The black ink sprayed all over my face and into my beige sweater and still-on alpaca coat, making them filthy.
I gritted my teeth through the pain and reached out to grab the kid.
But Yvonne suddenly screamed, "Don't hurt my child."
She quickly shielded the kid behind her, looking up at me with teary eyes, "Sorry, Gabrielle, he's just a kid. Don't be mad at him."
The little brat stuck his tongue out at me, mocking, "Nyaa, nyaaa."
Yvonne quickly urged her child, "Honey, apologize to Gabrielle."
"Yuck!" the brat spat at me. "I'm not apologizing to that bitch."
With that, he turned and ran off.
I wiped my face, covered in black ink. Who lets their child play with a water gun filled with ink?
It was obviously deliberate.
As for my once doting boyfriend, Jared, he was acting like he'd died and was just staring at the stove in the kitchen.
I suddenly laughed.
So, I turned to Yvonne and asked, "Miss Yvonne, didn't you just tell me to not get mad at the kid?"
"Yes," she replied, smiling sweetly, "A grown-up like you shouldn't argue with a child."
"You're absolutely right," I said, smiling back.
"Miss Yvonne, you're not a child, are you?" I kept smiling and then, without warning, I raised my hand and slapped her across the face, hard.
I followed it up with another slap.
The anxiety and frustration that had been building up for days seemed to find an outlet.
I grabbed her by the hair and slammed her head against the wall.
"I heard you've lost your memory—will this help you recover?" My voice was cold with a touch of cruelty.
Yvonne She had always been the picture of innocence, acting like the perfect, fragile girl. But now, she was no longer acting. She truly seemed helpless.
I relished the sound of her cries.
My boyfriend, who had been playing dead in the kitchen, rushed over and pulled me away, embracing Yvonne and soothing her with gentle words, comforting her patiently.
Seeing them in each other's arms, something inside me snapped coldly.
This man was truly despicable.
Back when Yvonne and he were madly in love, she had left him for money and property, seeking the arms of a wealthy heir.
He had once kneeled in the rain, begging her not to leave.
But ultimately, Yvonne left him.
Six months later, he started pursuing me, flirting with me.
At first, I didn't know about his past with Yvonne.
But he was handsome, impeccably groomed, and dressed in a gentlemanly manner, acting as though he were the epitome of grace.
He was skilled in the kitchen and, most importantly, he respected my wishes.
4
I had once been grateful to have met such a good man.
My friends envied me.
But I never expected that, after Yvonne's car accident and her supposed memory loss, he had completely changed.
It seemed like he no longer cared for me at all.
"Gabrielle, apologize to her right now."."
After comforting Yvonne, Jared finally seemed to remember my existence. He grabbed me and yelled, "Gabrielle, "I can't believe you're the kind of person who would do this."
"How could you hit Yvonne?"
"Apologize to her right now."
I suppressed my anger. Actually, I didn't feel that angry anymore.
Looking at the red marks on Yvonne's face and her disheveled hair, crying and looking so pitiful, I could only feel like I was witnessing a joke.
"Jared, what if I don't apologize?" I asked deliberately, locking my gaze on Yvonne.
I didn't quite understand. Yvonne married a rich heir and already has a kid. Even if she were in a car accident and lost her memory, she would never come running to her ex for attention. No matter how confused she might be, she'd look at her child and know she needs to keep her distance.
Unless—Yvonne was having a crisis in her relationship.
Jared probably never imagined that I, someone who had always listened to him, would refuse to apologize today.
"You—" His face flushed red, and after a long pause, he stammered, "Gabrielle, if you don't apologize, we... we're breaking up."
This man really had some nerve, bringing his ex-girlfriend home.
After all the mess, he was threatening to break up with me?
Had he never thought that when he refused to answer my calls, ignored my messages, all because he was busy with his ex, I might decide to break up with him?
I turned and walked toward the bedroom, planning to pack my things and leave.
Sometimes, letting go of the past only takes a moment.
Or perhaps, when Jared chose to be with his ex, the person I had once held so dear was already dead.
But as I entered the bedroom, my anger flared up again.
All my clothes were torn out and thrown haphazardly onto the balcony.
There were plastic basins, trash cans, mops, and other items scattered around.
Some garbage hadn't even been thrown away yet...
I had originally planned to pack up and leave, but seeing this mess, I stopped in my tracks.
Once the word "breakup" is said, there's no turning back.
But if I just walked out now, wouldn't I be the one who failed?
If I wasn't going to feel happy, then why should I let Jared and Yvonne feel at ease?
