What Separates Me and You

Dr. Halliday appeared slightly surprised. "She's starting to eat?"

"Yes, I just brought her the meal. I feel relieved now that she's eating," Mrs. Larson sighed with relief. These past few days, she had been on edge, fearing that something might happen to Josephine and that Conrad might blame her.

Dr. Halliday nodded and waited with her.

After over half an hour, he couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't she be finished with her food by now?"

"But she hasn't signaled for me to go in yet."

Dr. Halliday sighed in frustration. "Then let's wait a bit longer."

So, they waited for another twenty minutes or so.

"It's been an hour. I'm sure she's done eating by now. Go in and check."

Mrs. Larson hesitated. "But what if it upsets her, and she refuses to eat again?"

"What if something happens?"

As they whispered to each other, they were suddenly startled by Conrad's voice from behind. "What are you both doing here?"

The unexpected voice startled Mrs. Larson, and she quickly explained, "Mrs. Alvarez asked me to bring her the meal earlier. It's been an hour, and we were discussing whether to go in." Upon hearing this, Lewis immediately pushed the door open and entered the room.

The two followed closely behind. But they were shocked to find the food on the table was untouched, and Josephine was nowhere to be seen.

Mrs. Larson's legs went weak, and she fell to the ground, but Conrad quickly held her up.

Lewis pushed open the door to the bathroom, and his eyes trembled as he saw the scene before him.

Holding a broken plastic plate, Josephine sat on the floor and repeatedly slashed her wrist.

Although the broken edge of the plastic plate was not sharp, it was pointed. She slashed several times to get a cut on her wrist.

She kept repeating the motion, and her wrist was already a bloody mess. Her hands were dyed red.

She didn't even stop when the door was opened.

Josephine slowly raised her head and met Lewis' intense gaze.

Her expression was numb, her pupils dull and lifeless. She still held the broken plate in her hand as if she couldn't feel any pain.

Even after realizing his presence, she gritted her teeth and forcefully completed the cut she had started.

Lewis quickly stepped forward and gripped her wrist. He snatched the fragments from her hand.

Josephine lunged to reclaim them, but Lewis threw them out of the bathroom. The fragments fell to the floor, and tiny droplets of blood splattered the wall. "Let go of me ..."

Struggling, Josephine tried to retrieve the remaining pieces beside her.

Lewis flung her away. She collided with the wall behind her, and the impact made her vision go black.

The man gripped her chin and lowered his voice as he said, "You can't live without him?"

"Are you planning to die for him?"

His voice was laden with suppressed anger, and his fingers gripping her chin grew even tighter. His knuckles turned white.

Josephine looked at him calmly and observed his furious expression. A weak smile tugged at her lips.

"Yes." She chuckled. "I saved you once. So consider it as repaying you for all the favors these years. I don't owe you anything anymore."

Lewis laughed, his laughter seething with bitterness. "You saved me once?"

"You two led me there. Do you think that was saving me? At best, it's attempted murder."

He squeezed her chin as if trying to crush it, causing it to turn red. "Dr. Halliday, bring the knife."

Halliday hesitated. "Chairman Alvarez, why do you need a knife?"

"Bring it here!"

His voice was so loud that it seemed like the floor was trembling.

Dr. Halliday gulped and rummaged through his box. He found a surgical knife.

Shivering, he cautiously handed the surgical knife to Lewis.

Without even glancing, Lewis snatched the surgical knife. The sharp blade cut his finger, yet he seemed oblivious.

A glint flickered in Josephine's eyes as she stared fixedly at the surgical knife in his hand.

Grasping Josephine's hand, he placed the surgical knife in her palm. He guided her grip and aimed the blade at his own heart.

"Last time, you missed. This time, be precise. Come on, stab me here."

He pulled her hand with actual force. The blade had already pierced his shirt, and blood was oozing out.

Josephine's fingers trembled. Her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down profusely. She kept moving backward, trying to break free from his grip.

A cold smile played on Lewis's lips. "What's the matter? Didn't you want to seek revenge? Go ahead, do it!"

His words made Josephine shiver uncontrollably.

She shrank back as tears fell heavily from her eyes.

"I can't do it..."

"Can't you bring yourself to do it, or are you still too afraid?"

"Let go of it..."

Lewis' expression was horrifying. At this moment, he seemed even more like a devil from the underworld. A bone-chilling atmosphere seemed to shroud his very being. "What's the matter? Don't you want to seek revenge anymore? Doesn't that mean Alex died in vain?"

He continued to speak and provoked Josephine. Every word he said pierced Josephine's heart.

Josephine trembled uncontrollably. She desperately shook her head, and she kept repeating three words. "Let me go

Lewis didn't release her. It was as if he was determined to have her stab him before relenting.

He clutched Josephine's hand, aiming for his heart, and she desperately retreated.

"Don't dodge. Do it."

Josephine shook her head frantically.

...

Let me go...

11

"No, please, let go..." She was on the verge of breaking down. Lifting her hand, which was still bleeding, she grasped Lewis' hand and tried to pull the knife away. Lewis stared at her, his eyes bloodshot. His expression was fierce.

He stared at the fresh blood staining her hand and his own knuckles.

After a moment, he finally loosened his grip. Josephine stumbled backward due to the momentum and hit her head on the wall.

The knife in her hand fell to the ground, making a sharp sound.

Lewis took a deep breath to mask his emotions. He approached Josephine, embraced her, and gently ruffled her hair.

"It's okay now. You're safe. Don't cry."

The person in his arms was trembling uncontrollably. She was choking and struggling for breath.

His voice softened, "Don't do something like this again, or I'll lock you up in a cage, got it?"

Josephine closed her eyes. Her chest felt stuffy, and it suffocated her.

She couldn't say a word. Her mind was blank.

After a while, Lewis lifted her and carried her back to the sofa in the living room.

He motioned for Dr. Halliday to tend to Josephine's wounds.

Dr. Halliday didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Fear was evident in his every move as he approached Josephine. He carefully dressed her wounds. Afraid of drawing Lewis' attention, he wished he could stop breathing.

Lewis looked terrifying earlier. It was as if he had gone mad.

There was still a trace of blood on his chest.

Once the dressing was done, Dr. Halliday hurriedly gathered his things and scrambled out of the room.

Lewis sat beside Josephine, who kept inching away and curling herself into a ball. She wished she could be as far away from him as possible.

Lewis didn't mind. He picked up the food from the table and tried to feed Josephine, but she moved away, avoiding him.

"Is the food not to your liking?"

Josephine hugged her knees and remained silent. Her disheveled hair covered her face.