Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl

She was berating herself inwardly, feeling small and lost.

James sensed her distress and softened his tone, urging her, "Don't come to places like this alone anymore."

Esther found his tone oddly familiar, reminiscent of the James she used to know. Why was he suddenly being so gentle?

In that moment, something changed for Esther. It felt like they were transported back to a time when they were together, when James still loved her.

"Don't tell me what to do," she retorted, pushing him away as she attempted to rise. But her footing faltered, and she nearly fell if James hadn't caught her in time.

"Don't touch me, James. We're nothing to each other now. I don't need your kindness. I hate you. I hate you with every fiber of my being…" Esther squatted on the floor and burst out crying.

Her cries were so loud that James felt bad. He awkwardly patted her head. "Alright, stop crying."

"Do you even realize how awful your actions were? Do you think I'm some kind of fool? Who else would let you toy with their feelings like this? If I hadn't been blinded by love, I would've ditched you a long time ago…"

Though her words were slurred from intoxication, James understood her sentiment all too well.

He couldn't help but ask, "Were you like this when you chased after Mobius for two years?"

He recalled their conversation before. His irritation resurfaced as he remembered the girl he had a crush on chased a man around for so long.

"So, you're doing this deliberately, hoping I'll chase after you, aren't you?" It was a rare moment of insight from Esther, and she wanted to get up and punch him.

James knew she would feel that way, but he had to admit it was indeed what he wanted…

He froze, watching Esther squatting on the floor, and took a deep breath. "Alright, I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"I don't accept your apology," Esther declared as she struggled to stand, using the nearby decor for support. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her, her vision blurred by tears. "I told you I won't forgive you. I hate you."

Why was this man so annoying? She was ready to move on, but now he was suddenly nice to her.

James wanted to explain himself, but seeing someone familiar approaching, he frowned. "Whatever."

Esther remained impassive at his icy expression. "Am I really that unimportant to you?"

Her eyes were filled with immense pain. She wasn't weak. Any other person would have walked away after enduring such torment.

But she couldn't bring herself to leave. She loved James, and she didn't even want to remove their couple ring.

Looking at his face, the fleeting warmth vanished, leaving Esther with the unsettling thought that something was wrong with this man.

She touched her hand, feeling the cold ring that snapped her back to reality. Her gaze shifted to James, noticing his ring finger was still bare.

As if throwing a tantrum, Esther removed her ring and pushed it into his hand. "Fine. I'm cutting ties with you. I hope you'll respect that and leave me alone!"

She intended to walk away and pretend she didn't care, yet as she turned and saw Sabrina waving at James from a short distance, her tears still started falling.

He could love whoever he wanted. She just needed to stop caring.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.