Sentiments and indifference were both sides of the same coin. Colin and I used to feel gratitude toward Jasmine for her sacrifice. Yet, she continuously took advantage of this sentiment until not an ounce of gratitude was left.She pulled many dirty tricks to steal Colin from me and hurt me. Now that I had a chance to fight back, why couldn't I return the favor? She tried to hurt me, so I hurt her back. "What do you mean, Jasmine? A loving couple can have intercourse, and can't we be verbal about our love?"Perhaps you've never been loved, so you don't know how intense it can be. Must I justify myself for moaning? Do you want me to tell you every detail? Who do you think you are that I must tell you everything?" My words silenced her. It felt great to see her twitching facial expression.The talk we had was going nowhere. I blinked my eyes and waited innocuously for Jasmine's answer. She must have never met a stubborn woman like me before. She intercepted me for two days consecutive
"You're a gem, Luna. No wonder Colin loves you so much. I'd keep you to myself too."Huh? I was confused."Don't be mistaken. I'm just saying that you have multiple facets. You're meek, bubbly, and stubborn at the same time. Last night and today, you showed me the cunning side of you. It's amusing."I still wasn't quite sure what was so amusing about me. I gave up looking for an answer and focused on pulverizing the stones instead. Silence filled the laboratory except for the sounds of our breathing and the metal clang produced by the collision between the tools and the stones.Nico was quiet, and I couldn't find a conversational topic either, so we focused on our work. However, in my mind, I felt that I forgot to ask Nico an important question. The talk with Jasmine ended on a sour note. On the surface, it seemed like she had lost, but in fact, she never had the upper hand in the talk.I won simply because I was in the right. But at night, when stillness consumed my life and I
"Luna, I used to think that you were an unpolished gem and Colin was the sculptor. I thought he would shape you until you become the brightest gem in the world."But I was wrong. You polish yourself. You know how to project your own radiance."I chuckled out loud. While I was very confident in my painting techniques, I wasn't as good as he said. "You flatter me, Nico." I performed a curtsy, and that made Nico laugh.He held the painting, his tall frame bent slightly forward as his brows danced with delight and approval. "I'm serious. Don't doubt my words."Fine. I should accept his compliment. As we chatted, an unknown number suddenly called Nico. Nico picked it up. I heard some static noise for about 30 seconds until I heard the villager's voice. He told us that he was visiting his relatives tomorrow at the address he had given us.He would be staying there for a few days and asked if we wanted to come with him. If yes, he could be our guide in the mountains. Thanks to our mutu
Zuri talked a lot. While his words were harsh, they revealed the truth behind rural life. In rural areas, youngsters often left to work in the city, leaving behind the elderly and children. The imbalance of manpower between the city and the rural areas was a common phenomenon.In the city, many young people from rural areas gathered in one spot and held sign boards to look for employment. As they weren't highly educated and did not possess any technical skills, they could only provide manual labor.Mom told me that manual labor was paid a lot by the hour. However, since those people had no one to rely on in the city, they had to spend a lot to maintain themselves. Everything was expensive in the city. It was very difficult for them to buy a house in the city with their hard-earned money.Zuri was visibly upset when he talked about the predicament. He whipped out a wrinkled box of cigarettes from his jacket. He wanted to light one up, but when he saw that he was on a clean bus, he pu
Zuri's relatives were a friendly couple. When they saw us, they didn't ask a lot of questions.We chatted briefly before they disappeared into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Zuri had nothing to do, so he joined them in the kitchen to help out. Nico was already gone for some reason. I checked the backyard and couldn't find him.Suddenly, I felt fear and regretted coming here. I once read a news article that a Year 1 university student was very close to a Year 2 senior. Everyone in her school knew how close they were. One day, the Year 1 student went missing.The lecturers turned to the senior to ask about her. The senior said that he did not know where she went. However, he claimed that she missed her mother a lot and she had expressed the intention to quit school. He even showed the journal the woman had entrusted to him to the lecturers.The last entry in her journal mentioned her lack of ambition at the university and the bullying she suffered because of her modest background. Sh
As for me, I was locked in a pigsty by the buyer, surrounded by heaps of pig dung. A short, filthy man kept urging me to submit to him, promising that if I bore him a son, I could sleep in the house with him and avoid further suffering.I thought seriously about it and decided that if it ever came to that, I would rather die than endure such humiliation.Tears welled up in my eyes, but I bit my lip to keep them from falling. I clenched my cold fingers in fear and glanced repeatedly at the door, calculating my chances of escaping. However, the wilderness was vast and unfamiliar, making the path to freedom uncertain.Soon, it was mealtime. Nico buzzed around like a bee, serving food and drink in a manner that seemed overly hospitable. I was beginning to suspect this was a deliberate ploy to win me over and make me feel at ease.What scared me the most was when Zuri suddenly appeared with a bottle of unknown liquor. He bit off the cap and poured the liquid into several white porcela
Besides, if Nico was also being deceived like me, we might be able to form an alliance and plan an escape together. I could only hope he wasn't a bad person and wouldn't betray me.With so much on my mind, I was too anxious to eat more than a few shaky bites.Elijah sighed. "I forgot you city folks are used to fine food. I doubt you can handle these simple dishes." He then turned to look at his wife, saying, "Ava, get some goat milk for the city girl. We don't want her going hungry on her visit here."I forced a polite smile. "Well, great… Thank you, sir, for the kind hospitality…"After the meal, there wasn't much entertainment in the countryside, so we all gathered around the TV. Ava brought me a chair with a thick cushion and beckoned me to sit. "Here, sit on this. It's soft and comfy. The show's about to start."The chair was just the right height, and the cushion was indeed soft and comfortable. However, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, my mind racing with tho
Colin cleared his throat, suppressing a laugh, and gently reassured me, "It's okay. Just go to sleep. I'll stay with you.""Promise me you won't hang up until I'm asleep," I pleaded."Alright," Colin agreed softly.I was truly exhausted. Selfishly ignoring Colin's evident weariness, I fell into a deep sleep lulled by his deep voice.With Colin's voice as my companion, I slept peacefully. I was no longer afraid and didn't have any nightmares. Instead, I dreamt that I was immersed in a sea of flowers, surrounded by their fragrant scent.I woke up at 6:00 am. As soon as I opened my eyes and saw the dark ceiling, the terrifying events of the previous night came rushing back. It wasn't until I pulled back the covers to see myself still fully clothed that I could take a deep breath, calming my racing heart.After getting ready, I opened the door to find Ava quietly preparing breakfast in the kitchen. She greeted me with a welcoming smile, "Good morning, dear. There's hot water in tha