Tale of Two Lives

Horace yanked away the study materials from my hand roughly before leaving with VIvian's hand in his.

They ended up going to the backyard garden, which was right in view from my window, so I had a perfect view of them reading books together.

That evening, Agnes, the nanny, told me to go downstairs to eat after she finished cooking.

I sat across the table from Horace and Vivian as they fed each other throughout the meal, and I didn't so much as raise my head, focusing on eating the meal in front of me.

I was scared that I'd get caught in some sort of trouble if I met either of their eyes.

Vivian tried to strike up a conversation with me multiple times, but I didn't notice it because I was too focused on the meal in front of me. Seemingly agitated by this, her eyes became red, and she set down her cutlery, her voice taking on a sad tinge, almost sounding like she was sobbing, "Horace, I think I'll go back to school."

Horace slammed down his cutlery. "You're not the one who should be leaving.

"I think someone's made herself too comfortable in our house, and feels like she has the right to enjoy the privilege that she's been given!"

I paused in the middle of eating, not quite able to pinpoint the exact emotions I was feeling at that moment.

It's true that I was the only one who wasn't welcome in this house.

Well, to be fair, I was nothing more than a visitor that Horace had invited to this house on a whim from the very start.

Now that I wasn't welcome anymore, it was only natural that I left.

Seeing the virulent gaze he sent my way, I suddenly found it hard to remember how well he treated me in the past. All the memories that I had kept in a box, taking them out to treasure over and over, now felt distant, as if looking through a fogged up window, lost in the river of time.

In the past, when I'd just arrived at this house, Horace made sure that the kitchen cooked according to my preferences so that I wouldn't feel out of place, and even begged his mother to cook meals that I liked.

When I was bullied in school, he barged into my classroom and beat the bullies up, causing him to be punished by the school, and beaten by his father.

When I applied medicine on his bloodied back, tears blurring my vision, he told me that it didn't hurt at all, and that no one could ever bully me.

All of those memories seemed like they were from a dream.

Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I stood up and left.

As the light outside dimmed, my door was opened once more without any warning. "Vivian wants to stay the night, and this room is close to mine, so let her stay here. You can go to the floor below."

I wasn't surprised in the slightest—in fact, I'd already packed my luggage.

In my past life, Horace had ordered me to do the exact same thing, and I felt like everything precious to me was being taken from me one by one. I threw a giant tantrum, even calling Horace's parents, and finally managed to send Vivian to that small room.

That night, she fainted because of claustrophobia, and Horace hit me for the first time in my life.

After that, the two of us were like fire and water, not able to coexist with one another.

When I nodded, I noticed peculiarly that Horace's hands gripped into fists.

"Are you just going to agree with that?"

I looked up at him in confusion—wasn't this what he wanted?

Seeing how unfazed I was—like I wouldn’t care even if I got kicked out right then—only made Horace more frustrated. "Since you’re already packed, then leave! If Vivian doesn't get any rest tonight, you won’t either!"

On the surface, Vivian made a big show of showing me her gratitude, but there was an unmistakable glint of glee in her eyes.

When I walked past Horace, I was astonished to notice that he wasn't happy, but I only allowed myself to think of that for an instant before I suppressed it.

Perhaps it was because I'd changed rooms, but even with my trusty night light on, I couldn't fall asleep.

Just like when I just arrived here, I curled up in the corner of the room, trying to scrounge together the slightest sense of security.

That night, the sound of an ambulance pierced through the silence.

A feeling of dread fell over me, and as I opened the door to see what happened, Horace was right there and he kicked me hard.

My head hit the door frame, and I could feel warm liquid flowing down my hair onto my neck.

"How dare you try and commit murder! If anything happens to Vivian, I'll make sure you end up in jail!"

Then, I saw Vivian being sent out on a stretcher, struggling to breathe.

Horace dragged me to her, and that's when I saw the rashes on her body, red splotches painting her skin.

"I didn't…"

I tried to defend myself, but Horace threw me onto the ground.

"I shouldn't have brought a venomous witch like you home in the first place!"

And so, I was left there on the cold marble floor, no one caring about the blood seeping from the back of my head.

As the ambulance sped away, its siren blaring, the house fell into dead silence once more.

I was brought back to the cold, dark night when I was abandoned all by myself, with only the darkness for company.

Clutching my head, I crawled up slowly from the floor.

No matter how much I relented and how much I gave way, Vivian wasn't willing to let me go.

If that was the case, then I was willing to play this game with her.