What Separates Me and You

Chapter 1 Afraid of Being Forgotten

Josephine Vance stared at the clock on the wall. By the time it struck 12, the food on the table had gone cold again.

She took the dishes into the kitchen and reheated them once more.

At 12.50 am, the doorknob turned, and she turned to see that Lewis Alvarez had returned.

His face showed subtle signs of drunkenness as he walked toward her, his suit jacket slung on his arm.

Josephine stood up and poured him a glass of water to help him sober up, but he knocked it over the minute she reached out. Then, he grabbed her chin and kissed her on the lips.

The smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of a woman’s perfume hit her as he approached. She tried to push him away, but he ended up carrying her straight into the bedroom.

The man carelessly threw her onto the bed and leaned over without saying a word.

Josephine bit her lip and silently endured the act, turning her head to stare at the potted plant in the corner of the room.

There was no emotion, only lust and take.

The man grabbed her face and gazed deeply into her eyes, lightly stroking her face with his fingers. “Why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked.

Josephine stared straight at him with watery eyes. He knew she wouldn’t speak. She was mute.

still ask her every time.

struggled to tell if he was humiliating her or

and tilted her head to nuzzle it against his palm like a kitten trying to

could comply with

pupils darkened as if a surging undercurrent was about to wash them over. He grabbed her hand and pinned it above her head before kissing her lips.

…

her eyes, it was already bright outside. The space next to her in bed was

put them on. Just as she was putting on the last garment, the phone on the bedside table made a sound. It was

blurry figure through the bathroom door and then

text from

came another. “You do this every time, looking

Josephine froze.

and Lewis walked out with a

were still droplets of water on his body. His wet hair was hanging down, dripping. Drops of water gathered on

her

his phone, and glanced at

“You saw it?”

curled into a smile, and

said, “You have to be a good girl. Don’t fall in love with me. We’ll be

fall in love with

if she

whether she was jealous, hurt,

cared for had no right to be

and emotions would only

too, would stomp