Helen loud out scream was shrill, the shock of the slap making her pause.
Clutching her hot cheeks, she glared at Willow, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Willow, how dare you slap me?" she spat, her voice trembling with anger.
Willow's lips twisted into a cold, mocking smile, the look in her eyes frozen as cold as her words. "Why wouldn't I dare? You asked for it. You wanted to apologize, didn't you? But one slap is not enough to satisfy my anger. Maybe a second slap will."
After said that, she raised her hand again, her gaze never leaving Helen's face.
Felix, still reeling from the shock, finally came to his senses. With an angry shout, he lunged forward, shoving Willow aside and snapped. "That's enough, Willow, don't go too far!"
As he wrapped her arms protectively around Helen, his voice softened with concern and murmured to her, trying to calm the woman down.
Willow staggered back, it was a good thing she didn't fall down as she was able to regain her balance easily, her face looking indifferent.
She looked at the two of them with detached, with a sharp gaze, her voice dripping of sarcasm. "Me? Going too far? Helen herself said that she wanted to apologize. Felix , are you deaf? If she really want to apologize, she should have just shut up and let me vent. All I did was slap her. That's all, then you're saying it's too far? Huh, what I did to her is nothing compared to what you two have done to me."
Willow's gaze turned bitter as she continued "You two are nothing but a pair of liars and traitors. And someday, when the truth comes out, who will believe a word you two say?"
Felix stood frozen, stunned by Willow's barrage of accusations. He wanted to open his mouth, but not a single word of defense came out of his mouth.
He hugged Helen tightly, his arms wrapped protectively around her, while his eyes narrowed at Willow in growing frustration. After a long, tense silence, he finally spoke,his voice laced with irritation.
"Even if Helen wanted to apologize, you shouldn't have slapped her. Basically, an apology is just an apology. You shouldn't be so rude. You're acting like a wild animal."
Willow tilted her face slightly, she sighed, her lips curving into a coldly smile. She flexed her wrists casually, her gesture sharp and deliberate.
"I'll take that as a compliment," she replied coldly, her eyes fixed on Felix. "Since you praise me so much, should I slap her a few more times to really live up to your praise?"
Felix's mouth dropped open, his shock evident as he stared into Willow's face, completely unprepared for the woman's mocking reply.
For a moment, Felix wondered if the woman standing before him was the Willow he once knew.
Helen, also stunned, watched Willow with disbelief, her brain struggling to process the situation. She had taunted Willow many times before, but this—this one was different. Willow had never fought back like this. Was she finally lost control?
The tension in the room was rising, and then Helen's mind started to open up, her gut feeling telling her that something was wrong.
Could Willow be doing this on purpose to get Felix's attention?
She glanced anxiously at Felix, only to find him completely absorbed by Willow, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made Helen feel jealous.
She had made to great efforts to take him from Willow. There was no way he was going to let Willow get him back.
Panic flooded Helen's chest, and her grip tightened on Felix's arm, pulling him back to her, calculatingly, she said, "Felix, don't say that, Willow's probably upset. I don't mind. As long as she can stop being angry with us. I'll be fine with anything."
Felix's heart swelled with sympathy for Helen, and Helen's words only deepened his sense of irritation at Willow.
"Willow, you really have changed." Felix said.His voice was tinged with disappointment. "The Willow I know would never act like this. If you're still acting like this -"
Willow cut him off before Felix finished his words, her voice sharp and piercing, "Of course I've changed. I must have been crazy before, putting up with you. But not anymore. I've come to my senses. Only a fool would continue to humiliate themselves the way I did. Felix, let me be clear, we're done. Completely done!"
Without another word, Willow picked up her suitcase and turned to leave the place, her face cold.
Felix stood frozen, Willow's words finally hitting him like a crushing blow to his chest. He had never seen her like this before.
As Willow walked out of the room, dragging her suitcase behind her, an overwhelming sense of panic gripped his chest, making it feel like he was suffocating.
For reasons he couldn't quite understand , a heavy feeling of impending loss weighed on him, as if the most important part of his life was slipping from his grasp.
"Willow!" he shouted, his voice desperate, moving instinctively as if he to chase after her.
Helen's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Felix to react like this. Without thinking, she placed her hand on her cheek, letting out a soft, melodramatic sob, "Felix, my face... it hurts. Do you think it's bleeding?"
Felix froze, his heart tightening at the sound of her complaint. Reluctantly he turned around, looking at her.
Helen's cheeks were drawn with faint red lines, hand lines visible under her skin, at the sight of that, Felix's chest ached at the sight.
"Helen, don't cry," he murmured, and his voice was filled with concern. "I'll take you to the hospital. They'll give you some bruising ointment - it'll be fine."
Helen sobbed so hard, her tears were almost like rivulets. She looked at Felix hesitated for a moment, before her voice softened, mixed with feigned concern. "Felix, Willow's really leaving... maybe you should go after her, instead of worrying about me. I'll be fine."
Felix bit on his lip, the expression on his face looking grim, his heart torn apart, "Willow has crossed the line this time. I won't indulge her anymore. let her sulk for a while. Later she'll come back to whine at me. When she does, I'll make her apologize to you."
Helen's heart swelled with satisfied. She leaned into Felix's embrace. Her voice sounding pleading, "Felix, you're so good to me."
Her plan working perfectly!
A sense of satisfaction bubbled up inside her as she felt that she was in control. Willow was nothing but just a fool, she thought, she could win to get Felix back.
But as Felix held Helen, the warmth of her affection did nothing unable to ease the anxiety gnawing at his heart. There was a strange feeling in her chest.
Why did he feel so unsettled?
Felix pushed the unese down, trying to smile at Helen with forced patience. But no matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept drifting towards the direction Willow to had gone.
Willow had nowhere to go, she would come back eventually, Felix was sure of that.