Chapter 3

Joel found himself waking up in the toilet the next day.

His mental state was affected as his condition worsened for the past few days. Sometimes, he would faint from the pain.

All he remembered was vomiting a lot of blood yesterday, staining the toilet bowl red.

Joel flushed the toilet, watching the thick, red liquid swirl away.

The doorbell rang suddenly. He wondered if Rachel had come back.

Joel hurriedly cleaned up the mess and rinsed his mouth. He then wiped the bloodstain off the washroom floor before heading to the door.

"Rach—" he started.

However, Rachel wasn't the one standing outside—it was Christopher.

Christopher had already changed into a set of designer clothes. His hair was perfectly styled, and his complexion looked healthy.

He looked nothing like someone who had just gone through a suicide attempt due to depression.

Christopher smiled and greeted, "Hello, Mr. Lewis, I'm Christopher Scott."

Joel wasn't sure what made him come unannounced. "Why are you here? You're not welcome at Rachel's and my house."

Christopher sneered. "Perhaps you should start being nicer to me now, Mr. Lewis. After all, I'll be the man of this house from now on.

"I might even show some mercy and put up a shabby grave for you somewhere. I'll even drop by and place some wilted flowers on your grave once in a while."

Joel's gaze landed on Christopher's exposed wrist. All he saw was a men's sports watch and a leather bracelet. There were no signs of injury at all.

He recalled Christopher having yet another suicide episode last week. He wasn't threatening to jump off, but he had wanted to self-harm.

Joel still remembered the bloodied photo he had seen. How was it possible for Christopher's wrist to be free of blemishes in just a few days' time?

He asked, "Where are the cuts on your wrist?"

Christopher laughed and replied, "Cuts on my wrist? I'd never cut my wrist when it's so painful and would even leave a scar!"

Realization dawned on Joel suddenly. "Is your depression just a lie? Have you been deceiving Rachel?"

Christopher's smile grew wider. "It doesn't matter as long as she believes it. Women are vain creatures. It'll feed her ego knowing that a man suffered from depression because of her.

"She'd also feel even more guilty toward me. Whenever I faked an episode, she'd worry and think about me. She'd even drop everything to be by my side."

"Christopher!" Joel was beyond enraged. "You're using depression to deceive her and tear her family apart. Do you have no shame?"

Christopher looked at him gloatingly. "Don't you think you're ridiculous, Joel?"

He loosened his collar slightly, showing Joel the love bites on his neck. "I have these marks all over my body."

Christopher then stepped forward and grabbed Joel's hand. He placed it on the love bites on his neck. "Do you want to see them? She has kissed every inch of me, even my—"

He deliberately leaned close to Joel's ear and whispered the intimate parts that were hard to say aloud.

Christopher asked, "Where else do you want to see? Tell me, Mr. Lewis. I can show them all to you. I'll show you just how much Rach loves me, and how wild she gets when she's with me."

Joel struggled to retrieve his hand, yet Christopher refused to let him go.

Suddenly, Christopher's expression shifted from smug amusement to one of fear. Joel's hand was also pressed against his neck.

Christopher cried out loud, "Please let me go, Mr. Lewis. I'll truly die like this!"

"Chris!"

A cold wind swept through, and Joel felt himself being shoved back. He fell onto the ground. The sharp pain made him turn away, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

When he looked up, he could only see Rachel cradling Christopher preciously in her arms.

Her voice was filled with concern when she asked, "Did he hurt you?"

Christopher hugged her tightly and cried out, "I'm so scared, Rach—"

"Don't be, I'm here now," Rachel replied.

Christopher said, "I'm no longer afraid of anything with you by my side."

Rachel helped him up and walked right past Joel, who was lying motionless on the ground.

She brought him straight to the bedroom—her and Joel's master bedroom—and slammed the door shut.

Through the wall, Joel could still hear Rachel's voice. It was filled with guilt and concern. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home resting?

"I've told you, he has been moody recently. He's irritable and quick to anger. And your mental health isn't doing good either. What should I do if something happens to you?"

"But I don't know where else I could go other than to come and find you," Christopher replied.

Joel chuckled bitterly and wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. He then slowly got up and leaned against the couch to rest.

He was growing weaker each day due to his chemotherapy. It was hard for him to even get onto the couch now.

Rachel was met with the scene of Joel struggling to get onto the couch when she walked out.

She looked at him condescendingly and coldly asked, "Are you done pretending?"