Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)

The phone buzzed stubbornly again. Jaylan, still damp from the shower, promptly came out to answer it. Moments later, a grunt of annoyance echoed from within, "...I'm swamped with work... stop nagging!" Then, silence fell, save for the sound of running water in the background.

When he emerged, he hastily dried himself off and flopped onto the bed. I asked with concern, "Are you tired?"

"I'm not feeling too well," he replied hoarsely, pulling the covers over himself without another word.

I reached out to touch his forehead, alarmed. "You're running a fever!"

"Hmm," was his lazy and tired response.

"I'll fetch some aspirin!" I chattered, but didn't move.

"Quiet..." he mumbled.

I snorted silently to myself. Fine, I'll be quiet then.

Not long after, he curled up into a ball, his breathing steady. He seemed to have fallen asleep. I tried to wake him but got no response.

I quietly slipped out of bed, grabbed his phone, and retreated to the bathroom. His phone was switched off. I quickly turned it on and entered his home screen.

Just as I suspected, the recent call was from a Secretary Collin. That must be Marissa Collin. She'd been calling him incessantly, from morning till night, all calls missed. It seemed that she hadn't been able to reach Jaylan since last night, and her anger hadn't subsided.

I opened his Messenger, but didn't find any chat with Marissa. This puzzled me. Didn't they use Messenger?

Suddenly, it struck me. Jaylan had another phone. Could AzureEnchantress be Marissa? Could the woman he had to see once a week be Marissa?

What a coincidence.

I scrolled through his Messenger contacts, and a vulgar profile picture caught my eye. It looked a lot like a woman's private area

I clicked on it, ready to curse, but on a closer look, it was just a broom against a flesh-colored background. Very deceptive.

God, what an effort.

The contact's nickname was a single word, 'Desire'. Anyone with a dirty mind could guess what that meant.

The chat history was filled with their obscene exchanges. They were utterly crude and vulgar, and they had been in contact quite frequently recently.

I was disgusted. Jaylan was nothing more than a beast in human clothing, a late-stage sexual addict.

From their chat history, I deduced that Jaylan hadn't been intimate with Marissa for a while. Guilty as he was, he wouldn't dare to keep such chat records otherwise.

I checked his other apps, but found nothing new. I turned off his phone and quietly returned it to its place.

Jaylan was still curled up under the covers, sleeping heavily. He seemed to have a high fever, but I didn't bother to check. I wasn't kind enough to care for a monster who wanted to kill me.

Yet, I wasn't satisfied. Why wasn't there any information about Marissa? I had to confirm whether Azure Enchantress was Marissa.

So, I found his car keys and quietly descended the stairs.

The night was deep and silent. The dim light in the garage cast eerie shadows. I shivered involuntarily.

I opened the car door with ease and reached into the spot where he usually kept his phone, but I couldn't find his other phone. I was perplexed. He had definitely left it there last time. Did he take that phone up with him too?

That's impossible. Jaylan was a meticulous man. That phone must've been of great importance to him. He wouldn't be careless. Especially after withdrawing my medication and seeing me gradually recover, he should be more cautious.

But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find it.

How strange!

I was panting from the effort. Just as I was about to give up, a sudden noise came from behind me. I let out a piercing scream.....