Chapter 2
I stayed silent, and for once, his tone softened.
"There's really nothing going on between me and Lilly. Haven't you always wanted a baby? I'll give you one," he said.
As he spoke, he pulled out a box of birth control pills from his pocket.
He stepped closer, gripping my shoulders tightly, and tore at my clothes, ignoring my struggles.
My eyes filled with tears as I looked at him in disbelief.
I cried out, "Let go of me! You're filthy! You've ruined yourself!"
My head snapped to the side from the blow, and his low growl thundered in my ear.
"You've been working in nightclubs for five years. How pure do you think you are? Quit acting innocent. What right do you have to call me dirty?" he snarled.
"Gisselle, you're living under my roof, eating my food. Without me, you're nobody!" he spat.
So that was it. He kept his distance because he thought I was tainted.
But he forgot that when his world fell apart and he had nowhere to turn, it was me, using that so-called dirty money, who helped him rise from the ashes.
I could have chased my dream of medicine overseas, but I threw it all away just to prepare for our marriage.
I devoted myself to him, heart and soul.
But now, he just sees me as a useless leech, living off him for free.
A sudden, bitter laugh broke from my lips as the truth hit me.
I slipped the scarlet thread of fate off my wrist.
"Samuel, I'm giving you back what's yours," I said.
He stared at the scarlet thread of fate in his hand, now tarnished and darkened, his eyes filled with hesitation.
It was a plain, simple design, and after all these years, most of the paint had chipped away.
He didn't even remember that it was the first gift he ever gave me, back when he confessed to me.
He said the scarlet thread of fate would bring good luck.
Once the red string was tied, our destinies were bound. Life would be smooth, and all worries would melt away.
As long as he was my fated one, life would finally be free of pain.
As memories flooded back, he clutched the scarlet thread of fate, his voice finally softening.
"Let's stop fighting. We've survived ten years together, and now we're finally getting married. Isn't this what you've always dreamed of?" he said.
But honestly, I could do just fine without him. Maybe I'd be even better off.
Before I could get the words out, his phone started ringing.
"Mr. Jones, Lilly wants a ten-tier cake," someone said on the other end.
Almost on autopilot, he pulled away and headed for the door, shouting over his shoulder, "Buy it. Get the best one. I'll pick it out myself."
Then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
It dawned on him that Lilly and I were fraternal twins, so her birthday was mine too.
He spun around, for once actually looking guilty.
"I didn't forget your birthday. I already bought you a better engagement ring, with your favorite gift," he said.
"Lilly's your sister, so I just give her a little extra attention. She kept asking me for this party, so I finally gave in. Don't get the wrong idea," he added.
I managed a bitter smile.
One time, he left some documents at home, so I frantically hurried over to his office.
By chance, I overheard some employees chatting.
They were straight-up asking Samuel when he and Lilly were getting married.
Samuel heard them, pulled Lilly close almost for show, and asked, "Do you guys really think we make a good couple?"
Even then, I could tell something was off.
But Samuel talked me down with some smooth words, and I ended up buying into their act, thinking it was all just a joke.
Looking back, it was my own stupidity that helped push things this far off the rails.
If I couldn't win, I'd just walk away. I cut my losses and decided I wasn't going to get tangled up in their mess anymore.
A faint smile tugged at my lips. "Lilly's favorite franchise just released some new merch. She's going to be thrilled when she gets it."
He looked taken aback. "You're not mad?"
I gave him a small smile. "No, Samuel."
"At least you haven't forgotten my favorite gem, Paraiba," I said.
His expression froze for a moment, then a sneer spread across his face.
"Stop with the whole playing hard to get routine. Do you really think this is clever?" he scoffed.
"You're not Lilly. Hearing you say stuff like that is just disgusting," he added.
The ache splintered through my heart, but this time, it only took me a few minutes to get over it.
Give me a little more time, and I would stop giving a damn about Samuel's blatant favoritism toward Lilly.
The door slammed so hard, the sound rang in my ears.
With shaking hands, I lowered my head and dialed the phone.
The phone rang over and over, but nobody picked up.
Finally, just as I was about to give up, someone answered on the last ring.
I bit my lip, my voice barely above a whisper. "Emersyn..."
There was a long silence on the other end.
"I know I messed up. I never should've thrown away my talent and given up on my dreams for a guy like Samuel," I said.
"Can I... can I come find you?" I asked.
Emersyn snapped, "Serves you right, damn it!"
Then she hung up.
Staring at the blank screen of my phone, a wave of sorrow crashed over me, threatening to swallow me whole.