Chapter 6

Jerald's pupils suddenly contracted, as he stared at Cathleen's eyes, filled with madness.

The room fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the IV drip.

Cathleen looked at his silent demeanor, her heart churning with pain and resentment.

She hated herself for falling in love with him.

Jerald was struck by Cathleen's words, stumbling backward until he collapsed into a chair, momentarily snapping back to reality.

The next second, he sprang up from the chair, towering over her, his voice carrying an suppressed anger unfamiliar to Cathleen, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Cathleen tilted her head, meeting his gaze, her eyes still wild, now tinged with a resolute determination.

"Nonsense?" She let out a bitter laugh. "I know you can hold your liquor without ever blacking out. That night, I kissed you. You knew it, didn't you?"

She stepped closer, her eyes crazy and chaotic. "So you punished me, didn't you? The next day, you brought Evelina home, deliberately showing your intimacy in front of me, just to punish me because I bear the hopeless fantasies towards you! You wanted to show me that your heart belongs to someone else, to crush my hopes of you ever loving me!"

Jerald's breathing became rapid, his chest heaving beneath his suit.

He gazed at the hysterical girl before him, feeling as if her hand had reached into his chest, squeezing his heart so tightly he could barely breathe.

"I'm your dad's friend!" he rasped, his voice frantic. "How could you fall in love with me? And what happened that night must never be mentioned again!"

"My dad's friend?" Cathleen's madness only intensified upon hearing this. She abruptly tore the IV needle from the back of her hand, blood instantly gushing out.

Ignoring Jerald's shocked gaze, she dashed barefoot to him, colliding into him from the urgency of her movement.

She stared into his eyes, her voice trembling, "Jerald, look into my eyes and tell me you never felt anything for me!"

Jerald was profoundly shaken by the stubbornness and pain in her eyes, instinctively taking a step back to avoid her gaze.

But Cathleen was relentless, stepping forward and grabbing his head, forcing him to face her.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, leaving only the heavy breathing of the two and the sound of blood dripping from Cathleen's hand.

Jerald closed his eyes, reopening them to reveal only coldness.

He gripped Cathleen's shoulders tightly, his voice icy, "I'm your dad's friend! That fact will never change!"

His grip was strong, causing Cathleen's shoulders to ache, yet she seemed oblivious to the pain, staring intently at him as tears slipped down her cheeks.

No matter how she asked, the answer remained the same.

Did he truly not love her?

Cathleen's sanity was utterly consumed by the icy answer, her eyes churning with reckless frenzy.

She stood on her tiptoes, her bloody hand pulling Jerald's neck down, kissing him with an urgency that was far from the tentative and timid kiss of that night.

She was like a desperate soul, determined to meld the man before her into her very being.

The collision of their lips and teeth carried a fierce intensity, the salty tang of tears and the taste of blood making Cathleen feel both crazed and desperate.

Jerald's body stiffened, instinctively wanting to push her away, but seeing the plea and longing in her eyes, his fingertips touched her trembling shoulder, and he lost his strength.

He felt her despair, her unwillingness to yield, and her love that threatened to consume them both.

Torn between reason and emotion, he turned his head to escape, but Cathleen held his neck tighter, her kiss gradually dismantling his defenses, even making his breath hot and sticky.

Just as his arms were about to encircle her waist, ready to surrender to the uncontrollable intimacy and passion, a sharp cry pierced the room's tension, "Hey! What are you doing here?!"