform a spouse of one's whereabouts? It seemed that she really didn't take him seriously and looked at him as dispensable. And that was probably why she turned a blind eye to the recent changes in him.

  He also knew that it was nobody's fault but his own. He had no one else to blame. But wasn't this woman too casual with love? How could she have a change of heart so quickly? Was love really such a fleeting thing in her eyes? Luke thought, feeling uncomfortable by the minute.

  Time ticked by. When the phone rang, he immediately answered it without even taking a look at who was calling.

  "Luke, come to pick me up at Star KTV right now. Right now! I may have been drugged by someone. Please, hurry!" Michelle was breathing hard as she supported herself with her hands against the wash basin. Her head felt so heavy that she had no choice but to droop down. Her forehead was sweating heavily and everything looked blurry. She regretted being too careless, falling into someone's trap.