Chapter 7

"What on earth are you doing?" Natalie stood frozen, staring at the scene before her in utter disbelief. Hudson, who had always been so obedient, was now kissing another woman. She suddenly felt a wave of betrayal surge through her even though they supposedly no longer had anything to do with each other. Rage ignited within her, spreading like wildfire. She wanted nothing more than to storm over and rip the two apart. Winona casually brushed aside the long strands of hair that had fallen over her face with a lazy smirk. Her innocent yet provoking gaze landed on Natalie as the corners of her lips curled upward in amusement. "What are we doing? Oh, just what couples usually do. Is that a problem?" She deliberately wrapped her arms around Hudson's neck, pressing herself closer against him. Natalie was trembling with fury, her face ashen. It took all her strength to hold back the urge to slap Winona across the face. Winona was trembling too. Her hands clinging to Hudson's neck and the subtle rise and fall of her chest betrayed the fact that this mischievous little devil had pushed the game a bit too far this time. She’d caught herself in her own web. Natalie took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her anger as she steadied herself. She composed herself immediately and resumed her usual poised demeanor. She addressed Hudson coldly, "Hudson, come over here. I have something to say to you." She tried to be forgiving and wanted to give Hudson one last chance. As long as he behaved, as long as he stayed out of her and Quinton’s way, she might even consider compensating him financially. After all, she was sure that he couldn’t live without her. How could he possibly love someone else? A woman like Winona, who only had her looks, could never compare to her. She would never accept him as a partner, of course. But she also wouldn’t allow him to be with Winona. To her utter shock, though Hudson had stopped his intimate gestures with Winona, he made no move to walk over to her. Instead, he looked at her with a helpless expression and said in a calm and distant tone, "Natalie, back when we were together, you always wanted to break up with me. Do you remember how many times we broke up?" Natalie froze. She hadn’t expected Hudson to disobey her and bring up their past grievances. Although she was flustered, she tried to maintain her composure. She said, "That’s because you were always so disobedient! I had no choice but to—" Hudson cut her off. "I begged you to come back to me every time even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. But this time, I didn’t say much when you told me you’d fallen for Quinton. We broke up, fair and square. "So now, I’ll tell you one last thing. Stop bothering me." Natalie couldn’t believe her ears. What had he just said? Did he say she was bothering him? How could he talk to her like that? Even though she was now with someone else, she still believed that Hudson should remain her backup plan—her loyal, uncomplaining lapdog. Back when they were still together, she had often broken up with him over fabricated reasons, only to revel in the satisfaction of having him grovel and plead for her return. They had dated for so long, yet she hadn’t even allowed him to hold her hand. The only reason she’d agreed to date him in the first place was because she was bored. He was passably good-looking, and she’d thought of him as a way to pass the time. Perhaps, she had never truly considered this a real relationship from the start. "How dare you speak to me like this! Hudson, I’ll have you expelled! Leave this school immediately! I don’t want to see your face ever again!" She was unable to contain herself any longer, and she screamed at Hudson with all the fury she could muster. Hudson sighed in exasperation. Then, he took Winona’s hand and walked past Natalie without a single backward glance. As he left, he dropped a parting remark. "Feel free to leave if you don't feel like seeing me." Without another word, he strode away with Winona, leaving Natalie stunned. Just as she was about to turn and say something, she caught Winona glancing back at her. She stuck out her tongue, making a mocking face. Natalie’s chest heaved with rage as her whole body shook. "Hudson!" Her voice was filled with venom as she swore to herself she would make Hudson regret this, regret hurting her, regret leaving her. She would never let this slide. She didn't think that it was her fault and had no sense of guilt toward Hudson. All she harbored was resentment—resentment for him daring to defy her, daring to leave her. And bitterness at the thought of her cherished toy being snatched away. ... Later that evening, Hudson and Winona returned to his apartment together. Shortly after they entered, Hudson’s phone began to ring. It was a call from Loewe Sinclair, Hudson's mother. "Hud, what are you up to?" Loewe’s familiar voice came through the line. "I just got home. I'm cleaning up a bit. Mom, why did you call?" Hudson asked. Loewe asked about school and whether he’d made any new friends. He kept his answers vague but couldn’t avoid the topic of his recent breakup. "Hud, I know you’ve probably been feeling down lately. If there’s anything on your mind, you can always talk to me." Hearing Loewe’s comforting words, he couldn’t help but smile wryly. It turned out he was moving on