When Love Becomes a Cage by Nora

Vinson looked like he had just dashed off a construction site, still clad in his work gear, his face smeared with dust, and breathing heavily.

But he couldn't care less, "What's up with Clyde?"

"What else could it be? It's all about that Rachel!"

Jade clenched her fists, seething with anger.

"Even if Clyde's been a mess, he couldn't have forgotten everything, could he?"

"And that Rachel, knowing full well the situation, how dare she try to step into your shoes?"

She and Eliana started ranting, while I closed my eyes, taking it all in.

Rachel might have fallen for Clyde back in college, and perhaps that's where her resentment towards me stemmed from.

Every time I bought her lunch, making excuses for not wanting it or being unable to finish it, I could see a glimmer of resentment in her eyes.

Back then, I thought she resented her own lack of means or her background.

It never occurred to me that she resented me.

She might have felt I was insulting her with my charity, or that I was just discarding things I didn't want onto her.

sharpened into a dagger

I understood why she did

it was for a fleeting moment of happiness, she

still echoed in my mind. I

married to Clyde had brought me. She even overlooked how Clyde humiliated me

her eyes, I deserved it

were becoming a blur to me. Warren thought they were too noisy and sent them out to grab some comfort food and

sat by the bed, silent, just watching my hand as the

"Vinson..."

"Does it hurt?"

both spoke at once, then fell silent

head, replying, "No, they gave me an

wanting him to

hurt? The injection hurt, and it

at the needle in my hand, I felt an unbearable

me to have children because it would be too painful, knowing how much I feared pain, tears involuntarily streamed

knew pain was

I was sick, he'd

he couldn't even offer me the basic respect, thinking everything I did

I saw Clyde hesitate, but he didn't turn back to

knew he saw Rachel