"How did you forget your dead wife who burned in that fire and start liking her replacement? Percival, I thought you were such a devoted man, but I guess not," Trent sneered.Percival's jaw clenched, his whole body radiating murderous intent. "Don't you dare mention her!""The more you tell me not to, the more I want to," Trent said defiantly. As he spoke, the wound on his lip stung, making him wince. He glanced at Eulalia. In the past, if he'd gotten even a tiny scratch, that village girl would've been on the verge of tears with worry. But now she wouldn't even give him a warm look. Something sharp seemed to pierce his heart, causing a dull ache. He was usually good at enduring pain, but this feeling spread from his chest up to his throat, leaving him choked up.Trent pointed at Percival, unleashing his emotions: "This guy, Percival, the supposed perfect man plastered all over social media. Always going on about how he cherishes his wife and built an amusement park for his late wife.
The actress who claimed to be a die-hard fan of Victor had started to silently scream. She’d joined the entertainment industry after watching one of his movies, thinking she might get the chance to meet him, or even work with him. But a year in, she was still just watching him from her phone like always. As a fan, she’d imagined all sorts of scenarios where they’d meet, but never like this.If this really was Victor Truex, then why was he here? The first thing that came to mind was Eulalia—first, there were two guys fighting over one girl, and now, three. As a devoted fan, she felt her heart shatter a little. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn’t come up with any other explanation.Eulalia looked over, and in the scorching midday sun, Victor came sprinting toward her, shadows and light playing over him. He was running fast, and she could almost hear his heavy breathing. With just a mask on, his eyes—dark like obsidian—were filled with worry, and sweat covered his forehead. From the
Victor's strong arms trembled as he held Eulalia, as if cradling something precious and fragile.Eulalia felt her own heart quivering in response. She tilted her head back slightly, resting her chin on Victor's shoulder."What's wrong?" she asked softly. Her breath tickled his ear, causing it to twitch and turn pink.Victor's voice was hoarse as he replied, "I'm scared. Scared I'd be too late and find you hurt. Scared I wouldn't see you again. Scared something would happen to you. Scared you'd leave me. Scared you'd be mistreated when I'm not around. Scared you'd suffer in silence without telling me. Lalia... how do I overcome this fear?""But I'm fine, aren't I?" Eulalia paused, then hesitantly raised her hand to pat his back reassuringly. "And I'm not alone. I called you. I'm safe. I'm still here."Victor was like a wolf-dog being soothed. The warmth in his arms filled the emptiness in his heart, as if injected with hot honey, sweet to the core."I don't want there to be a next time
Bringing a cat along made it tough to find a restaurant since many don’t allow pets, and with the two of them being celebrities, they’d attract a crowd in no time.So, they decided to buy some groceries and cook at home. Eulalia’s rental was nearby, so she brought Victor over. She was cool about it, but Victor was a bundle of nerves—heart racing, face flushed—thinking about his first time visiting the home of someone he liked, and without a proper gift!Actually, he did have something—a small gift he'd kept in the car, planning to give it to her in a few days."I left something in the car. I’ll be right back," Victor said."What is it?" Eulalia glanced at the bags in his hands filled with groceries and snacks, plus the one from Jane. She checked when they got out, so it didn’t seem like anything was missing."Just wait here, I’ll be back in a second." Victor rushed off, heading to the parking lot. He opened his car door and rummaged through the glove compartment until he found a beaut
Eulalia had never seen a post about herself deleted so quickly before.She sat cradling Misty in one arm, absently fingering the tag on the cat's collar. After a few minutes, her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:"Eulalia, I don't want you as a replacement anymore. Stay by my side and I can protect you. Percival is ruthless - if you want a better life, stay far away from that madman."Eulalia frowned as she read the message. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard to reply "Go to hell," but she thought better of it and deleted the draft. There was nothing worth saying to someone like Trent. She blocked the number and set up a custom auto-reply instead.Meanwhile, Trent was anxiously awaiting Eulalia's response. He thought he had made himself clear - surely the small-town girl would get the hint. But after half an hour of silence, doubt crept in. Had she not seen the message? Or was she too afraid to reply?He sent another text:"If you come back to me obediently, I'm will
Percival’s heart felt like it was being pierced by a thousand arrows at the thought of Eulalia in bed with Victor. It was only 1 a.m. when he glanced at the clock, and he reached under his pillow for the wedding photo of him and Eulalia. In the picture, she smiled cautiously, her dimples soft, eyes gentle. The photo wasn’t big, but he pressed it to his chest alongside the well-worn journal he often read, then lay back down.That night, he didn’t dream. But when he woke, his eyes were damp, his face sticky with tears that left his skin stinging.As a cancer patient, Percival's body was weak, and he often caught colds easily. The open window and a night of cold wind, combined with the emotional breakdown after seeing the picture Victor posted, left him feverish.The housekeeper was the first to notice and rushed to inform Mr. Lee, who promptly called for a doctor. The doctor came, measured Percival's temperature, and set up an IV. But as the doctor tried to insert the needle, he noticed
Eulalia took the phone Jane handed her and attached the tracking device to Misty’s collar. “Misty's well-behaved; she won't run off.” “I know, but just in case… too many people dislike me. If they can’t get to me, they might target Misty. A tracker at least adds some safety.” Eulalia focused on the device, missing the brief flicker in Jane’s expression. Jane pressed her lips together, hesitating like she wanted to say something, but held back. “All done,” Eulalia returned the phone, noticing Jane still looked tense. She ruffled her hair. “If something’s on your mind, tell me, don’t bottle it up.” “I…” Jane started, then glanced at Misty in her arms, “I’m fine, really.” “Alright, if you say so.” Eulalia could sense something off, but couldn’t quite place it. Maybe Jane had issues at home these past few days. It wasn’t her place to pry if Jane didn’t want to talk.Just then, Reid called, telling Eulalia to get ready for her scenes. The day was packed with her shoot, and wrap
Barry noticed the collar around the cat's neck and tried to cut it off with a knife, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she gave up—she couldn’t waste time on a collar.Gripping the cat's jaw, she forced its mouth open, grabbing its sharp teeth with pliers. "You want to bite me? I’ll pull out every last tooth and see if you try that again."Misty trembled, lying helpless on the ground, bound and unable to move. After all, it was just a cat—no way to beg for mercy.Barry's eyes darkened, and with a sharp tug, a sickening crack rang out, like bones being torn from flesh. Misty's scream filled the air."Meow..." Blood spilled from the cat's mouth, staining its once-pristine fur. Misty lay there, defeated, and in that moment, all it could think about was Eulalia."I just wanted to spend more time with you... I wanted to see you again…"...After dinner, Eulalia was told to get ready for the next scene. She glanced at the door, feeling uneasy—Jane hadn't returned yet. Eulalia called her, a