CHAPTER 39: A JEALOUS EX

After Cassandra left, Erica and I exchanged a look and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Was she always such a drama queen?" Erica asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Always," I replied, still giggling. "Remember when we were kids? She threw that massive tantrum because I had gotten a summer job from our father’s acquaintance and saved up to buy those ice skates I’d always wanted.

She refused to go to school for a whole week until our parents bought her the exact same pair.

"Oh my God, I remember that!" Erica exclaimed. "Your parents had to drive to three different stores to find the same brand. I thought your mom was going to lose her mind by the end of it."

My smile faltered as the full memory returned. My parents have always been wealthy, but when it came to things they didn’t consider necessities, I always had to go the extra mile to earn them.

Meanwhile, all Cassandra had to do was whine, pout, and complain, and she’d have whatever she wanted before I could even save half my allowance.

The worst part of that memory wasn’t even the tantrum or the shopping trip; it was what happened after Cassandra finally got her skates. Within a week, she had broken them and then secretly swapped them out with mine, leaving me with the damaged pair.

"What’s wrong?" Erica asked gently, noticing my sudden change in mood.

"I’m just thinking about that time," I said slowly. "Looking back now, I realise Cassandra was always like that. She was always going to grow up into a selfish person, spoilt rotten by our father especially."

I shook my head, feeling foolish as the words left me. "But back then, I dismissed it as just my younger sister throwing a tantrum. I thought I had to be the mature one, the bigger sister, so I gave in every single time to keep the peace."

"And now?" Erica pressed.

"Now," I said with certainty, "I reckon I’ll never give anything up for Cassandra again. I’m done being the sacrificial older sister."

I met Erica’s gaze seriously. "But you need to be careful. Cassandra barks a lot, but she also bites. It’s because of her that I was admitted here in the first place, she locked me in a supply closet."

Erica’s eyes widened in shock, though I could see she believed me completely. "That psychotic little..."

"Don’t worry about me," she cut herself off. "If Cassandra comes looking for trouble with me, she’ll find a lot worse than she bargained for."

Her words made me smile a little. Erica always had that fierce loyalty under her calm exterior, and right then I was grateful for it.

She stayed with me a little longer, chatting about lighter topics: old memories, silly jokes, just enough to lift my spirits again before she finally left for the day.

Later that afternoon, my phone rang. When I saw Axel’s name on the screen, my heart leapt. I practically dove for it like a lovesick teenager.

"Hello?" I said, trying not to sound too breathless.

"How are you feeling?" His deep voice rolled through the line, instantly warming me.

"I’m very well now, thank you," I replied, smiling foolishly. "I’ll be leaving tonight, actually."

"I’ll come pick you up then."

"That’s not necessary, Axel. I can manage..."

"Layla."

"What?"

"I wasn’t asking. I’m coming to get you."

Heat spread across my cheeks at his commanding tone. "But you don’t have to..."

"Get ready. I’ll be there at eight."

"Axel, really, I can..."

"Eight o’clock, Layla. Be ready."

The line went dead, leaving me staring at my phone with a ridiculous grin plastered on my face.

The grin didn’t last. The smile fell instantly when Daniel walked into my room without knocking.

"Well, well," he said smoothly, moving slowly into the room like he owned the place. "You looked so happy just now. It must be nice having a new husband who makes you smile like that."

"What’s this? First Cassandra, now you. Are you people having a field day or something? How did you even get into my room?" The guard was supposed to have stopped him.

Daniel said with a smirk. "I guess nature calls."

"What do you want, Daniel?" I asked coldly. "Get out."

Instead of leaving, he sat down in the chair beside my bed, leaning in close. I shifted back instinctively until there was nowhere left to retreat, his face uncomfortably close to mine.

"How could you move on so fast, Layla?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "Were you just pretending to love me all those years?"

"Why are you pretending to be pained or affected by this?" I shot back. "You made your choice, Daniel. And honestly? I probably never truly loved you anyway, because you certainly didn’t love me. I only thought I did."

"That’s not true," he said, reaching toward my face. "You know that’s not..."

"Don’t touch me," I said firmly, slapping his hand away with enough force that the sound echoed in the room.

His expression darkened, anger flashing in his eyes. He grabbed my wrist tightly.

"Let go of me," I demanded, yanking against his grip.

"This is all your fault," he snarled, squeezing harder. "You pushed me to Cassandra! You were never good enough before, but look at you now, all dressed up and beautiful for this new man."

"You called me a slut for dressing the way I do now," I reminded him, still struggling. "But here you are, practically admitting you like me this way. Are you jealous, Daniel?"

His fingers dug into my wrist until I winced.

"Stop playing games and come back to me, Layla."

"You’re going to be a father soon, remember?" I said desperately.

"You could raise the baby," he replied like it was the most logical thing in the world. "You’d probably do a better job than Cassandra anyway."

I stared at him in disbelief. "I can’t believe the words coming out of your mouth right now."

"Haven’t you missed me?" he asked, his free hand creeping toward my face again.

"Haven’t you missed us?"

Just as he leaned in closer, the door burst open and the guard appeared, a frown on his face when he saw the uncomfortable position I was in.

"Is anything the problem?" He asked cautiously, his gaze pinned on me as if silently requesting I say the word and he’d deal with it.

"It’s nothing."I said, "Daniel here was just leaving, weren’t you?"

Daniel looked at me and smiled politely, except who was he fooling with that act. "Of course, I was just leaving."

He stepped back at once. Then added. "I’m sure my message is well received."

I didn’t answer, staring at him with utter disbelief. He was really a crazy fool if he thought I was going to fall for that crazy offer.

"I’m sorry madam," The guard said, "The food I had from the hospital messed with my system. Rest assured, I will not leave your door again. My apologies."

"Don’t worry, it’s fine." I said, waving him off.

There was no need to make a big deal out of it, I was leaving anyway. As for Cassandra, she got what she deserved in the form of her cheating partner, Daniel.

Sooner or later, they would get what they both deserved.