Chapter 5

When Jenny's family arrived, I'd already packed my bags and was ready to return to my hometown.

"Honey! Honey!"

Out of nowhere, her dim-witted brother, Jeremy, excitedly rushed up and hugged me.

"Wow, my brother really likes Melanie!" Jenny giggled, covering her mouth.

My friends, who I'd worked hard together with in the past, also came together with Jenny, but they joined in the laughter too, teasing, "We’ve always heard Jenny say her brother likes beautiful women, and she wasn’t lying! He walked in and went straight for the prettiest one here!"

As it turns out, my so-called old friends had already grown close enough to Jenny to joke around like this.

Jeremy was incredibly strong, and I couldn’t break free.

Seeing as no one was going to help me any time soon, I stomped on his foot hard, and he finally let go with a pained cry.

"You're a bad person, Honey! Bad! Bad!"

Jenny’s mother immediately rushed over to protect her son, looking at me with disapproval as if I really were her daughter-in-law.

A chill ran through me. I grabbed my suitcase and prepared to leave.

Just then, Steven arrived and blocked the doorway. Jenny beamed and ran up to him. "Thank you, for going back to get my bag, Steven! Gosh, I'm so forgetful, always leaving things behind and making you go out of your way…"

Steven handed her the purse with a doting smile. "Keep better track of your stuff, you little scatterbrain."

Then, he looked at me and snatched away my luggage without even asking, before lowering his voice. "This isn't the time or the place for this, Melanie. We have guests! Do you think you're being appropriate?"

I was dragged inside without a choice, and Jeremy was still in there, crying.

Jenny consoled him while glancing at me apologetically. "Sorry, Melanie, my brother has the intelligence of a five-year-old. He hugged you because he likes you! He didn’t mean any harm, so why did you have to step on his foot?"

"Apologize!"

Steven ordered me to apologize without any hesitation.

When my friends saw me staying silent with clenched teeth, they tried to smooth things over.

"Oh, come on, Melanie. He’s just a kid—he doesn’t even know what 'wife' means. Don’t be so serious. Just say sorry and make him feel better!"

"Yeah, you can’t just let him keep crying."

"He's Jenny's family, and they're here as guests! How could you treat your guests like this? You're still as stubborn as ever, aren't you? Haha, Steven's the only one who can stand you!"

"..."

Steven's grip on my wrist became even stronger, his voice growing harsher. "Melanie, apologize."

My eyes were red, but I still didn't say a word.

Jenny, still holding onto Jeremy, suddenly gave me a once-over and giggled. "Jeremy, don’t cry. Let’s play house with your honey bun, okay? You'll be the husband, and she’ll be the wife!"

Steven nudged me toward Jeremy. "Jenny is giving you a way out. Just go make him happy."

Jeremy grabbed my hands excitedly and spun me in circles. "Honey! Honey! Let's sleep together!"

Then he pulled me toward a room.

Steven started to follow, but Jenny stopped him. "Steven, my brother is just a kid. He really likes Melanie, so can’t you just let them play for a bit? He’s never liked anyone this much before!"

As she spoke, she turned on the waterworks.

That was enough for Steven to stop and watch as I was dragged into the room by Jeremy, ignoring my pleading gaze.

Jeremy pushed me onto the bed, pinning me down, his hands fumbling with my clothes. "Make babies! Make babies with my honey!"

He stripped off his clothes, his pale, flabby body pressing down on me. I felt so disgusted that I wanted to throw up, yet no matter how much I hit him, it didn't seem to faze him at all.

On top of everything, my injured leg was in so much pain that I couldn't move it.

Outside, loud music blasted—a tradition when our group of friends gathered.

I screamed and shouted, but no one heard my cries.

As he smeared sticky saliva over my face, all I could do was struggle to grab a lamp from the bedside desk, smashing it over his head.

Then, I made a run for it, stumbling towards the window.

Jeremy was like a monster, relentlessly chasing me after he recovered.

I threw myself over the windowsill, and as I hit the ground, I clearly felt warm blood gushing out between my legs, as if a life was slipping away.

A scream pierced the air. "Someone fell! Call an ambulance, quick!"

Before I lost consciousness, I saw a figure rushing toward me.