Destroy Me Gently:Ex-Enemy Becomes My Lover!-Chapter 144: Better days

The days that followed were a painful blur and I didn’t see Kieran after that day I left his house.

He didn’t call me, not even a text.

Not that I was waiting or anything, it’s just that—wasn’t he the one begging me not to leave and suddenly he didn’t care anymore, like I could just walk out of his life and that was it?

How could he not even reach out at all?

A sigh left my mouth and I shook my head hard enough to make myself dizzy. What the hell was wrong with me, acting like I wanted him to call when I definitely didn’t want that, he better not reach out or I’d block his number immediately or maybe even file a police report against him for harassment!

To think he’d tried to guilt me by cutting himself on that glass and if his mom hadn’t come in with the news about his father that might have actually worked on me.

But what if he tried to harm himself again?

The thought floated into my mind unwanted and I pressed my palms against my face. It’s none of my business, he needs to take care of himself better, I shouldn’t care about him this much when all he did was lie to me and destroy my home.

Mom had bombarded me with questions when I appeared with my suitcase at Aunt’s house without warning and I hadn’t even grabbed all my stuff from Kieran’s place before running.

She kept pressing to know what happened between us and I simply told her we broke up without any details.

Then she started throwing relationship advice at me left and right, going on and on about good communication and resolving misunderstandings and how young couples always rush to end things over small problems.

My Aunt even joined in with her own unhelpful commentary about how relationships take work and compromise and I bet Mom wouldn’t be saying any of that if she knew her perfect Kieran was the reason we were homeless in the first place.

I didn’t know why I couldn’t bring myself to tell Mom what really happened.

No, that was a lie, I did know why—for some reason I couldn’t stand the thought of Mom and Pumpkin despising Kieran even though he deserved it.

It was already weekend again and I was completely absent-minded to the argument happening around me.

Penny, William’s sister, set a bowl of elaborately carved fruit on the table.

"I learned how to decorate fruits from YouTube," she announced proudly, her eyes were locked on me, clearly waiting for praise.

"Oh wow, you’re good at everything," I said and hoped I didn’t sound as robotic as I felt. "It looks really great."

"She wasted more than half the fruits," William complained from where he was sprawled on the couch. "A crocodile-shaped apple is still just an apple."

Penny’s face went red. "It’s not a crocodile, it’s a fish you uncultured swine!"

I stared at the bowl trying to figure out what they were arguing about because it just looked like a carved apple to me.

I didn’t even feel like eating anyway, my stomach felt like someone had twisted it into knots and pulled them tight.

I could feel William’s eyes on me and he’d been walking on eggshells around me these past few days like I might shatter at any moment.

Didn’t he go through a breakup as well with Vince, and if he was fine then I should be too, right?

What was a simple heartbreak that I couldn’t recover from?

He grabbed the remote. "Let’s watch that show you liked, the one with the detective?"

There he was again choosing what he thought would make me happy and didn’t he know that his attentiveness was bringing tears to my eyes because it reminded me so much of a certain someone who used to do the exact same thing?

The screen lit up and I tried to focus on what was happening but the words and images just washed over me without sticking to anything in my brain.

Then two characters on screen ended up sacrificing their lives for each other in some dramatic explosion and this was it, this was the opportunity I’d been waiting for.

I didn’t fight it when my throat closed up and tears started spilling down my cheeks. "Why did they have to die?!" I sobbed, really letting myself go.

Penny cast me a disbelieving look, throwing the tissues at me. "They’re the villains, they’re supposed to die?"

I blinked and stared at the screen harder. Villains?

"So what?" I mumbled, sniffing into the tissue."Even villains deserve happy endings too."

William shot me a look that could have burned holes through steel. "I really hope those words don’t have a double meaning."

His tone was threatening enough to make me gulp.

Of course not, what double meaning could there possibly be, I definitely wasn’t thinking about Kieran at all!

***

I spent the next day at William’s place as well because going back to Aunt’s house meant dealing with Mom’s concerned looks and Pumpkin’s questions about where Kieran was.

Penny needed supplies for her upcoming school field trip and she somehow ended up dragging both William and me to the mall even though William protested that she could just go alone.

"I need a man’s opinion," she’d announced.

"I’m a man, you didn’t need to drag Oliver along too," William said.

"I said a man’s opinion, not yours."

The mall was overwhelming with its bright lights and crowds of people laughing and talking like everything in the world was perfectly normal and fine.

Penny linked her arm through mine the moment we walked through the entrance. Then she suddenly pulled me close, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"I know you’re in love with William."

She dropped the bomb out of nowhere. "What?!" I shrieked.

"I can see it in your eyes," she said, wearing an overly serious look. "The way you look at him when you think no one’s watching."

I couldn’t remember the last time I laughed since the past week, but now she made me chuckle.

"Penny, you’ve got it completely wrong..."

"It’s okay, your secret is safe with me. I’ll help you make him jealous so he’ll confess his feelings."

"There are no feelings to confess!"

"Sure, sure." She winked. "Don’t worry, I’m an expert at this stuff."

Then, she squeezed my arm and steered me toward a store. "You can help me pick out a new backpack."

William trailed behind us looking at his phone and occasionally making sarcastic comments about Penny’s choices.

"This one is cute," Penny held up a pink backpack with cartoon cats on it and then held it up next to my face. "What do you think Oliver?"

"It’s nice?"

"You’re so helpful," she beamed at me. I noticed she was standing really close, close enough that I had to take a step back.

Was she actually going through with her jealousy scheme?!!