I was making a living writing novels, but how much could I really earn? Rent in the city center is particularly high, especially for places like ours, which was a fully-furnished private apartment.
I discussed with Jared that, since he was studying for the federal federal civil service exam and I was writing, we weren't typical office workers, and we didn't have a pressing need.
"Why don't we move out of this place and rent a cheaper apartment? We can save some money and buy a house ourselves."
But Jared insisted stubbornly that we stay in this apartment. I was a little angry, but that night, my editor told me that my novel had gone viral across all platforms.
"Gabrielle, your book blew up, it's a huge hit!" The editor told me to keep writing, so I kept my head down and got to work.
Jared kept saying that staying here would give us more opportunities.
At first, I naively thought he meant job opportunities. Now, I've finally figured out that Yvonne lives in this complex.
The rich heir has a 2,000+ square foot penthouse in this neighborhood. Now, I've made up my mind—I'm definitely not staying here anymore. The landlady was really enthusiastic and agreed right away.
At dinner, I didn't know exactly what Jared said to Yvonne, but she ate quietly, not causing any trouble.
As for the kid, he stayed far away from me.
It seemed I had guessed right—Yvonne's feelings must have been in trouble. Otherwise, after I slapped her twice, why didn't she run off?—Good for nothing!
I scoffed inwardly. It was just Jared who treated her like some kind of treasure.
After dinner, Jared prepared to take Yvonne and the kid out. He even had the nerve to ask me to clean the kitchen—he really was pushing his luck.
Yvonne went to the room to put on makeup.
There's no makeup mirror or washstand in the guest room, but I bought some supplies for my own master bedroom.
As she headed towards my room again, I forced myself to stop myself from reacting. I blocked her way.
"Yvonne," I said, "We're not friends, and I genuinely dislike you. Don't you know anything about boundaries when you visit someone's house? "Did your parents never teach you to respect someone's space when you visit?"
"Who gave you the courage to come into my room?"
Yvonne froze for a moment, her eyes welling up with tears. She looked at Jared pitifully.
"Heh." I mocked her, "If you like this man so much, why don't you divorce your husband and be with him?"
I raised my head and looked at Jared.
As the dispute continued, Jared rushed over, pulling me aside and shouting, "Gabrielle, what the hell are you trying to cause here?"
What the hell am I trying to cause?
I believe that you shouldn't take advantage of the vulnerable and shy away from the tough ones.
Since I'd already slapped Yvonne, I couldn't let him off the hook either. So, I kicked Jared hard in the shin and scolded, "Jared, are you blind? You're bringing home any idiot now?"
"She got slapped twice and still came skipping into my room?"
"Can't you be more considerate?"
Jared's face went from pale to red as he stood there, looking both embarrassed and furious.
As for Yvonne, I couldn't tell if she genuinely didn't know how to fight back, or if she had just gotten too used to playing the innocent act.
At that moment, she actually started crying and said to me, "Gabrielle, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad. When I was with Jared, we never kept our distance."
I coldly responded, "You said it yourself, that was the past."
"You never kept your distance, does that mean you're still hoping to get something out of him?"
"Also, why didn't you marry him back then?"
"On one hand, you complain about them being broke, but on the other hand, you come running to them for help."
"You want everything. You're just pretending!"
This farce went on, and in the end, I insisted that Yvonne go to the guest bathroom to freshen up. Then, she linked arms with Jared, took Bear, and left.
They looked just like a family of three.
