Chapter 2

Naomi's lips quivered in fear. Before she could say anything, James exploded with rage. He slammed the glass of milk he was holding onto the ground, shattering it into shards. The icy-cold, milky-white liquid splattered around her feet, chilling her to the bone. "I thought you'd learned your lesson, but there it is, your retaliation," James' said icily. A mixture of disgust and anger was seen in his eyes as he spat, "Let me make this clear. "I'll never like young women, especially those whom I've cared for since they were young. I'm not a monster. Even if you stood naked in front of me, I wouldn't even spare you a glance." He turned and stormed out, his retreating figure as distant and rigid as an icy mountain. Naomi's feet were planted on the ground. She gripped the hem of her shirt so tightly that the tips of her fingers had turned white. It felt like there was something lodged in her throat. She couldn't make a single sound. Soon after, suggestive sounds could be heard from the room next door. "Go slow, James… Nae is still next door." However, James didn't respond. Instead, the sound of smacking lips grew louder, Jocelyn's moans became higher-pitched, and the rattling of the bed frame grew more intense. Naomi knew that James was doing this on purpose as a warning for her to know her place. She was suffering, but the agony wasn't from loving him. Her love for him had already run its course in those hellish three years. James once said to her as he sent her to Jeanine Academy, "Remember this, Naomi. I will never like you." Three years later, she had learned her lesson. She didn't dare love him anymore. It was sounds like this that had haunted her every night for the past three years, terrorizing her. Some of the noise came from others, while some came from her. These sounds haunted her like the sleep paralysis monster. She couldn't escape it at all. Naomi began kneeling on the ground in her room, faced the direction of the academy, and thumped her forehead onto the floor repeatedly. The thudding sound as her forehead collided with the floor was both dull and piercing. "Naomi doesn't like James anymore. Naomi doesn't like James anymore. Naomi will never like James ever again," she chanted manically, her voice hoarse and emotionless. It seemed that this was the only way she could free herself from her painful past and its memories. The next morning, Naomi sat by the dining table and ate her breakfast stoically with her head down. James and Jocelyn soon descended the stairs together. Jocelyn's neck was filled with hickeys, and the smile on her face was glaringly bright. Naomi remained unmoved, as if none of this was any of her business. After breakfast, she got up and was about to leave when James called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. "Stop right there. What happened to your forehead?" Naomi stopped walking. Her voice was apathetic as she replied, "I accidentally bumped into something." Then, she turned to leave, having already decided to shut herself in her room for the next eight days before leaving for good. James instantly roared, "How could a simple bump result in an injury like this? Are you thinking of more ways to—" Before he could finish, Jocelyn interrupted him and said, "Don't speak so sternly to young women like her, James." She then beamed at Naomi and said, "James and I will be choosing our wedding venue today, Nae. Come with us!" Naomi was about to decline the invite when James barked, "I just told you yesterday to get along well with Jocelyn. Did you forget all of that already?" Naomi lowered her head and replied weakly, "Okay." After exploring various locations, Jocelyn settled on a cruise ship for their wedding venue. James had gotten a work call amid the viewing of the location, so he walked into the cabin for some privacy, leaving Jocelyn and Naomi standing on the deck. The sea breeze blew gently, leaving a salty tinge in the air. Both women said nothing. Naomi wasn't used to being with people like this. She was about to leave quietly when Jocelyn called out to her. "I've always been very curious, Nae. What kind of indecent imbecile would fall for their father's friend?" Naomi froze. Her fingers gripped the railing tightly. Jocelyn could tell that Naomi was shocked. She chuckled and added, "Aren't you curious as to how I found out? I've long heard about a young lady whom James doted on. "He gave her everything she could ever want, but had all of a sudden sent her to learn about etiquette. I was curious, so I looked into it. That's when I discovered how ridiculous you are for falling for the man who raised you." Naomi's face was ashen. Her lips quivered. "I—" Before she could say another word, Jocelyn turned around and glared at her with a steely, cold gaze. "Naomi, I've loved James for many years. He's finally promised to marry me. "I won't allow anything to go wrong with this. I also don't want a third party embedded in our lives forever. Do you understand?" Naomi closed her eyes, her voice shook as she replied, "I understand, Jo. Don't worry. I'll leave."