When I started bringing Isaac his lunches again, Jenny greeted me warmly. However, I instantly spotted the necklace she was wearing. I had the same one at home. Isaac had given it to me for our anniversary.
At the time, Jenny complimented the necklace, saying, “It’s so pretty! Isaac has such good taste. You’re so lucky, Victoria–unlike me. I’ll never get to wear such a pretty necklace.”
At the time, I felt disgusted. When Jenny saw me staring at her neck, she continued to smile at me without any sign of guilt or avoidance.
“Your necklace…”
“Mr. Carter gave it to me,” she readily admitted with a straight face.
I fought with Isaac over that matter, but he claimed I was overthinking things again. It was just a reward to Jenny for doing such a good job.
That was also the day I spotted the lunch I brought tossed in the trash when I went back to Isaac’s office to retrieve the bag I accidentally left behind. For the first time, Jenny dropped
her facade in front of me, too.
Eyeing me mockingly, she said, “I don’t eat cilantro, Victoria. Kindly remember to leave it out of the lunches you bring from now on.”
I felt like I had been struck by lightning. It turned out that Isaac had been letting Jenny eat the food I made for him. I wasn’t sure how I left his office that day. All I knew was that we got into the biggest fight we had ever been in since we started dating.
The cold shoulder treatment lasted for a full month before I finally forgave him again out of consideration for our relationship all these years. The old Isaac had treated me too well. I didn’t want to believe he would betray me.
Isaac and I could be considered childhood sweethearts. I always thought we would be together for good. Never did it occur to me that our relationship would one day fall apart.
During the summer vacation after my last year of junior high, my parents had to go abroad for work. To avoid affecting my education, they left me behind in the country. I stayed at my aunt’s house. She had her own kids, of course, and she was too busy with work to be around
the house much.
Most of the time, it was only my two cousins, Melissa and Jared Dunn, in the house with me- and to them, I was an intruder. Since they didn’t like me, they treated me poorly, too.
Melissa often bullied me at school. Once, when she ganged up with a few others to push me into a manmade lake, I didn’t even bother to shout for help. No one would come anyway. I stopped struggling, allowing the water to pull me under.
All of a sudden, I heard a splash. It was Isaac who jumped into the lake and saved me.
1/2
Chapter 7
+25 BONUS
It was in the dead of winter, but he seemed to glow despite the overcast sky.
Isaac said, “Why do you let those people bully you without fighting back? From now on, I’ll look after you. No one will dare to hurt you anymore.”
He kept his word. Ever since then, no one in school dared to bully me.
