What Separates Me and You

Robert tried to persuade Layla out of it, but he couldn't utter a word though his mouth was open. His breathing rate increased rapidly, and he started to feel more and more out of breath. Laying limply on the sofa, he was like a fish out of water, trying to breathe through his mouth. However, moans left his mouth instead.

Layla heard his moans, and her expression turned crazed. She drew a sharp dagger from beneath the table and sat beside Robert intimately. "Robert, you can't be thinking that I'll let you die such an easy death, can you?"

Her creepy words found their way into Robert's ears, and his eyes widened as he stared at Layla with fright. Struggling, he tried to grasp Layla's neck.

All of a sudden, Layla slashed the dagger across his palm. Robert groaned in pain as blood trickled down.

Layla traced the dagger's tip along Robert's face, blood dripping off it. "Don't worry. I'll ensure you die a horrible death. I'll let you watch me cut off your limbs, rip your heart out of your chest, and finally decapitate you ..."

The man's eyes bulged, almost popping out of their sockets. As he was suffocating, he could only gasp for breath. He was obviously in anguish.

Layla continued, "Not only that, I'll dissect you so no one can find you. Even if they do, they won't be able to put the pieces back together. I once heard that if the deceased's corpse is incomplete, they won't go into the afterlife. I don't think the likes of you deserve an afterlife. You should stay in hell obediently."

As she spoke, she let out a blood-curdling cackle. Fear washed over Robert.

She continued, "You shall experience what it feels like to watch yourself being cut into pieces. Then you'll know how much pain Lily went through. You can only put yourself in her shoes and understand how broken my heart is after suffering the same treatment."

Images of her daughter's despair before her death flashed across her mind. How much agony was Lily in when she died? How desperate she must have been for someone to rescue her!

Layla's tears spilled out of her eyes. She grabbed the dagger and stabbed it savagely at Robert's palm.

Shocked, Robert's veins popped out on his forehead even as his eyes reddened. His mouth opened in agony, and he let out moans of despair.

He never would've imagined that a brief moment of sympathy could've led him directly to his death, less so that he would die in the hands of a woman.

A tear rolled out the corner of his eye, either out of pain or despair.

Robert grabbed the pillow on the sofa until veins bulged all over the dorsal part of his hand, and he trembled all over.

Nevertheless, his hand abruptly lost its strength a minute later and drooped limply.

Meanwhile, Nancy was napping on the sofa in Alvarez Manor when a baby's cry woke her up with a jump. Her eyes flew open, and she sat upright.

She turned toward the sound and saw Baron howling away in his cradle.

Nancy's heart melted at the sight, and she quickly carried him into her arms, gently patting his back. "Oh, my dear Bambam. What's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?"

Baron's nanny trotted over and checked his diapers. She said softly, "Mrs. Alvarez, Young Master Baron has relieved himself. I'll change his diapers."

"Go ahead." Nancy handed Baron over to the nanny.

The baby was still crying hysterically. Although it wasn't the first time, it irked Nancy somehow, and she felt restless. Getting up, she went outside to get some fresh air. However, she shivered when the cold breeze blew, adding to her frustration. She was puzzled.

Baron kept crying even after the nanny changed his diapers and fed him milk, which he refused. He seemed to be acting out like before, and no coaxing could calm him down.

After standing in the breeze for a while, the frustration within Nancy grew when she heard that Baron was still crying. She swiftly entered the house and went to the nanny, asking sullenly, "What's wrong?"

The nanny carried the child in one arm and held a milk bottle in the other. She was troubled as she looked at the milk Baron regurgitated. She said, "Perhaps he had a nightmare. He'll feel better after some time."

Nancy waved her away. "Take him away and coax him to stop crying." At that, she went upstairs and shut herself in her room, but shutting out Baron's cries didn't stop her from feeling jittery.

It was like something was gnawing at her.

Lewis returned to Styx Mansion and opened the bedroom door. His tense expression slightly softened when he saw the figure on the bed.

Mrs. Larson was beside him. "I stood guard at the door all the time. She didn't leave the room."

Lewis waved, signaling her to leave them.

She backed down tactfully.

He came to the bed and flung the blanket aside to find Josephine sound asleep.

However, sweat covered her forehead because she had covered her entire body with the blanket. Her hair, strewed all over her face, hid her face from view.

He sat by the bed and tucked her hair behind her ear with a slender finger.

He was very gentle, but Josephine still woke up.

She slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Lewis sitting beside her, she closed her eyes again.

Vaguely, she felt as though she had lived through this situation countless times, with which came an innate sense of relief. Out of habit, she continued sleeping.

Slipping in and out of sleep, she could feel herself being half-awake. She also sensed that someone was beside her. It felt like she was only dozing off, but the sky was already dark when she woke up. Upon opening her eyes, she looked beside her.

Lewis, who was neatly dressed, wasn't on the bed. He only leaned against the bed with his eyes closed, and she couldn't know for sure if he was sleeping or resting his eyes.

Josephine sat upright carefully. She stared at him and noticed the fatigue and upset on his face.

He looked handsome, but he was a bad guy.

She wasn't sure when the impression of him being a bad guy had etched into her mind.

Perhaps it was when he first barged into Quintin's house, or it could be when he told her Quintin was abandoning her at the spa.

Lewis opened his eyes and turned to look at Josephine, who was kneeling on the bed, studying him curiously. "Do I look good?" Josephine nodded. He was undeniably good-looking.

He reached out and placed his hand on her forehead. Her fever had subsided. "Is your stomach still aching?"

Josephine rubbed her stomach and nodded. It was aching but not as much as before.

He said, "Don't just take off like that anymore. No one will come after you if you can't find your way back."

She was stunned. She thought it was a dream, but it turned out she actually did flee the mansion. She lowered her head in guilt as the thought flashed across her mind.

He stared at her for a long while before he asked softly, "Is Quintin such a good man?"

The question was seemingly for Josephine, yet it could also be him mumbling to himself.

Josephine looked up into his thoughtful eyes and complicated expression, which she couldn't read. She was suddenly unsure of the answer to that question.

"Was staying with him for several days sufficient to make you reluctant to leave him? Is staying with him really. ... better than staying with me?"