Jasmine said, “You should’ve hit him harder, just kill the bastard. When you were in bed with him, you didn’t sleep, but now you want him to force himself on you? Hitting him in the head was the right move.”


    Jasmine went off on a rant, her words far from the graceful, professional tone you’d expect from a high-ss obstetrician.


    “His problem is ssic insecurity. He always thought I couldn’t live without him. Now that I’m really walking away, he’s panicking, I exined.


    Jasmine fully agreed, adding, “It’s only just hit him that he loves you. Now he can’t stand the idea of you being with anyone


    else.”


    That was right.


    To stop me from working with Josh, both Philip and Thea were sent to meddle, making it impossible for me to even finish up the tasks at the amusement park.


    But Josh promised me he’d handle it, so I wasn’t too worried.


    “Zoe, remember this: if Alvin dares to mess with you again, every time he does, you hit him back. Make him understand that if he’s scared enough, he won’t dare do it again,” Jasmine instructed me.


    “Got it,” I replied.


    Just before hanging up, Jasmine was called away by someone. “I’ll go check on himter, see if he bled out or not,” she added casually.


    Herment made meugh, but by the end, theughter was hollow, tinged with bitterness.


    I sat in the car for a while before getting out. As I walked into the building, the neighbors greeted me. “Youngdy, back by yourself? Your boyfriend didn’te with you?”


    Thinking back to thest time the neighbors had spoken to Josh, I smiled and said, “Oh, is it time to clean the hallway again?”


    The neighborsughed. “No, no. Just that the guy seemed nice-handsome and hardworking. You’d better appreciate him!”


    “Mm,” I nodded and headed upstairs.


    But just as I reached my door, I froze. The door across from mine was wide open, and I could hear someone rummaging around inside.


    I had no idea who lived there, but no one had been there since I moved in.


    Now, their stuff was blocking my door, so I had no choice but to ask, “Are you moving out?”


    A middle-aged woman turned around, surprised. “You’re…?”


    I pointed across the hall and said, “I live here.”


    The woman’s face softened with understanding. “Sorry, this apartment has been rented out. The new tenants wanted me to tidy it up, so it’s a mess right now. I’ll move things out of your way so you can get in.”


    I thanked her and nced at the apartment. It looked far more run-down than mine.


    If I had been looking for a ce, I wouldn’t have considered it. Whoever rented it must not have had many options.


    “Ma’am, can I ask if the renter is a man or a woman?” I asked, curious about my new neighbor.


    “A man. A handsome young guy,” she said while shifting some of the things blocking the hallway.


    I felt a strange difort. Having a stranger, especially a man, living across from me didn’t feel right.


    But it wasn’t really any of my business. I thanked Lena, then entered my apartment, copsing onto the couch. Staring at the ceiling, my mind was a whirlwind of chaos. I was emotionally drained.


    Even though I hadn’t physically fought with Alvin, it felt like I had poured all my energy into something that wasn’t worth it.


    I closed my eyes, trying not to think, but the more I tried, the more scattered my thoughts became.


    Eventually, I opened my eyes and walked to the kitchen to make myself something to eat-anything to distract myself.


    While I was cooking oatmeal, my phone rang. It was Philip. “Zoe, get back to the amusement park. You can’t just leave.”


    “Philip, I already submitted my resignation,” I said calmly.