Even as she spoke, Fern reached out to snatch my laptop. I shoved her hand away.
"Fern, do you not understand plain English? I said I don't need it."
But Fern toppled backward, hitting the floor as her eyes reddened, as if she'd suffered some unbearable injustice.
"Pamela, do you really hate me that much? All I wanted was to help you, and you put your hands on me."
I'd barely touched her. There was no way that push could have knocked her down.
The moment Benjamin saw Fern sprawled on the floor, his eyes flooded with worry, and he whipped around and shoved me hard.
My back slammed into the corner of the desk, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the pain.
"Pamela, you've gone too far. Fern was only trying to help you out of kindness. Fine, don't appreciate it, but you actually laid a hand on her? You're heartless."
I rubbed my aching lower back, then stepped straight up and slapped Benjamin across the face.
"Benjamin, if your eyes are useless, donate them. Fern's fake fall was so obvious. Are you blind, or is your brain too broken to see it?"
Benjamin's eyes went wide, staring at me in disbelief.
"Fern— you actually hit me. Have you lost your mind?"
I let out a cold scoff and slapped his other cheek.
"That's exactly what people as brainless as you deserve."
Fern's face was full of shock too. After all, the old me had been meek and spineless. Even when Fern framed me, I would only bow my head and admit fault.
But I'd died once already. There was no need to endure it anymore.
Fern looked at me, her voice thin and frail.
"Pamela, Benjamin is still your fiancé. How could you hit him? If it's because of me, if I'm the reason you're angry with him, then I'll just leave. Please don't let this hurt what you two have."
I fixed Fern with a cold stare.
"Fine. Go pack your things and get out."
Fern was a poor scholarship student I'd started sponsoring freshman year. Her family lived in a remote rural area, so going home was a real ordeal, and their living conditions were terrible. Every break, she'd beg to stay at my house, claiming she wanted to work to ease her family's burden.
So I'd taken her in out of kindness, and paid her a generous five thousand a month to live in my house as my study companion.
I never imagined she'd be the one to get me killed in the end.
Fern's face froze. She hadn't expected me to actually agree.
I watched her stand there, and let out a laugh.
"Weren't you leaving? What are you waiting for? Don't tell me it was all just talk."
Caught in her own bluff, Fern went pale.
"Pamela, that's not what I meant..."
Before she could finish, I cut her off.
"I don't care what you meant. I don't want to see you anymore. Or are you going to shamelessly cling here just to disgust me?"
Fern started crying again, and Benjamin rushed to shield her.
"Pamela, is picking on Fern all you know how to do, day and night?"
I'd barely raised my hand before Benjamin instinctively threw his arm up in front of his face.
I couldn't help but laugh, then grabbed the glass of water off the desk and dumped it over his head.
"Benjamin, if your brain's useless too, donate it. This is my house. I'm just telling someone I can't stand to move out. How is that picking on anyone?"
Fern looked at me, malice flashing deep in her eyes, though her face stayed pitiful and pathetic.
"Pamela, if you hate me this much, then I'll just move out. Please don't be angry with Benjamin over me."
With that, she headed straight upstairs to her room to pack.
Benjamin glared at me with resentment.
"Pamela, if you had even a tenth of Fern's gentleness and kindness, I'd be grateful. How did I get stuck with a fiancée like you? I must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes."
My fists clenched on their own. In my past life, if I'd heard Benjamin say that, I would have felt worthless, convinced I wasn't good enough for him.
