Chapter 3 Don't Touch Me

The apartment, once cozy and filled with warmth, now stood in disarray, its charm completely stripped away, leaving only chaos in its wake.

Linsey continued packing the remaining items into her suitcase, her movements deliberate, as if determined to erase every trace of the life she had once built here.

Felix stood frozen for a moment, his eyes sweeping over the wreckage, disbelief etching his features before he stormed toward her.

"Linsey, are you out of your mind?" he demanded, his voice rising with frustration. "I was gone for only a little while, and you're acting like this?"

He inhaled sharply, trying to reign in his temper, and snapped, "I'm giving you one hour. Put everything back where it was!"

Linsey, unfazed, finished packing the item in her hands and slowly turned to face him. Her expression was cool, detached-almost as if he were a stranger.

A faint, mocking smile tugged at her lips as she replied, "Felix, haven't you figured it out? Sometimes, once something is lost, it's gone forever. It can never be the same again."

Felix's frown deepened, impatience growing in his eyes. "What the hell are you trying to say?"

Linsey couldn't help but feel the audacity in his words. Did he truly not understand? Perhaps men like him never saw themselves as in the wrong.

No. It wasn't that. His tenderness had always been reserved for one person-Joanna, the woman he had truly loved.

Linsey's gaze was unwavering as she stared him down, her voice steady, yet every word seemed to carry the weight of everything she had been through.

"On our wedding day, you abandoned me at the ceremony, ignoring both my dignity and my pleas. Do you have any idea how that felt? Felix, did you ever once stop to think about me? I was humiliated beyond measure, and yet you think I'm just throwing a tantrum?"

She didn't blink, her eyes locked onto his, the pain she had buried deep inside flooding to the surface, her vision blurring as tears welled up. She didn't look away, her resolve as firm as steel.

Seeing her like this, Felix felt a fleeting pang of guilt, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. He dismissed it entirely, just as he had done countless times before.

Over the years, he had hurt her time and time again, and she had always forgiven him. He didn't see why this time should be any different.

He was sure that with a little charm, she would cave, just like she always had. After all, that was how things had always worked between them.

With that thought, his anger dissipated, replaced by a composed, almost smug smile.

"Linsey, alright, I get it. You're upset," he began, his voice smooth and patronizing. "But you shouldn't act out like this. Look at what you've done to our home."

His smile softened, and he reached out to place his hands gently on her shoulders, his touch feigning tenderness as he tried to calm her down.

"Come on, be good. You've vented your anger. Let's not make a scene anymore, okay? How about this? We'll pick another day, a better day, and I promise I'll give you an even grander, more luxurious wedding. What do you say?"

Linsey's eyes locked onto the smile playing on Felix's lips. His words were sweet, but his eyes-those eyes-betrayed a chilling indifference. He seemed so certain that she would fall for his act.

Of course, why wouldn't he think that? This was the way things had always gone in the past.

Linsey let out a quiet, bitter scoff. She had given him far too many chances, and now he was convinced that he didn't need to treat her with any real respect.

Her expression hardened into something cold and detached, and without a word, she shrugged off his hands as though they were nothing more than a bothersome weight.

"Don't touch me. You make my skin crawl," she said indifferently.

Felix froze, his eyes widening in shock. He had never heard her speak to him like that before.

Her voice was ice, cutting through the tension in the room as she continued, "Felix, that wedding is over. I have no intention of having another one. I came here today to move out."

Felix, still stunned by her rejection, frowned in confusion, his mind struggling to catch up. "Move out?"

Linsey nodded, her face resolute. "Yes. I'm leaving now."

He let out a hollow laugh, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke. "And where do you think you're going?"

He knew all too well that Linsey had no family to turn to, no safety net to catch her. Apart from this apartment, she had nowhere else.

For the past five years, her entire world had been centered around him. He was certain she couldn't leave him.

He was certain that this whole "moving out" act was nothing more than her way of trying to make him bend to her will.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a voice from behind.

It was Joanna.

"Felix, didn't you say you'd be down in a minute after packing? What's taking you so long?"

Joanna's voice echoed through the room as she stepped in. When her eyes landed on Linsey standing across from Felix, her expression shifted in surprise. "Linsey, what are you doing here?"

Linsey shot Joanna a frosty look, her voice icy as she replied, "This is my apartment, isn't it? Do I need to explain why I'm here? The real question is-what are you doing here?"

Joanna lowered her gaze, feigning a mixture of embarrassment and innocence. "I accidentally nicked myself with a fruit knife, and Felix was so worried he insisted on staying with me for a few days."

Her eyes then darted to the suitcase beside Linsey, and she gasped dramatically, her hand covering her mouth.

"Linsey, what are you doing? Are you upset? Even if you are, this is uncalled for. If you're bothered, you can talk to me. I'll apologize if that'll make you feel better. There's no need for all this."

Linsey's lips curled into a cold, almost cruel smile as she took a slow step forward toward Joanna. "Are you really going to apologize? Do you even mean it?"

Joanna, aware of Felix watching, played her part, her voice dripping with false sincerity as she nodded. "Of course. If it helps you, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Alright, then. Why not?" Linsey's smile widened, but there was no warmth in her eyes, just cold calculation. "Since you're so sincere, I suppose I can help you out."

Without warning, she raised her hand.

The sharp sound of a slap sliced through the tension in the room as Linsey's palm connected with Joanna's face, echoing the finality of her words.