Chapter 47
Zayn let out a manic laugh filled with salt-laced mockery. “Disgusting?” As he spoke, he reached out again to grab Julie’s cheeks with increasing force, as if to mush them.
Julie winced in pain and frowned. She tried to break free from his grip, but to no avail. What a lunatic! She lifted her foot and stomped hard on his toes. Hissing in pain, Zayn released her and stepped back. “The more feisty you are, the less adorable you are, Julie.”
In the face of a madman like Zayn, Julie couldn’t hold back her anger and swore, “For fuck’s sake, Zayn, I’ve never liked you. You—”
Before she could finish, Zayn roared, “Shut up! Shut your damn mouth!” He raised his hand and furiously kicked the shoe cabinet beside him.
With a crash, the vase on the cabinet toppled to the floor and shattered into pieces.
Julie was startled and flinched. She quickly regained her composure and quietly looked up at the enraged man before her. That was when something in her clicked. She made up her mind and decided she no longer wanted to be manipulated by Martha or trapped between Mandy and Jake. As for George, she’d try her best to earn money. If worse came to worst, she’d go home and beg Mandy. There’d always be a way.
This thought solidified Julie’s resolve to completely sever ties with Zayn. She took a deep breath and announced, “It’s over between us, Zayn.”
Zayn’s eyes burned as he glared at Julie. “I don’t agree, and I won’t agree!” He shouted the last part as if trying to vent all his rage and unwillingness.
But Julie calmly replied, “I don’t need your consent.”
The words barely left her lips when Zayn suddenly grabbed her shoulders tightly. “Take it back! Take back what you just said!”
Julie stood stiffly like a wooden figure, allowing him to rage and roar. Her silence deepened the displeasure in Zayn’s heart. It grew like a snowball rolling downhill. He agitatedly clawed at his hair, but it did nothing to relieve the flood of anxiety and unease inside.
Like a wild beast gone mad, he started smashing everything around him, from small things like vases, paintings, and ornaments Julie had carefully chosen, to larger items like the TV, tables, chairs, and benches. Nothing was spared.
The entire living room instantly looked as though it had been hit by a disaster. It was a scene of utter chaos.
Julie stood quietly by the door, observing Zayn vent his madness. When there was nothing left to throw, she finally called, “Zayn, could you open the door now?”
Zayn tilted his head to look at her. His bloodshot eyes seemed like pools of fresh blood. Then, he swiftly stepped closer to grab Julie’s arm and pressed her against the door. Gritting his teeth, he spat out two words, “Dream on!”
His grip on her was so tight that the bones in her wrist ached. The pain made her drop her wallet, which fell onto his foot. He looked down at the wallet and bent over to pick it up. Then, he stepped back and opened the wallet to take out all her cards. At that moment, his obsessive mind convinced him that as long as he held onto her documents, she could never leave him.
Julie’s heart sank. She reached out and tried to snatch it back. “Give me my wallet!”
Zayn raised his hand and held the wallet high above her reach. He stared at her intently with a scrutinizing gaze and sneered, “It’s just a wallet, Julie. Why do you care so much?” Julie tried her best to control her emotions. “Give it back! Give me the—”
Just as she spoke, a photo slipped out from the wallet and fluttered to the ground. Her heart leaped to her throat.