Chapter 4

Frederick instinctively reached out to steady her, but she shoved him away.

"Don't touch me! I really can't take this anymore! Every time she sees me, she threatens to break up, run away, get divorced. What am I, trash? Does she hate me that much?"

"Frederick! Let's end our friendship! I'm sick of living under her scrutiny!"

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have appeared in front of you two. I shouldn't have known you since childhood or grown up with you!"

As she spoke, she frantically started slapping herself.

"I should just die! At least it's better than being treated like this every time!"

The warmth on my wrist disappeared. Frederick lunged forward and grabbed Lily's flailing hands.

He used both hands and feet to forcibly restrain her in his arms, stopping her movements.

It all happened in just a few seconds.

Lily's eyes were bloodshot red. Both sides of her face had swollen up.

Frederick held her face and looked at me with dark, heavy eyes.

"Are you satisfied now?"

It was always like this.

The moment I showed even a hint of resistance, Lily's depression would flare up and she'd start hurting herself.

Couldn't say anything. Couldn't touch her. Couldn't even avoid her.

Before, Frederick would coax me into appeasing her.

"Jasmine, you've had this condition yourself. You know that at times like this, you can only go along with it."

Out of basic human decency, I compromised every time, avoiding confrontation.

But later, I realized something.

Lily's "condition" only flared up when Frederick didn't side with her because of me.

Her so-called depression was just possessiveness in overdrive, forcing him to choose between us.

I looked down at the smug expression on Lily's face.

I nodded. "Yeah, pretty satisfied. You just moved too fast. Didn't hit hard enough."

"Your acting's a bit rough. Work on it next time."

Shock flashed through Lily's eyes. She froze, about to lash out again.

But Frederick beat her to it. He stood up with her in his arms and stepped toward me.

His tall figure loomed over me, casting everything into darkness.

The shoulders that once shielded me from the rain now carried another woman, physically blocking my way out.

"Jasmine, I've been far too lenient with you."

Frederick's voice was low and cold. "Lily, slap her back."