Chapter 77

When Estrella spat out the words, her stomach cramped with pain, but she refused to ny weakness in front of Jason. A woman’s vulnerability only matters to a man who cares, so she had no intention of humiliating herself.

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“You’re brutally honest, Estrella, Jason said with a pinch that drained the color from her face. She bit back her pain and mustered a defiant response, “Korey is back, and I sure as hell don’t want to waste any more time on you.”

Jason couldn’t contain himself. He Brycet down and bit Estrella’s lip hard enough to draw blood. It hurt. It really hurt, but to Estrella, it was nothing compared to her current disillusionment. He always found a reason to argue and took out his frustrations on her

whenever he was in a bad mood.

Seeing Estrella pale and trembling, Jason let go. His anger subsided. “Estrella, anything I’ve used, even if I don’t want it, is still mine. You know what I’m like.”

spent

Estrella touched her face, remembering the dog Jason had as a kid. It ran away. He a lot of effort to get it back, fed it well, and then… She never saw that dog again, but the cherry tree in the Nelson family’s backyard bloomed better each year after that.

Remembering this sent chills down her spine. Back then, she only saw Jason’s good side and forgot about his ruthless nature.

The room fell silent. Estrella’s stomach pains came in waves. She sat quietly by the bed until the discomfort subsided a little. Seeing Jason brooding by the window, she grabbed

her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

The hot water washed over her face, but Estrella’s heart felt colder than before, and her

by Jason’s words earlier; she just realized she

the Dorvold family wasn’t one to be

her hair with a towel, feeling a sense of relief. When disappointment reaches

and Estrella put down the towel, filled a kettle with water to boil, and made some instant noodles from the desk. As she ate, she thought about the grievances and compromises she had endured over the past two years, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

brought up Holly that night, reminiscing about her right in front of Estrella. Now she saw him for who

treating her like a punching bag,

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coming.

through the information she had gathered that day with her recorder. But she couldn’t concentrate, perhaps due to the argument or her stomach acting up. Eventually, she had

the pain never subsided, so her sleep

she crawled out of bed, and, wrapped in a blanket from home, opened the door to find Bryce standing there like a whirlwind. “Estrella, why’s your phone off? You’re not

to texts?”

in her blanket, stared blankly for a moment before lifting her hand to her forehead. “Must’ve run out of battery, and I forgot to charge it.” After the argument with Jason, she hadn’t even looked at

she said weakly, moving aside

bag of goodies, checked her forehead with concern. “You look awful. What’s

brushed his hand away and walked back inside. “Stomach pains. I didn’t

well.”

didn’t charge your phone, making

a local deli in Ravenwood where he’d woken up the owner in the middle of

the warm milk, bagels, and a fruit box. “You’re the only one

milk. “Luckily I thought to bring a thermal

At that moment, she wasn’t just thankful for the breakfast; she was grateful that, when she was feeling down and

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