The photo of Michael carrying Chioma spread throughout the city like wildfire. Jessica was having a seemingly normal meal with Sharon at a high-end restaurant when she scrolled past the image dominating social media under the hashtag #ChiomaStealsTheShow. A choked gasp escaped her lips, shattering the peaceful clinking of silverware. With trembling hands, she flung her phone across the plush, carpeted floor. The force sent it skidding a few inches before it landed with a dull thud. Nearby diners, engrossed in their conversations and phones, glanced up in surprise at the commotion.
Jessica's face contorted with rage, eyes burning with a fire that rivaled the warm glow of the restaurant's lighting. Diners in the restaurant who had seen the photo online began commenting in hushed tones, their whispers fuelling Jessica's anger like bellows on a blacksmith's forge. Envy, a venomous serpent, coiled itself around her heart, squeezing tighter with every passing moment. The more she tried to ruin Chioma, the more Chioma became the star of the show.
'It's a good thing the plush Italian carpet cushioned the fall of your phone,' Sharon remarked, her voice laced with a hint of amusement that only fanned the flames of Jessica's rage. 'Otherwise, it would have shattered into pieces with the force you threw it down.' A waiter, startled by the outburst, stooped to pick up Jessica's phone.
'I can easily buy as many phones as I want,' Jessica retorted angrily, snatching the phone from the waiter and throwing it fiercely back onto the plush carpet.
'Jess, please stop doing this. You can throw your phone down and pick it up again, but you can't do the same with love,' Sharon advised. She wore an embroidered floral tulle blouse, black trousers, and an Oscar de la Renta leaf necklace.
Jessica gritted her teeth so hard it hurt. 'Why is everyone in love with her? I won't tolerate such humiliation,' she practically yelled. 'What does she have that would make Michael adore her? Even Felix adores her.' Staring at the picture, Jessica felt an urge to tear Chioma's heart apart.
Sharon sighed, a big, tired sigh. 'Love is foolish. Maybe you have to be foolish,' she said.
Jessica narrowed her eyes, feeling the sting of Sharon's words. 'So you're saying that I should be foolish?'
'You're already foolish,' Sharon replied bluntly, her voice tinged with a hint of sarcasm.
Jessica glared at Sharon, her contempt evident. 'Why do you speak to me in such a manner? I can't be foolish, Sharon. Michael belongs to me. I will get what is rightfully mine.' But for the first time, the words lacked their usual conviction. A flicker of doubt, a tiny seed of fear, had taken root in her heart.
Sharon smirked, her smile filled with mockery. 'You're right, Michael belongs only to you. It was your fault. You should have waited and returned on the same day as Michael. Then you both could have put on a picture-perfect show at the airport. But you ruined everything by leaving Michael to return alone.'
'How dare you mock me, Sharon? Believe it or not, no one will ever take my place in Michael's heart,' Jessica retorted angrily, reaching for her orange juice, downing it in one swift gulp, the coolness offering no solace to the inferno burning inside her.