Disappointment was written all over Nicoleâs face and her eyes were misty. Evan was absolutely heartbroken seeing her in this state so he reassured, âThatâs not real, Nicole. What youâre seeing now is just a hallucination. Itâs not real.â
âHallucination?â
She felt dizzy and her head was throbbing slightly. Nicole didnât dare to think much about it. As she furrowed her brows and studied Evan, she could still clearly see the hickeys, each one of them glaring at her. She closed her eyes and opened them again but was still able to see them.
âI can see them, Evan! Who did this to you? What was the woman trying to do to you? Tell me!â
âBelieve me, Nicole. Youâre really hallucinating. You-â
A mocking smile appeared on her lips as she spoke, âYouâre telling me Iâm hallucinating?â
âYes,â he answered loudly.
Nicole reached out and gave him a slap across his face. âDoes it hurt?â
She slapped Evan with so much force he felt as though his face was burning.
âOf course it hurts. You hit me so hard.â
âIt hurts? Didnât you say Iâm hallucinating? Since Iâm hallucinating, all this should be fake. So why would it hurt?â
He couldnât believe that Nicole could still argue this well even when she was hallucinating.
âYou hitting me isnât a hallucination but those hickeys youâre seeing are not there.â
âThe hickeys are not real?â
She reached out and pinched Evanâs face. âYou look like youâve been gnawed on by a dog here, here, and here. I can see it so clearly. How can this be a hallucination? I wasnât hallucinating when I hit you but I am seen these hickey? Evan, do you think Iâm foolish enough to believe you?â
ââ¦â¦â
He didnât know how else to explain it to her.
However, Nicole became even more furious when Evan wasnât talking. She started hitting and punching him as if she had gone crazy.
Evan didnât expect her to act like this and noticed that her punches were very strong.
He kept his arms around her and tried to make her stop moving but Nicole struggled with all her might.
However, she started to cry when she couldnât break free even after struggling for a while.
âHow dare you mess around with other women behind me, Evan? How can you do this to me? I want to break up with you!â
Evan kept silent as he knew that Nicole wasnât in the right state of mind right now so it was pointless to explain further. He couldnât be bothered to explain too.
He just hoped that she would become clearheaded soon.
She cried for a while with Evan consoling her before she finally fell asleep.
Only then did he feel relieved.
Would the beating Nicole gave me earlier leave bruises?
He got up and went to the dressing table. A puzzled look appeared on Evanâs face when he saw himself in the mirror.
Was she the one who caused this bruise?
It happened to be on my face too. And itâs at the most conspicuous spot. I have to give her credit for picking such a great spot.
He quickly looked for medicine and applied it, hoping that it would go away by tomorrow.
Nicole talked in her sleep again in the middle of the night and Evan hugged her tightly and coaxed her back to sleep patiently.
The next day, she woke up at dawn for the first time, much to her surprise.
She rubbed her tired eyes before turning to look at Evan who was still sleeping soundly. The corners of her lips slowly tilted upwards as she studied his sleeping face.
He always got up earlier than her. However, she had unexpectedly woken up so early in the morning today.
A frown appeared on her face after staring at him for a moment.
What happened to his face?
She reached out and touched the bruised on his face. He mustâve accidentally bumped into something.
My face is injured and now his face is bruised. We really are a couple after all.
Evan saw Nicole staring at him the moment he woke up and he felt uneasy all of a sudden.
I hope sheâs not hallucinating again and start slapping or even punching me.