Chapter 4

 4:
“Don’t touch me. You make my skin crawl,” she said indifferently.
Felix froze, his eyes widening in shock. He had never heard her speak to him like that before.
Her voice was ice, cutting through the tension in the room as she continued,
“Felix, that wedding is over. I have no intention of having another one. I came here today to move out.”
Felix, still stunned by her rejection, frowned in confusion, his mind struggling to catch up.
“Move out?”
Linsey nodded, her face resolute.
“Yes. I’m leaving now.”
He let out a hollow laugh, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke.
“And where do you think you’re going?”
He knew all too well that Linsey had no family to turn to, no safety net to catch her. Apart from this apartment, she had nowhere else. For the past five years, her entire world had been centered around him. He was certain she couldn’t leave him.
He was certain that this whole “moving out” act was nothing more than her way of trying to make him bend to her will.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a voice from behind.
It was Joanna.
“Felix, didn’t you say you’d be down in a minute after packing? What’s taking you so long?”
gⱯlnσν𝓮ℓs․cóm is your escape
Joanna’s voice echoed through the room as she stepped in. When her eyes landed on Linsey standing across from Felix, her expression shifted in surprise.
“Linsey, what are you doing here?”
Linsey shot Joanna a frosty look, her voice icy as she replied, “This is my apartment, isn’t it? Do I need to explain why I’m here? The real question is—what are you doing here?”
Joanna lowered her gaze, feigning a mixture of embarrassment and innocence.
“I accidentally nicked myself with a fruit knife, and Felix was so worried he insisted on staying with me for a few days.” Her eyes then darted to the suitcase beside Linsey, and she gasped dramatically, her hand covering her mouth.
“Linsey, what are you doing? Are you upset? Even if you are, this is uncalled for. If you’re bothered, you can talk to me. I’ll apologize if that’ll make you feel better. There’s no need for all this.”
Linsey’s lips curled into a cold, almost cruel smile as she took a slow step forward toward Joanna.
“Are you really going to apologize? Do you even mean it?”
Joanna, aware of Felix watching, played her part, her voice dripping with false sincerity as she nodded.
“Of course. If it helps you, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Alright, then. Why not?” Linsey’s smile widened, but there was no warmth in her eyes, just cold calculation. “Since you’re so sincere, I suppose I can help you out.”
Without warning, she raised her hand.
The sharp sound of a slap sliced through the tension in the room as Linsey’s palm connected with Joanna’s face, echoing the finality of her words.
Joanna let out a shrill scream, the shock of the slap leaving her momentarily frozen.
Clutching her burning cheek, she glared at Linsey, her eyes wide with disbelief.
.
.
.