Chapter 9
“Sienna, are you entering another competition?” Faye asked. She had clearly seen what was on the form but chose not to reveal it.
Apparently, she didn’t want Dominic to know I was leaving either–or perhaps she was eager for me to leave quickly so she could officially become Dominic’s girlfriend.
Her discretion came as a relief to me.
I snatched back the application, my tone frigid. “That’s none of your business.” Dominic looked confused. “What competition are you entering?”
His voice revealed obvious guilt—after all, just days ago he’d tried to give my
competition spot to Faye.
I tucked away the application before answering him. “Nothing important. Just a
small contest.”
Relieved that I hadn’t mentioned his attempt to replace me in the competition, Dominic relaxed. “Let’s go then. I’ve already made reservations.”
But I didn’t move, giving Faye a pointed look. My meaning was clear.
Was he really taking his “sister” along on a date with his girlfriend?
Faye bit her lip, fingers nervously twisting her skirt hem. Out of Dominic’s view,
she shot me a venomous glare.
The next moment, she switched to a wounded expression, gently tugging
Dominic’s sleeve. “Don’t worry about me, Dominic. Sienna is your girlfriend. I can get home by myself–you don’t need to worry about me.”
Though her words suggested she’d leave, her feet didn’t move an inch. She was clearly waiting for Dominic to insist she join us.
“I’ll take you home first, then,” Dominic said. Contrary to Faye’s expectations, he didn’t invite her along, but she’d already made her statement.
Not wanting to watch their performance any longer, I ignored them both and
headed home. Time was short–I needed to finish packing.
“Sienna, where are you going?” Dominic ran after me and grabbed my hand, panic
in his voice.
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09
My behavior these past days had been completely unexpected, making him fear he was losing me.
“Home, of course. Weren’t you going to take your precious junior home?” My voice remained neutral, betraying no emotion.
Hadn’t Dominic always wanted me to be more mature, to stop making scenes, to
get along with Faye?
Now that I was ignoring them, he was the one panicking.
Dominic wouldn’t let go. He looked at me stubbornly. “I’m just dropping Faye off
on the way. Sienna, don’t be like this. You weren’t like this before…”
His voice held confusion. After all, he’d made me suffer before. Why was this time
different?
But Dominic never considered that my heart could hurt and grow disappointed
too.
His kindness to Faye became cruelty to me. Countless nights, I’d cried myself to
sleep because of him. I couldn’t bear to go through that again.
I just didn’t understand–why was he blind to my love when I gave it freely? And now that I was finally seeing clearly, why was he suddenly asking why I’d changed, why I didn’t love him as much?
“Let go,” I told him.
Dominic’s eyes widened. His tone grew urgent as he turned to Faye and said, “Faye, you should go home by yourself today. I won’t be taking you.”
Then he looked at me with a pleading expression. “Sienna, today I’ll only be with
you. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay? Let’s go back to how we were before.”
Who wanted to go back? To be hurt by him and Faye again?
I yanked my hand away forcefully, stepping back. “Dominic, you don’t need to do
this. I’m fine. You can go with Faye. I’m heading home now.
I genuinely didn’t care anymore. He could take Faye out to dinner–hell, they could
sleep together, and I wouldn’t make a scene.
Faye looked momentarily confused. She seemed surprised by my unusual behavior, but her expression quickly showed concern.
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6:30 AM Thu 5 Jun
09
After all, in the past, the more I protested, the more annoyed Dominic became with me, and the more he favored her, making her seem even more fragile and pitiful by comparison.
But now that I’d stopped fighting, Dominic was the one who seemed worried.
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