For the rest of the day, I ignored him entirely.
That evening, as I passed by him, his forlorn expression and messy hair made him look like a fluffy, pitiful dog.
He tugged at my sleeve. "Rosemary..."
I turned to leave again.
He hurried after me, his voice hoarse and tinged with grievance. Unable to hold back, he gave in:
"Alright, alright, I'll call you that. Just don't ignore me."
"...Honey."
I stopped in my tracks.
His voice was husky, tinged with moisture, and the upward lilt of the final syllable hooked directly into my heart.
In the past, Cedric and Daphne would flirt openly in front of me.
Cedric would wrap his broad arms around her petite frame. He'd hold her hand as she chattered about her day, occasionally tapping her forehead with a smile.
"Such a good girl, my honey," he'd say.
I never liked Cedric, nor did I envy how well he treated Daphne.
I just... wanted to know what it felt like to be cherished.
I was desperate to experience that unfamiliar sensation.
So now, even though I couldn't say I liked the young man in front of me, he gave me a sense of emotional satisfaction. That was enough for me to want to love him.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.
"James, I like you so much. What should I do?
"Can you call me that every day?"
His body stiffened, but he tentatively hugged me back, patting my back awkwardly as he stammered:
"We'll be married soon anyway... When that happens, I'll call you that every day. For now, maybe... wait a bit?"
He seemed a little dejected. "I'm so useless. I've said it a thousand times in my head, but I just can't get the words out."
"Alright!"
I felt the heat radiating from his chest as I nonchalantly agreed.
Because, barring any surprises, James and I wouldn't make it to marriage.
---
That weekend, I returned home to the Ravenswood estate. The house was cold and quiet, and the servants moved about silently.
Daphne was leaning on the window ledge, lost in thought.
"Where's Cedric?" I asked.
"I don't know," she replied, shaking her head. "He hasn't been around much this week either."
"He's probably busy," I said, unconcerned.
Daphne didn't respond.
Finding the conversation dull, I was about to leave when she suddenly called out to me.
"The only reason he's letting you go to school is because he thinks your major is tough and exhausting. Sooner or later, you'll come crawling back to him."
"Even if you're pretending, you should at least make an effort to appease him. Otherwise, you might lose the opportunity you worked so hard for, and there'll be no place left to cry."
Her tone was so weary, so different from her coquettish demeanor with Cedric, and nothing like her aggressive self from a month ago.
I turned back, puzzled. "What's wrong with you?"
"Me? Nothing," she replied, unwilling to elaborate. "Get out of my sight. You're an eyesore."
---
Daphne, Laura, and I had once been the closest of friends in the orphanage.
But after Laura's death, Daphne grew distant from me. When Cedric adopted us, she watched coldly as he scolded and humiliated me, never uttering a word in my defense.
She was perceptive and knew her value in Cedric's eyes. She could charm him with her coquettish demeanor, which always put him in a good mood.
I, on the other hand, was never that obedient.
The first time he hit me, I ran away. I fled deep into the forest and hid for three days until the hounds found me.
Their menacing, glowing green eyes stared at me, their tongues lolling red. Terrified, I broke down in tears, bowing repeatedly before Cedric.
He knelt beside me, gently caressing my cheek. "Rosemary, disobedient children must be punished."
That time, he beat me within an inch of my life. I lay in the basement, barely breathing, when Daphne came to see me. The disdain she usually held for me was still etched across her face.
She brought me hemostatic pills and two cakes, crouching down to inspect my wounds.
I begged her to call the police.
Daphne paused, then pressed her finger hard against a bloody wound.
The pain sent sweat cascading down my face.
Daphne stood and looked at me coldly. "Don't delude yourself, Rosemary."
"These are just superficial wounds. If you call the police, they'll just say you inflicted them on yourself. Cedric controls the surveillance footage. What can you do?"
"Even if you prove he did it, this kind of offense won't bring him down. Once he's out, you'll suffer even more."
She shoved a cake into my mouth. Her voice softened slightly as she glanced at my battered body.
"Eat something. At least don't starve to death.
"Rosemary, think about your value to Cedric. Play along with him. Endure until he dies."