faster than he’d thought. Maybe it was because the emotional torment Natalie had inflicted on him had left him so drained that he felt relieved after they broke up. "Don’t worry, Mom. I’m old enough to handle my emotions," Hudson said. Meanwhile, Winona had curled up on the couch, watching him talk on the phone. After a moment, she softly rubbed her stomach and said, "Hudson, I’m hungry." "Hud, is someone there with you?" Loewe’s cautious voice came from the other end. "Uh… no, Mom. I’m, uh, just watching TV," Hudson stammered as he gestured frantically at Winona to keep quiet. Winona puffed up her cheeks unhappily and tugged on his shirt. "I’m hungry," she repeated. Hudson felt like crying. Loewe, having caught onto something, chuckled lightly. "Hud, your dad and I are actually in town to visit you. We wanted to surprise you! We’re about to get off the train. If you’ve got plans with your friends, we can just find a hotel and see you tomorrow." When Hudson heard that his parents were already in Liveria, he froze before replying hurriedly, "No, no, no, just come here. It’s much better at home. No need for a hotel." "Alright, then wait for us at home. I’ll cook something nice for you tonight," Loewe said. The thought of Loewe’s signature dishes—roasted chicken, barbecue ribs, and grilled salmon—made his mouth water. His parents weren’t wealthy. Loewe worked as a teacher in a small town, and William Jarrott, Hudson's father, drove for a transport company. Life wasn’t extravagant, but it was full of warmth. William and Loewe had always given him their very best. "Sure, I’ll clean up now. No need to come pick you up, right? Oh, and Mom—did you bring the tartar sauce?" He was particularly fond of the homemade tartar sauce Loewe made. Just a spoonful of it was enough to get him through multiple plates of fish and chips. "Of course, I didn’t forget! Go tidy up, Hud. We’ll be there soon," Loewe said. After hanging up, Hudson immediately got to work, scrubbing and tidying the apartment. He paid special attention to the dried bloodstains near the couch, making sure to clean them thoroughly. Winona showed no intention of helping. She simply kept repeating that she was hungry and wanted food. "Why am I the one stuck taking care of your meals?" Hudson muttered as he scrubbed a particularly stubborn stain. "First, I saved you. Second, I helped you vent your anger. Third, I’m broke." Curled up on the couch, Winona stared at him with an air of entitlement. "That last reason seems a little weak." Hudson sighed. "I really don’t have money. I usually eat in the organization, and my mentor pays for my tuition and arranges my accommodation, so I don’t need to spend money. Now that I’m monitoring you 24/7, I can’t go back to eat," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. Hudson sighed helplessly. "Doesn’t your organization pay you?" "I’m not a permanent member yet, so I don’t get paid," she explained. "First time I’ve heard someone talk about being an intern with such confidence," Hudson said. After about forty minutes, Hudson finally finished cleaning the room. He looked at Winona, who was sitting on the couch, took a hundred dollars out of his pocket, and handed it to her. "My parents are coming tonight. You should go back now." Winona glanced at the money but didn’t take it. "I don’t need money." "Then what do you want?" Hudson asked. "I want food," Winona replied plainly "I gave you money to go back and eat," Hudson said. Winona pouted, shook her head, and gave him a look as if he were mentally challenged. "No, I’m on duty watching you 24/7. This principle cannot be broken." He thought for a while but couldn’t come up with anything to refute her. Finally, he thought of an idea. "Winona, will you stay by my side no matter what?" Winona nodded slightly. "Are you sure?" Hudson asked again. She nodded again. "Then... what if I think about it?" Winona looked at Hudson in confusion as though she didn’t understand. "What?" He leaned in close to her and whispered to her his idea. She was silent for a moment, then slowly raised her hand. At the next moment, a scythe appeared in her hand. "How about I get rid of it for you?" Winona said. He saw the scythe in her hand, swallowed hard, and quickly waved his hand. "Sorry, I was just joking." ... Meanwhile, in a small alley near Hudson’s apartment, a wild dog was rummaging through the trash cans for food. This wild dog was well-known in the area for biting several people. Whenever someone came to catch it, it would immediately hide. The nearby residents were quite annoyed and did their best to keep their children away from the alley. Today, the wild dog was patrolling its territory and also searching for its dinner, but just as it was enjoying its treasure hunt, a crack quietly opened behind it. The wild dog had a very sharp sense. It turned around and started barking fiercely at the crack instead of running away. However, as danger approached, the wild dog realized its mistake, but it couldn’t escape in time. A huge black claw suddenly stretched out from the crack, grabbed the wild dog’s body, and quickly pulled it back into the crack. Soon, cries of the wild dog and the sound of chewing teeth could be heard from inside the crack. After a moment, the crack gradually closed. In the final moments before the crack disappeared, a white bone was thrown out.