Jasper’s surprise was evident. He hadn’t expected me to be so quiet, so obedient, but then again, he believed that’s how I should be since I loved him. I never argued, never raised my voice. I was always quiet and well–behaved.
As if to reward me for my silence, Jasper pulled out a black card and tossed it to me. His voice softened just a little.
“Don’t take the red envelope thing to heart. I did wrong you today.”
I accepted the card and turned to walk to the guest room.
Behind me, Nora’s voice floated over, laced with dissatisfaction.
“Brother Jasper, do you think Hallie loves money more, or you?”
Jasper’s indifferent voice followed.
“She doesn’t love money.”
After seven years together, he did know me.
I didn’t love money.
But he didn’t know that I didn’t want to love him anymore either.
The next morning, as I came downstairs, Nora, ga
hand and cheerfully pulled me toward the dining table.
A large patch of red, ambiguous marks covered her chest.
white camisole, grabbed my
“Hallie, I’m so jealous of you. You get to eat Jasper’s cooking every day. I was abroad for seven years, and all I had were cold hamburgers every day.”
Jasper happened to walk out of the kitchen just then. At the sound of Nora’s words, the pain in his eyes was almost overwhelming.
He picked up the cereal from the table, gently blowing on it before feeding it to Nora spoon by spoon.
“If you like it, I’ll cook for you every day from now on.”
In the seven years I’d been with Jasper, I’d never once seen him enter a kitchen. There had been a time when I couldn’t get out of bed due to period cramps, and I’d begged him to boil some water for me. He’d coldly told me he never stepped into the kitchen.
Looking at the delicious, fragrant breakfast spread before me, I understood that Jasper only cooked for those he loved. I didn’t qualify.
Only then did he seem to notice my presence. He casually picked up a shrimp cake and dropped it into my bowl, but his eyes didn’t linger on me for even a second.
The sharp smell of shrimp twisted my stomach. I frowned slightly.
Nora suddenly gasped and sweetly scolded him.
“Brother Jasper, how could you forget? Hallie’s allergic to seafood. She can’t eat any of
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this.”
“Hallie, don’t be upset. I’ll give you my sandwich instead.”
The half–eaten sandwich, smeared with lipstick, was a sorry sight. The meat and egg had been hollowed out, leaving only two limp pieces of lettuce behind. The leftover sauce, mixed with a clear fluid, made my stomach churn.
Before I could say anything, Nora’s eyes already shimmered with unshed tears.
“Hallie, are you disgusted by me? I guess someone like me, from a poor background, could never be as noble as you. Of course, you’d think I’m dirty…”
Jasper’s face darkened immediately. He stood up, snatched the sandwich from Nora’s hands, and forcefully shoved it into my mouth.
The food lodged in my throat, and tears welled up from the discomfort.
Jasper’s cold voice echoed in the air above me.
“Swallow it.”
“Nora might come from a poor family, but I won’t stand for you insulting her. Don’t ever do this again.”
I pushed him away with all my strength and rushed to the bathroom, where I vomited until my body shook with cold sweat.
People from poor families weren’t just Nora.
I, too, had come from a rural village.
How could I ever look down on her?
But Jasper would never think about any of that.
All he saw were the tears sparkling in Nora’s eyes.
As I opened the bathroom door, a slap landed across my face, burning hot and sharp with
pain.
I turned and found myself face–to–face with Nora’s delicate features, now twisted into something dark and malicious.
She towered over me, her eyes blazing with hostility.
“Hallie, you’re shameless. You’ve clung to Jasper for seven years and still won’t let go. It’s pathetic. Did you honestly think this would make him fall in love with you? What a joke. From the moment he first saw me, the only woman he’s ever loved is me. Nora.”
