hapter 2
My hand froze. My real name is Leila Hall. My friends and family call me Leil, but Piotr likes to call me Sherry. I once asked him why he calls me that.
He ruffled my hair and whispered in my ear,
“It’s because it shows I’m different from everyone else.”
When I heard that, my ears burned, and I stopped arguing with him about it.
But now, I wondered–when Piotr whispered sweetly to me, was he calling me Sherry or was he saying it to someone else? When he looked at me, was he truly seeing me, or was he gazing right through me?
thought of that possibility crushed my chest, like a heavy stone weighing down my heart, suffocating me.
Piotr brought over the soup he had made.
“Sherry, I made your favorite seaweed shrimp soup.”
He set a bowl in front of me, then glanced at Leela and handed her a bowl as well.
“Today, you’re benefiting from my girlfriend’s kindness, so you should eat up.”
I stared at the bowl of soup, stood up, grabbed the cold instant noodles I had left in the kitchen, and headed toward the bedroom.
Piotr’s face darkened.
“Leila Hall, what’s this about? I come home, worried about you, and cook for you, and this is how you act?”
I looked at him and smiled bitterly.
“I’m allergic to seaweed.”
Piotr’s face became uncomfortable, and he murmured,
“I clearly remember you always loved this soup. Every weekend, you’d beg me to make it for you.”
Leela tugged on Piotr’s sleeve, her eyes full of challenge as she looked at me.
“Pur, it was me who loved the seaweed shrimp soup. I used to beg you to make it for me.”
Piotr stiffened immediately, hus expression faltering. He was about to explain, but I turned away and walked into the bedroom to continue working. Half an hour later, the door was knocked open, and Leela came in holding a bowl of clear noodle soup.
I glanced up briefly, then coldly said,
*Get out I’m working”
Leia erted as though she didn’t hear me, walking toward me with the soup
I died my arm loading the mouse, and in the process, accidentally bumped inte Leela.
The bowl crashed to the flour with a loud suuh, spilling scalding hot soup all over Leela’s arm, which immediately turned red and swollen.
Stone of the soup splashed onto my computer, and these tattly werd black,
1 parecked, desperately wiping at the computer there was a design proposal for an upcoming project on it, and I couldn’t afford to lose any of it. My eyes burned with fury as I clenched my fist, trying to hold hack mu
Chapter 2
Just then the door was violently kicked open, and Piotr rushed in, his face pale when he saw the broken bowl and Leela’s injury.
Leela’s voice was weak and full of pity as she cried,
“Piotr, it’s all my fault. I saw that Leila hadn’t eaten and felt guilty.”
“I just wanted to bring her some homemade soup. It’s my fault. Don’t blame Leila. She didn’t mean to spill the soup on me.”
Piotr’s expression turned sharp when he heard this.
Leila Hall, apologize to Leela.”
1 looked at Piotr, a mocking smile spreading across my face.
plogize? I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I apologize? She’s not worthy.”
A loud slap rang out across the room. My face burned with the force of the strike.
I stumbled backward, falling to the ground, glass shards from the broken bowl embedding in my palms and arms. Blood poured from my wounds.
