I met Jasper when we were kids. Because my parents worried about my safety, they enrolled me in judo and boxing lessons from a young age.
As a result, I often ended up protecting kids my age and that's how I met Jasper.
He was bullied a lot because he was frail and malnourished. One day, I passed by and chased the bullies away.
Jasper didn't have a mother, so I brought him home with me. My parents treated him like their own son.
When others mocked him, I'd step forward and scold those who insulted him.
This protection lasted over twenty years. Even now, when he's in danger, I instinctively shield him.
But I didn't expect that my protection at the cost of my life would be a humiliation in his eyes.
Did being protected by a woman make him feel ashamed?
Jasper said with disdain, "She still wants me to marry her. She's a tomboy. She has no femininity at all, but she wants to marry me every day."
"How could I marry such a tomboy who no one wants? Every time I see her body, I feel sick to my stomach, yet I still have to sleep with her."
My face went pale. I couldn't hold it in anymore and ran to the bathroom, throwing up violently. It took a lot to recover and I felt like I'd lost half my life.
I lifted my clothes and looked at the body covered with scars in the mirror; the muzzle next to the heart, the burns on the neck and the wounds of all sizes on the body.
There were also centipede-like wounds on the abdomen, which were left by being stabbed more than a dozen times not long ago and all this was to protect him.
Yet, in his eyes, it had become a humiliation. Looking at my scar-ridden self in the mirror, I suddenly felt incredibly ridiculous.
In Jasper's darkest times, I promised I would always love him. But now, I realize I couldn't do it anymore.
Jasper, I loved you for over twenty years, but now I've completely given up!
The next day, I woke up early. My suitcase was packed with my belongings. Jasper looked startled when he saw it. "What are you doing, packing your bags?"
His tone was a little anxious, but there were no more ripples in my heart. I said calmly, "I want to go home and stay for a few days."
Hearing this, Jasper seemed relieved. "I'll take you there tomorrow."
"No need! Yvonne is injured, you need to take care of her!" Jasper wanted to say it was nothing, but the next second, there was a scream from Yvonne's room.
Moments later, Jasper came downstairs. "Hazel, Evie isn't feeling well. She's shy, so could you go help her down?"
I only had one more day before I could leave and I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I walked upstairs.
In the room, Yvonne's naked body was covered in hickeys. When she saw me looking at her, she raised an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "Hazel, did you enjoy the show last night?"
I looked at her deeply. "You know, Yvonne, I saved you. Why are you doing this to me?"
Yvonne's expression turned icy as she demanded, "Then tell me. Why is it that I'm younger and prettier, yet I'm struggling, while you get to live in comfort, with Jasper by your side?"
"Hazel, I'm not willing to accept that. Or do you still think he has feelings for you?"
I looked at her, perhaps because the disappointment had piled up so high that even the last trace of disgust I felt for her had faded. Someone like her wasn't even worth the energy it took to despise her.
Yet, she suddenly stood at the top of the stairs, smiling as she asked, "Who do you think is more important in Jasper's heart, you or me?"
